Chapter 16

I stepped into the shower and closed my eyes as the warm water splashed against my cool skin, causing my shoulders to relax. I slowly tilted my head back and ran my hands through my wet hair as my mind began to spin.

In less than two hours, I would hopefully be seeing my mother and I had no idea what to expect. Was she still alive? Would she hate me? Has she missed me? The thoughts were pure torture and honestly, I wasn't sure if I was ready to find the answers.

The sound of Jace entering the bathroom broke me of my thoughts as he turned on the sink water and grabbed for his toothbrush. The loud clatter was enough to grab my full attention. He always did have a thing with intruding on people’s private shower time.     

I poked my head out of the curtain being sure not to expose my naked flesh, as I smiled and shook my head at his carefree ways.

"Jace," I said, with a shake of my head.

He looked into the mirror and grinned back at me playfully as he ran a hand over his firm stomach. "Can I help you?" he teased. "You're interrupting my personal time."

I playfully hit the curtain and threw my head back. "Wait! I'm interrupting your personal time? "I questioned.  ”I'm naked behind this curtain if you care." I laughed and then attempted to look serious.

Jace slowly ran his tongue over his lip and then chewed on his lip ring, playfully. "I do care," he teased. “Trust me.”

My face turned red as I pulled the curtain closer to me and laughed. "Stop teasing me and hurry up," I paused and stared him down. "You're making me nervous.”

Jace gave me a serious look as I played with my hair. "Just remember that I'll be with you every step of the way," he paused. "Please don't worry too much." He stood there in just his low hanging briefs as he shoved his toothbrush into his mouth and shook his head at me. "You're not alone in this."

I took a deep breath, leaning against the back of the shower. Was it really that obvious? "I'm fine. I'm just tired and-"

"You're not fine," he cut in. "And I can't promise that everything will work out for you, but I can promise you that I will be there to pick up the pieces if they don't." He stepped up to the shower and ran his hand over the curtain, his eyes glued to mine. "I keep my promises."     

My heart sped up, listening to his heavy breathing from outside of the thin curtain.

Suddenly, thoughts of Jace naked and sharing a shower with me clouded my mind and it was the only thing that mattered at the moment. I not only needed him, but I wanted him. I couldn't deny that fact anymore. The only thing that had been stopping me before was that I was scared. Scared of hurting Jace or possibly even myself.

"I care about…"

Jace's words trailed off as I slowly opened the curtain and gazed into his beautiful eyes.

He stood there looking shocked and confused as I reached out and grabbed his hand. I slowly trailed my fingertips over his hand, as I looked him in the eye. He was so beautiful. Inside and out.

Not a word was spoken as he stepped into the shower, still wearing his briefs and placed his hands on my face. His hands trembled as he slowly ran a finger down to my lip and bit his own. "You're so fucking beautiful," he breathed. "I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy."

My heartbeat skyrocketed and my legs became weak as he leaned in and pressed his tender lips against mine. His touch was so sensual and the taste of his mouth was sweeter than sugar, causing me to run my tongue over his lips to get a better taste.

I watched, holding my breath, as the water dripped over his perfect body, soaking the briefs that he still wore. It turned me on.

The whole room suddenly spun around us as my hands trailed over his bare chest, rubbing his smooth flesh, before  resting on the outside of his wet briefs. The feel of his hardness made me moan.

I felt my body start to shake uncontrollably as he gripped my wet hips and swung me toward the back wall, with passion in his eyes.

We both let out a low moan as he pressed me into the shower wall and roughly bit my bottom lip. "Are you sure that you're ready for this?" he questioned running his hands up my face.

I silently shook my head as I reached down and gripped his wet briefs in my small hand. Everything inside of me wanted to yank them off and toss them at the wall. To get a piece of him.

I stood there frozen in thought. Then suddenly my whole body shook with pleasure as Jace grabbed my hands, looked me in the eye and helped me strip him of his briefs. I was terrified of what was about to happen, but the sight of him naked was the most beautiful thing in the world. A moment that my eyes would never be able to forget.

Everything around me became silent and suddenly the only thing that I could focus on was the rapid beating of our hearts.

I stood there motionless and frozen in time before Jace grabbed my legs and wrapped them around his waist. He leaned into me, pressing his bare skin against mine. I got chills. "I don't want you to ever forget this moment," he breathed, running his lips over my neck. “I know I never will.”

I knew that it would be a moment that I would never be able to forget. Every moment with Jace was something that I could never forget and something that I would never wanted to forget.

I shook my head, biting my lip as my eyes trailed over the smooth curves of everyone one of his perfect muscles, taking in the beauty of his body art. To me, jace was art and everything beautiful in the world.

He moaned into my mouth as he took a piece of me. The one piece that I was able to give.

~•~

An hour later we were both dressed and on the road to finding my mother. Although I was scared and nervous, the thought of being with Jace managed to keep a grin on my face. Sure, I had experienced sex before, but nothing like that. I had never felt such happiness in my entire life and he made me feel things that I never thought to be possible. It was both a good and bad thing.

"Avery."

Jace's deep voice broke me from my thoughts as I turned away from the window and smiled. He looked so calm. "Yes.” I smiled while twirling my finger in my hair.

The look on his handsome face was of pure happiness and I couldn't help, but to smile even bigger. "No matter what happens today with your mother I will always be there for you. I have been from the very beginning. Nothing will ever change that." He reached over and grabbed my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine, causing me to smile.

I glanced down at our hands and felt a wave of relief. His touch was so comforting.

Jace had been nothing, but truthful from the beginning and I couldn't see any reason to not trust him anymore.

I turned my head to look back out the window and rested my cheek against the hard, cold glass. It sent chills down my spine, but Jace's touch was enough to keep me warm. "Thank you," I paused to swallow. "For everything. For giving me a place to stay, for giving me a job-"

"I think you've already thanked me enough." He grinned. "That little thing that you do..." I laughed as Jace bit his bottom lip. "That was hot."

I flushed with embarrassment as I pictured it all in my head. I had to admit that I did have a few special moves, but nothing compared to the way that Jace made me feel. I’d gotten so weak in the knees that I’d almost fallen a few times. I had Jace to thank for being there to catch me.

The car became quiet as the hospital came into view. West View Hospital was written on the front of the brick building. The sight was enough to make me feel sick from nerves.

My hand tightened around Jace's as he pulled into the parking lot and began to search for a parking space.

Jace noticed my rough squeeze and slowly ran his fingers over mine to help calm me down.

Suddenly, his touch wasn't quite enough to silence my racing heart. Somewhere in that building, my mother was close to death or possibly already dead. I hadn't the slightest clue how to act.

After what seemed like ages, Jace pulled the car into a spot in the middle of the parking lot and shifted the car into park. He turned off the engine and then turned around to face me. His eyes were full of concern. "This is it. Let's hope that Caleb wasn't lying to us," he paused. "I would hate to have to kick his ass. Well actually, no I wouldn’t."

I pressed my hands to my head and shook my head. I’d never even thought about that.

I nervously ran my hands through my hair and leaned back into the seat. "Do you think that he would just make this all up? Give us a bogus address?" I started to panic at the thought.

Jace clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils. "The thought has come to mind, yes." He looked out the window and studied the brick building. "I didn't want to say anything because I wanted to have good faith for you. You deserve this."

I looked over at him and rubbed my forehead. "What's this?" I questioned.

A pained expression crossed his face as he reached for the door. "A happy ending," he said softly. "Let's go."

I carefully stepped out of the car and followed beside Jace, being sure to not fall as he grabbed for my hand and pulled me closer to him.

The cool wind hit us hard as we walked to the building and stepped inside. The numbing smell of Alcohol swabs and sickness hit me so hard that I felt nauseous and suddenly wanted to faint. I’d always hated hospital visits.

I was so nervous that I had to keep my eyes on the ground the whole way into the hospital and even up to the third floor, where my mother was. I was too afraid of falling over if I were to look anywhere else but there.

When we stepped out of the elevator and onto the third floor, a dark haired woman in purple scrubs greeted us. She stood up from her desk and leaned into the counter. "How can I help you, folks, today?" she questioned with a friendly smile.

Jace lightly rubbed my back as he pushed me closer to the counter. "It's okay," he whispered.

I took a deep breath and leaned into Jace for support. "Yes. I am looking for my mother." I paused to look up at the friendly woman. "Joyce Hale."

The woman's expression turned frightened as she turned away and looked down at her desk. "I'm sorry ma'am, but she's not taking any visitors."

My heart sank. I was filled with mixed emotions. Happy that my mother was actually there, but sad that I wasn't even allowed to see her. I didn't understand. "Why not? Is she going to be okay?" I blurted out, not caring who was around to hear me.

The woman took a seat in her brown leather chair and nervously tapped her pencil on the desk. "I'm not allowed to give out that information," she said coldly. "Please don't ask any further questions.

I stepped closer to the desk. "But you don't-"

"Please leave." The woman cut in. She threw her arms up and then pretended to be busy. “I have work to do.”

I stood there frozen in place as she typed away on her little computer. I wanted to scream.

Jace stepped forward and placed his hands on the front of the woman’s desk. "Listen here ma'am," he said stiffly. "That woman that you are keeping from us is her mother. She has the right to see that she is going to live. Now why don't you just call for someone more important than yourself so that I can have a little chat with them."

The woman looked frightened as she reached for the stained phone and called for help. "I need some assistance please." She looked up at Jace and backed her chair further away. "Make it fast." She hung up the phone and stared and both Jace and I. "I'm only doing what I was told."

Jace let out a frustrated breath and smiled at the lady. "I understand that ma'am. What you don't understand is how important this is to her." He pointed back in my direction and grabbed my hand. "And myself. We must see her."

The woman's expression softened as she picked up the phone again. She stared between Jace and me before pressing the phone to her ear. "Cancel that please." The woman hung up the phone and stood up from her desk. "Please follow me. I shouldn’t be doing this."

Jace and I followed the woman down the brightly lit hall and stopped when she stood frozen outside one of the rooms. 328 was written in black lettering on the old oak door.

My heart sank as I looked to my right to see the door across the hall was fully open. A woman in about her mid-twenties sat in a chair with a cloth wrapped around her bruised and swollen face. She smiled weakly before I managed to turn my head away. I felt weak once again. Was that what my mother would look like?

The nurse placed her back against the door and huffed. "Look. I don't believe that you two had anything to do with this, but this woman was barely breathing when she arrived. We were lucky to get her steady. She has been here for three days and no one has come to visit or has called. I'm only trying to protect her, "she whispered. ”We have no idea who did this to her."

A tear slowly rolled down my cheek when I realized the pain and suffering that my mother had to of gone through. I wanted that animal to suffer for hurting her. No one deserved what my mother had gone through. "I know who did it," I barely choked out.

The woman's eyes went wide as she reached for the handle and shook her head. "And you're willing to tell us?" she questioned. "There's a chance that if this person gets caught that they can go to prison for attempted murder.

Jace looked at me and ran his hand over my cheek for support. "You both deserve this. You have to protect her… before it’s too late."

I reached up and gripped Jace's arm. "My father," I growled while gripping my hair in anger. "Henry Hale. He's a piece of shit," I sobbed. "I should have stayed. I could have helped-"

"No you shouldn't have," Jace cut in. "You did what you had to do. If you stayed, then this could’ve been you."

"No, Jace," I screamed. "I could have helped her. You don't understand. He did this to her to get me back. When I was around, he took most of his anger out on me. I left…" I cried out. "It's my entire fault."

The woman placed her hand over her mouth in surprise as Jace grabbed my face and pulled my forehead to his. "Don't you sit here and punish yourself," he growled. "Don't do this, Avery."

I pushed Jace away from me with all of my force. It didn't matter what he said. I knew that it was all my fault. His words wouldn't help this time.

I walked over to the door, placed both of my shaky hands on it, and stared at it. I felt helpless once again. "I was so selfish. She has to hate me now," I whispered mostly to myself. I ran my hand over the wooden door and choked back a sob.

I felt Jace's hand grip my shoulder before suddenly being jerked away from the door and pressed into Jace's chest. He wrapped both of his arms around me as he pressed his face to the top of my head. "I won't let you beat yourself up for this." He pulled my hair from out of my face and looked me in the eye. "What you did was brave. You did the best thing that you could do. You couldn't have protected neither one of you. He's a dangerous man."

The nurse stared at us both looking lost. Finally, she turned on her heels and started walking away with anger. "I'm reporting that man," she mumbled. “He’s not getting away with this.”

We both watched in silence as the woman hurried down the hall, almost tripping over her own two feet. I bet they'd be surprised to see that he got what was coming to him already. Most of it at least.

Jace reached down and pressed his lips to my forehead. They were warm and soft to the touch. It helped to calm the shivers that were running all through my body.  

"Are you ready for this? He nodded at the door. "We have no idea what's behind that door."

I swallowed hard and then reached for the brass knob. "No," I mumbled. I gently turned the knob and pushed the door open. What I saw in front of me was frightening. Almost unrecognizable.

My mother lay in the oversized bed full of bandages and tubes hooked up to multiple machines. Bruises covered her once beautiful face and half of it was swollen beyond recognition. Her raven hair curled around her bandages and you could still see traces of blood that never got washed out. The sight made me sick.

"Mother," I cried out.

Her eyes shot open, but she didn’t move.

My breathing became heavy as I stood there waiting for a sign from my mother. Her blue eyes, swollen and bruised, struggled to stay open as she lifted her head and groaned out in pain.

My mind spun as I stood there watching her in silence waiting for her next move. She didn't attempt to move though. Instead, she just closed her eyes and exhaled as she rested her head back down onto the pillow.

I held my breath and reached for Jace's hand for comfort as it lightly brushed against mine, sending chills up my arm. The feel of his soft skin made me remember to breathe again. If it wasn't for Jace's support then I would have fallen over in a weeping mess. There was no way that I could have done it without him.

"It's okay, Avery." Jace whispered. "You have to show her that you're here to support her no matter what." He gently kissed my forehead and gave me a slight push to get me going. "I'll be right beside you."

I slowly made my way over to the huge bed with Jace following close behind, but stopped before I got too close. I had no idea what I was going to say and I was honestly terrified.

I glanced beside me and smiled over at Jace as he stood there looking calm and relaxed, arms crossed over his chest as he smiled back. He seemed so put together and confident. How could he manage to be so perfect?

"Mother- I… I'm-"

"Avery," My mother cut me off, her voice weak. "Are you really here?" She whispered.

My heart raced as the sound of my name. It sent chills down my spine and reminded me of how much I had actually missed her in the last year. I didn't realize it until that moment, but I did. I missed the good times that we had. As few of times as there were, they made a difference in my life.

"I'm here," I whispered. A tear rolled down my cheek as my mother's hand reached out for mine. It was pale and badly bruised. It reminded me too much of my father and I had to fight the urge to not break down. It was enough to see my dad a bloody mess, but now my mother. It was all too much for me.

My mother's hand was ice cold as she wrapped her fingers around mine and softly rubbed her thumb over my hand. "I'm so sorry," she cried. "Shit, Avery. I messed up. I really messed up." My mother struggled to open her eyes as she pulled me closer and wrapped her arm around my neck. "I'm the worst mother in the world. I should have been there for you," she breathed. "I never thought I'd see you again."

I fought back the tears that were threatening to form as I looked into her eyes and gripped her other hand. I hadn't expected an apology and my emotions were running wild. She had hurt me a lot in the past, but she’d had her good times as well. Maybe none of that was important anymore.

Since meeting Jace I had begun to realize that looking back was only going to keep me down. Starting fresh and working on being happy was the only thing left to do. "The past doesn't matter anymore," I whispered. "I'm here for you. I won't leave you again." I squeezed her hand and leaned in closer.

Suddenly my arms wrapped around her frail body and the both of us just let it all out. All of the hate, the hurt and the frustration that has kept us back for so long.

The tears rushed out and I felt a sense of relief. I felt safe there in her arms with Jace by our side. I could tell that by the way she held me that she felt safe for the first time in a long time as well. Maybe even, for the first time since she had met my father. It made my heart ache to think about it.

I didn't understand how she had gone through so much hurt and for so long. Maybe my father wasn't always a monster. Maybe he was good once and she was holding on to the hope and memories.

After a few minutes of silence, I felt Jace's hand on my back. His touch was supportive and gentle. It reminded me that he was there for me and he wasn't going anywhere. That thought alone was enough to make me smile. He was the light in the dark when I needed it the most and that moment was now.

I pulled away from my mother when she groaned out in pain again. I didn't even realize how much pressure I was putting on her. I was just happy to be close to her and I didn't want to let go. I had imagined the moment that my mother and I could let go of our fears and be close my entire life. I wasn't ready for the moment to end.  "I'm sorry. I'm just happy that you're safe." I smiled, but felt bad for hurting her.

Jace rushed over and grabbed the back of my mother’s head for support as she attempted to lie back down and get comfortable. "There you go." He smiled as he pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders and then brushed the hair from out of her face. "Can I get you anything? Just relax, Joyce."

My mother looked a little confused at first, but managed to smile when she realized that Jace was with me. "Thank you. Um…" She paused searching for a name.

"The name is Jace ma'am," he said softly. "It's nice to meet you."

Seeing Jace being so polite and caring made my heart pound. I was amazed. How does he do this to me? He had everything that any woman could ever dream of in a man and yet there he was next to me.

Jace stood next to the bed and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Maybe I should give you two some alone time. I'll be out in the hall." He smiled down at my mother as she reached for his hand and squeezed it.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking him over. "I've never seen her look so... alive."

Jace nodded his head, a look of pain in his eyes, and then left the room.

It was silent as I sat there on the edge of the hospital bed. The temperature seemed to drop as soon as Jace left the room and it left me feeling cold and lost.

Should I tell her about my scumbag father? How would she react? Would she hate me? After watching her lay there in the bed with her eyes closed, curled up into a ball, I decided that it was probably better to wait. She had already been through enough and she deserved just a little moment of peace. I didn't want to be the one to ruin that for her.

I jumped out of thought at the sound of my mother’s voice. I was so lost in thought that I hadn't even heard what she said.

"Avery?" She tried again. “Are you okay?”

"Huh?" I mumbled looking into her eyes.

My mother reached out and ran a hand over my face. "What happened to your eye?" she questioned. "Who hurt you?"

Shit! Please just drop it.

"I said what happened to your eye?" She sounded angry as she leaned back on her elbow and sat up. "Who did that?"

I turned my head away from her vision and pushed myself away from the bed. I didn't need her asking any questions. All of the answers would lead to her piece of shit husband and how Jace put him in the hospital. "It's not important.” I smiled and squeezed her hand. "Get some rest and I'll be out in the hall with Jace..."

I got ready to walk away, but her arm reached out and gripped mine before I could manage to get away. "It was your father, wasn't it?" She squeezed my arm and a tear fell down her face. "Answer me," she screamed. "I need to know. Where is he?"

"It was-"

My words cut off as the door swung open and Jace rushed into the room with the nurse following close behind. Their presence seemed to shake us both up, causing our bodies to shake uncontrollably as we both looked up and studied the sight in front of us.

The nurse stood in the corner of the room as Jace nervously ran his hands through his hair. I don't like this.

Jace eyed my mother’s hand with concern, as she squeezed it and took a step closer to us. "Is everything okay, Avery?" he asked cautiously.

"No," my mother muttered. "Where did this come from?" She pointed at my face and took a deep breath. "I know you guys saw him. Did he come for her?"

Jace bit his lip and turned to look at the nurse. "It's best that you step in now." He walked over to the wall and placed his head into his arm. He looked scared.

The nurse nervously played with her shirt collar as she eyed the gray linoleum flooring. "Ma'am your husband," she paused to swallow. "He died a few hours ago. I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'll be back to discuss the details a bit later. Get some rest." The nurse looked at me with a look of relief and then left the room. I knew that she felt he deserved death after what he had done to my mother, but what would my mother feel?

The look on my mother's face was of pure shock. All of the color drained out of her face and she looked as if she couldn't breathe. "What," she whispered. "This can't be happening." She looked around the room in silence before she set her eyes on me. The fire in her eyes made my heart stop. I knew what was coming next. "What happened to him? You better answer me," she growled.

Jace stepped away from the wall and walked over to stand next to me. He protectively placed his arm in front of me and faced my mother.  "It wasn't her fault." He looked down at me and cupped my face as I broke down in tears. "It wasn't your fault. Do you hear me?" He shook my face and then pressed me into his chest.

"I'm sorry," I cried. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to stay away from him. He came after me. I didn't want him dead."

My mother sat up in the bed and squeezed the white sheet until the color drained from her knuckles. "What did you do, Avery?" she spat. "Please just tell me. I can't live without him." she sobbed into her hand. "Please."

I looked up at Jace not knowing what to do. I couldn't tell her the truth or she'd hate Jace and blame everything on him. Maybe even press charges and get him arrested. I couldn't let that happen. As much as it hurt, Jace was only protecting me.

I got ready to speak, but Jace silenced me by placing his finger to my mouth.

"It was me. I did it." He paused to look me in the eye. "I don't regret protecting you and I would do it all again if it means your safety. You deserve to be safe. I want to do that." He ran his thumb over my cheek and turned back to face my mother. He somehow managed to keep his calm. I wasn't for sure, but I was guessing it was for my sake.

"I didn't mean for it to go as far as it did, but when I walked in on them he was choking her. She couldn’t breathe and I couldn't let him hurt her anymore. It was an accident."

My mother's mouth dropped open and she sat there looking surprised. She looked between the both of us and then pointed for the door, her hand shaking. "I need you to leave. The both of you." She threw her hands to her face and shook it back and forth. "Now!" She screamed.

My heart ached to reach out and hold her. I wanted to feel like I did a few minutes before. When she actually loved me and was happy to see me. Now it was gone. I was losing my mother again. "I'm sorry. Please-"

"Just go," she screamed as she wiped at her face. "Please. I need to be alone."

Jace gripped my waist as my knees gave out on me. He pulled me close to him and walked me toward the door. "We need to give her some space. We'll be back." He grabbed my face and looked me in the eye. "Everything will be okay. I'm here for you."

I looked back at my mother right before we reached the door. Her face was pressed into the pillow that was now covered in her tears and drops of blood from the scabs that covered the side of her neck. She looked pathetic and weak once again.

My father always managed to do that to her. He still somehow managed to do that even in his death. To the both of us. He really was a monster.

Now what?