Forever Love
The sequel to "Dangerous Illusions"
by Jericho
Chapter 12
Gary stood outside the emergency room door. He could see the trauma team working on Cameron through the glass windows. He ran his fingers through his hair, closed his eyes and silently prayed. At this moment, he wished it were him lying on that table. Cameron had too much to live for. Gary opened his eyes as the doctor appeared beside him.
"Mr. Sinclair, your brother has multiple internal injuries. There is internal bleeding, and he has suffered severe trauma to his head. We are preparing him for emergency surgery."
"Will he be all right?" Gary managed to gasp.
"I won't lie to you. He's critical. I suggest you call the rest of your family."
The doctor walked away. Gary turned back to the room where they were preparing to move Cameron. He swung around as they rolled the gurney into the hall. He grabbed Cameron's hand and walked beside him for a moment.
"You hang on, Cam. You've got a beautiful wife and a baby on the way. You can't leave us now, man. Do you hear me? Cameron!"
The attendants took Cameron through the double doors and indicated to Gary that he could not go any farther. He stared after them as they pushed the gurney with Cameron on it down the hall. He felt so lost and alone. Gary turned as he heard the high pitched sirens come closer to the hospital. He braced himself for the worst.
As the first stretcher entered the emergency room, Gary looked at Reginald Love for the first time. He felt his heart sink. Love was still alive, that meant. . .
"My God, no!" he cried. He felt tears in his eyes. He turned away as the second stretcher entered the emergeny room. He could not bear to see the sheet over Amanda's still body. His body shook as grief tore through him. He jumped when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Gary," Josie whispered afraid to say more.
Gary spun and looked into her sad blue eyes.
"Amanda?" he choked hoping for the best but preparing himself for the worst.
Josie smiled, "Love wasn't breathing when the first officers arrived on the scene, but a nurse passing the scene was able to revive him. The doctor is checking Amanda out right now. She's got some cuts and bruises, but they think she's going to be just fine. They're doing an ultrasound right now to check on the baby. ."
Relief flooded Gary's body. He hugged Josie impulsively. Josie hugged him back knowing that he needed her right now. Gary pulled away.
"Has someone called the Corys?"
"Joe has taken care of it. How's. . .how's. . ."
"Cameron?" Gary finished for her and walked away. "It's not good, Josie. You know, when we were kids, we protected each other. I couldn't get to him this time. I couldn't protect him."
"Gary, you can't blame yourself."
"I will blame myself if something happens to him. He's the one who has his life in order, J. He doesn't deserve this."
Josie hugged Gary, "Come on, let's go to the waiting room."
Josie took Gary's hand. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment. With one glance, they said all they needed to say to one another. They walked to the waiting room together.
************************
Reginald Love eyes fixed on the ceiling as he gasped for breath. He heard the doctors and nurses working around him.
"He has a punctured lung. It's collapsed," he heard the doctor tell the others in the room.
"Sir, is there anyone we can call?"
Reginald stared off into space and moved his lips trying to form the words.
"That won't be necessary, doctor, I'm here."
Reginald did not turn his head to the side to look into the face of the woman who spoke. He was familiar with the voice of his daughter, Donna. He moved his eyes to the side to look at her. He had not expected to see a smile or even concern in her eyes, and he was not disappointed. Donna Love's eyes were dark and cold with loathing.
"Well, Father, it appears that you've made your usual path of destruction. There are at least four lives hanging in the balance because of you. How does it feel?"
Reginald smiled, "Donna, it doesn't sound like you missed me."
Donna did not smile. She looked at her children waiting on the other side of the glass. She wished she could feel one glimmer of sadness, but her pain was not that of losing her father. She had lost him a long, long time ago.
"How can I miss a man whose sole purpose has been to ruin my life and the lives of my family? I'm sorry that my children know how truly evil you are."
"Victoria doesn't seem to be suffering from my gift to her."
"Leaving her the bulk of your estate was the least you could do considering that you sold her to the highest bidder when she was a baby."
Donna turned away and walked to the door. She could not look at him any longer. She placed her hand on the door.
"Wait, Donna. I could apologize and beg for your forgiveness, but I fear that it would fall on deaf ears. All that I did was for our family. It was for the Loves."
"No, Father, it was for you."
Donna pushed through the doors this time and walked to Marley and Victoria. She turned to look back into the room as the heart monitor flat lined. As she watched the medical staff work to save Reginald Love, she knew that this time he would not be coming back.
"Come on. Let's go home."
Victoria and Marley glanced into the room for one last glimpse of their grandfather. They saw the nurse pulling the stark white sheet to cover his face. They hugged one another tightly, then each of them took one of Donna's hands and they left the hospital together.
**********************
Amanda stared at the monitor as the doctor checked the baby. A nurse put the last stitch in her forehead and covered the injury with a bandage.
"The baby appears to be fine, Amanda. You are very fortunate. I want you on bed rest for the next several days. You've suffered a severe trauma. You are at a critical time in your pregnancy. We want a healthy baby."
Amanda nodded and closed her eyes. She thanked God that the baby was all right.
"I've arranged for you to stay in a room here at the hospital for several hours of observation. I want to keep a close eye on you. When I am assured that there are no injuries that we've missed, I'll let you go home."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Amanda leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. She was amazed that she only had cuts and abrasions. It had seemed to her that she had tumbled a hundred times. But the most important thing was that the baby was not hurt. Cameron would be. . .
"Cameron," she whispered and swung her legs to the side to go find him. Where was he? He had to be worried. Then she remembered what Reginald Love had said. She took a step and her head began to spin.
"Amanda," Matt cried out in concern as he grabbed her arm. He helped her back into the hospital bed.
Amanda looked into the worried eyes of her brother, mother, and Gary. She did not like what she saw on their faces. Where was Cameron?
"Where's Cameron?" Amanda asked trying to force them to tell her. She watched Gary's face. He flinched as if she had slapped him. Rachel and Matt looked at each other. Amanda grew more agitated. "What is it?"
"Amanda, I'm sorry. . . " Matt began.
Amanda laughed and leaned forward to kiss him, but he disappeared into thin air. She was immediately on her feet.
"Cameron, where are you? Cameron, I need you. Cameron. . . "
She cried out for him over and over again. She felt helpless and lost.
"Call to him, Amanda, and he will come back to you."
"Daddy? Daddy. . ."
Amanda turned her head from side to side looking for her father.
"Call him. . . .call him. . . .call him. . . ."
Amanda cried out and sat straight up on the edge of the chair. She looked at Cameron. A small light illuminated his face in the darkened hospital room. Amanda touched her stomach. She closed her eyes feeling the life inside her moving. She approached Cameron's still body with one purpose in mind, and this time she would have her way.
(Reba McEntire, 1998)
Amanda threw her head back and screamed, "Cameron, come back! I need you!" Tears streamed down her face as she looked Heavenward, praying.
Cameron's body shook with emotion. He reached out to Amanda but could not touch her. With tears on his cheeks, he looked up at Mac.
"What do I do? How do I reach her?"
Mac smiled, "Look inside your heart, Cameron, and you'll know."
Cameron continued to stare at Mac, then he smiled.
"You've always been there, haven't you?"
"Yes, Cameron. I've been watching over you for a long time. When you were in prison, I was with you. And when I couldn't be with you, Ada was with you."
"Why me?" he asked with the same confusion he had felt about the whole situation. "I'm not exactly a man that a father would choose for his daughter."
"Mac saw the man you are inside. You have a goodness within, Cameron, and you have dealt with what fate has given you with courage. When I joined Mac, I saw the same things in you, and we decided that you were exactly the person Amanda needed," Ada told him. "You're a real person, Cameron. There is nothing that you want from Amanda but her love. And we have watched you risk your own life for her time and time again. You say that you are not a man that a father would choose for his daughter, but you are wrong. You are real, genuine, good, and noble, Cameron Sinclair. Any father who has seen what we have would consider it an honor to have you as a son-in-law."
"All this time?" Cameron asked with awe.
"All this time," Mac echoed. "Although you won't remember the time you've spent with us, know we'll always be here watching over you and Amanda."
"Always," Ada echoed.
Cameron suddenly felt dizzy, dazed. He was plunged into darkness once again, and he felt like he was swimming against the roughest of rapids. He struggled to find his way out. He felt moisture on his hand and a warm softness. He moved his fingers.
Amanda jumped as Cameron's fingers moved for the first time. He had been in the coma one week. She stood up and was amazed to see his beautiful green eyes looking back at her. She cried harder.
"Cameron! Cameron, you're here!"
He squeezed her hand with every ounce of strength he had. Amanda laughed and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. She pushed the call button to alert the medical staff. She could not stop smiling. And Cameron could not take his eyes off her.
"I love you so much. I love you, Cameron."
Cameron nodded slightly as a tear escaped from his eye.
*******************************************
Two Weeks Later
Cameron sat on the side of his hospital bed. He was fully dressed and ready to go home. He would pace, if he could, but he was still weak. His body might still be weak, but his determination was not. He knew that the nurses and orderlies were more than ready for his release from the hospital. He had not been the model patient.
He was glad to have all the tubes and needles out of his body. Where was Amanda? She had to know that he was anxious to get home. He reached over for the phone.
"I'm here, Cameron. I don't know who's more impatient you or your daughter."
Cameron crinkled his face in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
Amanda placed her hand on the small of her back and walked across the room. She sat down on the bed beside him.
"Your daughter has been doing some sort of acrobatics all morning long, and I honestly believe that she is trying to push her way out."
Cameron laughed and looked at Amanda's stomach. He could not wait for this baby to get here.
"Well maybe our son is going to be a basketball player, and he's just practicing his lay ups."
Cameron put his arms around her and leaned closer, nibbling at her ear and worked his way to her mouth. He pressed a gentle kiss on her lips then leaned back as he looked at her with hooded eyes. Amanda leaned forward not satisfied with the gentle peck. They kissed with a hungry longing.
"Ummm. . .I think I like you like this. Maybe you should stay this way all the time."
Amanda leaned back and raised her eyebrow at him, "Men! You are such a caveman sometimes."
Cameron chuckled. "Can we go home?" Cameron asked anxious for the comfortable confines of home.
"Patience, Cameron. The nurse promised me that she would bring the papers in just as soon as the doctor signed them. Plus Gary is still circling the parking lot."
"Gary? You brought Gary with you?"
Amanda smiled, "You didn't expect me to come alone, did you?"
Cameron sighed, "I just thought that maybe we could spend some time at home, alone, just you, me, and Alli."
"Well you thought wrong, bro, because here I am."
Cameron groaned, "Where's that nurse?"
Gary laughed. The nurse walked in as if on cue. She showed Cameron where he had to sign. Cameron tried not to notice that she seemed overly cheerful. He stood up to walk out with Amanda and Gary when an orderly pushed a wheelchair in the room.
"That's not for me?"
"Yes, Mr. Sinclair. It's hospital policy."
Cameron looked at Gary who was snickering then he turned to Amanda who was trying, but failing, to hide her amusement behind her hand. He grumbled as he sat down in the wheelchair and allowed the man to push him to the door.
*********************************
The Sinclairs' House
Amanda, Cameron and Gary walked to the door. Cameron was walking slowly. Gary walked close to him and kept a steadying hand on his shoulder. Cameron's breathing was labored.
"Steady, Cam, you've got to rebuild your strength."
Cameron nodded, not able to speak for a moment.
"I can't believe how out of shape I am."
"Yeah, next thing you know you'll be getting a spare tire around the middle," Gary needled him.
"Hey, I don't want to hear any jokes about spare tires," Amanda sniffed.
Cameron placed his hand on the small of her back and rubbed gently to reassure her. Again, he marveled at her beauty. He was the luckiest man on earth.
Amanda placed her hand on the door only to have the door whisked open. Alli stood in the portal beaming.
"I didn't think you'd ever get here. What took you so long?" she looked directly at her mother, accusingly.
Amanda returned the look with one of her own, "Cameron had papers to fill out, Alli. I told you that it might be a while before we got home."
"Welcome home, Cameron."
Cameron smiled at Alli. He still had a hard time believing that smile was for him. He often caught himself looking around to see who she was smiling at only to discover that it was him. He took the extended hand she offered him and squeezed it tightly. He leaned down, kissed her gently on the cheek, and her smile widened. One of the things he remembered while he was in his coma was hearing her tear-filled expression of affection for him. It had filled his heart then, just as the thought of it did now. Alli tugged at him, and he wondered what the excitement was all about.
As Alli dragged him through the foyer and toward the living room, he struggled to keep up with her. He ran into her when she stopped suddenly right in front of him. He smiled, then looked up. The smile faded from his face as he was greeted with a huge chorus of "Surprise!"
Cameron was not sure whether to smile or frown. He looked at Amanda and decided that the proper thing to do was smile. The room was full of people. All the Corys were there, Cass Winthrop, Felicia Gallant, even Josie.
Gary pinched his shoulder. "I bet you never thought this would happen," he laughed, knowing that Cameron hated this kind of fuss.
"Did you have something to do with this?" Cameron questioned him, pinning him with a cold glare.
Gary's smile widened. "You know, I tried to talk them out of it for. . . oh. . . .about 30 seconds. Then I told them that you would love it. . . .absolutely love it."
"You will pay for this," Cameron told him under his breath.
Gary patted him on the back as he walked away, "You'll have to catch me first."
Cameron narrowed his eyes at his brother's back. Amanda took one of his hands and Alli took the other. They lead him to the couch so he could rest.
"Cameron, we're so glad you're home," Rachel told him as she sat beside him.
"You don't know how glad I am to be here, Rachel. This is what I've been waiting for."
Rachel leaned closer to him and in a conspiratorial whisper said, "I know you don't like to have a fuss made over you so I didn't think you'd mind if we used your homecoming as a ruse to throw Amanda a baby shower."
Cameron leaned back for a moment and looked Rachel in the eye. It would never cease to amaze him how astute his mother-in-law was.
"That sounds perfect, and it serves her right. Because if I know her, she had a huge part in all of this."
Cameron smiled from ear to ear. Now that he knew this really was not entirely for his benefit he could enjoy himself. He leaned forward and kissed Rachel on the cheek.
"Have I told you lately how proud I am to be a part of this family?"
Rachel shook her head marveling at this man. She often saw herself mirrored in his eyes. It was unnerving. She had never been more sure of a person than she was of Cameron Sinclair. He was an enigma and the perfect man for Amanda.
Amanda wondered why Cameron was smiling. What had her mother said to him? She did not wonder long as the crowd by the French doors parted and she saw the table laden with gifts all wrapped in festive shades and designs for a baby shower. As the group shouted another chorus of "Surprise!", Amanda's eyes met Cameron's. They both sparkled with happiness.