Part 40
A week after AJ had been shot, all reports from the doctors were positive. AJ was making great strides in his recovery, so much so that he was moved from ICU to a private room. He was starting to stay awake more and it was always Stormy who was there for him.
Unfortunately, as AJ was getting better, Stormy was steadily declining. After Howie left, she once again refused to eat. She never let AJ see, always making sure she looked her best when he was awake and she didn’t speak to anyone but AJ.
That evening, after AJ was in his private room and things were quiet, Kevin and Howie arrived to visit with him and were greeted by Denise.
Giving each one a hug, Denise asked, “How long are you two in town?”
“Depends on Alex,” said Kevin. “We’ve cleared our calendars to be here for him.”
Howie saw the relief wash over Denise and asked, “What’s wrong, Denise?”
“It’s Stormy. After you left Saturday, she went right back to not eating.”
Howie shook his head. “We’ll do what we can.”
“I’m afraid the only one who’s going to get through to her is Alex and he doesn’t see it.”
Aggravated that they had to deal with this, Kevin said, “Alex doesn’t need to be worrying about her.”
“If something happens to her, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” said Howie. “You haven’t seen the way he looks at her, Kev.”
Not convinced, Kevin said, “’D’, we’ve all seen AJ with the ‘love’ of his life. There have been how many? Three? Four?”
“No, this is the one. Come on, let’s go talk to them and you’ll see what I mean.”
The two started towards AJ’s room but Kevin turned to Denise. “You leaving?”
“I’m going home to get some sleep. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Saying good-bye, Howie and Kevin pushed the door open quietly and entered. The only light was the emergency light above the bed but it was enough. They found Stormy snuggled next to AJ, her arms wrapped around him holding him close to her, like a baby. AJ had one hand on her arm as he slept peacefully.
“See what I mean?” whispered Howie.
“That doesn’t prove anything. You and I both know the type of girl he falls for….leeches…only out to suck him dry and this one isn’t any different. In fact, she’s probably worse….she almost cost him his life,” stated Kevin flatly. “The sex must be damn good.”
“You and I both know none of the others would have stayed with him like this and honestly, I don’t think they’ve had sex. I know they’ve slept together, like this but when they were in LA with me, he told me they’d barely made it to second base. Then Sarah make a comment about Stormy being a virgin and it pissed AJ off to no end that she was using it to get at Stormy.”
Kevin raised his eyebrows, “Maybe you’re right but I’m still not convinced.”
“And I know for a fact that she’s NOT after his money.”
“How do you know that?”
“Her father is Dr. Troy, the famous plastic surgeon.”
From the bed, a gravely voice spoke, “If you two are going to argue, why don’t you take it somewhere else? Some of us are trying to sleep.”
Keeping his voice down so as not to wake Stormy, Kevin said, “Hey ‘bro’! We weren’t arguing…just talking about your new girlfriend. So, you looking for a new job as a super hero?”
AJ tried to laugh, “Oww…no, just trying to protect my woman. Kev, Stormy’s different…not like the others.”
“That’s what Howie was trying to tell me.”
AJ turned to look at Stormy as she continued to sleep. “She loves ME…not AJ or Johnny. You know, she’s been here since they brought me in here.”
“I need to talk to you about that,” said Howie. “She’s not taking care of herself, AJ. You’ve been here a week and Stormy’s only had two meals that I bought for her.”
“How do you know she’s not eating?” questioned AJ.
“Your mom told us a few minutes go,” said Kevin. Reaching across AJ, he brushed Stormy’s hair back. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen her but I can see she’s not at her best. She’s thin, dark circles under her eyes, and she’s really pale.”
“But…she said she was eating when I was asleep,” protested AJ in a whisper as he looked down at Stormy. As if Kevin’s presence had opened his eyes, AJ saw what he was talking about and a tear ran down his cheek.
“I tried talking to her,” offered Howie. “She blames herself for this.”
“But….it wasn’t.”
“You know that and so do the rest of us but YOU have to convince her. She’s not going to listen to us,” said Kevin.
AJ suddenly felt tired.
“We’ll clear out if you want us to?” offered Howie.
“Give me a few minutes,” whispered AJ as he stared at Stormy. As the two started to leave, AJ spoke up, “Guys, I’m gonna need your help.”
“We’ll do whatever you need, Alex,” smiled Kevin.
As the door
closed, AJ gently shook Stormy calling to her softly, “Hey, beautiful…wake up.
Through the haze of sleep, AJ’s voice reached her and she struggled to wake up. “Mmm…Alex.”
“Yeah, baby. I need you to wake up so we can talk.”
Stormy stretched and yawned. “How long have you been awake?”
“Not long. Kevin and Howie woke me and I’ve been talking to them.”
Smiling sleepily, Stormy said, “I finally get to meet Kevin and find out if he’s really as bossy as I’ve heard. Where are they?”
“They stepped out for a few minutes, so we could talk. Baby, sit up so I can look at you.” Stormy complied with his request and he took her hand in his. “Danielle, why did you lie to me?”
There was no doubt what he was referring to and she cast her eyes down, away from his. Toying with his fingers, she whispered, “I didn’t want you to worry about me.”
“Why not eat?”
Stormy shrugged her shoulders and remained silent.
AJ reached up to touch her cheek. “Baby, I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said tearfully.
“Look, Howie is outside. I want you to let him take you home, get yourself a good, hot meal, soak in a bubble bath, and then get a good night’s sleep in a real bed.”
Looking up as her tears spilled, “I can’t leave you, Alex. I have to take care of you. I’m the reason…”
“Stop right there,” commanded AJ. “You are NOT the reason I’m here.”
“If….”
“I don’t want to hear it, Stormy. You did NOT pull that trigger and I would do it again to protect you.”
“But if I hadn’t come to….” Stormy tried again.
“I said to stop!! Stormy, I love you and I would do anything to protect you. Besides, if I had told you to call Ricky when I was supposed to, we might have been able to avoid this.”
“Ricky mentioned it and was ready to call Daddy to bless him out for not telling me,” said Stormy as she wiped her tears. “Those two do NOT need any help being pissed at each other.”
“I know and I’m sorry, baby. I was sorta distracted that night by a very beautiful woman. Forgive me?” asked AJ with a pout.
Stormy smiled softly as she brushed his cheek. “Only if you forgive me for getting you in the middle of all this.”
AJ ran his fingers through her hair using his thumb to stroke her cheek. “Nothing to forgive, beautiful.”
The door opened slowly and Howie stuck his head in. “Everything okay in here?”
AJ looked towards the door, “Come on in, guys. We were just talking.”
Stormy moved so that she could see the other two as Kevin and Howie joined them. “Hey, Howie!” she greeted.
“Hey, sweetheart. Kevin, this is Stormy.”
Kevin extended his hand to greet her. “Nice to meet you, Stormy.”
“Howie, would you mind taking Stormy home and making sure she eats?”
“I’d be glad….”
“NO!” said Stormy firmly.
All three men looked at Stormy as AJ said, “Baby, you promised you’d…”
“I know and I’m going but NOT with Howie. Someone has to stay here with you to make me feel better and I trust Howie.”
“Okay, so how are you gonna get home?” asked AJ.
Stormy looked at Kevin. “Mind taking me?”
“Nah, I can visit Alex later. I’m here until the doctors kick his sorry ass out of here and it’ll give me a chance to get to know you better. Ready to go?”
Stormy looked back at AJ. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”
“I’ll be fine, baby,” whispered AJ as he placed a kiss on her hand. “Go on. I seem to recall something about a wedding and making plans. You’re gonna need your strength for that and the honeymoon so we can start on all those babies you want.”
Stormy tucked her head as she felt the fire in her cheeks. Whispering, “You remember that?”
AJ grinned, “I remember everything you said, beautiful. Now go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Stormy gave him a kiss before leaving with Kevin.
As soon as she was gone, AJ closed his eyes and his tears slid out falling onto the pillow. Howie saw them and moved to take AJ’s hand in his.
“She’s going to be okay, ‘J’. Kevin will take good care of her.”
“I should be taking care of her,” he whispered looking up at his best friend.
“Don’t worry. I have the feeling she’s going to give you plenty of opportunities to take care of her. Just relax and let her be there for you now. Why don’t you go back to sleep? You look really tired.”
“I am, bro…I am.”
AJ closed his eyes and images of Stormy flashed through his mind’s eye. The night he’d found her, the days they’d spent at his house just talking and getting to know each other, the nights he’d simply held her, the night in Virginia when they’d made love for the first time….all he’d ever wanted was a sign from her to take the relationship further. Now, she’d flat out said she wanted to be his wife and have his babies. With a smile on his face and the images of Stormy, AJ drifted off to sleep.
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