Chapter 263 263

Chapter 263 263
TARA

It was dark. 
My panic was uncontrollable. I was terrified, and the fear was blinding me in the darkness. The water was in my nose. My lungs screamed for air. Acidic and bile stung the back of my throat as I tried to pull my foot off where it stuck. 
My the time I managed to take off my high heel and free myself, I couldn’t breathe anymore. 
I was drowning. I was suffocating. 
I couldn’t breathe.
Somebody help me, please?
My chest heaved. My body jerked. Oh, God. I’m dying.
“Mad, I’m so sorry.” I closed my eyes and talked to him with my head. “I’m gonna die. I’m so sorry.”
Then, for some miracle, in the next instant, I heard a loud bang. I forced my burning eyes to open. It was dark until there was a faint pinpoint light. White spots danced in my vision. 
Despite my struggle on a brink of drowning, my hope rose, and my survival depended on the last few seconds of whoever tried to rescue me.
Someone with a large hand quickly pulled me out of the car like a soaking rag doll and lifted me out of the water until I felt air for the first time in what felt like an eternity. My ears rang for seconds until I heard noises, too loud, it was deafening. 
Coughing furiously, I sucked in air. My whole body heaved, a trembling mess. My nose was burning. Every time I breathed, my lungs hurt. 
Then I was yanked and thrown on someone’s shoulder, slapping me on the back. “That’s it, sweetheart, cough it out. Breathe. You’re safe now. Come on!” He was yelling all the time.
I was coughing and sobbing too hard to even call my brother’s name. My entire body was shivering from the cold. My chin was trembling hard, no matter how hard I tried to clench my teeth from chattering. 
With my limp, shaking muscles, the only response I could do was grip his shirt hard, letting him know that I felt him, that I heard him.
I gasped for air as I shook and sobbed in his arms, and I felt his arms wrapped around me, protectively. At that moment, I realized he still loved me despite the pain and trauma he’d caused me, and he was looking for redemption.
“You’re gonna be fine. Do you hear me, sweetheart?”
“Y-Yes.” My voice was hoarse. My throat hurt I could barely form a word. 
“I will put you now on the stretcher so that they can take you to the hospital!” My brother shook me. “Tara, grip me if you can hear me.”
I gripped him in the arm, and I felt I was lying down on a hard surface, and something was wrapped around me. When I opened my eyes, the lights were blinding my eyes from the sky. I realized the noise came from the helicopter. 
I blinked rapidly, allowing my eyes to adjust. 
My brother’s face swam in front of my eyes. His handsome face was smiling at me, the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He looked sad and guilty.
As I was secured and strapped to the stretcher, I noticed he wasn’t alone. I saw Lynx beside him, and the men in black military gear. 
“Thank you.” I blinked back the tears burning my eyes. 
“See you in the hospital, sis.” I felt his hand on my cheek.
“Tell Mad I’m okay.” My teeth chattered.
“Son of a bitch. You can’t think of anyone but him?” I saw the humor in his eyes before kissing me on the forehead, before I was taken up, away from him.
I started to feel warm on the way to the hospital. By the time I was passed on from bed to another bed, probing me, poking me, inspecting me, taking blood samples, changing me to dry and warmer clothes, and doing more tests for me, I was on my feet again. 
Scratched that. Deep inside, I was still terrified, traumatized, and I still felt weird. I could still taste the nasty water in my mouth. I felt like there were billions of germs just entered my body. I felt so filthy, and I was still weak and cold, but I was alive.
But I couldn’t show them weakness. I kept yelling at the medical staff for being thorough when I should have been grateful for them for doing their job. Instead, I was angry at them. 
“You got all the things you need. Now, please, can I go home? I’m getting married tomorrow. No, in the afternoon.”
“Your—” 
I stopped the doctor before he could explain the risks if I did not follow orders. “I’ll sign any necessary papers. I just wanna get out of here.” I started pulling off anything that was attached to me, except for the IV line. “Take this off me, please?”
The doctor sighed. “Give us thirty minutes, please? I just want to see the CT-Scan and x-ray report and make sure you don’t have concussions, and your lungs are clear.”
I studied him. He could be lying to me right now. “Fine. Call anyone to come in. If my fiancé is here, or Damian. Call Damian Rosenheim.” I rested back in bed as they began to leave.
A minute later, the door opened. I expected Mad, but it was Damian. I was still grateful, though.
“Take me out of here, please?” I threw away the blanket that had kept me warm.
“Whoa. Take it easy.” He sprinted towards me. “Princess, you just escaped death. You almost drowned. Stay here for a few hours to get warmed up until all the reports are ready.”
“I’m fine.”
He glared at me. “Listen to me, young lady. Have you heard of delayed drowning?”
I didn’t know what that was, but two words didn’t sound complicated. 
“You need to be monitored closely. The symptoms may come late. So, you do as I say, or I will call the doctor to give you sedatives.”
I glared back. “You can’t do that to me.”
“Try me.” He challenged me. “I just informed your parents, and they’re on their way. The city is in chaos, and your face is all over the news and the internet. People are worried about you. I know you wanna get married, but you still have twelve hours to prepare. After what happened to you just a few minutes ago, they will understand if you appear late to the church.”
“Cathedral. And let them think I’m ditching my groom again. Nice try.” I started to calm down, but I still wanted to go home.
He looked at me, really looked at me, before sitting on the bed. He took my cold hand, squeezing it. “You will get married. I guarantee you that. If you can’t get out of the hospital, I will bring the Archbishop to officiate your marriage in this room. I promise you that, Tara. When did I ever let you down? And you know how good I am at planning an escape.”
I forgot I was angry at him. I smiled. 
“But right now, your health is more important than going home. You can’t get married and enjoy your honeymoon when you’re sick. You can rest here with all the staff looking after you. Do you hear me?”
I nodded. The tears fell cheeks. “Thank you.” I hugged him, and I felt his hand stroking my back. 
“You’re gonna be fine. You’re stronger, braver, and you’re a survivor, Princess.”
I breathed deeply as I pulled away, wiping the tears on my face. “Has Mad arrived yet? Can I talk to him?”
“He’s on his way, but it’s bad luck to see him.”
I rolled my eyes. “I almost drowned and died. I think I’ve passed that superstition. And I lost my bag and phone.” I patted my neck. The Vanderford family heirloom.
“The necklace is safe. We’ll get you a phone sooner.”
“Can you just call him, please? I’m sure I’m allowed to talk to him over the phone.”
“Okay.” He finally nodded. “But stay put. You’re not going anywhere. Do you hear me? I’ll go check if he arrives.”
“And call Olive to come.”
Just as Damian left the room, the door opened again, making my heart skip a beat.