Ruby Red 3 - A Romance for All Time (Complete)

Chapter 41

Sam heard Ali before he saw her, her voice strained and brittle, reverberating through the halls of the hospital. Calling out his name. Followed by the plea of what he supposed was another nurse yelling "ma'am". She hated being called ma'am and the normal thought caused his lips to curl. He instantly regretted the tiny motion as it set off another ripple of pain through his head.

"You're not allowed in here." The two nurses in his room looked at each other and then at the doorway, as if waiting for a surprise to arrive. The younger, who took the phone back from Sam, eased her way out of the room and disappeared down the hall. Towards or away from the advancing Ali, he wasn't sure.

"The hell she's not." Was that Lynn's voice? That couldn't be right. Sam blinked, thinking he might be having auditory hallucinations, first Ali, now her mother. Was he so desperate to see Ali his mind was creating her here and now?

Yes, was the answer. Despite what he said to his parents, despite the worry that must be weighing on Ali as she searched for him, Sam longed for her to be here. To tell him everything would be okay, to hold his hand.

Another plea. "It's family only."

"Sam!"

This time he was sure the voice was Ali. Needing to get to her, he grabbed the thin blue sheet covering him in a move to get up. A firm hand pressed on his shoulder, securing him to the bed. "Don't even think about it." Hard brown eyes stared down at him.

Sam glared back at them. "That's my wife."

"She's his wife." Lynn echoed, her voice bouncing down the hall and into the room.

The hand stayed on Sam's chest as the nurse shook her head. "I didn't see a wife listed as your next of kin."

"It's new," responded Sam, followed by Lynn's much closer voice biting out for everyone in the ward to hear. "A technicality."

He cleared his throat and started to call out to Ali, but the name died on his lips. There she was, the grey metal doorway framing her, deep blue suit standing out against the sterile, colourless room like a badly framed vision of Aphrodite.

At least he thought it was her. The woman before him had the general visage of the love of his life, yet quite a different Ali stared at him, her chest heaving like she'd run a marathon. The jacket of the suit was open and a portion of her blouse beneath had come untucked. Normally tamed ebony locks dishevelled and unruly, her eyes red rimmed, matching her nose in colour.

Still, the sight of her took a weight off his chest. Both as the nurse removed her hand as he settled back into his bed and as his heart returned to its normal rhythm. Ali was here. His wife.

He hadn't lied to the nurse. Not like Lynn had, probably never suspecting the truth behind her words. Ali's mother didn't know. No one knew. The marriage their secret.

A few weeks ago, on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Las Vegas, he'd convinced Ali to take the plunge with him. Yes, they had plans. Yes, his mother had a church booked. Yes, invitations were in the mail. And they were both looking forward to the day they would walk down the aisle, join hands, and unite their lives together forever in front of family and friends.

Thing was, that was months away. There was nothing in this world he wanted more than to be the man who held the title of husband to Ali Stinson.

So, they left it up to chance. A spin of a wheel, a bet on red, Ali's power colour and his favourite number, the date of their anniversary. Sam's soul sang when the little white ball dropped into the ruby red pocket, the croupier calling out, "Red, 27." He'd won. The best prize ever. A shared life with Ali.

He'd be lying if he didn't get a touch of glee at the fact the marriage would rob Jack of any claims to Stinson Studios. It wasn't about fulfilling the requirement of Daniel Stinson's will, the antiquated condition that if his daughter was married, Ali's husband automatically became CEO. If Jack could use dirty tricks to try to gain an advantage, then why couldn't they win the whole game with good? Yet that thrill was but a drop in the ocean of bliss Sam swam in since he heard Ali say "I do" in the little chapel.

Of course, they wouldn't need the insurance policy. Sam had complete faith in Ali and her plan to win back her family's company. When she'd laid it all out for him, told him she'd asked her friends for help, Sam's heart had swollen with love. His kind, smart Ali had come so far from the woman who wouldn't ask a soul for assistance when she didn't have a dime to her name.

That lonely person didn't exist anymore, as Ali had changed like a caterpillar into a butterfly before his eyes. He knew he had no right to feel proud; he wasn't responsible for her change, that was all Ali, but he took solace in the fact he'd had a front-row seat to the transformation. He looked forward to a front-row seat to every phase of her life.

Now his wife teetered at the entryway to his room, not moving, except for her mouth, which opened and closed, but no sound came out.

"Ali?"

His voice seemed to unlock her, and, in a blur, she rushed over, lunging at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck; her body crashed against his, causing his ribs to scream. He bit his lip to not cry out from the knives digging into his lungs. The scent of Ali, soft, sweet lilac filled the air, the warmth of her body seeped into his as she clung to him.

"Hey," he whispered into the side of her head, somewhere in the region of where her ear might be, "I'm okay." If he thought that would loosen the vice grip hold she had on him, he was sorely wrong. If anything, she held on tighter.

With care, trying not to aggravate his already aching chest, he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her as tightly in return. Her entire body trembled, and he dug his fingers into her skin in an attempt to assure her everything was fine. Her quivers turned into body raking shutters and a soft wail reverberated against his skin, where her lips pressed against his neck.

"Ali. I'm okay. We're okay, my love." He pulled her onto the bed with her, ignoring the protests from his hurting ribs and something else that pinched in his arm, an IV maybe. Between kisses into her hair, he repeated his statement over and over, like a mantra. Usually telling Ali Stinson he loved her was one of his most favourite activities, especially in bed, but at this moment it seemed a dire necessity. With each utterance, her shutters slowed, and he was able to kiss her ear, then her cheek and finally her puffy lips. A tangy salt taste.

All thoughts of pain vanished as they spoke through touch, expressing the words of 'I was worried, you scared me, thank goodness you're okay' with a hand on his heart, followed by 'I couldn't live without you' as the kiss deepened. Sam felt every syllable, drank them in like the water he searched for earlier. Better than water, they filled his heart and soul with a life force stronger than anything he'd ever felt before. If ever there was a reason to live, she was in his arms now.

He took everything Ali offered, wanted more, reciprocated with his touch. Offered his answers as he mashed his mouth in time with hers, pouring his anxiety out. She deepened the kiss, absorbed his fears, absolved him of worry and melted into him.

She broke from his lips for a mere moment to utter, "I love you more," before crashing against them again with a fierce intensity.