Broken

Chapter twenty-one

Jessie

A bright, white light engulfs me and I'm blinded from my surroundings. I hold my hand up to shield my eyes and moments later, two silhouettes emerge. They grow bigger as they get closer and the closer they get, I realize they're people. Once I'm able to see their faces, I recognize her from the shrine Elliott has of her late wife, Miranda.

I fall to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably. If I'm seeing her, something must be wrong. She takes my face in her hands, kneeling in front of me and smiles. She wipes my eyes and helps me to my feet. "I know what you're thinking," she says softly and her voice was angelic. She waves her hand and a portal shimmers in front of us, showing me sleeping in a hospital bed with Elliott and Mollie holding my hands. "You and the twins are fine. We just wanted to thank you."

I look at them confused and ask, "Thank me for what?"

"You adopted our daughters as your own so they'd never be alone should something happen to Elliott," Melanie signs to me.

"Of course, they're a part of Elliott," I choke quietly, looking at her through the portal. "I know they're not mine, but Elliott has come close on more than one occasion and I couldn't bare it if I couldn't see Macy and Skye. They both mean the world to me."

Miranda caresses my stomach and smiles with tears in her eyes. "Tell Elliott it would have been a boy," she chokes quietly and meets my eyes and I nod. "We'll look out for Mollie's baby too, I know Elliott will worry about her."

She kisses my lips and a blinding light washes over us. I open my eyes and I'm in a hospital bed. Was it a dream? I look at Elliott and there were two translucent figures next to her. I realize it's Miranda and Melanie and they both kiss her cheeks before disappearing. Elliot's eyes flutter open, meeting mine and she's instantly sitting on the bed next to me. "Hi," I say in a husky whisper and she breaks into laughing sobs.

She lays next to me, her head on my chest and I gingerly run my fingers in her hair. Her sobs calm as she listens to my heart beating and the twins kicking her hand. "It's been two days Jessie," she says in hiccuping breaths. "Skye regrets the implants because of the gunshots and you ending in the hospital."

"I'm sorry," I choke quietly and she looks up at me. I smile lightly and say, " It would have been a boy, Elliott." 

She looks at me confused but realization hits her like a ton of bricks. Tears roll down her cheeks and lay back on my chest. I play my fingers in her hair knowing it would calm her down. The door opens quietly with my parents peeking in. Once they noticed that I was awake, they both come to the side of the bed behind Elliott. "Jessie," my mother chokes with relief and I smile lightly. "You had us all worried."

"I'm sorry," I choke quietly, lower lip quivering. "Why can't we be left alone? Why do people have to keep trying to kill us?"

Elliott helps me scoot forward and lets me lay against her between her legs. Uncontrolled sobs cause my shoulders to shake as Elliott does her best to calm me down. I feel someone else climb in the bed and look to see Mollie. She lays tender kisses on my cheeks, forehead and lips as I shutter a calming breath. She wipes my eyes and gives me a comforting smile. "Don't get worked up, they won't let us take you home," she says in a soothing whisper and I let out a completely calm sigh. "Good Jessie, babies are fine."

I let my body completely relax against Elliott and hear her sigh with relief. My doctor walks in and immediately notices I'm not only awake, but incredibly calm. Her eyebrows raise in amazement and brings over a portable ultrasound. "Your vitals seem normal accept for a small spike in stress, but I understand waking up in the hospital can be a little stressful," she says with understanding and shows us the monitor with the twins cuddled up with each other. "Babies seem at their calmest since the night you were brought in, which is good. As a doctor yourself, I don't think I need to explain your need for bed rest the next few weeks?"