Page 62 of Choosing Skyler

He gives me a megawatt smile. “We have a surprise for you, but I’m sworn to secrecy until we get back to the room,” he says excitedly.

I roll my eyes, knowing he won’t tell me even if I beg. He takes my hand, and we walk to the elevator to take us back to my room on the fifth floor.

When we walk into my hospital room, I notice the whole gang is here. Devon and Tracey are cuddled up on the sofa while Chelsea and Julie sit in the chairs. I smile and wave at everyone.

Then, I look at the clock and at Julie, pointedly. She is due for work in an hour. While she often stops in on her days off, I usually don’t see her before four Thursday through Sunday.

She smiles and shrugs. “I wanted to be here for the announcement,” she tells me, looking at Devon.

“We have good news in twos, Sweets,” he says, getting up to walk over to me.

I make a motion with my hand for him to get on with it and he laughs. Then, his face turns more serious than usual even though he’s still smiling.

“First, Dirk’s bail hearing was this morning. He’s been denied bail. The DA and State’s Attorney are sending the file for a grand jury to indict him on aggravated assault and assault with intent to commit sexual battery, both felonies in Tennessee. He was also charged with criminal trespass, but that’s a misdemeanor,” Devon tells me.

My hand flies to my chest and I probably would have fallen on my ass if Brady weren’t holding me up. He walks me to the hospital bed to sit. I’m crying and my mind is spinning, trying to wrap itself around the good news. I knew his bail hearing was coming up, but I tried not to think about it since I was sure he’d be out on the street this afternoon. That was a big part of the first half of my session with Dr. Anderson.

“Hey, Beautiful. This isgoodnews. He won’t be able to hurt you or anyone else,” Brady tells me, standing in front of me and cupping my cheeks.

I nod. “I know.”Ow.Talking hurts worse while I’m crying. I take his hands in mine and sit up straighter, squaring my shoulders. “I’m glad,” I say. Then, I look at Devon and hold up two fingers indicating that I want the second good news.

He grins at me. “Oh, yeah. Well, Dirk may not be going anywhere anytime soon—butyouare. Dr. Henley is releasing you first thing tomorrow.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal.

And… I’m cryingagain.

We all visit for the next hour. Julie leaves first to clock in for work. Then, Devon, Tracey and Chelsea leave to make sure the apartment is ready for me to come home tomorrow. After everyone leaves, I lean against Brady. I’m exhausted. I would have usually taken a nap as soon as I got back from my appointment with Dr. Anderson, but I didn’t have it in me not to celebrate the good news with everyone for a little while.

“Okay, that’s enough for a while. Up you go,” Brady says, urging me to turn and lay back in the bed.

Once I’m settled, I reach up and grip the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss. He smiles against my mouth as he kisses me sweetly. When I try to deepen the kiss, he pulls back before resting his forehead against mine.

“Rest, Beautiful. I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere,” he says, climbing into bed with me and wrapping me in his arms.

Brady

Devon met with Dr. Henley while I was with Skyler for her multiple therapy sessions this morning. He texted me that she could probably be released tomorrow, but he wanted my input before agreeing with the doctor. He’s responsible for communicating with the doctors since he’s her medical proxy, but he always includes me. I appreciate that he considers me such an integral part of her life more than he could possibly know.

I told him that I think she’s ready when the doctors clear her. She’s made it clear the past couple of days that she’s sick of the hospital. She wants to go home, and I’ll be with her to make sure she’s okay. She hasn’t slipped away again since she broke through last week, but she does still battle with anxiety and panic attacks.

The worst was Tuesday, when the news report came on the TV about Dirk’s arrest and that several San Francisco cheerleaders had come forward with sexual harassment and assault claims.Apparently the #MeToo Movement is still going strong.Skyler instantly started hyperventilating and crying.

Devon and I held her and talked her through it while Tracey went to get the nurse for an extra dose of Ativan. She calmed down slightly, but she continued to shake until she cried herself to sleep between us on the sofa.

When I laid her in the bed, Devon and I took turns holding her hand and pacing the floor, waiting for her to wake up. We were terrified that it would bring on another wave of catatonia. But she woke up a couple of hours later and in true Skyler fashion—apologized for making us worry.

That was also the day that Timothy Mitchell flew into town. He’d called Devon back last week when we were still fighting to get Skyler back. Timothy offered to fly out and offer his “assistance” to the DA as soon as he could wrap up a couple of his pending cases in New York. He wanted to come to the hospital to meet with us, but Devon refused since Skyler was still so fragile. Instead, he met Timothy for dinner that night to discuss the case.

Then, Timothy met with the DA and State’s Attorney yesterday and was hired as a consultant on the case. Although, he’s usually a defense attorney, his reputation is well known across the country. They were glad to have someone from the other side of the fence in such a high-profile case. I’m sure he’s the reason bail was denied this morning. He was able to bring the other charges from California to light. He’s also contacted the departments handling the charges in California to offer the same consulting on their cases. And all it took was Devon reaching out to him and asking for help.

Now, I sit in this hospital bed, holding Skyler to me and thanking God that this will be her last night here. Tomorrow, we’ll go home and start making our life better together. My phone buzzes, pulling me from my thoughts and I pull it from my pocket to find a text from Devon.

Devon: Chelsea is a slave driver. I’ve never worked so hard cleaning an already clean apartment in my life.

Me: Well, a little hard work never hurt anyone. LOL. Did you get everything done?

Devon: Yes, finally. I really don’t mind. The cleaner it is, the less likely Skyler will come in trying to do it all, herself. I’m so fucking happy she’s coming home!

Me: Me too, man. Are you coming back here before eight?

---