Haunted(49)

I grabbed his shirt and threw him up against the wall. I was enraged.

“You’re just jealous because Beth has always wanted me, even when she was married to you! Now that it’s a reality, you can’t handle it.”

“She will realize that you were nothing but a bump in the road and she will come back home where her and Joey belong.”

“Have you shared that bit of news with your girlfriend, Tara?” I asked, and he, in turn, grabbed my shirt.

“I should kick your ass right now.”

“Oh you could try, but I guarantee you, it will be nothing but trying. Not with the way I feel right now.”

Eve stood and came over to Eric and me. “Stop it! Stop it, you two. This doesn’t help anything.”

“Eve, how can you stand him? He does nothing but put Beth in danger.”

“Maybe because I know that it is not Roman’s fault. Beth got into this situation all by herself. She chose to go to the concert. She was taken. Roman had nothing to do with Beth being abducted. Eric, don’t throw stones because we both know that you aren’t so perfect either.” Eve pointed at Eric.

I was curious. “Eve? What are you talking about?”

Eric gave her a dirty look and that seemed to piss off Eve.

“Let’s just say that Eric isn’t as perfect as he makes himself out to be.” Eve’s stare seemed to be a challenge for Eric, daring him to say another word.

“Eve, shut the f*ck up!” Eric growled at her.

I could tell that Eve was going to blow.

“Mr. Perfect had an affair on Beth!”

I gasped in shock and so did Phoebe. Apparently, she wasn’t aware of this either.

“You’re the reason,” I muttered to myself and then I felt pissed. “You’re the reason she wouldn’t trust me. If her first husband would cheat on her, then of course she would believe a rock star would cheat on her. You are the reason she pushed me away. You motherf*cker!” I punched him in the face.

Eric cupped his hands over his nose but didn’t say anything. I walked across the room and sat. Now I felt as though I wanted to cry. My Beth, she’d never even told me. How hurt she must have felt. Knowing Beth, she probably felt as though she deserved it in some way.

“What the hell?” Phoebe asked Eve. “Why didn’t Beth tell me?”

Eric answered her question. His voice was low as he spoke, “Beth knew you wouldn’t forgive me. She was afraid that if she told you, you and Dennis wouldn’t be our friends anymore. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust you, Phoebe.”

Phoebe stared at Eric and nodded her head. “It happened about five years ago, didn’t it?” she asked Eric.

He nodded.

“I knew something was wrong, and I kept asking her, but she insisted everything was fine. I especially remember on Joey’s sixth birthday that something was wrong. She couldn’t even look at you. I just thought you two were fighting. You’re an *, Eric.”

“I know, I should have never done that to her. She deserved better.” He sat down in a chair. The waiting room fell silent.

God, please let Beth and Berg be okay.

We sat there for an hour in silence before a doctor came into the room. The doctor reported that Berg was out of surgery. The knife had punctured his liver, but they were able to repair it. Berg was going to be fine, and the relief was overwhelming. The doctor also informed us that Beth was still in surgery. Apparently, the knife wound in her thigh nicked her femoral artery, and they were working to repair the damage. According to the doctor, she was really lucky that he hadn’t severed the artery. If it had, more than likely Beth would have bled out before she reached the hospital. The knife wounds in her arm and in her side hadn’t punctured anything vital.

Chief Moses stopped by the waiting room to inform us that Beth’s CRV was found ten miles down the road at a local drugstore where Andrew had stolen another vehicle. The woman from whom he’d stolen the vehicle informed the officers that the man had a severe gash on the side of his head. She also stated that he looked as though he had a cigarette lighter burn on his hand. I knew I had a big shit-eating grin on my face. Beth told me she had fought him and I had never been so proud of her.

Beth came out of surgery an hour after Berg, and due to my request and the police’s, they put Berg and Beth in the same hospital room. I wanted to watch over them, and the police liked it because they only needed to post one cop outside of the room.

Eric went home to explain everything to Joey. He said that he would bring Joey up to the hospital later tonight if everything was still going well. This was our week to have Joey, and I knew that when Beth woke up, she would love to see him.

As for me, I needed to see my wife. I needed to feel her breath on my ear and her touch on my skin. I’d never thought about the little stuff like that until it was threatened to be taken away from me.



Chapter 37 – Beth



I woke up in a hospital bed. I felt disorientated, but I sat up.

Fuck! That hurts!

I grabbed the remote on the bed and pushed the button that would raise the bed gently so I could see my surroundings. It was dark outside, and I was sharing a room with…Berg? What the hell was Berg doing in a hospital bed? I looked over and I saw Roman asleep in the room’s lounge chair. What made it even more appealing was that my sleeping son sat on his lap with his head lying on Roman’s shoulder. Oh my God. I wished I had my cell phone to take a picture. Joey had really grown fond of Roman.