Chapter 21

Heidi

Heidi woke to feel Lachie's hand clasped firmly in her own. She had slept so soundly that she hadn't even felt it. She smiled when they locked eyes.

"Hi there gorgeous." Lachie said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Hey there yourself," Heidi said smiling. She saw that he held papers in his hands. "So, they're letting you out of here?"

"Yeah," Lachie looked almost guilty. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. I have to leave soon, though. Dean and Chase are waiting to take me home." He looked so remorseful that Heidi smiled.

"It's okay Lachie, really. I understand. I want you to sleep in your own bed, have your own shower. Rest at home. I should be going home myself in a day or two myself."

Lachie kissed her gently and lay his forehead against hers. "Thanks Ace. I'll be back to see you in the morning, okay?"

"I'll hold you to that. Bring me something edible for breakfast, would you?" Heidi asked, hopeful.

"Sure thing, Ace." Lachie stood and slowly hobbled out the door on his crutches.

Later that day

When her door opened again, Heidi knew who it was before she even got a good look at him.

Jordan looked around before entering. "Hi Heidi," Jordan said quietly. "Is the incredible hulk gone?"

"Lachie just cares about me, Jordan. He cares about my well-being. He hasn't quite forgiven you for what you did to me."

Jordan nodded sadly, "I really screwed up this time, didn't I?"

Heidi brought her bed up into a seated position. "Yes, you did."

Jordan heaved a heavy sigh. "I have a court date in a month. I was released pending my therapy. I have another three weeks to go in my in-patient therapy. I'm hoping I will get community service as a sentence."

Heidi shrugged. "I guess you will just have to wait and see." Heidi was doing her bed to stay neutral.

"Heidi, I just wanted to have a few moments with you earlier. I hope it didn't cause any problems."

"None." Heidi closed her eyes. She was amazed at how tire she still was. "Lachie is really special to me, and I to him."

"So there is no chance for us then?"

Heidi stared at him. "You're joking, right?"

"Uh, no…" Jordan said sheepishly.

"Really Jordan?" Heidi practically shouted. "I might be able to forgive you for what happened, especially since you are planning on paying me back, but do you really think I would let you fool me again? I haven't forgotten anything. I was willing to forgive you for the sake of you therapy, but please don't insult me. We will be back together Jordan. I am with Lachie now, and quite happy."

Lara chose that moment to poke her head in the door. "Hey Heidi, everything okay?" She glared at Jordan. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," he quipped.

"Well, it's my turn. Get lost," Lara spat. She had definitely not forgotten about all that had transpired.

Jordan took his cue and left.

Lara approached the bed. "How are you feeling, Heidi?"

"Tired," Heidi stated. "I uh.. I haven't been sleeping well."

Lara patted her hand, "it's only normal."

"I miss being at home, being able to do what I want." Heidi fought the building tears. "Lara, I'm scared. What if my shoulder doesn't heal? What if I can't continue at Rescue? What if I can't fly choppers anymore?"

Lara sat down on the side of Heidi's bed. "Oh babe, you don't have to worry. Vince will always find a spot for you at Rescue. Besides, you are going to heal just fine."

Heidi nodded, clinging desperately to that idea. "Thanks Lara. I might need you to remind me of that a few times."

"Anytime, Heidi." Lara exhaled loudly. "So, I have some news. Dean and I are together."

That statement was enough to stop Heidi's tears. "What? That's great!"

"It only took a few years," Lara said.

"But it was worth the wait, right?" Heidi said.

"For sure," Lara answered, smiling.

"Oh Lara, I'm so happy for you. You do realize that we are both dating Gallaghers, right? We're practically sisters," Heidi giggled.

"That is just an added bonus." Lara squealed happily. She looked at her watch and gasped. "I've got to go, are you going to be okay here?"

"Of course. I'm meeting my physiotherapist later and then I plan to try and rest. Have a good date with Dean," Heidi grinned.

Lara kissed her friend's cheek. "Bye babe. I'll text you later."

"Bye Lara," Heidi closed her eyes with a smile on her face. She fell asleep quickly, catching a bit of rest before her first physiotherapy session.

Chase

Chase sat at the bar, his first night out since the entire situation happened. He downed the last of his beer. He had been trying to wash away a worrying in his gut. But he knew that something was wrong. Vince had stopped by to look in on Lachie, giving Chase a few moments to himself, so he knew that it couldn't be about Lachie. Heidi kept popping into his mind and he knew that he needed to make his way to see her.

He stood and raced out of the bar, hoping that he was wrong.

Heidi's Room

10pm

Hayden slowly tiptoed into the hospital, hoping to slip in unseen. A nurse that he was dating had told him where he could find Heidi. He needed to hear the truth from Heidi, and if it turned out the truth would ruin him, he could just have to find a way to take care of things.

He walked down the hall and tucked into Heidi's room. When he walked in the room, he saw Heidi lying in the bed, fast asleep. He kept the lights off and approached her bed, just staring at her.0

Heidi's eyes flew open. "Hayden, what are you doing here?" Under the blanket, Heidi searched for the call button.

Hayden held the button up in his hands. "Looking for this?"

Heidi's heart hammered in her chest. "What do you want?"

"To talk about the incident, Heidi. You can't ruin me. I won't let you."

"What are you talking about, Hayden?" Heidi looked genuinely confused. Then it dawned on her. Hayden was talking about the poor maintenance. "I'm not going to lie for you. You nearly got me and Lachie killed with shoddy maintenance."

Hayden tossed the button to the ground and yanked the pillow out from behind her head. Heidi winced as her head hit the back of the bed, sending a jarring pain through her shoulder and down her arm. Hayden raised the pillow and pressed it against Heidi's face, muffling her scream.

Chase

Chase ran for Heidi's room, the hair on his neck standing up. Something was definitely wrong. He picked up his pace and reached Heidi's room in record time. He threw the door to her room open. "Heidi!" His heart nearly stopped when he saw a figure over her bed, trying to smother her with a pillow. Heidi's legs were thrashing, trying to get away from the assailant. He could hear her muffled screams as Hayden pushed the pillow against her mouth.

Chase charged the man and jumped on his back, dislodging him from Heidi. "Get your hands off her!"

Chase and Hayden crashed to the floor, knocking over the IV stand, sending it clattering to the floor. "Get off me, Chase."

Chase recognized the voice almost immediately. "Hayden?" Rage shot through him. They grappled on the floor, but Chase eventually got the upper hand. He had Hayden pinned when the lights switched on. A nurse and security guard entered the room.

"Call the cops," Chase growled. "He just tried to kill her."

The security guard helped Hayden to his feet and dragged him from the room. Chase leapt up and rushed to Heidi's side. She was curled up, tears leaking from her eyes, her face red. "Heidi?" He asked softly. "Heidi it's Chase. Are you okay?" Chase sat on the bed, leaned back and pulled his best friend against him. "Just cry it out, Heidi. Don't you worry."

Heidi just buried her head in her friend's chest and cried. Heidi eventually regained her composure enough. "I want to go home, Chase. Now. I don't feel safe here." Her voice was hoarse and her body was trembling.

"I'll go talk to the doctor." Chase unwrapped himself from Heidi and walked to see when the cops were going to arrive and when he could get Heidi home. While waiting for the doctor to arrive, Chase pulled out his phone and texted Lachie. He knew that his brother would want to know about the attack.

Lachie

Lachie mumbled something and then rolled over, his phone buzzing in his hand. He read the text from Chase and he stumbled out of bed. "Vince! Vince! We need to get to the hospital!" He stumbled down the hall, his crutches holding him up.

Vince looked up from the couch and took in Lachie's frightened look. "What's wrong?"

"We need to get to the hospital. Heidi's been attacked. Chase walked in on it. I need to make sure that they are both okay." Lachie looked like he just might cry. He was reached from his coat when Dean walked in. "Dean!"

Dean raised his hand. "I heard, let's go. Lara is waiting in the car."

Lachie nodded and hobbled his way out to the car. He sat in the back and tried to hide his nervousness. Dean made record time in getting to the hospital. He dropped Lara and Lachie off at the door, while he and Vince parked the car.

Lachie approached Heidi's room slowly, his gut churning. Lara was right beside him, wringing her hands together.

Slowly, they entered Heidi's room. Lachie saw Chase sitting on Heidi's bed, holding her. What had happened must have been worse than he thought. "Chase." He whispered as he entered.

"Lachie," Chase unfolded himself and snuck away from Heidi's side, lowering her back against the pillows. He stood and walked over to his brother. "You got here fast."

"Dean drove." Lachie stated. "What happened?"

"Hayden happened. I walked in on Hayden trying to…" Chase choked on the words. Thank God he had gotten here on time. "He was trying to smother her, Lach. Heidi wants to go home. I've asked for her release."

Lachie's eyes filled with tears, but his mind was full of rage. "Where is he now?"

"I managed to subdue him and pull him off her. He's with the police now."

Lachie looked at his little brother and pulled him forward in a hug. "Thank you Chase. I don't know why you were here, but I'm so glad that you were."

Chase hugged his brother fiercely. "I just did what I thought was right. Something in my gut told me that something was wrong." He pulled out of the hug and propelled Lachie to Heidi's bedside. "She needs you now, Lachie." He stepped into the hall to wait for Dean. He stood with Lara and watched Lachie and Heidi.

Lachie reached forward with a trembling hand and cupped Heidi's cheek. Tears still leaked down her cheeks, even in her sleep. He turned and pulled himself up next to Heidi on the bed. He slowly lifted his broken leg and rested it on the bed. He wrapped his arms around Heidi and wrapped his arms around her. He held her so tightly that his arms went numb, but he didn't care. He just wanted to hold her. Resting his chin on her head, he sighed. "I'm here Ace. You can rest easy. We've got you."