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191|Surprises Are More Fun
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Save Him 192|Illuminating Experience
When Levi drifted downstairs at the crack of dawn, he didn't expect anyone to be up. But Amber stood in front of the kitchen window, nursing a cup of something hot in her hand."Good morning. Are you also an insomniac, like Nat?"She turned away from the window and smiled into her cup. "Hardly. I just have a lot on my mind. Why are you up? Nat kicked you out of bed?"Levi pulled out a chair and yawned in his hand. "Kind of. She wants pancakes."Mild intrigue stirred in Amber's eyes. "That's weird. She doesn't like pancakes. It must be the kiddos. Congrats, by the way, and on the engagement as well.""Thanks," he said, gently massaging the back of his neck. "She gave me a hell of a hard time, though. Took me six tries to get her to say yes.""I told you she's a runner!" Amber reminded him as she set her cup on the table. "Come on, I'll help you with the pancakes."Levi gladly accepted her offer, and for a little while, they worked in silence, with Amber doing most of the heavy lifting.
Save Him 193|Out Of Her Grasp
Levi kept up with her easily. "Nat, I can't afford to antagonise Andrei more than I already have. I have to think about your safety. And if it means keeping him close, then so be it."Natalie stopped and asked. "When exactly did you invite him to this wedding that I'm pretty sure didn't even exist at the time?""A few weeks ago at The Empress when he gave me the file on Dreams and Vivienne.""That was awfully presumptuous of you, don't you think? I hadn't even agreed to marry you, and yet you were already sending out invitations!"It had been a while since Levi saw her so pissed off, and all he could do was worry about her blood pressure. Dr Neville said she shouldn't be stressed out. Maybe he was a little overzealous when he extended an olive branch to the Russian, and he admitted as much to her. "Look, Love, I should have discussed this with you first, and I'm sorry."Natalie closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled a couple of times. When she brought her gaze to his again, she didn'
Save Him 194|Beautifully Poetic
Natalie looked up from her screen at the sound of her bedroom door banging shut. But she gazed unseeingly at Levi, stunned disbelief in her eyes.Was it all true?Was this how everything ended?The countless hours of drifting between anger and hate, those endless moments spent ebbing and flowing between shame and grief, propelled forward by the oars of her guilt…Was this what it had all boiled down to?Paul's lifeless body sprawled on some cheap metal table of an overcrowded prison's canteen, his insides spewing out of his fleshy, wobbly stomach like a gutted fish?It seemed so beautifully poetic that for someone who had obsessed over beauty and revelled in degrading women, Paul had been left out in the open, in such a humiliating pose that not only screamed of his vulnerability but the raw ugliness of his final moments, too.The beauty of it all, though, was the message—WOMAN BEATER—tattooed on his chest with what Natalie assumed was a barbaric instrument made in the bowels of some d
Save Him 195|No Real Closure
Supper was a little subdued that night. Amber and Jamie were bummed they were leaving so soon. They thought they still had two more days with them."Something came up at work," Natalie said.Amber nodded, and Jamie stared glumly at his plate."But you guys can always come up to see me," Natalie tried to cheer them up. "In fact, I insist you guys should come up. Make a road trip of it.""Yeah, that would be awesome." Amber grinned. "Heritage Day weekend. We'll drive up. Is that okay with you, Levi?""You're welcome anytime, and my folks would love to meet you, hopefully before the wedding.""It's settled then." Amber bobbed her head.Jamie stirred to life in his seat, his eyes as huge as saucers. "Did you guys see the video of that guy in prison, the one on that metal table? At first, I thought they were performing an autopsy, but it turned out someone shanked him in his stomach, and his insides actually trickled out. Did you guys know your stomach is the size of your fist? But I don't
Save Him 196|Bury An Asshole-Part 1
The only funeral Natalie had ever attended was her mom's, seven years ago.She remembered the days leading up to those final moments so clearly because it rained for a week non-stop in Sparrow Beach, a strange phenomenon for a town that prided itself on its warm weather to match the balmy temperament of its residents.It rained sometimes. Just not often. Just not every day for a week straight like it did back then.It was like Natalie and her siblings didn't have enough tears to express all their grief and sorrow, and the heavens above had decided to intervene and help them out.The rain, relentless and steady in its stubbornness to share in their mourning, was as quietly unobtrusive as the depression that had snuck in soon after the doctors informed them nothing more could be done for June Taylor.No, the rain never bothered Natalie.It was the eerie silence that crept in once the doctors turned their white-coated backs and returned to the business of saving lives or breaking hearts—
Save Him 197|Bury An Asshole-Part 2
Natalie headed to the altar and lit a candle, not for Paul, but for the little girl he left behind.She took out her Rosary from her bag and prayed. When she was done with her Hail Marys, she made her way to her friends' pew.More people had arrived while she was chatting with Meredith, and they were now hovering in the early double digits."What was that?" Emily asked as soon as she sat down."She's just a little girl," Natalie said. "We may hate her father. But he was her whole world, and he's gone now. If I knew he had a little girl, that he was a father, I would never have let things get this far.""You didn't do anything!" Emily scolded her."Didn't I? Sam, Sandra, the investigation, Levi and the Dreams dossier? Didn't I do all of it? And for what? So that little girl could lose her father? No one told me he had a daughter! Someone should have told me he had a child!" Natalie wailed, and they had to get her out of there fast.Colleen gently shook her on the steps. "Nat, we couldn
Save Him 198|Bad Code-Part 1
Across town, in the building owned by the man being laid to rest at West Park Cemetery at that very moment, Levi sat in Linda Swartz's office, wondering if he'd made a mistake.After the usual, standard pleasantries and patient-doctor bullshit was out of the way, Linda had encouraged him to make himself comfortable on her tan leather couch.That was fifteen minutes ago. Nothing else was said since, and Levi was hoping she'd take the lead, or at the very least, give him further instructions. But she seemed awfully happy to just scribble in her brand new journal.What she was scribbling in there was a huge mystery to him since he'd barely said a word.He cleared his throat. Linda looked up from her notebook and smiled at him."I've been thinking," he began. "I've been thinking a lot lately.""Anything in particular?" Linda asked.Levi nodded. "Do you think people are inherently bad?"Linda dropped the pen on her journal, laced her hands together, and weighed his question before asking o
Save Him 199|Bad Code-Part 2
Levi called Natalie to check how the funeral had gone. Colleen picked up, though, explaining his fiancée was fast asleep."Is she okay?" he asked. "Did she eat?""Yeah, yeah, she ate." Colleen quickly brushed him off and gave him a blow by blow account of the funeral, starting with the memorial service."Seriously, Nat has a huge heart. As much as she loathes Paul, she still found it in her to comfort his little girl."Levi stopped at a red traffic light, smiling to himself. It definitely sounded like something Natalie would do. Her selflessness amazed and inspired him every day, and he was so proud and elated she was the mother of his children."Did you hear what I said? Paul's ex pissed on his grave!" Colleen screeched on her end, and Levi was a little disturbed at how thrilled she sounded.The traffic light turned green, he sped off and returned his attention to his twin. "That's great, Leeny—"His words trailed off when he realised that maybe 'great' wasn't the right word choice h
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