Replaced

Chapter 3

4 years later

Dry, my throat felt so dry. An unfamiliar sensation had me fearful, I tried to open my eyes to see what it was. There was something down my throat. A muffled scream for help as I fought the unknown. My eyes were so heavy and focusing was a struggle. There was a loud beeping noise, but I was unsure where it was coming from. I heard the sound of footsteps. “Connie, stop!” Forcing my eyes to open and focus I turned toward the sound. Frowning I recognized my father and halted all my movement. I focused on him; he looked like he had aged, there were grey hairs where there had been none. Sporting a beard even! Very much unlike his usual clean-cut look. What appeared to be a doctor stood next to my father that’s when the panic set in. “What happened?”

“Hi, I’m doctor Blain. Can you give us a few minutes? We will remove your breathing tube.” I gave a nod to convey I understood. Breathing tube not an alien device, nice. A nurse walked up and assisted the doctor with removing the breathing tube. Afterwards they put me on a nasal cannula just to help me out some with breathing according to the doctor. Taking in my surroundings I realized I was at the hospital. The white washed walls and linoleum floors along with the privacy curtain gave me reassurance I was still in town. Well at the hospital a few hours from town I had been here before. “There, how do you feel?” Turning to the doctor I wasn’t sure how I felt, “numb” I replied. Checking his chart, he nodded his head, “that’s not too bad she just had a scheduled dose of morphine.” Morphine? Why would I need that? “Can you tell me your name?”, I replied, “Yes, its Connie Merson.” Frowning I stared at my dad. “Daddy what’s going on?” He looked at the doctor as if asking for permission then turned back to me.

“Connie, baby girl you’ve ben in a comma for 4 years to the day.” Shock hit me like a pile of bricks. “I’ve ben what?”, Barely even able to talk through the dryness of my mouth I turn and look down at my abdomen and see nothing but flatness. “Where’s my baby?” “Connie, you were attacked at a party Andrews parents had thrown to find their daughters’ mate. What do you remember?” Tears flowing down my face. I try to lift my arm to wipe them away, but I can barely move it. The nurse seeing my situation assisted me. “Delaine, she, she attacked me, and I was in so much pain.” All I could manage around the emotions hitting me one by one. It made talking seem like a battle. My mouth felt like it was full of peanut butter. The nurse steps up again to assist me with drinking some water. Though it helps I just feel overwhelmed with emotions.

“Baby girl, by time we could get to you so much time had passed. Connie had to be given a sleeper dart so that we could drag her off of you.” Glancing down at my body I noticed that my arms were wrapped in bandages but not my legs. My belly once swollen to the bursting with my child was completely flat. I could stop from reaching out to touch it. Intense pain followed, I sucked in a breath and waited for the pain to pass. “Where’s my baby?”, I ask my father once more. He went silent and refused to look me in the eye. Glancing around I see that there were two other nurses besides the one dabbing away my tears along with the doctor and my father. None would look me in the eye.

“Where’s Andrew? Four years is a long-time father….is my husband ok?” “Connie I’m sorry to say that Andrew is not in the picture anymore. He confessed to the elopement and we had the marriage annulled. He found his mate and we wanted you to be able to move on successfully after you woke up so we agreed to it. Listen, sweetheart, Delaine is the other alphas niece and goddaughter he would’ve stopped at nothing to have you and Andrew separated. We, your mother and I, did what was best. Your mother is currently with Carol and Cece I thought it was best that she took some time away from the hospital. We’ve been taking shifts for four years hoping and praying you’d awaken. The doctors weren’t hopeful there was so much damage and numerous surgeries. Please believe me when I say I love you and want nothing but the best.” Swallowing past the emotions I ask If mother will be back soon. “I’ve sent a nurse to the front to call her. She’s on her way with carol and Cece.” “Whose Cece?” “Carols baby girl.” “Carol has a baby??!?” “Yes, after you went into your coma, two years after she ran into her mate, literally.”, he gave a strangled chuckle, “you should ask her to tell you the story when your up to it.” “She’s gone, isn’t she? My little Isabelle?”

“Connie, we can visit her whenever you want. She was buried with pawpaw and g-maw baby girl.” Staring at him I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. “She lived for a few days, but no one knows what happened. She stopped breathing.” Turning from my dad to the doctor I said, “How?” Wrapping his arms around his abdomen my father responds, “murder possibly.” “Someone murdered my baby girl?”

“Potentially”, the doctor looked away, “I can’t confirm or deny. We weren’t allowed to say until an autopsy report is done.” Turning towards my father he looked so heartbroken. “She looked asleep Connie, so peaceful and quiet. I walked up to her and that’s when I realized that she wasn’t”, trailing off he didn’t finish what he was going to say.

“Who would kill my baby?”, I once watched the animal planet documentary series on the Africa safari and hyenas. I remember thinking the sound they made was horrific and scary and yet that’s the closet thing I could think of at the moment to match the sound that reverberated out of my chest. The sorrowful howl of a dying animal perhaps would be a close second. I just felt the breaking of my heart and in turn that broke me. They say that a parent should never have to bury their child. They say that true love will last a lifetime. And yet I was denied happiness because of a mating bond that hadn’t even grown.

They had just met, and she destroyed my life in a matter of seconds! No baby, no Andrew, not a wife nor a mother. I felt a weight on me it was suffocating and immense. 4 years is a lot of time to lose from your life and yet I knew she had seen no repercussions for her actions. Shifter laws hadn’t been updated some things are set in stone but that didn’t bring me any comfort. I had plans for me, my baby, and our lives. Her name I screamed to the heavens above, “Isabelle, Isabelle, Isabelle!” I watched you grow for months. You were strong, and you were a survivor. You survived just to have your life cut short by some horrible human being. “My baby!”, I cried her name from the depths of my soul, the sound piercing the eerie silence. Before the darkness overtook me, I howled to the moons for my baby knowing she would never come. I had slept through her short existence. Isabelle my sweet, sweet angel was gone.

The next time I awoken it was to my mother resting next to me holding my hand. I stared at her as I had my father. She had aged as well shown be her grays as well. Her blond hair had darkened somewhat, and she had wrinkles and laugh lines. She was getting older, but she still looked like what I remembered. I pondered what I looked like but feared the image I’d see. Lost in my thoughts I didn’t see that she had awaken as well. We stared at each other, tears filled her eyes over flowing down her cheeks. I watched them fall. “Momma?” She jumped up and embraced me whispering she never thought the day would come but she prayed that it would. “Connie!”, looking up I spot carol and she held a baby girl, that must be Cece.

“Hey twin”, I rasped out, “You had a baby?” Laughing she walks closer, so I could have my first glance of my niece. She was a cherub! Chunky cheeks, long black lashes, small little nose, and curly blond hair. Bundled up in a pink blanket she was a picture of perfection. “She’s adorable”, I gasp bitting my lip to halt my tears, “How old is she?” “Almost a year-old Connie, about 10 months. I named her after grams Cecelia.”

“Connie, baby girl, I talked to the doctor and they are going to test your ability to walk and start a physical therapy plan from there if needed. Based off that we will create a plan, that way we can get you home with us. The doctor also suggested we have you see a therapist especially considering the fact Andrew will be succeeding his father in the next few years, Delaine and the baby and all that stuff,” She trailed off wringing her hands together a nervous habit she never broke from childhood. Laying back in my bed I decided I was going to fake it and take off as soon as I was all together. I’d run before Delaine made me an outcast in my own pack. I wouldn’t be able to date, I was the alphas intended and now I was his leftovers. I wanted a fresh start, thoughts racing I knew I was going to leave everything I knew behind.

Mistaking my silence for sadness of Andrew and the situation that happened my mother says we can talk about it after the doctor comes, when you feel better. I nodded. I had my plan, I knew what was best, what was safe. A few hours later Cece started stirring and Carol excused herself. Her husband Carter would be home later he was traveling for business and I would meet him after he got back. She headed home leaving me and my mom.

When the doctors arrived, he brought with him a physical therapist and Two certified nursing assistants. He did a run down of everything and how my body was doing. Two cnas were going to assist me with standing to see if I could walk. I took a deep breath and pushed the blanket down. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed I sat up. One of the cnas assisted me with sliding on some slippers my parents brought me from home. Each girl hooked an arm under each of my arms. I slowly stood up for the first time in 4 years. “Girls lightly hold her, we need to see how much she can do herself as well as how much work will be needed”, the physical therapist instructed the cnas.

“Do your best honey”, my Mon always my biggest supporter. I slowly move my right foot then my left. One after the other and along with the girls I slowly walk around the room. Making it back to the hospital bed I sit back down. The girls help me back into the bed. My breathing was ragged, my pulse was racing, and I felt like my body weighed a ton. After a few minutes I gathered myself. The doctors decided I would need to do a short physical therapy program to gain strength in my legs and then we would work on shifting. From there we would and see if there were any other issues and make another plan and continue from there. I agreed with them I definitely needed to work on my strength.