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7. First Words Spoken
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Finn kept rubbing her hand and whispering encouragements to her as she started to stir. He looked at Dr. Berkeley for affirmation that things were moving in the right direction and he gave Finn a thumbs up.
Elle walked in and stood in the doorway, monitoring her progress. The monitors were showing increased activity and her eye movements were increasing. Finally, Lili let out a groan and twisted a bit in bed. She was still sound asleep but Finn was ecstatic, smiling ear to ear.
Leaning over Lili, Dr. Berkeley checked her heart and stepped back, pleased with her progress so far. More restlessness and another groan. Her eyelids fluttered and almost opened before she settled in again.
Her covers had come undone so Finn straightened them out and pushed her unruly hair out of the way. Just as he was sitting back down he heard, "Finn, Finn, where am I?"
"Lili, oh my Lili. You're in the hospital. D
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Protecting My Heart 8. Somethings Are Better Left Unspoken
You're safe now. You're safe now. His words swirled around her head as she continued to hold his hand. Lili thought, 'How could I be safe?' Even with Hal dead, she was traumatized by the abuse over the last three years. It could take a lifetime to overcome. Lili looked into Finn's eyes and politely smiled and patted his hand condescendingly and said, "I don't think that I'll ever feel safe with any man, even you, but I need to trust someone." She watched as Finn hung his head down and his forehead rested on her hands and she heard him whisper, "Please, Lili. Please give me a chance to take care of you. I will do my best to nurse you back to health." She remained silent and pulled her hand away from him. Truth be told… his touch terrified her because she trusted him. Why? There was no explanation, but she trusted him. She closed her eyes and started to cry. The tears flowed s
Protecting My Heart 9. The Power of Words
Several nurses rushed to Finn's side and one of them managed to revive him. After an initial screening he was whisked in a wheelchair down to the ER and they insisted on doing a full work up on him.He protested that he was fine and was just tired and hungry. Doctor Hill finally agreed that Finn was alright but insisted that he have a full meal and a few hours sleep before he would release Finn to care for Lili.When Doctor Hill left and he was alone, Finn mumbled, "It's okay doc! It's ok. I am checking out and going back to Philadelphia. I know when I am not wanted."He barely managed to speak the words as sleep took over his exhausted brain. Finn slept for seven hours and no one in the hospital dared interrupt his sleep. Finn was unaware of his newfound reputation; local hero. He had avoided the newspapers and the gossip stories that they wrote about Finn and his drug addicted past and his new life. &nbs
Protecting My Heart 10. Next Steps
Finn watched as Lili was getting restless sitting in bed. She was squirming and had yanked the sheets out and was making a mess. She whined, "I need to walk. "Elle is coming in a few minutes and she will show me how to properly help you out of bed and hold you as you walk. Be patient, my sweet." Finn said as he tried to calm her down."At least help me swing my legs over the side of the bed," she begged. He looked her in the eyes and in a dramatic fashion rolled his eyes and fluttered his long eyelashes at her. She laughed at his silliness and said, "Finn, I am glad we worked things out.""Hmmm, me too," he mumbled as he kissed her forehead. Finally, he decided to help her swing her legs over the edge of the bed for the first time and he couldn't stop smiling when he saw the look of excitement on her sweet face. Just then, Elle walked in and asked, "What are you two up to?
Protecting My Heart 11. Empty Rooms
It took several hours to calm Lili down from the latest tragedy in her life, but Finn stayed by here side and held her the entire time. As the tears slowed down, she asked Finn, "Can you go and see if there's anything left? Take pictures. I need to know." Finn was worried that this was not a good idea but finally agreed to go in the morning and discuss the damage with the fire marshall and Billy. In the meantime, he was able to get Lili to calm down and sleep for a few hours. Once he verified that she was asleep, he went to the visitor's waiting room and called Russel. "Hey Finn! How are you and Lili managing?" Finn let out a small laugh before he said, "Well, two steps forward and ten steps backwards." "What happened?" Russel asked with concern in his voice. He knew Finn well enough that something wasn't right. "Russ, Lili's house was burned to the grou
Protecting My Heart 12. Into the Unknown With You
Finn opened the car door and held his hand out to help Lili get out of the car safely. He noticed her expression and wasn't sure if she was going to like this place but once she stood in his embrace she said, "Before we go in, let's just stand here for a second. I want to take this moment in." She was right, this was a big and momentous occasion for them. They would be living together. Two strangers, getting to know each other without defined boundaries. He was scared but tried not to show it. He wrapped his right arm around her as they looked up at the red brick farmhouse with it's inviting wrap around porch and oak rocking chairs. It was really nice and way more than they needed but it was a safe place and they would make it work. "It's nice. Finn, it's nice." Lili was so excited and her innermost feelings were surprisingly positive and she wasn't afraid of Finn and being alone with him. H
Protecting My Heart 13. No Place Like Home
Finn managed to tear himself away from Lili and walked into the bathroom to run the bath water. He filled the tub with warm water and rose water bubble bath. As the room filled with steam he started to get scared that he was going to ruin this moment by saying something stupid or out of place. It wouldn't surprise him, not one bit, if he scared her off by saying something offensive. He wouldn't mean it, but sometime, well sometimes, he just said stupid stuff. With apprehension he shut off the water and walked out to where Lili was resting. She looked so comfortable as she sat there with her cocoa and wrapped in a old flannel blanket that bespoke of comfort and warmth. "Are you ready, my dear little one to feel the warm water on your skin?" he asked. Then he wondered if he said too much, as he scanned her expression for her emotions. Lili just smiled and commented, "Oh my, ye
Protecting My Heart 14. Ghosts from the Past
Around a week laterThe weather was beautiful and Lili really needed to get out of the house, so they planned to take a short walk and have a picnic underneath the willow tree about a few hundred yards from the house. The tree was up a slight hill and it would be a great test of her growing strength.Hand in hand, they walked the short distance and Lili was proud of her increased stamina and how comfortable they were becoming with each other in such a short time."How are you managing?" Finn asked as they were just about to the tree."All is good, all is good!" Lili stated firmly. She didn't want him to think she was a cry baby, just because every bone in her body still ached and the headaches were about the same; intense and at times overwhelming her senses.She was determined to get through this without complaining or taking any pain meds, but she did let him bring them along, just in
Protecting My Heart 15. Aftermath
Finn grabbed Lili and clung to her immediately upon closing their front door. Torrents of tears washed over him as his emotions fell apart. He couldn't pretend to be brave anymore. "Lili, oh my Lili, I am so sorry that my past brought you into danger. I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you today." He just clung to her and buried his face in her wavy red curls. Her scent as well as her touch slowly calmed him down. She was exhausted and needed to go to sleep but pushed through as she whispered, "Finn, of all the days, you finally felt I was strong enough to go on that picnic. If we weren't up there, well, who knows. See, somehow fate, God, your prayers, well they kept us safe. Right?"He just stayed silent, but walked her into their bedroom and tucked her snuggly under the covers and hopped in, from the other side. He whispered, "We can talk later. Can I just ho
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Protecting My Heart 79. Epilogue
"Jordan and Stephen! Give that back to your sister right now!" Lili scolded as they walked through the amusement park. Morgan, who was just three years old, was crying because the boys took her stuffed bear that Finn just won for her at the cheesy boardwalk clown game. Finn scooped her up and calmed her tears as Lili talked to the boys for the fifth time this afternoon. Drake and Claire walked over with Gia and Max who were pinching each other when their parents were not looking. Drake asked, "Has anyone seen Anders and his crew?" "Yeah, they went to the first aid hut to get Leah's hand cleaned. She fell when Justin pushed her." "Well, I think that after three days of this, we just need a little R&R back at the house and maybe some time around the pool," Claire said matter of factly. "Oh, Claire! Yes, that is just what we all need!" Lili sighed at the thought of relaxing
Protecting My Heart 78. Accident or Sabotage
The guests all watched in horror as the crystal chandelier above the grand ballroom started to sway violently. A deafening crack filled the room as wires snapped one by one and sparks flew around the ceiling. Someone yelled, "Look out!" And another screamed, "Get out of the way!" as loud as they could over the music. The band realized what was going on and as calmly as possible told the guests to get off of the dance floor and move to safety. Chaos won the day as the chandelier suddenly fell about a foot closer to the ground. The snapping of the wires contunued until it finally let loose in a freefall crashing to the ground. Guests that had scurried to the sides of the room started to scream in fear as crystals projectiled around the room. The chandelier was one thing, but then they smelled a thick acrid smoke that permeated the room. Many of the guests started to panic an
Protecting My Heart 77. Down the Aisle
Lili rolled over and reached for Finn, but he wasn't there. His side of the bed was cold as she felt the sheets. She felt like a piece of her was missing since he was always there to snuggle in the morning before they started their day. But today was different. She would be in his arms tomorrow morning! After the rehersal dinner, he went to stay at Anders so that they would not see each other before the wedding and Stacy stayed in their guest bedroom. Lili just stayed still and let her mind run through all of the tasks of the day. So much to do before 2 pm. Would she get it all done? Oh the nerves of a bride. Her wedding day! She was so excited and couldn't believe that she was marrying this man, her Finn and then they were taking off to Europe for a few weeks. Praying to herself that this day would be filled with happy memories and no stress from family or foes prete
Protecting My Heart 76. Just One More Day Until Forever
"Come on! We are going to be late." Finn gripped as he stood in the doorway trying to get Lili to walk out the door. He sighed as she slipped past him and he teased, "Are you going to be late to your own wedding tomorrow or is this a plan to ease the tensions when you don't show up?" Lili smacked his arm and walked to the other side of the truck, refusing to answer his brazen foolishness. "Get in!" she yelled as she taunted him with a seductive kiss that she blew in his direction. "Caught it!" he laughed as he hopped in and started the truck. They drove in silence for a few minutes when he asked, "Are you nervous about tomorrow? Any regrets, because now is the time to bail on me when no one is around." "TJ! Are you trying to get rid of me?" she looked at him cross as she folded her arms across her chest. "No, I am serious Lili. I come with my own baggage and I just want to make sure that you
Protecting My Heart 74. Final Preparations
Lili heard the horn blaring and she grabbed her purse and rushed out the door.Stacey was laughing at her friend's frantic pace. She could see the worry all over Lili's sweet little face. Her red hair, flowing in the wind as she raced to the car and jumped into the passenger side.She looked at Stacey with wild eyes as she thought to herself, 'just two more weeks until the wedding and they we are off to the fitting. Always in a hurry these days!'"Calm down. Finn is already totally in love with you and your little one on the way.""Stacey, I know. It's just, well everything. The reading of the will, Claire and Drake, the wedding, my brother, and on and on and on." Lili exhaled as she l
Protecting My Heart 73. The Reading of the Will
All dressed in black. Lili hated wearing black but she was supposed to be in mourning to the rest of the outside world. So, she gave in to customs to pretend that she cared about her father and she was dressed in black from head to toe. Finn on the other hand, loved the dress that she was wearing. The way it showed off her figure and her legs. She had her hair up in a professional looking bun and he noticed her neck. Oh, it drove him insane to know that they were walking out of the house in less than 5 minutes to go the reading of the will and he had other things on his mind, like taking that dress off of her. Did she know what she was doing to him?
Protecting My Heart 72. Free
Waking up at 4 am, Lili got out of bed and crept downstairs and sat at her desk and started to write. The words flowed freely as she poured her heart out. She had just started a new book and she was free from worrying about ... well just about everything. For the first time in her life she was free of the torture that she endured on behalf of her family. She was free! No more demands on who she dated or where she lived. No more legal letters telling her to not write anymore. No more controlling parental guidance. Her father would not be missed and she knew that was an awful thought but her family really was very dysfunctional. Extremely. Lili was so intent on writing that she didn't hear Finn as he walked in and leaned against the doorway. Just watching. His eyes sparkled at he watched his little lilipad typing away as she was lost in her own lit
Protecting My Heart 71. The Art of Letting Go
Anders read the letter and the news shocked Finn. "You're pregnant?" Finn asked again. Lili looked up in to his eyes and softly replied, "Yes, but this isn't how I planned on telling you. I had plans, special plans. Not like this." All of that special nonsense didn't matter to Finn. That wasn't him anyways. Finn forgot Anders was their and kissed her sweet lips and whispered in her ear, "My beautiful little Lili James is going to give me a beautiful lille baby. What's better than that?" Finn felt the magic of the moment and was in his own world with Lili when Anders cleared his throat. Letting Lili go, he looked at Anders and sheepishly said, "Forgot you were here." "Let's grab some coffee in the kitchen and talk through the events of today." Lili looked from Anders to Finn with curiosity. She was so thrilled with Finn's reaction to the baby news that she forgot abo
Protecting My Heart 70. Almost
Two weeks had passed and Finn felt like a piece of him was missing. Drake had always been there, even when he arrested Finn, he supported him when he had been at his lowest. Lili was standing there in the kitchen and knew what was eating him alive and she decided that she needed to do something about it. She put down the dish towel and walked over to him and boldly stated, "I am going to see my father in jail and finish this, for good." "What? You can't do that!" Finn said as he voice cracked. He was not letting her go to see her creepy father. The guy was a miserable man with nothing but hatred flowing through his viens. No wait, even worse than that...vindictiveness ran so deep that he spewed nothing but hate. Lili gave him her puppy dog eyes and walked over to him and said, "Listen, he can't hurt me in jail but he can try to continuously surprise us with one hate filled plot after another and one of them mi
