96. To dream of pizza and movie stars?
1379 Words
Cash didn't have much strength left, but he pulled as hard as he could.
Too late...the large crocodile chomped down on Stella's leg, biting deep into the flesh.
Stella's eyes were wide, her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her face was contorted in horrible pain.
The helicopter had landed, the medics ran to her.
That big, ugly monster crocodile bit into her leg and into the hard titanium rod.
The croc let go feeling the hard metal in it's mouth and shook it's head splashing violently.
It was confused by the metallic taste of her. Discarding her like trash.
The coast guard medics helped Cash to pull her to shore.
She was severely injured, but alive. There was blood everywhere. Her face was pale, eyes wide in pain.
They quickly picked Stella up and carried her thin body to the chopper.
Another medic went to Cash.
" We will be back for you, are you okay?" they asked him. He nodded.
" Go, take her. Please leave me, my family will be with me. Please don't let her die."
Not my Stella, don't die...please, he thought.
He yelled," Stella! I Love you!"
She weakly gave him a thumbs up as her head lulled back in pain from the deep bite. She passed out.
The helicopter blades spun around as it went up into the air and turned towards the hospital an hour away.
They worked on Stella as they flew off, placing an IV and wrapping a turnoquette around her leg artery.
The titanium rod that she hated just saved her life.
Hall, Drake, and Beth made their way to Cash. Drake jumped off the small boat, risking his life in that water and ran to him.
Drake grabbed this very thin brother of his and hugged him.
" Thank the Lord!" Drake cried.
Beth watched Drake and cried.
Drake held his brother.
Finally, I can breath, Cash thought.
He didn't realize that he had been holding his breath, he fell to the ground, Drake went with him.
" You saved her, you kept her alive all this time." Drake said, crying too now. He wiped his brother's dirty face with his wet shirt.
" No brother, she saved me. That woman kept me alive. Hey, does anybody have a candy bar?" Cash was so very hungry.
Beth reached into her bag and threw him a granola bar. He ate it in two bites.
Hall and Beth risked it and jumped out of the boat, running to the boys. Cash hugged Beth and thanked her for coming.
The three looked around the island with Cash.
Cash showed them their shelter, the fire pit. The remains of the snake head that Stella had killed. The parachute. He gave them a tour.
It was amazing that they had survived over a week and a half on their own.
Drake asked him. "Do you think that she is going to be okay?"
He was so worried about her. "I love her so much, I was so scared." He said.
Cash nodded. "She has to be, after all of this? There's no way that this is how she goes out, no way, not my girl, not her."
Ash and Storm were coming by jet ski, Sam was on a second one, driving fast. Water sprayed out behind them as they approached.
Hall radio them to warn them about the monster under the water.
They stayed back in the deeper water to assess the threat.
They waved at Cash, he waved at them enthusiastically.
Cash spoke with them on the radio.
Ash was affraid, but he had to know. "Is Stella ok too?"
Cash said," She's on her way to the hospital, the chopper took her." He didn't tell them the full story.
They were rejoicing that she too was safe. They saw her on the drone, but not since they arrived to the island, she looked horrible on the drone camera.
After about two hours the helicopter came back and picked up Cash, they took him away with them to the hospital.
He needed to be debriefed about the plane crash.
He couldn't see Stella yet, she was in surgery, so he agreed to speak to the authorities.
Drake and the family went back to the boat that Sam had hired.
They rode towards the hospital, celebrating with champagne.
Drake didn't drink one drop. He knew this was not over, he had to have a clear head for when he saw Stella again.
My love, I need you. I am coming my dear, he cried and wiped his eyes.
He knew that it was very likely that she would lose her leg.
There was no way that she wasn't totally crushed by the large crocodile.
Stella and Cash...
Stella was under sedation. She was dreaming about food. She was eating a candy bar. Stella smiled and moaned in her sleep.
" Drake, is she dreaming of me or you?" Ash said smiling. They weren't leaving her side.
Storm handled the news media with Sam.
" Ash, Ash your fiancé, is she alive?" They thought Storm was Ash, they always did.
"My fiancé is alive, she is in guarded condition. She took a bad hit from a large crocodile. We don't know anything yet." He turned and handed the microphone to Sam.
He needed to get back to his fiancé.
Sam smiled, he was very good with people.
My fiancé too, he smiled.
He wouldn't give them that information, considering what his father said about her when he found out.
" Stella's recovery will just take time, my brother Cash is recovering very well, we would like the press to respect our privacy.
Now, I've given you everything that I know, please leave us be," he nodded as he made eye contact with them all, one at a time.
His hair was perfectly styled in a short feathered look.
He had a tall build with a lean body. He wore a grey tailored suit.
Sam put his glasses on and strode away. The female reporters sighed. "He's so beautiful." She said.
Her female companion said,"They all are, have you seen the father. He's like a real fox, a silver fox." They laughed.
Hall marched into the hospital room. He placed a bouquet of flowers at Stella's beside.
" Did our baby girl wake up yet?" He asked.
All of the brothers hid their smiles and gave eachother knowing looks.
Cash was in the bed next to Stella.
" Daddy, you fell down the rabbit hole. Stella...is she the baby girl you were mentioning?" He knew it was, he wanted to hear Hall say it.
" Boys, this girl is mine, all mine. I'm going to come in hard. She is going to be my first daughter in law, so please respect our need for getting to know one another. I will need some alone time with Miss Calloway."
They all rolled their heads back and held their chests. "Come on!"
Drake said," You are half in love with my girl aren't you?"
Ash said,"My girl, you mean?"
Storm was quiet, he held her hand and spoke quietly to his love.
"They can fight over you all they want, but you and I know that you are my baby, my sweet baby." He wiped his eyes, he loved her so much.
Sam walked over to the bed. "Stella, I'm here. I'm right here." He took her other hand.
Stella smiled and moaned again.
This time she was eating pizza, with extra cheese. She asked if they could put some python on top, Jake Harris was behind the counter, he smiled and put snake on the menu, just for her. It was a good dream, all her men were around her.
She thought they were all there.
Then Jake Harris showed up at the hospital unexpectedly.
Hall said," Is that the movie star
John Monroe MD?" Drake grunted.
Jake looked around the room.
" Where is she, I've been so worried!" Jake ran to her bedside.
The five men that she was engaged with all crossed their arms over their chests and stood around Stella blocking Jake from seeing their woman.
They were not sharing her with a movie stars. Not willing that is.
- Writer
