His Dark Obsession

Chapter 53: All of My Heart

Ian's brain was a hazy fog when he opened his eyes. He blinked several times in an effort to bring his surroundings into focus. His body felt taut and stiff to him. As his brain began to feel the presence of his body, he felt tingling, and shooting pain in his right shoulder. He remembered being hit. He remembered Tara crouched down by his side...he remembered her helpless, --"Tara!"
"Ta-ra!" Ian called out, his throat was parched and his voice, coarse.
A hand covered his in the softest touch, "Ian, I am with you!"
"Ta-ra! I won't...let anything happen to...you!"
The hand squeezed his reassuringly. "Everything's fine. I am safe, Ian."
The mist in his brain slowly began fading away. He saw Tara's shape and form close to him. Where was he? Was this heaven? Hell? Had Tara taken the form of an angel beckoning him to the hereafter? Ian, heard an incessant beep in the distance, a constant, repetitive sound that disrupted every coherent thought that seeped into his brain. "Tara...are you there? What's that sound?"
The hand touched Ian's jaw and stroked it, "you are fine. Don't think about the sound."
Ian slowly felt himself fading back into oblivion. "Ta-ra?!"

Upon opening his eyes, Ian found himself in a hospital bed with a heart monitor beeping by his side. As the last of the anesthesia wore off him, he saw a brunette head of hair at the side of his bed and then he saw the face of his guardian angel -- he extended his hand to her and caressed the side of her face. Tara groggily put her head up and then saw Ian staring at her, a sudden smile spread across her face, "Ian, you are awake!" Tara sat up in her chair and covered Ian's hand on her face with her own. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she beamed. "You look good!"
Ian smiled. Tara's beautiful green eyes shimmered with tears. She wore an ill-fitting t-shirt and jeans. She didn't have any makeup on. Ian also noticed her tangled hair. In that moment she was the epitome of beauty and elegance to him. She was his nymph-angel in the dark, haunting woods.
"You woke up in the night but you were under the influence of heavy medication."
"I know."
"Would you like a sip of water? Doctor said it was ok for you to have a sip."
Ian nodded and Tara brought a glass with a straw, close to his lips. He tried to drink more than a small amount of water but Tara stopped him, "Ian, the doctor's only allowed you sips at intervals. You were in surgery for two hours so you aren't supposed to take much food or drink yet."
Ian began to say something but Tara's cellphone started to ring, "Hello?...hi, yes. He just opened his eyes and had some water. Hold on. Ian, it's your sister."
Tara put the cellphone next to Ian's ear as he talked into the phone. "He-llo!"
"Ian, oh my God! It feels so good to hear your voice." Ian's sister spoke while crying. "I tried to book the first flight out but they had nothing available before tonight! I will be with you tomorrow, Ian."
"You don't need to come...sis. I am fine!"
"Don't say things just to pacify me!"
"I am. Tara's with me. You have heard me, don't I seem alright?"
"It is good to hear your voice, Ian."
"Then it's settled. You are staying put and looking after your kids and husband, and in less than a month, I will come visit you in London."
"I will hold you to that."

Tara put her phone down on the side table when Kristen hung up and looked into Ian's eyes, "Why did you jump in front of the bullet for me? You could have died!"
"The other possibility would have been more difficult to live with."
A tear rolled down Tara's cheek, "Ian, I love you."
Ian felt lost in her glistening green eyes. Infinite warmth slowly creeped into his heart. "I love you too."
Tara bent down to him and touched her lips to his.
"How do you feel about nursing me back to health for the second time?" Ian's eyes held a smile in them.
"I think I can manage to do that much for the man who took a bullet for me!" Tara joyously informed him.
A knock on the door snapped them out of their cocoon of magic and Ian gave the person permission to enter.
Detective Kelly walked into the room on hesitant steps and gave everyone a self-conscious, crooked smile, "It's good to see you conscious, Ian. You had everyone on tenterhooks last night! The paramedics said you had lost a lot of blood."
"I am feeling a lot better now."
Kelly gave a lopsided grin, "I came here to let you guys know that we captured the brother, Dorian, on interstate. The three of them are in police custody now."
"That's real good to know!" Tara sighed in relief.
"Ian, why did you leave the police station yesterday without informing me of your plans?"
"Who are you kidding, Kelly? You would have never paid heed to information I had received from my PI!"
"Can't say you are wrong to assume that! We found out several interesting details about the Boyd's past. Their mother killed their father and then hung herself! The grandma left Montauk along with the kids in order to start a new life, but I guess, one's past has a way of catching up -- the son physically assaulted his girlfriend at the age of twenty and Elise...when we put her in interrogation she was more than ready to talk. It was over-confidence on her part that made her send you incriminating evidence time and again. She felt she wasn't ever going to get caught, at least not before getting rid of Tara. She had always taken care to hide herself well in public, so she was certain no one could find her true identity!"
All of Kelly's talk about Elise hiding her identity, reminded Ian of the day of Jake's murder, "Did you find out why she had hidden herself from the cameras on the day she killed Jake? From what she told us, she had no intention of killing him until he revealed he was going to stay with Tara."
"She did it out of habit, Ian. Why do you think you had never met her when she was dating Jake? Or why her photographs never appeared alongside Jake in magazines? She had a warrant out for her arrest in Topeka. She killed her former boyfriend. The police initially ruled it as a suicide but evidence suggested foul play and they went to her home to arrest her but the family had abandoned the house long before the cops arrived. They were in Maine next, where Dorian assaulted his girlfriend, they skipped town after and came back to their childhood home in Montauk."
Kelly cleared his throat as he gave Ian and Tara another interesting detail about Elise, "You know what's ironic? Elise took some courses in criminal psychology during her time in Maine!"
"A criminal studying the criminal mind! I suppose it is apt in a way!" Tara mused.
"Did Jake know anything about Elise's past?" Ian questioned Kelly, deep in thought.
"We talked to Estelle and it seems Jake was aware of Elise's unstable past. Not the fact that she had killed someone, but he was well aware of her mother being a murderer....The grandmother and the brother had only been her accomplices in the entire scheme, doing her dirty work when she was not able to do it herself. It was Elise who had called Jake on the day of his murder, not Ida. And her brother had abducted Tara from the parking garage at the office."
"An entire family of criminals, who could have thought!" Ian aghastly remarked.
"I am glad it's finally all over!" Tara chimed in.
Kelly concurred. "Yes, and I am not ashamed to admit that it was you guys who helped us in apprehending them!...So, thank you!"
"Music to my ears!" Ian confessed in amusement.
Kelly visibly reddened, "Don't push your luck, Blaine!"

Ian and Tara unloaded their luggage from a taxi in front of Kristen's Islington home.
"What do you think?" Ian smiled at Tara.
"It's such a picturesque neighborhood!" Ian saw Tara merrily looking around herself.
The door to Kristen's home opened and she rushed out to greet her brother, "Ian!" Kristen gave her brother a tight hug and then covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God! It's only been a month since your surgery, I shouldn't have hugged you so hard."
"Not, it's ok, I am completely healed now!
Tara's been taking care of me all this time." Ian looked over at Tara in affection. "I feel like I have gained a lot of weight by staying in bed and doing nothing!"
"You look great, Ian!" Tara shrugged.
"Kristen, so you finally meet her in person!" Ian looked from Kristen to Tara.
"My, Tara, I have to say, you are even more beautiful in person!"
Ian introduced Tara to Beatrice and Aaron next, who had also come running out from inside the house. All of them then went back in, like people on the floats during the fourth of July parade - cheering, teasing and laughing with one another. When Ian's grandmother and brother-in-law met Tara, he found them both enamored by her as well.
In the evening the entire family sat in the backyard after having a delicious dinner prepared by Kristen. The kids chased one another, and Kristen and her husband followed them around in hopes of keeping them in control. Ian's grandmother sat at a distance, doing her knitting.
"Your sister has such a beautiful family, Ian." Tara sat across Ian on a wicker patio chair.
"Yes. Those little hellions drive her insane but she loves them like crazy!...Tara, I can't believe you are here in London with me. I had wanted you to come meet my family for a long time!"
"Thank you for bringing me along with you, Ian."
He stared into her green eyes, "What have you done to me? Before you, I was fine being on my own, but now, I can't imagine a life without you, Tara. You are my home. Wherever you are is where I want to be."
"Ian...I am speechless...."
"Will you take me away with you? I want to see the world with you by my side. I want to have wild adventures in the jungles of Africa with you. I want to travel with you to the most romantic cities also. But I also want to lie down together with you in our bed, at night. I want you to show me how to live. Simply put, I want you with me -- always. I also want to have babies with you." And with that Ian got up from his chair and knelt to the ground.
Kristen and Simon stopped chasing after their kids when they saw Ian on one knee. Ian's grandmother also paused her knitting and stared at Ian and Tara in joy. With everyone's gaze on him, Ian nervously pulled out the ring from his pocket and opened the ring box in his hands. "Will you marry me?"
Ian saw Tara's eyes fill with tears and a smile touched her lips, "...Yes!"
The entire family cheered as Ian put the ring on Tara's finger and kissed her lips. He took her in his arms, lifted her up and then spun her around in joy. After being through so much, the love of his life was finally in his arms and his entire family was celebrating with him. As Ian put Tara down, he spoke close to her ear. "Thank you, my love, my life and all of my heart."

                      **The End**

(Kindly read ahead for Author's Note.)