A Time For Love (A Time For Love Series-Book 1)

The Last Night

As little Bird lays in her hospital room for the last night, she can't help but feel her stomach twist and turn. It was barely 9 pm, and both Lena and Stef had kissed her goodnight, telling her she needed some rest for their big day tomorrow. The two women had, of course, stayed with the little girl until she fell asleep, but Bird had awoken once again by the same dream. The night of the shooting.

Being fully awake now, she knew there was no way she would be able to fall back asleep without either Stef or Lena with her in the room. She was anxious about her new life, even if she was happy and excited about it at the same time.

She was also terrified that Randy was somehow not really dead and would still come back to kill them all for real this time. The nightmares were only getting worse the past few weeks, and she had been waking up even more terrified each time.

Both Stef and Mike had reassured Bird that she would be okay and that Randy was dead, but the dreams were so intense and so vivid that it was hard to really convince her.

Even her therapist was working on the effects of the trauma of the shooting but Bird could not get the sound of the gunshots out of her mind, or the image of Randy pointing it at Stef and shooting her in the head.

She remembered seeing it, and sometimes, when she closed her eyes at night, she relived it. She relieved seeing Tess get shot and fall to the ground, and she remembered Randy holding a gun to her mothers head, threatening to shoot her as well.

The sound of rain now terrifies her. The dark frightened her as well, along with anything that sounded like a gunshot such as fireworks.

Sometimes, she'd give anything to just turn that night off and to not remember a thing. But that wasn't very possible, and tonight was proving to be a night where she wouldn't get any sleep if she remained alone and scared.

Sitting up a bit in her bed, her door is open as she can see the nurses at their desks talking and laughing.

Sighing, she sits up even more, getting ready to call Stef's room, but decides she will go to her room herself. She knew how to get past the nurses, but as she tried to stand and get off the bed, she almost falls to the ground when someone grabs her.

Confused, Bird looks up to see Tess, who helps her get up, and the little girl stares at her in shock.

"Are you okay? You didn't hurt yourself, right?" Tess smiles, helping Bird back onto the bed as Bird shakes her head.

"No....no I..I don't think so. I'm okay."

"That's good." Tess smiles again as Bird continues to stare at her being even more confused because she knew the cop was dead, but if so, why was she here.

"I don't mean to be rude, but...but you died. How are you here?" Bird asks as Tess smiles at her for the third time. "Are you back alive again?"

Grabbing the little girls hand and holding it, Tess smiles yet again at Bird as she shakes her head.

"No, honey, I'm not alive again. I did die, but I just wanted to check on you and Stef and Mike for a little bit to make sure you are okay."

"Oh! I didn't know dead people could do that!" The girl smiles as Tess returns it.

"Ah, not all of us, just some of us. But, Bird, I wanted to tell you not to feel guilty or bad about what happened that night. None of it is your fault, not one bit of it. You are a little girl, and we all came to save and help you."

"But, I do feel bad. You were Stef's best friend and Mikes. And now they are sad because you are gone. I feel bad it's my fault, and I feel bad you died."