All It Takes Read online

  As the first bell rang out, my stomach filled with butterflies. I grabbed Stacey’s hand. It was like a car-crash; I wanted to look away, but something inside me compelled me to watch.

  Both men circled one another, each throwing the occasional jab that couldn’t find its mark. At around four-minutes in, Kian dropped to one knee and thrust himself into Matthews’ midsection. Matthews cocked both his legs straight and pushed down hard on Kian’s head, forcing Kian to the canvas. Matthews then dived on top of Kian and swivelled round, trying to hook his arms around Kian’s head and neck.

  “I can’t watch this, Stace,” I said, putting my hands over my face.

  “Don’t worry, Meg. He’s only got a few seconds to go. All Kian’s got to do is hold off until…”

  The bell rang a second time, signalling the end of the first round.

  “See? Only four more rounds to go now.”

  The fighters went back to their respective corners, and had a drink and a pep talk. What felt like only a few seconds later, both men were on their feet, and the bell rang again.

  This time, Kian charged at Matthews like a ravenous beast, throwing punches – hard ones – at Matthews’ head.

  I jumped up from my seat. “Fuck him up, Kian!” I screamed, before sitting back down as if nothing had happened.

  Stacey grinned at me. “We’ll make an MMA fan out of you yet.”

  Matthews was reeling, and wobbled backwards, crashing against the cage’s grate fence. Kian threw punch after punch. Then, in a blink, Matthews gored Kian’s mid-section, spearing him to the ground.

  Kian’s head cracked off the mat, and once again, Matthews clambered on top of him.

  “No, no, no. Get up, Kian!”

  Matthews was trying to get his full weight on top of Kian, but Kian somehow managed to hook Matthews’ leg so he couldn’t move as easily. The downside to Kian’s defensive position meant Matthews was free to elbow Kian in the face.

  “Is that legal?”

  “What, elbows? Yeah, sadly.”

  I couldn’t see properly, but it looked as though Kian had a gash above his left eye.

  After not moving for a time, the ref stood the two fighters up.

  Kian was panting for breath as blood trickled down the left side of his face.

  Both men circled each other again, as they had in the first round. Every time Matthews got close, Kian threw a jab.

  With only a few seconds left on the clock, Kian went for another takedown, which Matthews blocked and backed away from.

  Matthews’ cornerman shouted something, and as he did, Matthews wound his right arm behind his back.

  ‘DING!’

  As the bell rang, and Kian dropped his guard, Matthews let fly a huge right hook which hit Kian in the side of the head.

  “What the fuck?!” I shouted.

  Kian fell to the ground and the ref jumped in the middle of the two competitors. Matthews started making apologies, as though it was an ill-fated accident.

  Kian stumbled to his feet and collapsed onto his corner’s stool.

  “What the hell was that, Stace? You can’t do that, can you?”

  “That’s bullshit. He’s gonna claim it was an accident, too. That was planned, I bet you.”

  I looked over at Kian and my heart sank. Not only was the cut above his eye getting worse, but now he had a lump on the side of his head where Matthews had taken a cheap shot.

  The bell rang again. Round three.

  Matthews put his glove up again, only to be met by Kian giving him the finger.

  Kian seemed wobbly. Every third step or so was off balance.

  Matthews charged at Kian, much like how Kian had in the round before. Punch after punch passed Kian’s guard. Matthews was deliberately aiming for where the cheap shot had landed.

  Kian stumbled backwards, and as the ref stepped forwards, Kian dived at Matthews’ mid-section again, this time wrapping both arms around Matthews’ waist.

  Matthews, with one arm under Kian’s shoulder, started popping Kian in the side of the head with his free arm. Kian pushed Matthews backwards in an attempt to put some space between the two. As he did, Matthews caught Kian with a thunderous knee to the side of head.

  As the knee connected, Kian’s whole body went limp, and the ref dived on top of him. I bolted to my feet, my hands over my mouth, as Matthews danced around the cage with his arms in the air.

  “Why did they stop? What’s going on, Stace?”

  Stacey went quiet, watching the scene intently. Then she stood too and put an arm round my shoulder. “He lost, Meg.”

  Davi and Kian’s trainers dived into the cage and began fanning Kian. He still hadn’t moved.

  “Why isn’t he getting up? They normally get up after the match ends, don’t they?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why isn’t he getting up?”

  “I’m … I’m not sure. I don’t know, Meg.”

  “He should be getting up though, right?” My voice was breathy and my throat dry.

  Kian wasn’t moving. Medical people in green gloves entered the cage and sat around him. Matthews and his team, who had been celebrating moments before, stopped and stared blankly at Kian.

  The tears building in my eyes leaked down my cheeks.

  “Why isn’t he moving, Stace? He should be getting up.”

  Everyone in the arena stilled as the medics brought in a stretcher. A neck brace was fitted, and then Kian was carefully rolled onto the stretcher. Moving slowly, the medics carried Kian out of the cage, and lowered him onto a trolley.

  Surrounded by Davi and the rest of the coaching team, Kian was wheeled out of the arena. Once out of sight, the noise picked up a little, and the announcer from the beginning of the match took to the microphone.

  “The winner of this contest, with a third round knockout, and new Ferrum Welterweight Champion … Benjamin ‘Brawler” Matthews.”

  The arena erupted in cheers, everyone seemingly forgetting that Kian had just been wheeled out by medics.

  “This is bullshit. Matthews hit him with a cheap shot,” I said, climbing to my feet and pushing past people as I hurried to get out.

  Stacey trailed behind me. “Meg, slow down. Where are you going?”

  “To see if Kian’s okay.”

  “They won’t let you back there.”

  I spun to face her, clenching my hands into fists. “They bloody well will.”

  “Megan!” Emilia called out as she raced down a flight of stairs towards us. “Come with me.”

  Stacey and I followed Emilia to the concessions area, where Emilia sat me down on a bench.

  “I’ve spoken to Davi. The medical team are checking Kian over. Let the medics have a chance to give him the all clear, and then I’ll call Davi again.”

  “All right.”

  Emilia bought me a warm sugary tea, and we sat together on the bench. I sipped my tea and tapped my foot impatiently, waiting. I hated this limbo. I just wanted to know if Kian was okay.

  I’d almost reached the bottom of my cup when Emilia’s phone beeped. She scanned the message then tapped out a reply and slipped her phone back into her bag.

  “Was it Davi? Is Kian okay?”

  “They’re taking him to hospital.”

  “Hospital? It’s that bad?” Emilia looked away and a lump formed in my throat. “What? What is it?”

  Emilia laid her hands over mine. “He still hasn’t regained consciousness.”

  “What?” I leapt up, dropping my cup and spilling the last few dregs of tea on the floor.

  Stacey grabbed my hands and tried to stop me running to the arena doors. “Meg, calm down. He’ll be okay.”

  “He obviously won’t if they’re taking him to the hospital. We need to get there and find out what’s going on.”

  Stacey steered me back to the bench, and Emilia soothingly rubbed my shoulder.

  “And we will, soon, but you need to calm down first. You’ve got to look after you and the baby. You won’t
be any use to Kian if you’ve passed out.”

  I let out a long breath. Emilia was right, of course. “All right.”

  “We’ll wait here until Davi calls with more information.”

  The arena slowly started to empty as people bought post fight snacks and merchandise then went home. Soon, only Stacey, Emilia and I, along with a few other stragglers remained, and the cleaning staff showed up.

  Stacey and Emilia chatted quietly, about … I don’t know what, I zoned out. I kept replaying the moment Matthews’ knee connected with Kian’s head, and his body went limp. He’d fallen to the canvas like a rag doll. My chest ached as I pictured the medics wheeling him out.

  What if the assault to his head sent him into a coma? What if he had brain damage and never woke up? What if he woke up but couldn’t function properly?

  The sting in my chest became sharper and tears filled my eyes. The baby moved as though concerned for their dad, too.

  “Ssh. It’ll be okay, little one,” I whispered, rubbing my stomach.

  Emilia’s phone rang, and she quickly pulled it out of her bag then answered it.

  “Hey … Yes, she’s with me now … Yeah, she’s all right. Just worried … How is he? … Okay, we’ll be straight there. … You too.”

  Emilia returned her phone to her bag and turned to me

  “Kian’s been admitted to intensive care. Davi is with him, and his parents are on their way.”

  “Can I see him?”

  “Yes. Davi has told them who you are, so you’ll be allowed into the ICU.”

  I let out a long breath, my hands shaking. “Thank you.”

  We headed to the car park, where Emilia got into her car and Stacey and I got into mine, and then made our way across the city to the hospital. After parking, we went inside to find out which floor intensive care was on. A nurse pointed us in the right direction, and then Stacey, Emilia, and I climbed into the lift.

  My heart hammered as we moved up to the first floor where ICU was located. The not knowing what I’d find was almost worse than the reality. I couldn’t stop picturing a number of horrific scenes in my head. Aside from antenatal visits, this was the only time I’d been in a hospital, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

  We got out of the lift and walked along the corridor to the intensive care department to find Davi waiting for us outside security barred doors.

  “Only family members and friends with clearance are allowed in,” he said.

  “Thanks for adding me to the list.”

  “Not a problem. Do you want me to come in with you? It’s a little full on in there.”

  I fell silent as my heart rate sped up. If Davi was offering to come in with me, how bad was it? But I had to face Kian alone. There were things I wanted to say to him that I couldn’t with others around.

  “Thanks, but I’ll be okay.”

  “All right. Just buzz the intercom and tell them your name,” Davi said.

  Stacey took my hand. “You can do this. We’ll meet you in the canteen afterwards, okay?”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”

  Stacey, Emilia, and Davi made their way back to the lift, and I turned to the security doors and pressed the intercom.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Yes. Megan Green here to see Kian Murphy, please?”

  There was a momentary pause, then the nurse said, “Come through.” The security door opened, and I walked into the ICU

  “He’s in room eleven,” the nurse at reception said. “If you could just wash your hands with the sanitizer outside before entering, please.”

  “Sure. Thanks.”

  I walked over to room eleven and pumped some of the sanitizing foam on my hands, then pushed open the heavy doors that led to where Kian was.

  Taking a deep breath, I walked across the room until I reached the foot of his bed.

  I looked down at Kian’s unconscious body laid out on the hospital bed and my chest tightened. His skin was pale, and a mass of wires were coming from him; various monitors and a drip.

  He’d never looked so small.

  I choked back tears.

  His face was almost unrecognizable. One eye was purple and completely swollen shut, and the other had a large gash across the corner, which had since been stitched up. His lips were bruised and twice their normal size, and the rest of his face was mottled with bruises in various shades of blue, purple and yellow.

  I stood for God knows how long, just staring at him, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as the machine pumped oxygen into him, and as I stood, the burning in my chest increased. The walls around me began closing in, and the tension spread down to my stomach. The air in the room felt thin, and I took a deep breath, but I couldn’t get enough in my lungs. I gulped again, but it didn’t help. My breaths became quick and shallow as my body started to shake and my stomach spasmed.

  I ran from the room to the nearest bathroom, and promptly threw up in the first toilet I reached. When I was done puking, I sank down onto the floor, pressing my cheek against the cold tile, and stopped holding back the tears. Gut-wrenching sobs wracked my body.

  “Hello? Are you okay?” someone called.

  “No,” I managed to choke out.

  A second later, the door swung open, and I looked up at the woman standing before me.

  The resemblance to Kian was unmistakeable. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes were a light, sparkling blue.

  “Marie?”

  Her eyes widened and she nodded. “Yeah. And you must be Megan?”

  I nodded, still catching my breath.

  “Here. Let me get you a drink,” she said, stepping away and returning moments later with a paper cup filled with ice-cold water.

  She handed it to me and I gulped it down greedily. When I dropped the cup to the floor, the pain in my chest had eased. Though my skin was clammy, I shivered.

  “Come on. I’ll take you to the staff room and get you a sugary tea.”

  I tried to stand but my legs had turned to jelly. After a few futile attempts at climbing to my feet, Marie bent down and offered me her hand.

  She was surprisingly strong for a woman so lean, and managed to pull me up and support my weight against her with ease. With me leaning heavily on her arm, Marie helped me to the staff room, where I fell into a seat at the table while she made drinks.

  By the time she sat down opposite me, the sharpness in my chest had eased, and I was almost back to normal. Apart from the overwhelming embarrassment. This was so not how I’d planned on meeting Kian’s family for the first time.

  “What happened?” Marie asked, handing me a cup of tea.

  “I don’t know. I went in there to visit him and freaked out. The next thing I know, I’m sobbing on the bathroom floor.”

  “How are you feeling now?”

  “Yeah, fine. Thank you, by the way.”

  “Any time. We’re practically family now.”

  My cheeks flushed and I looked away.

  “How’s the nipper?”

  The word caused tears to prickle behind my eyes. “Fine, I think. At least, I can still feel them moving around.” I rubbed my hand over my rounded stomach, where it felt like I had a bowl of goldfish swishing around inside me.

  “That’s good. I’d still like you to pop down to obstetrics and have the once over, though.”

  “Yeah. Better to be safe than sorry. Can I see Kian first?”

  Marie’s eyes softened and she smiled. “Of course. Do you want me to come with you?”

  “I’d actually prefer a few moments alone with him, if that’s okay.”

  “How about I walk you over and wait outside then I can take you down to obstetrics.”

  “Aren’t you working?”

  As soon as the words left my mouth, I realised how stupid the question was. First of all, she wasn’t in hospital clothes, and secondly, her brother was in intensive care. Why the hell would she be working?

  “No, it’s my
day off, and surprise surprise, I’m here.” Her mouth quirked up in a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  We finished our drinks in silence and then walked back to ICU, where we came to a halt outside Kian’s room. I hadn’t even opened the doors when my legs started shaking.

  “You sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” Marie asked.

  I silently commanded my legs to stop twitching and shook my head. “No. I can do this.”

  Before I had the chance to freak out and change my mind, I pushed open the hospital door and strode into Kian’s room.

  The sight of him, unmoving and exactly the same as he had been before, took my breath away, and the band around my chest strained.

  You need to do this.

  I took a tentative step forward, staring at the ground. I couldn’t look at Kian or I’d lose my resolve.

  One, two, three, four …

  I counted the paces to his bed until I was standing by his side. Then I finally allowed myself to look at him

  Up close, Kian’s injuries seemed worse. It wasn’t just his eye that was swollen, but the whole right side of his face, and the cut that’d been stitched closed was crusted in dried blood. I was no doctor, but I could tell it was going to scar.

  My lip quivered and I rubbed away the moisture in my eyes.

  I reached out a tentative hand, and closed it around his fingers, my eyes fixed on the rise and fall of his chest.

  “Please wake up, Kian. There’s … there was something I wanted to tell you when I came over the other night. I know I should have said it then, but with everything you told me, it didn’t feel like the right time. And if I don’t say it now, well … I’m not taking any chances. I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I have to say it anyway.

  “You have to wake up. You have to wake up because the baby needs you … I need you … I need you to wake up so I can ask you if there’s any chance there might be something more between us. I know the night we slept together you said you weren’t after a relationship. I wasn’t either. But then the baby happened, things changed. And I didn’t realise it at first, but when I saw the picture of you and Ruby together, I couldn’t deny it. I was jealous. I was jealous because I want to be the one kissing you.