John and Ellie Bradley have the love everyone wants to have, except there is one problem, Ellie is sick. John has to balance his ill wife, job, and in-laws who want to run the show. As John cares for Ellie in what the doctors say will be her last days, he reflects on their marriage and a love of a lifetime.
John POV
"You are not listening to me, John. Ellie is sick. She is too sick for you to take home. It would be best if you put her in a long-term care facility. She needs round-the-clock care until she dies," Dr. Joshua Newbern says to me sternly.
I look over the wall of awards. He probably knows more than I do, but I know my wife, and I will be damned if I put her in a hospital to die alone.
"I said I am taking her home with me," I say.
Josh stares at me. I think he is stunned that I am refusing to do what he wants. "Listen, John; I have known you and Ellie for twenty years. I mean, we all went to high school together. I remember the day you two got together like it was yesterday. I have been here every step of the way for her. I am begging you to listen to me," Josh pleads with me.
I shake my head. "I am taking her home, Josh, and that is final. That is what she wants to do, and that is what we are going to do," I say.
"She will not live long outside the hospital, and you know that, right? Will she consider staying a few more weeks?" Josh asks me.
"Ellie is headstrong and a fighter. You have no idea what she is capable of, and neither do I. She wants to go home, and that is what we are going to do. Please make the arrangements and discharge her," I say.
Josh takes a deep breath. "You will need home health, a nurse around the clock, and someone to sit with her. She cannot be left alone. How are you going to do this and be a cop?" Josh says.
"I will figure it out. I will hire someone to stay with her. My insurance will pay for a nurse. We will work it out," I say.
"John, I understand why, but I do not agree with it," Josh says.
"No, you do not understand. Your wife is healthy. My wife is dying. She is a beautiful young woman, and she is going to die. I want her to die where she wants to die and not in some damn hospital or long-term care facility with people she does not know. Ellie wants to go home, and I will make her last days perfect," I say.
Josh starts scribbling on papers. "I will write the orders for everything she needs. John, if it gets bad, I want you to call me immediately, and I will come to her," Josh says.
"Thank you for everything you have done for Ellie," I say. "Everybody loves Ellie. There are a lot of people who will help you with her. I do not see her living long outside of the hospital, and there are no treatments left for her," Josh says. "I understand perfectly. It is what she wants," I say.
I walk out of his office and down the hall. I take the elevator up to the fifth floor. I want to cry, but I cannot right now. I have to have my brave face on when I see Ellie. I get off the elevator and walk to her room. When I reach room 5523, I take a deep breath and then go into the room. Ellie looks up and smiles at me when I walk into the room.
"Is Josh going to let me leave this horrible place?" Ellie asks.
I sit down on the side of the bed. "Of course, he is going to let you leave. We are going home as soon as he writes all the orders for you," I say.
Ellie touches my face and smiles. "Thank you for not making me stay here, John. I want to go home and see my animals," Ellie says.
"Oh, I thought you wanted to go home to be with me," I say to her.
"Yeah, I guess you are a bonus. I need you too, but you don't have a fur coat or a wet nose," Ellie says.
I have always said she loved her animals more than me. I know she misses all of them. Her rescue dogs and cats mean the world to her. She has been in the hospital for three weeks this time. Her best friend comes over every day to help feed them while I am at work. Ellie has the heart of a saint. I think that is why I do not understand why someone so special has to be so sick.
The nurse knocks on the door. "Mrs. Daniela Bradley, I have your meds," she says. "Ellie, please, it is Ellie," she says softly. "Sorry, Ellie, I have your meds. Dr. Newbern will be by with your prescriptions to take home and your orders," the young nurse says. "Thank you," I say to her.
Ellie takes her meds. I sit on the side of the bed. I know she will be sleeping soon. The pain medicine always knocks her out. She hates it, but without it, she does nothing but screams. It is unfair for someone who could dance the night away to be confined to a wheelchair. She cannot walk anymore. She cannot brush her hair without half of it falling out. I look down at her nails. Her nails were painted every day, and now they are brittle and cracked. Her beautiful glowing skin is replaced with scales from the treatments. No matter how she looks to everyone else, to me, she is the most beautiful woman on earth.
Ellie reaches out to hold my hand. "I love you almost as much as my animals, John," Ellie says with a smile on her face. I laugh. "I love you too," I say. I hold her hand until she falls asleep. I need to make some calls to get the house ready for her. Her health has deteriorated so much over the last three weeks we will need a hospital bed and a shower chair. I need a nurse for when I work to stay with her. I will give her everything she needs to live out the remainder of her life in our home. I want to make sure she has everything she needs.
I kiss her on the forehead. I love you always, my Ellie.
Chloe Walker is starting over in a small town after a terrible breakup with her long-time boyfriend, Jackson Talen. She comes to Shadow Creek to stay with her brother, Cane, who works for bad boy billionaire Axel Arden. Axel Arden is a hot bachelor billionaire with a reputation for leaving women with broken hearts and the son of Vincent Arden, Alpha of the Shadow Creek Wolf Pack. Will Chloe be his mate and his little, or will she be the one to break this daddy dom billionaire's heart?
The Imperial Wolf Series Kate lives with her father, who is a rogue wolf and a drunk with a serious gambling problem. He has sold all of their possessions for gambling money or to cover his debts to the pack casino. When the Alpha's henchmen come to collect his latest debt, he has nothing to offer but his daughter. The Alpha's henchmen take his daughter to serve the Alpha and work off her father's debt. What they do not know is she is a descendant of a line of wolves with special abilities. Is Kate an Imperial Wolf? What happens when the Alpha's son takes a special interest in Kate and her uniqueness?
Jasmine falls into bed with her boss after her husband asks for a divorce, but there's a lot more to sleeping with her boss than she expects. Her boss is an old God who uses his hotel to enslave women. Jasmine and her best friend are trapped in an ancient liar full of men looking for a good time. How are they going to get away from the Lotus?
Alpha Kai has no intention of choosing a mate. He prefers taking a different woman to his bed every night. Things are going great for the Dark Moon Wolf Pack until he gets a call from Alpha Jake from the Red River Pack. He has a problem with two of his warriors and needs to relocate one. Alpha Kai can always use another warrior. The new wolf Beta Finn has a wife, Alaska, and she is the woman of Alpha Kai's dreams. Alpha Kai wants Alaska to be his mate, and he will stop at nothing to have her.
To secure a treaty and bring peace, the Fairy Council demands a marriage between a hidden fairy princess and the vampire prince. Fairy Willow is displeased with the situation, but vampire Prince Lazarus is compassionate and quickly wins her over. The two quickly fall in love as he lavishes her with kindness, but their union is not without its opponents. Her joy is slowly fading away, but Prince Lazarus is prepared to safeguard his new bride and her family.
What happens when a vampire and a wolf are destined mates? Chaos and a wild romance begin when two lovers step into a whirlwind relationship. Love, Marriage, and of course a little drama among the vampires.
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
Book 1 Amethyst prayed for her childhood best friend to be her mate. Everyone stares, they tease, they bully her for being an orphan but Mason was different. He protected her, he defended her. The Alpha's son loved her since they were pups. But you can't be kids forever. Everything turned sour when Mason began training to take over the Stone Heart Pack. He turned on her just like everyone else, Mason made her the target of his ruthless antics and when they turned of age - it got worse. Mason doesn't want an orphan for a mate. She has no power, no status and he wants someone with wealth to carry the Luna title. Amethyst isn't it. Everything crashes down, the humiliation and rejection too much to bare, turning Rogue was her only option. She couldn't submit any longer to the torture and living in the woods for a couple years before death seemed less painful. Until a man arrives. Claiming that Amethyst isn't an orphan. That she belongs to one of the five founding families. Amethyst thought that rejection was where her life ended. Wait till she finds out that it's only the beginning and neither her heart or life are safe. ******** Book 2 Maverick's past is a secret for a reason, there are rumors spread that he made deals with ancient witches to get the power every member longs for. But it's just a rumor....or is it? There is a reason why his mind and heart are always at war because if he claims Sage as his, hell would rip her from this earth. The best option is to stay away from her, to not have contact with her. What can he do when she shows up at his territory? Desperate to escape her grief. The problem is, Maverick made promises and with Sage in the picture - he can't keep them. There is a reason why Maverick is the Forbidden Alpha.. and Sage is about to find out what being a Fated Mate truly means. ******* Book 3 Jasmine Ravenstone gave up everything for a man who couldn't speak. Renouncing her Alpha title and fleeing with Kyson Zero, she has no idea of the past he carries or the Fated Mate curse she will endure. Being born from the first witch in existence, Kyson and Kier had to go through lifetimes to kill their father and never succeeded in their destiny. Now, the seal has been broken and they are down to their last life. If they don't kill their father then the supernatural world will cease to exist. Kyson didn't realize the ramifications of his actions. Stealing a Fated comes with consequences, a sirebond that ties Jasmine to him. He didn't expect a curse that will cause damnation. ******* Book 4 Kier Zero returns to his life as Alpha, after ultimately killing his first tormentor. But that was only his first demon, there is a second one that haunts him. Marked by Olivia Aspen, he wants as much distance away from her as possible. Until she arrives, with a mysterious power that everyone seems to want and a debt to a deadly vampire. She has no one to consult, stranded and lost in a world without a pack or home. Olivia chooses to repay her debt, but that comes with strings attached when the charming vampire has more to offer than she ever could have imagined.
For three years, Jessica endured a loveless marriage while her husband pretended to be impotent. His lies unraveled when a pregnant mistress surfaced. After six months of secretly collecting proof, Jessica threw him out and built her own billion-dollar empire. After the divorce, she transformed into an irresistible figure, attracting admirers. As she left her office one day, she met Kevan, her ex-husband's brother. He stepped in, confronting her. "Was I just a tool to you?" Jessica's lips curled into a calm smile. "How much compensation do you want?" Kevan's voice softened. "All I want is you."
"The entire wealthy circle in Seattle knew how much Stella Carlson loved Aaron Malone. People watched the childhood sweethearts grow from inexperience to maturity, finally getting married in a grand wedding ceremony. On the day of the wedding, despite the alliance between the Carlson and Malone families, the groom ran away. Stella knew that Aaron had rushed to L.A. to take care of his ex-girlfriend, who had attempted suicide. Unwilling to become the laughingstock of all Seattle, she gritted her teeth and dialed the number of her adversary, her tone almost commanding, "Ethan, come and marry me now. This is your only chance for revenge." On the other end, Ethan Powers raised an eyebrow as he gripped his phone, staring at the floor littered with cigarette butts. "Did the groom run away?" he asked. "My darling."