Previous Chapters:
"Next please!" Helen Andrews called to Rhona as she stood in the queue at the Post Office. "NEXT PLEASE!!!" she repeated a little louder. "Rhona Boyle are you in this queue or not?" she barked as Rhona shook herself out of the daydream she was basking in.
"Sorry Helen, I was miles away!" she smiled and approached the desk.
"So I see!" Helen frowned impatiently at her. "What can I do for you then?" her manner was always very terse so Rhona did not take offence at her tone.
"I want to send this card to California!" she beamed, it was Oz's mother's birthday and Rhona thought it would be a nice thought to send her a birthday card from Scotland.
"Well pop it on the scales then!" Helen pointed a bony finger towards them as Rhona obliged. After tapping away at her keyboard for a moment, she looked up with a sneer and said "First class will be £2.34!"
"WHAT?" Rhona's eyes grew wide. "For a wee card like that???" Helen closed her eyes and pursed her lips before replying in a shrill tone,
"Rhona it's no the size, it's the weight!"
"Aye but still!"
"Do you want to send it second class? Because that'll be £1.59!" Rhona thought for a moment then shook her head.
"No, no first class is fine! Thank you Helen!" she smiled with difficulty, handed over the exact money and left. Just as she got outside, Jamie was leaning on a blue Ford Escort across the street, his hands were jammed in his pockets and he had one leg over the other as he whistled cheerily. As soon as he spotted her he jumped up and sprinted over to her calling her name.
"Rhona! Rhona darlin' over here!" Rhona groaned as her heart began to pound with fear, fear of what she was going to do to him. As he reached her he could see the disgust on her face and his smile faded. "A know yer angry wi me!" Rhona laughed bitterly.
"ANGRY? Yeah Jamie I'm just angry with you! Not heartbroken, torn to shreds, a former shell of myself no...just angry!"
"Rhona babe..." he began and reached out to touch her.
"DON'T..." she pulled up her arms defensively as he hung back with hurt in his green eyes. "...you TOUCH me Jamie McGregor and I will have you singing castrato in two seconds flat!"
"I'm truly sorry for what I did back in Glasgow!" Rhona cried out in exasperation as he continued, "But av changed! Am no that guy any more! A made a big mistake and...a want ye back babe, a miss ye!" Once again he tried to touch her and she shoved his arm away roughly.
"No! Jamie it's over, forever! I'm in a new relationship now and he's the most amazing, kind, caring, HONEST and FAITHFUL man I have ever known! I've moved on..." she looked him up and down, more with sympathy than anger, "...and so should you!" she made her way to the bus stop as he shouted back,
"Oh right is this the guy that telt ye he was dyin' and he wisnae eh?" Rhona turned around slowly as the bus appeared at her stop,
"Aye Jamie he did and it was hard to deal with...but he never lied about loving me!" and left him standing alone in the street as she jumped on the bus.
"Aye Jamie he did and it was hard to deal with...but he never lied about loving me!" and left him standing alone in the street as she jumped on the bus.
Oz Truman sat in the lounge area of the hotel, he wasn't feeling all that well, after the wedding he caught a chill and ended up at the doctors for some antibiotics, but he had a lovely red haired nurse tending to his every need! It had been four days since the wedding and Lachie and Elspeth were in Edinburgh on their honeymoon. Oz stupidly volunteered to take his place at reception, but things were quiet around there and he'd probably picked the best time to do it. As Rhona entered the front door looking as white as a sheet, he ran to her and grabbed her hands in his. Looking straight into her blue eyes, as blue as his own, he demanded to know what was wrong, "Rhona, are you okay? What is it?"
"I...saw Jamie!" Rhona pulled out of his grip and hugged him tightly, he reciprocated and rubbed her back.
"Did he hurt you? Coz if he did..."
"No, just...Oz just hold me please!" she nuzzled her face into his chest and he could feel her body shaking.
"If he comes near you again, just tell me! I know I'm not a patch on your brother but I can get in a few good punches if I have to!" he chuckled as he squeezed her gently and rested his chin lightly on her head. She looked up at him then, their blue eyes connecting as they always did, a hint of a spark between them like their souls speaking to one another.
"I love you so much!" she smiled as a tear ran down her cheek, a happy tear.
"I think you're pretty swell too!" he gave her a cheeky smirk and kissed her on the forehead. But deep down he wanted to find that Jamie creep and smash his face in! Just as they were having a quiet moment in each other's arms, Hannah came striding through with a disapproving scowl on her pretty face.
"Rhona it's the phone for you upstairs, your dad's shouting his head off!" she tapped Rhona on the shoulder as she and Oz broke off their hug.
"Oh, right thanks Han!" she rubbed her eyes and straightened out her jacket before heading up to answer the phone. Oz looked over at Hannah trying to smile but completely aware that she hated him, why he did not know but felt he had to find out!
"So, Hannah! How's it going?" Hannah sneered at him and folded her arms.
"Fine thank you!" she replied rather shortly.
"Now why do I get the feeling that you don't like me, huh?" Oz cocked his head to the side, still with the strained smile plastered on his face.
"It's nothing personal..." she began as Oz let out a frustrated laugh and shook his head.
"You're a piece of work you know that?"
"Excuse me?" she unfolded her arms and scowled at him with her mouth wide open as his voice took on an angrier tone.
"I have proven to ALL OF YOU that I'm not Jamie!!! I'm serious about Rhona, I love her! But you still treat me like a pariah! Why?" Hannah had no answer, she simply looked down at her shoes and spluttered gibberish.
"It ends NOW!!!" Oz warned her through gritted teeth, " Rhona does not need this! We have to try and get along, for her sake!" As he went to leave her standing in the lobby, he stopped for a moment and stared her down, "If you were any kind of friend to Rhona, you would drop this bratty attitude and be happy for her!" her reply made him want to scream,
"And if you were any kind of man you'd leave!"
"And there's a stag do booked for Thursday so I'd better make sure Catherine knows the drill, man do I miss Elspeth around here! Hey I wonder if she'll still want to work here or does she fancy being a kept woman eh?" Terry laughed and nudged Rhona to get her attention, again she was miles away!
"Sorry, what was that?" she mumbled and stared blankly in his direction.
"I...nevermind, will you get Catherine all trained up before Thursday? We've got Aaron Mackay's stag do coming up so..." he trailed off as Rhona still wasn't listening. "Okay, what's wrong Pona?"
"Nothing...I just wish Jamie would bugger off you know?" she sighed and swung her legs back and forth as she sat on top of the washing machine.
"Yeah I know, he's a pain in the neck but only if you let him! And anyway, Oz will sort him out! He's absolutely besotted with you, in fact don't be too surprised if he asks you that big question!" he winked and began folding towels on top of the dryer. Rhona felt a panic rise up from her stomach, what question was that??? As if she didn't already know! She wasn't ready for that yet, was she? Not after Jamie...forget Jamie! Everyone said so, she knew it made sense! But why then was he constantly on her mind?
"Oz is a cautious kind of guy Terry! He won't be asking any questions any time soon! Not until he works out what he wants to do with his life. He can't go back to his mother's because that horrible man is still after him, he doesn't really want to stay here forever I can see it in his eyes, so what does that leave? No, he's mixed up enough as it is, he doesn't need to add me and marriage to it!"
"If you say so!" Terry replied with an unconvinced sigh. "I think you're underestimating his feelings for you just a little bit Pona! But that's just my opinion."
"What is?" Hannah piped up as she came in to join them.
"Never you mind, you caused enough trouble earlier!" Terry shot an angry look her way.
"Shut it Terry, you don't know what you're talking about!!!" she snapped and stormed back out.
"What was that all about?" Rhona looked puzzled, she wasn't aware of the tension between Hannah and Oz.
"Let's just say that Hannah is not a fan of your American boy! And she's giving him a hard time, still! Remember when she conveniently forgot to pass on his message way back?"
"Yes?" Rhona didn't like where this was going as Terry continued.
"Well she still doesn't like him and she shows it every chance she gets. She and Oz had a right old barney in the foyer this afternoon and it wasn't pretty! A couple of the guests told your dad and he's on the rampage, he's disappointed with Oz! His words! He thinks he should be able to hold his temper, which is pretty funny coming from ol' Hamish!" Terry let out a huge belly laugh at the thought of Hamish Boyle lecturing anyone on their temper!
"I wonder what it's all about!" Rhona mumbled as Terry shrugged and continued to fold his towels.
Hamish did eventually catch up with Oz and sat him down in the living room upstairs for a talk. "Whit am tryin' tae say is...ye cannae shout in front of the guests ye understand son?"
"Yes sir!" Oz nodded. "I'm sorry Mr B it won't happen again, we had a disagreement over...something silly and I owe you, the guests and her an apology. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me!" Hamish sat back and let out an enormous sigh.
"Son, whit wiz it?" Oz looked away from him and fidgeted on the couch.
"She doesn't like me, she thinks I'm not good enough for Rhona and...well she's probably right but I make her happy and she makes me happy so what's the problem huh?" Oz raised his hands in the air in frustration.
"Oz son, a think yer jist the man fur ma wee Rhona! Dinnae mind Hannah, she's got a chip on her shoulder aboot everything! Jist you and Rhona be yersels and be happy eh? Noo get oot a ma sight boy!" Hamish patted him roughly on the back, almost knocking him off the couch and onto the floor. Oz did as he was told and went to find Rhona, she was sitting cross legged in her room making jewellery with her beads and wire all over the floor.
"Hey baby! Wanna go for a walk?" Rhona shook her head as she bent the wire into a V shape with her pliers. "Okay, wanna stay in and...snuggle?" he dropped onto her bed, leaned back and propped himself up with his elbows. Again she shook her head. "Have I done something wrong?" he enquired quietly.
"No, I'm...Oz you didn't tell me you and Hannah had a disagreement!" Oz sat up straight and groaned.
"No, because it wasn't relevant!" she turned to face him with a surprised look on her face.
"Oh really? So how come you were shouting at her? Hmm?" her eyes grew accusingly wide.
"Because I'm a jerk!" he shrugged, "And she pissed me off! She thinks I'm a waste of space who isn't fit to breathe the same air as you, nevermind be your boyfriend!" Rhona looked down at the ground, feeling guilty that she was blaming him for the spat. "Look can we just forget Hannah and all that crap for a little while and just...be with each other? I've been stuck on reception for five hours and I missed you!" he whined and pouted.
"Hannah hated Jamie too, and she was right about him!" Just as the words escaped her lips, the look of hurt on Oz's face made her go beetroot red. "But she's wrong about you! And everyone knows it! Oz? Please don't take that the wrong way I..."
"I think you owe me major snuggles...and possibly a little mouth to mouth rejuvenation!" he winked and grinned impishly.
"I think you mean resuscitation!" Rhona moved along the carpet towards him on her knees and placed her hands on his thighs. He laughed softly and took hold of her hands.
"I know what I meant!" and stole a kiss from her unexpectedly. She sat on his knee and wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing noses with him. He held her tightly by the waist and pressed his lips softly to hers, holding them there for a long time, as soon as he couldn't get a breath he let go.
"Oz?" Rhona breathed.
"M-hmm?" he mumbled back, trying to steal another kiss as she pulled away.
"Where exactly...are we going?" Oz laughed and gave her a toothy grin.
"To bed hopefully, I'm exhausted!" She hit him playfully on the chest and giggled.
"Don't avoid the question, I mean us as in our relationship? I get the impression that you won't be sticking around here forever!"
"And what makes you say that?" he frowned at her and brushed her hair from her face with his hand.
"Do you want to live here forever?" He closed his eyes, as if he was concentrating, then he finally replied,
"I want to live with you forever, so if that's here then...so be it!" she seemed satisfied with that answer and hugged him tightly. The truth was he would rather live in his own country but after his indiscretion, that was going to be difficult. Not only that, Rhona would probably hate America! He would always prefer home to Scotland, but he preferred Rhona to home!
Lachie and Elspeth arrived back that Sunday. Everyone was still trying to recover from the stag do and the damage those boys did! Rhona was glad to have her brother back and decided to hold a special karaoke night to celebrate his return, as well as her new sister-in-law. In order to get people to come at such short notice she put a post up on Facebook and invited as many friends as she could. Annie was pestering Elspeth with demands for a grandchild, it wasn't going down very well as they had only been married over a week! It seemed that Rhona's post had got round a good few people and there was an amazing turn-out! It was loud, full of wine and song, a perfect homecoming for her wonderful brother and his new wife! Oz and Lachie were catching up with a few beers as were Rhona and Elspeth, even Hamish and Annie sang "Islands in the Stream" together! In fact it was a huge success until Jamie arrived! Yes Jamie McGregor appeared once again as Lachie, Oz and Hamish all wanted to get their hands on him. "Yer no wanted here get oot!" Lachie growled and balled his fists in anger, he didn't want his wife to see him fighting but if need be, he would knock Jamie into next week!
"A jist want tae see Rhona!" he slurred, obviously well oiled and spoiling for a fight!
"Jamie go home! Please!" Rhona begged him as Oz appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist protectively.
"You heard her, beat it!" he chipped in as Jamie smirked at him.
"Ye might huv her noo big man, but a wiz her first love! Ye cannae beat that, ever!" he let out an annoying laugh and flipped the bird at Oz before Lachie grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, he pushed him towards the exit and dispatched him with ease as he shouted and squealed all the way. After the party ended and the guests had all left, Rhona and Oz decided to leave the clearing up until the morning. Walking along the corridor towards the stairs hand in hand, the couple were startled by the presence of Lachie and Elspeth followed by Hamish and Annie.
"Went fur a walk!" Lachie chuckled and draped a huge arm over Elspeth's dainty shoulders.
"Aye, we hud tae help yer Aunties in the kitchen!" Hamish yawned as Annie stopped and took her shoes off, carrying them in her hands.
"Well that wuz a great wee night!" Annie smiled as they all stood in the corridor together discussing the success of the party. Hamish continued his wife's statement by praising Rhona on her great organisational skills when suddenly he stopped in mid sentence.
"Whit ur you still dayin' here boy?" he demanded in a cold tone as the others looked round to see Jamie leaning against the wall at the end of the corridor. Rhona felt her blood run cold, but not because Jamie was still there, no...because Jamie was holding her grandfather's old hunting rifle by the handle as the barrel was facing the floor.
"Ye aw think yer it don't ye?" he muttered as Hamish approached him, Annie grabbed his arm and brought his attention to the rifle.
"Son, pit doon the gun eh? Whit ye dayin' wi it anyway?"
"A want tae shoot masel eh???" he lifted it up with difficulty and pointed it in Oz and Rhona's direction, then he laughed eerily, "Naw, a want tae shoot her! NAW!" he pointed it at Lachie and Elspeth, "You! Ya big troll ye!" waving the rifle back and forth he chuckled and staggered back. "Aye, am gonnae shoot you!" he nodded at Lachie and aimed at him square in the chest. Oz could see his finger bending the trigger backwards and he instantly grabbed Rhona and pushed her to the ground, shielding her with his own body as Lachie stood in front of Elspeth. Jamie was waving the gun around aimlessly as Hamish raced towards him and attempted to rugby tackle him to the ground. Jamie fell back as Hamish knocked him down and towered over him. Still holding the rifle, he started to moan and grumble, "Och Hamish man!" He struggled to his feet, still holding it, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "It's no even loaded, see?" he waved it about as his finger pressed down on the trigger and the gun went off, knocking him off of his feet.
"JAMIE YA BAMPOT!!!" Hamish bellowed angrily.
"S***!" Jamie curse and tried to get up once again, this time leaving the rifle on the ground.
"Aw man! Jamie yer a total eejit so ye ur!" Lachie grunted and pulled Elspeth in for a hug. Rhona approached Jamie and smacked him in the jaw as hard as she could, he fell against the wall and squeaked in pain.
"IDIOT!" she shouted, "You could've killed someone!" her mother and father tried to pull her back as Jamie touched his face gingerly, tears welling up in his eyes like a child.
"It's awright wee Rhona eh? Jist calm..." her father's words caught in his throat and he turned deathly pale, her mother turned to see what he was looking at and she also lost all colour. Rhona's worst fears were confirmed when she heard her brother cry out,
" Aw naw! Aw naw, Oz pal!" Afraid to turn around as her parents rushed to Lachie's aid, Rhona knew exactly what had happened.
"What...have...you done???" she stammered as she struggled to breathe, Jamie's eyes grew wide with fear and he cried out.
"A didnae mean it, a didnae!" he wept. Finally Rhona turned around at the sound of Oz's faint voice calling her name. He was slumped on the floor against the wall, the left side of his checked shirt soaked in crimson, his face grey and clammy.
"Rhona!" he mouthed as she hurried to his side and threw herself down beside him. "Rhona..." he repeated, the weakness in his voice was heartbreaking.
"Shh, don't speak my darling, we'll get you sorted okay? It's just a scratch eh?" she tried to laugh as she squeezed his hand tightly and kissed it. Elspeth got off of her phone and paced.
"Ambulance will be twenty minutes!!!" she muttered angrily.
"Ach there's nae time, we'll huv tae drive him! Lachie get the Landrover, NOO!" Hamish ordered as he lifted Oz up carefully and carried him out towards the back door. "C'moan wee man, am no gonnae lose ye yit!" he reassured him. Safely in the back seat of the vehicle, Oz seemed to be getting weaker and losing more and more blood by the second as Lachie was wrapping the wound in towels and murmuring to himself,
"C'moan man, get it the gither eh?" his hands were shaking as he pressed on Oz's stomach firmly but tenderly. Rhona kissed his hand one last time as he looked at her with those big blue eyes and said breathlessly,
"I love you!"
"Mon' Da!!!" Lachie shouted as the Landrover started up and drove off up the hill towards the nearest hospital ten miles away. Rhona's heart pounded wildly as she watched the vehicle get smaller and smaller in the distance, until it was gone from sight...as was her beloved Oz!
To Be Continued...
"If he comes near you again, just tell me! I know I'm not a patch on your brother but I can get in a few good punches if I have to!" he chuckled as he squeezed her gently and rested his chin lightly on her head. She looked up at him then, their blue eyes connecting as they always did, a hint of a spark between them like their souls speaking to one another.
"I love you so much!" she smiled as a tear ran down her cheek, a happy tear.
"I think you're pretty swell too!" he gave her a cheeky smirk and kissed her on the forehead. But deep down he wanted to find that Jamie creep and smash his face in! Just as they were having a quiet moment in each other's arms, Hannah came striding through with a disapproving scowl on her pretty face.
"Rhona it's the phone for you upstairs, your dad's shouting his head off!" she tapped Rhona on the shoulder as she and Oz broke off their hug.
"Oh, right thanks Han!" she rubbed her eyes and straightened out her jacket before heading up to answer the phone. Oz looked over at Hannah trying to smile but completely aware that she hated him, why he did not know but felt he had to find out!
"So, Hannah! How's it going?" Hannah sneered at him and folded her arms.
"Fine thank you!" she replied rather shortly.
"Now why do I get the feeling that you don't like me, huh?" Oz cocked his head to the side, still with the strained smile plastered on his face.
"It's nothing personal..." she began as Oz let out a frustrated laugh and shook his head.
"You're a piece of work you know that?"
"Excuse me?" she unfolded her arms and scowled at him with her mouth wide open as his voice took on an angrier tone.
"I have proven to ALL OF YOU that I'm not Jamie!!! I'm serious about Rhona, I love her! But you still treat me like a pariah! Why?" Hannah had no answer, she simply looked down at her shoes and spluttered gibberish.
"It ends NOW!!!" Oz warned her through gritted teeth, " Rhona does not need this! We have to try and get along, for her sake!" As he went to leave her standing in the lobby, he stopped for a moment and stared her down, "If you were any kind of friend to Rhona, you would drop this bratty attitude and be happy for her!" her reply made him want to scream,
"And if you were any kind of man you'd leave!"
"And there's a stag do booked for Thursday so I'd better make sure Catherine knows the drill, man do I miss Elspeth around here! Hey I wonder if she'll still want to work here or does she fancy being a kept woman eh?" Terry laughed and nudged Rhona to get her attention, again she was miles away!
"Sorry, what was that?" she mumbled and stared blankly in his direction.
"I...nevermind, will you get Catherine all trained up before Thursday? We've got Aaron Mackay's stag do coming up so..." he trailed off as Rhona still wasn't listening. "Okay, what's wrong Pona?"
"Nothing...I just wish Jamie would bugger off you know?" she sighed and swung her legs back and forth as she sat on top of the washing machine.
"Yeah I know, he's a pain in the neck but only if you let him! And anyway, Oz will sort him out! He's absolutely besotted with you, in fact don't be too surprised if he asks you that big question!" he winked and began folding towels on top of the dryer. Rhona felt a panic rise up from her stomach, what question was that??? As if she didn't already know! She wasn't ready for that yet, was she? Not after Jamie...forget Jamie! Everyone said so, she knew it made sense! But why then was he constantly on her mind?
"Oz is a cautious kind of guy Terry! He won't be asking any questions any time soon! Not until he works out what he wants to do with his life. He can't go back to his mother's because that horrible man is still after him, he doesn't really want to stay here forever I can see it in his eyes, so what does that leave? No, he's mixed up enough as it is, he doesn't need to add me and marriage to it!"
"If you say so!" Terry replied with an unconvinced sigh. "I think you're underestimating his feelings for you just a little bit Pona! But that's just my opinion."
"What is?" Hannah piped up as she came in to join them.
"Never you mind, you caused enough trouble earlier!" Terry shot an angry look her way.
"Shut it Terry, you don't know what you're talking about!!!" she snapped and stormed back out.
"What was that all about?" Rhona looked puzzled, she wasn't aware of the tension between Hannah and Oz.
"Let's just say that Hannah is not a fan of your American boy! And she's giving him a hard time, still! Remember when she conveniently forgot to pass on his message way back?"
"Yes?" Rhona didn't like where this was going as Terry continued.
"Well she still doesn't like him and she shows it every chance she gets. She and Oz had a right old barney in the foyer this afternoon and it wasn't pretty! A couple of the guests told your dad and he's on the rampage, he's disappointed with Oz! His words! He thinks he should be able to hold his temper, which is pretty funny coming from ol' Hamish!" Terry let out a huge belly laugh at the thought of Hamish Boyle lecturing anyone on their temper!
"I wonder what it's all about!" Rhona mumbled as Terry shrugged and continued to fold his towels.
Hamish did eventually catch up with Oz and sat him down in the living room upstairs for a talk. "Whit am tryin' tae say is...ye cannae shout in front of the guests ye understand son?"
"Yes sir!" Oz nodded. "I'm sorry Mr B it won't happen again, we had a disagreement over...something silly and I owe you, the guests and her an apology. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me!" Hamish sat back and let out an enormous sigh.
"Son, whit wiz it?" Oz looked away from him and fidgeted on the couch.
"She doesn't like me, she thinks I'm not good enough for Rhona and...well she's probably right but I make her happy and she makes me happy so what's the problem huh?" Oz raised his hands in the air in frustration.
"Oz son, a think yer jist the man fur ma wee Rhona! Dinnae mind Hannah, she's got a chip on her shoulder aboot everything! Jist you and Rhona be yersels and be happy eh? Noo get oot a ma sight boy!" Hamish patted him roughly on the back, almost knocking him off the couch and onto the floor. Oz did as he was told and went to find Rhona, she was sitting cross legged in her room making jewellery with her beads and wire all over the floor.
"Hey baby! Wanna go for a walk?" Rhona shook her head as she bent the wire into a V shape with her pliers. "Okay, wanna stay in and...snuggle?" he dropped onto her bed, leaned back and propped himself up with his elbows. Again she shook her head. "Have I done something wrong?" he enquired quietly.
"No, I'm...Oz you didn't tell me you and Hannah had a disagreement!" Oz sat up straight and groaned.
"No, because it wasn't relevant!" she turned to face him with a surprised look on her face.
"Oh really? So how come you were shouting at her? Hmm?" her eyes grew accusingly wide.
"Because I'm a jerk!" he shrugged, "And she pissed me off! She thinks I'm a waste of space who isn't fit to breathe the same air as you, nevermind be your boyfriend!" Rhona looked down at the ground, feeling guilty that she was blaming him for the spat. "Look can we just forget Hannah and all that crap for a little while and just...be with each other? I've been stuck on reception for five hours and I missed you!" he whined and pouted.
"Hannah hated Jamie too, and she was right about him!" Just as the words escaped her lips, the look of hurt on Oz's face made her go beetroot red. "But she's wrong about you! And everyone knows it! Oz? Please don't take that the wrong way I..."
"I think you owe me major snuggles...and possibly a little mouth to mouth rejuvenation!" he winked and grinned impishly.
"I think you mean resuscitation!" Rhona moved along the carpet towards him on her knees and placed her hands on his thighs. He laughed softly and took hold of her hands.
"I know what I meant!" and stole a kiss from her unexpectedly. She sat on his knee and wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing noses with him. He held her tightly by the waist and pressed his lips softly to hers, holding them there for a long time, as soon as he couldn't get a breath he let go.
"Oz?" Rhona breathed.
"M-hmm?" he mumbled back, trying to steal another kiss as she pulled away.
"Where exactly...are we going?" Oz laughed and gave her a toothy grin.
"To bed hopefully, I'm exhausted!" She hit him playfully on the chest and giggled.
"Don't avoid the question, I mean us as in our relationship? I get the impression that you won't be sticking around here forever!"
"And what makes you say that?" he frowned at her and brushed her hair from her face with his hand.
"Do you want to live here forever?" He closed his eyes, as if he was concentrating, then he finally replied,
"I want to live with you forever, so if that's here then...so be it!" she seemed satisfied with that answer and hugged him tightly. The truth was he would rather live in his own country but after his indiscretion, that was going to be difficult. Not only that, Rhona would probably hate America! He would always prefer home to Scotland, but he preferred Rhona to home!
Lachie and Elspeth arrived back that Sunday. Everyone was still trying to recover from the stag do and the damage those boys did! Rhona was glad to have her brother back and decided to hold a special karaoke night to celebrate his return, as well as her new sister-in-law. In order to get people to come at such short notice she put a post up on Facebook and invited as many friends as she could. Annie was pestering Elspeth with demands for a grandchild, it wasn't going down very well as they had only been married over a week! It seemed that Rhona's post had got round a good few people and there was an amazing turn-out! It was loud, full of wine and song, a perfect homecoming for her wonderful brother and his new wife! Oz and Lachie were catching up with a few beers as were Rhona and Elspeth, even Hamish and Annie sang "Islands in the Stream" together! In fact it was a huge success until Jamie arrived! Yes Jamie McGregor appeared once again as Lachie, Oz and Hamish all wanted to get their hands on him. "Yer no wanted here get oot!" Lachie growled and balled his fists in anger, he didn't want his wife to see him fighting but if need be, he would knock Jamie into next week!
"A jist want tae see Rhona!" he slurred, obviously well oiled and spoiling for a fight!
"Jamie go home! Please!" Rhona begged him as Oz appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist protectively.
"You heard her, beat it!" he chipped in as Jamie smirked at him.
"Ye might huv her noo big man, but a wiz her first love! Ye cannae beat that, ever!" he let out an annoying laugh and flipped the bird at Oz before Lachie grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, he pushed him towards the exit and dispatched him with ease as he shouted and squealed all the way. After the party ended and the guests had all left, Rhona and Oz decided to leave the clearing up until the morning. Walking along the corridor towards the stairs hand in hand, the couple were startled by the presence of Lachie and Elspeth followed by Hamish and Annie.
"Went fur a walk!" Lachie chuckled and draped a huge arm over Elspeth's dainty shoulders.
"Aye, we hud tae help yer Aunties in the kitchen!" Hamish yawned as Annie stopped and took her shoes off, carrying them in her hands.
"Well that wuz a great wee night!" Annie smiled as they all stood in the corridor together discussing the success of the party. Hamish continued his wife's statement by praising Rhona on her great organisational skills when suddenly he stopped in mid sentence.
"Whit ur you still dayin' here boy?" he demanded in a cold tone as the others looked round to see Jamie leaning against the wall at the end of the corridor. Rhona felt her blood run cold, but not because Jamie was still there, no...because Jamie was holding her grandfather's old hunting rifle by the handle as the barrel was facing the floor.
"Ye aw think yer it don't ye?" he muttered as Hamish approached him, Annie grabbed his arm and brought his attention to the rifle.
"Son, pit doon the gun eh? Whit ye dayin' wi it anyway?"
"A want tae shoot masel eh???" he lifted it up with difficulty and pointed it in Oz and Rhona's direction, then he laughed eerily, "Naw, a want tae shoot her! NAW!" he pointed it at Lachie and Elspeth, "You! Ya big troll ye!" waving the rifle back and forth he chuckled and staggered back. "Aye, am gonnae shoot you!" he nodded at Lachie and aimed at him square in the chest. Oz could see his finger bending the trigger backwards and he instantly grabbed Rhona and pushed her to the ground, shielding her with his own body as Lachie stood in front of Elspeth. Jamie was waving the gun around aimlessly as Hamish raced towards him and attempted to rugby tackle him to the ground. Jamie fell back as Hamish knocked him down and towered over him. Still holding the rifle, he started to moan and grumble, "Och Hamish man!" He struggled to his feet, still holding it, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "It's no even loaded, see?" he waved it about as his finger pressed down on the trigger and the gun went off, knocking him off of his feet.
"JAMIE YA BAMPOT!!!" Hamish bellowed angrily.
"S***!" Jamie curse and tried to get up once again, this time leaving the rifle on the ground.
"Aw man! Jamie yer a total eejit so ye ur!" Lachie grunted and pulled Elspeth in for a hug. Rhona approached Jamie and smacked him in the jaw as hard as she could, he fell against the wall and squeaked in pain.
"IDIOT!" she shouted, "You could've killed someone!" her mother and father tried to pull her back as Jamie touched his face gingerly, tears welling up in his eyes like a child.
"It's awright wee Rhona eh? Jist calm..." her father's words caught in his throat and he turned deathly pale, her mother turned to see what he was looking at and she also lost all colour. Rhona's worst fears were confirmed when she heard her brother cry out,
" Aw naw! Aw naw, Oz pal!" Afraid to turn around as her parents rushed to Lachie's aid, Rhona knew exactly what had happened.
"What...have...you done???" she stammered as she struggled to breathe, Jamie's eyes grew wide with fear and he cried out.
"A didnae mean it, a didnae!" he wept. Finally Rhona turned around at the sound of Oz's faint voice calling her name. He was slumped on the floor against the wall, the left side of his checked shirt soaked in crimson, his face grey and clammy.
"Rhona!" he mouthed as she hurried to his side and threw herself down beside him. "Rhona..." he repeated, the weakness in his voice was heartbreaking.
"Shh, don't speak my darling, we'll get you sorted okay? It's just a scratch eh?" she tried to laugh as she squeezed his hand tightly and kissed it. Elspeth got off of her phone and paced.
"Ambulance will be twenty minutes!!!" she muttered angrily.
"Ach there's nae time, we'll huv tae drive him! Lachie get the Landrover, NOO!" Hamish ordered as he lifted Oz up carefully and carried him out towards the back door. "C'moan wee man, am no gonnae lose ye yit!" he reassured him. Safely in the back seat of the vehicle, Oz seemed to be getting weaker and losing more and more blood by the second as Lachie was wrapping the wound in towels and murmuring to himself,
"C'moan man, get it the gither eh?" his hands were shaking as he pressed on Oz's stomach firmly but tenderly. Rhona kissed his hand one last time as he looked at her with those big blue eyes and said breathlessly,
"I love you!"
"Mon' Da!!!" Lachie shouted as the Landrover started up and drove off up the hill towards the nearest hospital ten miles away. Rhona's heart pounded wildly as she watched the vehicle get smaller and smaller in the distance, until it was gone from sight...as was her beloved Oz!
To Be Continued...
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