I drop into the chair beside her and take Dee’s hand in both of mine, pressing desperate kisses against her skin. Touching her is the only thing tethering me to this fucked-up reality. The only thing keeping me from completely unraveling.
“Just know we’re here for you, Colt,” Johnny calls out as they reach the door.
I don’t turn around.
I’ve already wasted too much time talking when I should have been watching over her.
Sinking back into the chair, I reach for Dee’s hair, letting it slide through my fingers. I press soft kisses to her forehead, her cheeks, her hand, anywhere I can, so she knows I’m here, still with her.
Then, barely holding it together, I whisper the same words over and over… how much I love her, how much I cherish her, and how shehasto come back to me. “So, when you’re ready to wake up, we can talk about where you want to get married,” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her hand. “I don’t care where, baby. As long as I’m with you, I’ll be happy. So, think about where you wanna go. And don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. Anywhere you want, it’s yours.”
I tuck her hair behind her ear, my heart aching as I take in her stillness.
“She’s a lucky girl,” Anna says softly from behind me.
I turn to her standing there with a paper bag in her hands. I give her a slight nod, and she walks in, placing it gently on the counter. “Oh, Dee,” she says, wiping a tear from her cheek.
This is the first time she’s seen Dee since…
Anna leans into my side, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her to me.
“She looks so…”
“Pale, cold, lifeless,” I finish for her.
But Anna shakes her head.
“No, actually, I was going to say peaceful.”
She rises onto her toes and presses a soft kiss to my cheek.
Peaceful?With all those tubes and wires trailing from her body? That’s not the word I’d use. Not even close. But if that’s what Anna needs to believe to get through this, then who the hell am I to take that from her?
“Yeah… I guess she does look a little peaceful,” I murmur, conceding.
Anna starts to cry—really cry—so I pull her into a tight hug. She reaches out and takes Dee’s hand.
“C’mon, Dee. We all need you. Stay strong, Little Bean,” she weeps, pressing a kiss to Dee’s hand before letting me go and turning to the bag she brought in with her.
I slump into the chair again, eyes locked on Dee, watching—hoping—for any flicker of response to her best friend’s voice. But there’s still nothing.
Then the smell hits me, and my stomach growls before I can even think.
Anna glances back with a knowing smile. “Okay, don’t even try to tell me you’re not hungry… your gut just betrayed you. And I know you won’t leave Dee’s side, so I brought the food to you. No excuses. Got it?” she says with a teasing lilt, hands on hips.
I exhale, nodding. She’s right. I haven’t eaten in over thirty hours.
She hands me a burger and fries, and for a moment, I almost smile.Almost.
“Thanks, Anna. Appreciate it,” I say as she settles into the seat beside me.
Anna taps her burger against mine. “Cheers,” she says, then unwraps it and takes a giant mouthful.
It looks delicious, so I unwrap mine and take my first bite.
She watches me as I chew, and the second the flavors hit, I’m ravenous. I devour the burger so fast that she’s barely a third of the way through hers by the time I finish.
The fries don’t stand a chance—I inhale them just as quickly.
