Trying to save Mom.
“I can’t lose my mom, Knox,” I sob into his chest. “I can’t. My heart can’t take it.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” he whispers. “I will make sure they do everything under the sun to save her.”
I mouth another thank you, but he can’t see me. I’m clinging to him for dear life, and he’s holding me the same.
Forty minutes later, Mom goes into surgery. That quickly. I dread to think what would have happened if Knox didn’t step in to help us.
Dr. Blakely advises us to go home and rest since the surgery will likely take up to twelve hours, but I refuse to leave. I can’t be away from my mother. If something happens, I need to be here.
Knox doesn’t argue. He just speaks to the staff and arranges for us to be set up in one of the private family consultation rooms. That’s where we stay.
The hours drag in a slow, aching silence, but I cling to Knox the whole time.
He only leaves to bring back food or water, but even then, he moves fast, like he can’t stand being gone more than a minute.
I want to talk to him. I want to ask how he knew to come, how he found me so quickly. But the words won’t form. I’m too distraught to speak.
So, we sit together in the quiet. My thoughts race. His presence steadies me. He keeps his arm around me, and I eventually stop fighting the exhaustion and fall asleep against his chest.
It feels like I close my eyes for mere seconds, and the next moment, someone is shaking me awake.
It’s Knox. And Dr. Blakely is standing beside us.
His face looks less tense than it did when I last saw him. I pray that’s a good sign.
I jolt upright, desperate for some news. “Is she okay?”
“She’s stable,” he answers gently. “The surgery went as well as we could have hoped. The tear was extensive, but we repaired the artery and bypassed the other blockages. Her heart responded better than we expected.”
For a second, the world tilts and rights itself all at once. “Thank you.”
Knox’s hand comes down on my back, steadying me.
“You’re welcome. She’s not awake yet,” Dr. Blakely says. “That’s normal. She’s in recovery now, and we’ll monitor her closely. The next twenty-four hours are important, but her vitals look good, and everything points in a good direction.”
Good direction.
That’s all I wanted to hear. “Can I see her?”
“In a few minutes.” He gives me a reassuring nod. “She’s being settled into the cardiac ICU. I’ll come get you when it’s time.”
I nod, but it doesn’t feel like enough. Relief is flooding me too fast, hitting every place fear hollowed out.
When Dr. Blakely steps away, I turn to Knox. His eyes soften the moment they meet mine, like he’s been holding his breath, too, and can finally let it out.
“She’s okay, Knox,” I choke out.
“She is.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek.
“You saved her. I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s okay, love. It’s okay.”
The sun isn’t even fully up when Knox and I arrive at my mother’s house.
He unlocks the door and guides me inside, holding my hand.
