“Jesus, you just can’t let it go, can you?”
“No,” I snap. “I can’t let it go because if I do, then I’ll be forced to think about the fact that the love of my life might never wake up. I’ll obsess over whether or not she’ll remember me if shedoeswake up. So, no, I’m not going to let it go or stop asking or any other stupid shit you think I should do.”
My chest heaves, my heart beats furiously, and my eyes fill with tears. I’ve had a lot of alone time here in this little room, and I’ve shed enough tears to fill a large aquarium. I’m so damn tired of crying, tired of being afraid, tired of the waiting and wondering and worrying.
“Damn, brother,” Zombie says with a sigh. “I’m sorry. Wasn’t trying to upset you.”
Huffing out a breath, I roll my eyes. “Doesn’t take much these days.”
“Do you really think she’ll forget you again?” he asks after a few silent minutes.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s gotta be, what, a once in a lifetime thing, right? Surely, it can’t happen again.”
“I’ve learned not to rule anything out as possible,” I say honestly.
“Well, I can ease your mind about one thing,” he says, sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the bed. “Shadow Sixes are not only quiet, they’re non-existent. Whoever remained after we took out Cray Cray was given a choice: either prospect for Kings of Anarchy or die. Needless to say, we’ve got a lot of new blood in the club.”
“Did any of them choose death?”
“Surprisingly, yeah, a few. Their loyalty ran too deep for them to even consider becoming a King.”
“I bet Undertaker had a field day with the bodies,” I joke.
“Fucking hell, Lyric, you shoulda seen him,” he responds. “Like a kid on Christmas morning.”
“Anything else I need to know?” I ask.
He sighs, no doubt annoyed by my persistence, but he’s saved from responding when the doctor walks in.
“There’s been no change, Doc,” I say dryly, rising to my feet.
“Actually, there’s been a big change,” he states. “Her vitals have been stable long enough that we’re going to wake her up.”
“Are you sure she’s ready? What if it doesn’t work? What if her brain swells? What if her amnesia is back? What if?—”
“Lyric, man, breathe,” Zombie encourages.
The doctor smiles. “I understand your concerns, and I assure you, I wouldn’t proceed if I weren’t confident that she’s one hundred percent ready.”
My shoulders slump. “Right, okay.”
“As for the amnesia,” he says with a shrug. “I can’t predict that. I wish I could ease that worry for you, but it simply isn’t possible. What I can tell you is that she recovered her memories once, and she can do it again.”
Zombie walks around the bed and stands next to me. “How does this work, Doc?” he asks.
“As I explained to Mr. Jenkins earlier, we’ll gradually reduce the sedation medication she’s receiving through the IV while monitoring her very closely. I will be here the entire time, along with a full critical care team. If anything happens, there won’t be a delay in response.” He shifts his gaze from Zombie to me. “Now, I need you to be prepared for Mellie to be confused as she wakes up. That’s to be expected and completely normal. Confusion isn’t indicative of amnesia, so don’t panic. If you panic, she’ll panic, and we can’t have that.”
I nod absently.
“He won’t panic, Doc,” Zombie assures him when I don’t speak. “You take care of Mellie, and I’ll take care of him.”
Twenty minutes later, Zombie and I are ushered to the opposite side of the room, so the team has enough space to work.
“It’s gonna be okay,” my best friend says as he leans against the wall next to me, his arms crossed over his chest. “You’ll see.”
“Okay, we’re going to initiate the first reduction of sedation medication,” the doctor says, and I don’t know if it’s for our benefit or if that’s just how things work.
