“I’m not going to lie. He’s not out of the woods yet. He lost a lot of blood. That’s a concern. Luckily, the officer who found him knew what to do. He put pressure on the wound and attempted to apply a tourniquet. We’ve begun to replenish his blood supply, and we’ll continue to monitor his labs. That much blood loss has made him weak and vulnerable to infection. Weare concerned about infection, since he was stabbed in the leg with a foreign object.”
A knife. That’s what he’s talking about.
“Doctor?” Sam’s mom asks. “When can we see him? Is my boy awake yet?”
“Once we make sure he’s awake and responsive, we’ll move him to a room in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. The staff in that unit are top-notch; they will give Samuel the care he needs. After he gets to a room, you can see him one at a time.”
We all nod and thank young Dr. Thompson.
“That’s all so scary,” says Lauren.
“Very scary,” I agree. Sam’s mom has tears in her eyes. I walk to her and wrap my arms around her. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Stone.”
“Why are you sorry, honey?”
“Because if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be here.”
She gives me a hug in return. “Sweet MacKenzie. You’ve brought life to my son that I thought was lost when his friends and father died. Don’t be sorry. Just be the woman he needs. That’s all any mother wants for her children. He?—”
“Mom.” A tiny woman with long blond hair interrupts Valerie’s words. “Where is he? Is he okay?”
“It’s okay, Perri. He’s out of surgery and in recovery. The doctor is optimistic he’ll make a full recovery.”
Did the doctor say that? He’snotfine, but I get what she’s doing. Perri turns to me and stares. “You’re MacKenzie, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
She walks over and gives me a quick hug. “I’m Perri, Sam’s sister. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I give her a hug back. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
“Don’t sweat it. We’ve spent more time in the emergency room waiting to hear about Sam than we can remember. Right, Mom?”
Nodding, Mrs. Stone says, “He was always doing something brave.”
“Brave?Mom, are you kidding me? The guy was always doing something stupid, s-t-u-p-i-d. Like jumping off the roof, or trying to climb to the top of an old tree and then falling out of the tree. Once he decided to learn to skateboard while his leg was broken and in a cast. He’s an idiot,” she deadpans and then giggles. “But I love that idiot.”
“I do, too,” I say before I can stop it.
“It’s hard not to love the guy.” Gill gives me the save I need. “But I expect you love him differently than we do.”
I nod. I can’t help it. I love him. “Even though he apparently sold all my stuff.”
Gill rolls his eyes. “Have a little faith, MacKenzie. Have a little faith.”
What the heck does he mean? Before I can ask, a woman in scrubs approaches me. “MacKenzie?”
“Yes, I’m MacKenzie.”
“Samuel is awake and asking for you.”
I look at his mom and frown. She should go in first—she’s his mom. She smiles at me, apparently reading my thoughts. “Go ahead, honey. I’ll go next.”
“Are you sure?” I don’t want to overstep. “You’ve known him the longest.”
She laughs. “I have known him the longest, honey. But he needs to see you first. Go on, sweetie. I’m fine. He wants to see you.”
I nod and follow the nurse.
