PROLOGUE
Reese
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Exhaling, the sound drew me from a deep sleep. Very slowly, I turned my head, blinking several times to try to understand what I was hearing.
Monitors.
A hospital.
Every muscle screamed with discomfort. Even the slightest movement was exhausting. The needle in my arm caught my attention and I slowly followed the trail with my eyes to the clear bag hanging from an IV stand.
A single shift and I winced, finding it difficult to catch my breath.
“You’re awake.”
Very slowly, I shifted my eyes toward the sound of the deep voice. “Hi, Daddy.”
My father was a huge man, always a little gruff around the edges. He’d been my hero growing up, protective in every sense of the word. He’d never been too busy for his family, even though he was a very important man. But as he stood, slowly coming closer, I realized I’d never seen him look so exhausted.
Or so pale.
He’d lost weight, his once hefty mass slowly withered away by months of anxiety and sleepless nights. But he was still my dad, always by my side.
“I’m right here, angel.” He took my hand into his, squeezing my fingers.
“I didn’t think you’d make it.” He’d been out of the country for weeks.
His smile was forced. “Of course, baby girl.”
Still groggy, I was having difficulty piecing together why I was so tired. Then it suddenly came to me. As soon as I tried to jerk up, I winced. “What happened? Briana? Is she… I mean…” I couldn’t find my voice, the sudden agony twisting my heart nothing physical, but the emotional anguish was even worse.
“Whoa, girlie. Slow down. It’s okay.”
“Will she… Make it?” I licked my dry lips, struggling to keep from crying. I’d shed so many tears I was surprised I had any left.
His squeeze was a reminder of just how close our family was, distance never truly separating us. “The doctors won’t know for certain for at least a couple weeks, but everything looks good so far. Your mom is with her right now. She did very well, a strong soldier just like you are.”
A soldier in the fight of her life.
Closing my eyes, I turned my head, so he didn’t notice the tears slipping down my face. A single racking sob forced me to bite my lower lip.
“Hey, my beautiful daughter. Don’t do that. You’ve given your baby sister a chance at life. What you did was brave and amazing.”
Brave? Amazing?
What the hell had I done? My sweet baby sister had spent more than half her life inside hospitals. Chemotherapy. Radiation. She’d missed birthdays and holidays. She’d been unable to play with her friends, kept cooped up inside the house for fear of compromising her body’s immune system.
My little sister deserved a chance to thrive, not just exist. This was her last chance. Briana was so intelligent and so eager for life. She loved everything. Every animal. Every bird. Even snakes. Her room was filled with stuffed dogs and bears, giraffes and elephants, seals and dolphins.
Because she couldn’t have a pet of her own.
She loved to draw just like I did, but God, she was much more talented. She adored K-Pop music and movies, her favoritesPocahontasand theTwilight Saga. And hula-hoops. I bit back a laugh as a vision of her bright purple hoop tickled my mind. She was Daddy’s little princess. She was my little leech, and I loved every moment of her following me around, her eyes wide open. Giggling. Wanting to be just like her big sister.
“She has to live,” I said, fighting for control of my emotion, failing with a hard thud as I seemed to do with everything else.
“Girlie. Have faith. I believe your sister is going to be just fine. All because of you. You’re her guardian angel. Never forget that. Her guardian angel and you’ll be watching out for her the rest of her life. Briana is so lucky to have you. You gave her the ultimate gift.”
