I stop when I notice a group of people standing in what looks like a waiting area.
I recognize every face from the picture hung on Liam’s wall.
“I found her,” Sebastian calls from behind me. “That’s her.”
All eyes in the waiting room lock on me. I stare at them, willing someone to tell me where Liam is.
A short woman with brown curls approaches me with open arms. “Athena?”
I run to her because I need the comfort. I need the reassurance that the man I love will leave this hospital holding my hand.
“I’m Athena,” I whisper to her.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she says in a gentle voice. “I’m Wolf’s mom.”
A tear falls down my cheek. “You’re his mom.”
She steps back. Her hands tremble as she cradles my cheeks. “We’ve been looking for you for days.”
Days.
How long has he been here? Why is he here?
The only thing Sebastian told me when we pulled into the parking lot was that his brother was brought in by ambulance a few days ago.
I search the faces behind her. “I want to see him.”
A woman who can’t be much older than me, approaches. “I’m Tilly Wolf.”
Tilly.
We’ve met. I swear that I’ve met her but her name was…
Tilly Baker.
“My friend, Kate, owns the bridal shop next door to your store.” She sighs. “She’s the one who realized we’ve been looking for you. All we had to go on was the name Athena.”
I step around Liam’s mom to stand in front of Tilly. “Please tell me what’s happening. Is he alright?”
Her hands find mine. She gives them both a squeeze. “He had surgery, Athena. Open heart surgery yesterday.”
My chest feels like it’s collapsing from the inside out. I struggle to find my next breath.
“Sit.” She tugs on my hands. “Sit.”
I lower myself into a chair. “Surgery? I don’t understand.”
“He went into cardiac arrest on the sidewalk a block from his apartment a few days ago.” Tilly looks to Sebastian before she turns her attention back to me. “Luckily, a doctor was one of the first people on scene. He performed CPR until the EMTs arrived.”
My hand jumps to my mouth as I let out a sob.
“Liam has a heart condition. It’s called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,” Tilly goes on. “Part of his heart had become thickened.”
“None of us knew.” Sebastian crouches in front of me. “He found out a couple of years ago and kept it to himself.”
“I was having coffee with him a few weeks ago when he felt faint.” Tilly shakes her head. “I insisted he come in to be checked out. I left him here alone in the ER because I was feeling so nauseous. I had just found out I was pregnant the day before and the morning sickness was beating me up. I wish I had stayed. Maybe he would have confided in me.”
Sebastian reaches for Tilly’s hand. “You brought him in. You did your part.”
