“Some water,” he husked.
Harper reluctantly let go and filled a cup with some cool water. Holding the straw, she helped him drink. “Small sips.”
“That’s good. What day is it?” Kip asked.
“Monday, September third. It’s 9:15 in the morning.”
“What happened?” He crunched his brows.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Harper asked.Did he remember what he said?
Through halting breaths, he started to talk. “Sitting in the darkness on this pitched roof. The water was rising around me. My hands ached from holding on against the force of the wind. I was alone with my thoughts. I heard ‘help!’ I thought I was hallucinating, but there were two girls in a car. The current of the floodwater was likely going to make them crash. I let go and fell into the water. I gave them life jackets, and then the car hit something hard. I remember falling backwards. Then nothing.”
“Oh. The two girls, they’re safe. They came in during the storm. You saved them, the family, and the triplets.” She kissed his cheek. “Are you up to getting cleaned up?”
She wanted to cry. He didn’t remember. She got up and ran warm water into a basin.
“Come here. Harper, you asked me the last thing I remembered. My timeline is jumbled, but I remember one more thing.” His arms quivered as he held them open for her. He cleared his throat. “Meeting you caught me by surprise,” Kip said in a scratchy whisper. “I never expected this to happen. I love you.”
Her heart pounded, her walls tumbling down. The cup dropped from her hand, and she returned to his side. “You remember?”
“I’d never forget that. I’m sorry I didn’t say it before I went out that night.” His eyes, touched by the waning drugs, managed to twinkle. His lips turned up with a slight smile, and he fell asleep.
Gently she placed a soft kiss to his lips. Her fingers lifted his hair from his forehead. She adjusted the covers and let him sleep. As she cleaned up the spilled water, she realized she’d never told him she loved him. He risked his life to save her. He risked his life and almost lost it to save strangers. Could she risk her heart if she lost him?
* * *
Kip rolledonto his back and stretched, then used the bed controls to help him sit up. Startled, he jumped when he saw Josh was seated in the chair beside him. “How long have you been here?” He cringed at the sound of his own voice.
“A few hours. Can I get you something? You’re allowed clear liquids.” Josh stood.
Kip noticed deep rings under his eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”
“I’m getting a little every day. A cup of tea? It will help the scratchy throat.” Josh typed into his phone. “It will be here in a couple.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Kip adjusted his position.
“And risk Harper getting pissed off? She put us on a visiting schedule. One at a time. And the only time she’d leave you was to visit Chantal, feed the baby and sleep. And to get her to do that, Hunt threatened to take his offer back. Our PAs were the only ones she trusted to monitor you.”
“Offer? Baby?” Kip asked.
“Hunt offered her the job as his assistant. Chantal gave birth about the same time you went missing. A tiny girl. She’s almost three pounds now.” Josh showed him a picture.
Kip smiled. “What’s her name?”
“Lisette. She has a new set of aunts and uncles.” Josh smiled.
Kip thought about Harper. “You were teasing about Harper getting pissed off.”
“No. I think she begged the spirits to find you. She begged Raven to pray for you. Raven’s a miracle too.”
Kip inhaled and held his head between his hands. “Slow down.”
“Raven. Hunt operated on her a second time. She never had cancer—they used her as a test subject. With the help of Dr. Selma Bryant, they fixed some areas and did a colostomy, but she should live a long life.”
“I want these people. We’ll talk about that later with everyone.” Kip smiled. “I’ll talk with Harper after I get the okay from Hunt. Keep going.”
“You went missing around the same time Chantal seized.” He reported the details of Lisette’s birth.
