“Yeah.” I feel my chest loosen a bit.
“I’m curious as to how she’ll react when you ask her.”
“You and me both,” I say, but I’m not worried. I freeze when Josslyn’s fingers twitch in my hand. I shoot out of my hair, setting the coffee down on the tray behind me. “She just moved. Joss?”
Her fingers twitch again. Jackie sets her coffee down and rushes over to the button. Nurses show up almost immediately. It takes what feels like an eternity, but is probably just a couple of minutes, before Josslyn blinks and moans.
“Is she in pain? Does she have something for pain?” I ask.
One of the nurses clicks something on the IV and keeps checking her vitals. I wait with bated breath for Josslyn to fully open her eyes. When she does, she instantly finds me. Relief hits me like a punch in the gut. Jackie goes to the other side of the bed, butJosslyn keeps her eyes on me. The nurses ask questions, and she nods and shakes her head as she answers. Finally, they leave to get the doctor.
“My God,” Jackie says, crying as she touches her daughter’s other hand, but Josslyn is still staring at me.
“You called me Josie,” she says, her voice hoarse.
It takes me a moment to process that and bark out a laugh. “I knew that would wake you up.”
She smiles, or tries to, but flinches. I freeze again. “My lips are cracked,” she says. “Mom?—”
Jackie ignores whatever she’s going to say and starts telling her how worried she was and how many people in the family chat are praying for her. Josslyn listens, but every few seconds, she glances at me.
“Mom, can you ask if I can have water please?” she says, clearing her throat.
“Of course.” Jackie’s eyes widen and she runs off.
I sit back down, scoot the chair closer to her, and press my lips against the back of it. Josslyn looks at me with that soft smile that brings me to my knees.
“You own me, you know that?” I say against her hand.
“Finn,” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears. She tries to shift her body and flinches. “Fuck, that hurt.”
“Don’t move,” I say, looking at her bandaged arm to make sure it’s still intact.
“I want you closer,” she says, blinking away tears. I stand and kiss her lips ever so softly.
“I’m serious, Josslyn. You own me,” I repeat, my voice hoarse. “My love for you is a living thing inside me. You’re everywhere all the time—on my mind, in my blood, in my bones. I don’t think we can get much closer than that.”
She tugs me closer and I get as close as I can without hurting her. “I love you,” she whispers as she starts to cry. “So much.”
I wrap a hand around her head and bring my chest closer so she’s against my beating heart.
“Hey, Finn,” she whispers after a moment.
My lips twitch as I pull away. “Yeah.”
“You know there are actual living things inside your body,” she says, scrunching her nose. “Like bacteria and fungi.”
I stare at her for a moment before I start to laugh. Fucking Josslyn.
64
FINN
3 Days Later
Icontinue to stare at Leo. He’s been apologetic and helpful these last few days, but I still don’t trust him.
“I really am sorry I didn’t do more to help,” he says for the third time since we sat down across from each other at the coffee shop.
