“Did the doctor say anything else?” Gram asked. The others had followed her over.
“There’s not much they can say until the test results come back. But the sooner he wakes up, the better. Some guy found him when he took his dog outside early this morning. Otherwise he’d still be lying there.”
Maddy hated to think of it. He must’ve lain out there unconscious and bleeding for hours.
“Maddy...” Tara gave Maddy a tortured look.
Maddy’s blood seemed to freeze at the look on Tara’s face. “What? There’s more, isn’t there? What is it?”
“The doctor said we’re dealing with a traumatic brain injury. He doesn’t know the extent of it, but he said it’s at least what they call a ‘moderate TBI.’ If someone’s unconscious more than six hours, it’s considered to be severe. But, of course, we don’t know how long he’s been unconscious.”
“Oh no.” Maddy’s chest tightened until it ached. Her eyes burned.
“He did say you can go back and see him. Only one of us at a time, though. I’m going to call my family and update them. Lexie had to stay with the kids—my husband’s out of town. Connor’s in room 114, but they’re planning to move him upstairs soon.”
Gram squeezed Maddy’s arm. “We’ll be right here storming the gates of heaven, sugar. Don’t lose hope now, you hear? God’s got this.”
“All right.” Numbly Maddy pushed through the door and strode down the long corridor. Her shoes squeaked on the sterile white tile. She breathed in the smell of disinfectant and the faint odor of burnt popcorn—from the break room, she supposed.
The florescent lights flickered, and she realized the hospital must’ve been using an emergency generator. Thank heavens for that.
Room 114 seemed to be at the other end of the hall. Her heart was beating double time, and her lungs couldn’t seem to keep up.
She knew only a little about traumatic brain injuries. The mother of a server at Pirouette had suffered one following a car accident. She had trouble processing and spoke very slowly. She also had seizures, Maddy recalled. She tried to remember what else Lauren had mentioned, but she came up blank. That was bad enough, though. The accident had changed the woman’s quality of life. She was on disability now, unable to even hold down a job.
Please, God. Please. Not Connor. He’s so kind and selfless. He doesn’t deserve this. He’s already lost his wife, so young. And he went looking for Nora in a hurricane. And he went in my place, God.
Maddy’s steps faltered. She should be the one lying in that bed right now.
She blinked back tears, reading the room numbers as she got closer. She passed 112. Then 114. There it was.
She pushed through the door, so eager to see him. Her breath caught when her eyes fell on him.
There was a white bandage around his head. He looked as if he were merely sleeping, though the harsh lights gave him a ghostly pallor. An IV was stuck in the back of his hand, which lay curled on top of the crisp white sheet. His chest rose and fell reassuringly. His hair was disheveled and still damp from the rain.
Dear God, how long did he lie out there in the storm?
Her heart squeezed. “Oh, Connor.”
She moved forward, letting the door fall shut behind her. A monitor beeped quietly. He was still alive. There was still hope.
When she reached the bed she took his hand, finding it wonderfully warm. His golden lashes swept downward, hiding his lovely gray eyes.
“Oh, Connor,” she whispered, running her thumb over the back of his hand. “I’m so sorry. Please wake up. Please be all right.”
Her gaze drifted over the familiar planes of his face, over the golden scruff on his jaw and the subtle cleft that she loved so much.
“You have to fight hard, hear me? You have to be all right. There are so many people who love you.” She swallowed against the achy lump in her throat. Tears leaked out. “Including me, Connor.”
She gave a feeble laugh. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just trying to break up with you only hours ago. But I was wrong. I was just afraid, honey. I didn’t mean what I said. You just make me feel so much, and I was afraid you’d break my heart. So I went ahead and broke it myself.”
She breathed another laugh. “I know, that sounds so stupid. Itwasstupid. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I was willing to throw it all away out of fear. And now I’m scared silly I’ll never get to tell you how I feel.”
She looked at his still face, at the features that had become so familiar so quickly. A love for him welled up so strongly it nearly overwhelmed her. Along with the strength she needed to carry her through. Even if, God forbid, he never got better, she’d be here for him. She knew it with everything in her.
She squeezed his hand, tears now coursing down her face. But her voice carried all the strength she felt inside. “I’m not going anywhere, no matter what, you hear me, Connor Sullivan? You can’t get rid of me, so don’t even try.”
She thought she must’ve imagined the movement under her hand. She stilled, staring at his hand. She stopped breathing. Had she only imagined it? Wishful thinking?
