Page 8 of Rafe’s Future

Rafe’s gaze slid to Avery’s round belly, his heart aching as he thought of his own child currently fighting for her life. “How are you holding up?” he asked the petite brunette.

She and Falcon, whose real name was Garrett Morgan, were expecting their first child soon. A baby boy, from what his daughter had said. News they’d all learned at Avery and Garrett’s gender reveal party that had taken place earlier that afternoon.

“Me?” Avery frowned, her hands absentmindedly rubbing her adorable baby bump. “I’m fine. My only concern is for Shadow.”

“I can appreciate that.” He smiled. “Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself and that growing baby of yours.”

“I am,” she promised.

Garrett wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Don’t worry. Between me, Colt, and Alex, I’m pretty sure we’ve got Aves covered.”

“Lucky me.” Avery’s pretty eyes rolled playfully before rising to meet her husband’s caring gaze. “Not only do I have my handsome husband watching over me, but my sister and her new fiancé—who already happens to be my brother-in-law—were also more than willing to offer up their assistance.”

“Because we love you.” Garrett leaned down and placed a sweet peck on the tip of his expectant wife’s nose.

“It’s true,” Rafe affirmed. “Besides, when else in your life will you have the chance for them all to wait on you hand and foot?”

A soft chuckle left Avery’s shoulders shaking. “Ooh, that’s true. I never thought of it that way.”

“Me, either.” Garrett sent Rafe a playful scowl. “Thanks a lot, Boss.”

He gave a slight dip of his chin in response. The other man’s lips parted as if he were about to say more when the door to the waiting room opened, and a man in surgical attire entered the room.

Looking around, the fifty-something surgeon said, “I assume you’re the family of Alice Garrison?”

“We are.” Slade hurried forward. “How is she? Is she going to be okay?”

The surgeon’s unreadable expression didn’t change as he met the worried man’s gaze. “Are you her⁠—”

“Husband,” the former SEAL cut off the doctor’s question. “Please. Is she⁠—”

“Your wife made it through surgery, Mr. Garrison.”

“Oh, thank God.”

The rest of the room joined in, adding their own individual sighs and exclamations of relief. But then the doctor held up a hand as a signal to quiet the room. When they grew silent, he continued updating them on his patient’s condition.

“Your wife survived the surgery, but the bullet did extensive damage when it entered her body.”

Slade’s face grew pale. “What kind of damage?”

“For starters, she lost a lot of blood due to a nicked artery. We were finally able to repair it, but the process took longer than expected because of its location. While my team and I worked to stop the bleeding, another surgeon removed the bullet and began working on the rest. Unfortunately, the bullet traveled through her spleen. We had no choice but to remove it.”

“Her spleen.” Slade nodded, running a hand down the length of his weary face. “Okay, what does that mean, exactly? What are we looking at as far as recovery?”

“Not having a spleen can come with its own set of risks. For starters, Alice’s immune system will be weaker, which leaves her susceptible to infections. We’ve already started her on IV medications to help prevent that while she’s here, but once she leaves the hospital, she’ll need to be on a lifelong regimen of precautionary medication to prevent complications in the future.”

“That’s it?” Slade blinked. “I mean, I get that the spleen thing is a concern, but other than that . . . that’s it? You’re telling me my wife is going to be okay?”

“Barring any unforeseen complications post-surgery for the . . . spleen thing . . . yes. We’ll keep her here a few days, of course. Shouldn’t be any longer than a week. During that time, my team and I will closely monitor her vitals and lab numbers. As long as everything looks as expected, I see no reason your wife won’t make a full recovery.”

It was the first time since those bullets rang out that Rafe felt he could fully breathe. “When can we see her?” he asked.

Slade’s eyes slid to his before returning to the surgeon making the call.

“Alice is intubated at the moment and heavily sedated to give her body time to rest and begin its process of healing. I can let a couple of you back now, but only one at a time. And you can only stay in the room a few minutes.” The doctor looked at Slade. “Aside from you. You’re allowed to stay the night, of course.”

When Slade looked Rafe’s way, Rafe motioned toward the door. “You should be the first.”