I hadn’t even noticed I was shivering, or that my T-shirt and jeans were soaking wet. I stuck my arms into the ski jacket’s sleeves, zipped it up, and tucked my numb hands into the pockets. Then I made myself sit down, and Marlene took a seat beside me.
I was full of nervous energy though, and my knee kept bouncing. After a minute, I asked, “Would appendicitis or a ruptured appendix happen that fast? He started feeling sick yesterday.”
“There’s no one size fits all with medical stuff,” she said. “With me, I thought I had the stomach flu for three days before the pain got really intense and I realized it was my appendix. It had already ruptured by the time I went to the hospital. A friend of mine had almost no warning. She thought she was fine in the morning, and she was having an emergency appendectomythat night. We probably won’t know what’s happening with your boyfriend or just how bad it is until they get him into surgery.”
After a while, I whispered, “I’m so scared. I should have gotten him here sooner, but I didn’t know what was wrong at first. What if I waited too long? What if?—”
“No, don’t say it. You need to think positive.”
“You’re right.”
I shut my eyes and took a deep breath as I tried to make sense of what had happened. It really seemed like Devon had been right about a curse. He’d definitely think that now, although the timing of this could have just been a weird coincidence. That was the far more likely explanation.
Ultimately though, only one thing mattered. I needed him to be okay.
17
Devon
It was disorienting to wake up in a hospital. I tried to remember what had happened, but everything was a blur.
I started to panic, until I turned my head and saw Kit. He was curled up in a chair right beside me. Instantly, I was flooded with a sense of relief.
It looked like he’d nodded off, but as soon as I whispered his name, his eyes flew open and he leapt to his feet. “Hi, sweetheart,” he said, as he gently caressed my cheek. “How do you feel?”
“Groggy. What happened?”
“Your appendix ruptured, so you were rushed into emergency surgery. The doctor said you could have died. Another few hours—” His voice wavered. He took a breath and said, “But we got you here in time, and you’re going to be fine.”
“How did we get here? I don’t remember much, but I know we were snowed in…”
He told me how he’d tried to drive us out after he realized I needed medical help, and about how the van ended up in a ditch, so we’d had to walk the last part to reach the highway. He also told me about the kind couple in a truck who he’d managedto flag down. When he finished his story, I murmured, “You’re amazing.” He grinned as he gently brushed my hair off my forehead.
There was something I needed to know, a question burning in the back of my mind. What was it?
After a moment, I asked, “What time is it?”
“Almost one a.m. I begged and pleaded, so they let me stay with you overnight.”
“What’s today’s date?”
“It’s February first. Happy birthday, Devon.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered. “You did it, Kit. You broke the curse.”
“What?”
“The curse came for me, but you fought against it, and you saved me! Not even a snowstorm and a medical emergency could stop you. I made it to thirty, and now the curse is broken.”
“I’m still not sure if I believe in curses,” he said.
I knew I was right, though. Tears of relief welled up in my eyes, and I grasped his hand. “We have a future, Kit, you and me. I love you so much, and I want to spend my life with you. Let’s get married, right now! Go find a priest. There might be one in the hospital.”
He smiled and caressed my cheek. “I absolutely adore you, Devon, and I’ll gladly marry you. But right now, you need to rest and heal. We have plenty of time for everything else once you get better.”
I was overcome with happiness and gratitude as I whispered, “You’re right, we do. We have an entire lifetime.”
Epilogue: Devon
