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“Not good.”
“…best we can, but—”
“…significant loss of blood.”
“…young. Strong. No promise, but—”
And always, always, a single name inside his head.
Salome.
And then, one morning, Cameron opened his eyes.
He was in a white-walled room. Lights traced irregular patterns on a monitor; something was beeping with annoying constancy. Plastic tubes snaked into his arms, and an invisible mastodon was camped on his chest.
Cam groaned.
He couldn’t be dead. Even if he’d believed in heaven and hell, neither place would look like this.
The good news was that he was in a hospital bed.
The bad news was that he was in a hospital bed and not one of the faces grouped around him was Salome’s.
“Hey, bro.”
Cam turned his head a fraction of an inch. Alex flashed a wobbly grin.
“Glad you decided to stay around.”
Cam tried to answer but he felt as if someone had scooped all the sand from the desert and dumped it down his throat.
“He wants water,” someone else said. It was Matt, who reached out and gripped his shoulder. “Good to see you again,” he said gruffly.
“Ice chips,” another voice said authoritatively. “The nurse said no water, remember? Here, let me do it.”
Cam blinked as his father eased a hand around his nape and gently supported him so he could reach a paper cup filled with ice.
His old man? Bending over him with damp eyes? Maybe he really was dead, after all. But the ice was real and wonderfully wet, and his father’s mouth was curved in a smile.
“Welcome home, son. It’s good to have you back.”
Cam nodded. “Yeah,” he rasped. “Iss good to be back.” He took a long breath, trying not to wince at the sudden stab of pain in his chest. “Salome?”
His father’s brow furrowed. His brothers looked at each other.
“Who?”
“Salome,” he said impatiently. “My gldn’ncer.”
“Ah. The woman.” Alex nodded reassuringly. “She’s fine. Not a scratch on her.”
Cam closed his eyes, fought against the black water trying to close over his head.
“Wan’see her.”
Another look passed between his brothers. “Sure,” Matt said. “Soon as you’re feeling better.”
“Wan’seehernow,” Cam said, and the room began to spin.
