“She's good. A little concerned for Nina, but good,” John said.
The mental picture of Gibson cradling an unconscious Nina in his arms filled my mind. I looked at him and said, “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Anytime, boss.” He held his fist for me to bump. “You found yourself one hell of a woman.”
I didn’t have time to argue that Nina wasn’t mine.
“Times up,” Nurse Nancy said, closing the distance to my IV bag.
“Thank you,” I said as they turned to leave. “For everything.”
Chapter 63
Nina
Mary encouraged me to eat my bland eggs and dry toast, but I couldn’t stomach it. I needed to see Austin and didn’t understand why they wouldn’t let me.
“John and Ryan would like to visit. Are you up for it?” Mary asked.
Hoping they’d give me answers, I pushed my tray away and said, “Yes.”
As soon as they walked in, I asked, “What happened? Is Austin okay?”
Fear that he’d died in surgery overwhelmed me, and in a moment of panic, I tried to get out of bed. Only Mary was faster and gently pushed me back against my pillows.
“Austin’s alive,” John said.
Alive? Not okay?
“Nina, it's okay.” Ryan sat beside me and held my hand, rubbing my wrist with his thumb. “We’ll tell you everything.”
I sucked in air and tried not to pass out as my panic escalated at their delay.
“What happened to Austin?” I practically barked, fear making me rude to the people who least deserved it.
Mary sat next to me and held my hand other hand while John stood beside her.
“Nina, I'm going to be blunt. Austin will be fine, but the doctor couldn’t save his leg.”
The color drained from my face so fast that my eyes rolled back and I passed out.
When I came to, Mary was patting my forehead with a cold, damp cloth.
“What happened?”
“You passed out, dear,” Mary said. “Just for a second.”
“Austin?”
He lost his leg. Tears streamed down my face like a waterfall as I realized just how much he’d sacrificed to help me. To save me.
He lost his leg. He’d lose his job. What else would he lose?
The machine beeping faster and faster, announcing my panic, pissed me off.
When Ryan squeezed my hand, I turned toward him.
“Breathe, Nina. Everything will be okay.”
