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“Come on, let’s get up there so when she’s settled, we can all take our turn going in to see her,” Mom instructs.
That’s when it hits me. I turn to look at Aurora. “Your parents?”
“They’re on their way,” Grant answers for his wife.
“Good.” With that, I turn and make my way to the elevator. I don’t bother looking to see if my family is behind me. I know they are. Just like they always have been and always will be. She has the Riggins clan in her corner, her sister, and her parents. We are her family, and we will fight for her. Fight with her, to see her through this. There is no other option.
Chapter 30
Aspen
I can hear Conrad, but I can’t see him. I feel the press of his lips to my forehead and his whispered words of love, but I can’t see his face. I want to see him, but my eyelids feel heavy, and I’m just too sleepy to try any harder. I need to tell him I love him too. I need him to know I’m done running. I’m done fighting our love. I just want to wake up and be in his arms. I want to tell him I’ll move in with him. I want to tell him he’s my magic. I need to tell him he made me a believer.
I just want to open my eyes.
I need to tell him.
I’m fighting, Conrad.
I love you too.
Chapter 31
Conrad
Five hours. That’s how long I’ve been sitting in this chair, praying that when they bring her out of sedation she comes back to me. I’m terrified the doctors are wrong, and I’ll never get to see her open her eyes again. I refuse to leave her side. I can’t. What if she wakes up and I’m not here? The doctor said it would take a little while for the sedation to wear off once it’s been stopped. Our limit is two at a time, but we’ve been pushing that to three. I refuse to leave, and her parents, mine, as well as my brothers and their wives, have all taken turns coming to see her. Marshall is sitting with me now; I can feel his stare, but I don’t take my eyes off Aspen.
“You really believe in the magic?” he asks.
“I didn’t use to,” I confess.
“How did you know?”
“Know she was my magic? Know that I loved her? What are we talking here, Marshall?” I ask, turning to look at him.
He shrugs. “All of it.”
“You meet someone?”
“Nah, but I’m the last holdout, and it seems as though I’m the one missing out.”
I nod. “You are.”
“One woman for the rest of your life,” he says.
“The right woman. It makes all the difference. I wish I could explain it to you. It’s as if nothing is bright unless I can share it with her. She’s the first thing I think about when I open my eyes and the last before I close them at night. Hanging with her watching television is more fun than any night out at a club.” I shake my head, smiling. My eyes go back to Aspen. “My heart isn’t my own anymore. She has her hands around it, and I hope she never lets go.”
“Damn,” he mutters.
“One day, Marshall, you’re going to find a woman who will bring you to your knees, and then you’ll understand. It’s not something I can explain to you. It’s something you have to feel. That you have to experience all on your own.”
“Knock, knock,” a man’s voice says. Glancing up, I see Dr. Haroldson, the doctor who took over for Dr. Black and has been taking care of her since she was admitted. He looks to Marshall and then back to me. “May I speak freely?”
“Yes, this is my brother Marshall.”
The doctor nods. “The radiologist just read her most recent X-rays, and her lungs still look good. We’re going to extubate her and start to bring her back from sedation.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means that we’re going to wake her up. Her vitals are strong, and despite the smoke, her lungs look great. She’s going to have a sore throat and possibly a cough. I have full reason to believe she will make a complete recovery.”
My shoulders relax, and I feel as though a thousand-pound weight has been lifted. She’s going to be okay. Pulling her hand to my lips, I kiss her palm. “You’re going to be okay,” I tell her. “I love you,” I say, feeling my throat get tight.
She’s going to be okay.
“Now,” Dr. Haroldson says, “I’m going to have Dr. Connor come up and do an ultrasound to check on the baby. However, with Aspen’s vitals and recovery, her lungs being clear, we have full reason to believe that your baby is safe, and she should be able to carry to full term.”
