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The doctor looked at Sally.
“It’s up to you, Ava. Saylor and I want to be with him when they disconnect the breathing machine. You don’t have to be with us.”
Ava squared her shoulders. “I want to be.”
“There’s a chance—”
Ava shook her head vehemently before Saylor could continue. “He’s going to be okay.”
The doctor led them out of the office and back down the hallway. “A respiratory therapist will be assisting me by disconnecting the tube from the machine. I’m confident that Tabon will begin breathing on his own immediately.”
“Are you sure you want to be here?” Sally asked once more.
“I do, as long as you’re okay with it.”
Sally put her hand on Tabon’s left arm and motioned for Saylor and Ava to do the same.
Ava held her own breath watching as the breathing tube was disconnected. At the same moment Tabon took a breath on his own, so did she.
“Now what happens?” Saylor asked.
“We wait for him to wake up,” answered the doctor.
“How long might that take?”
Ava was so relieved Saylor asked, because as much as she wanted to, she wouldn’t have.
The doctor shrugged. “That’s up to him.”
They took turns taking breaks, so Tabon was never left alone. Kade and Merrigan had stayed with Monk in the ICU waiting room and told Ava they promised to give Aine, Pen, and Tara an update as soon as there was one.
“He’s breathing and doing everything else on his own,” she told them. “We’re just waiting for him to decide to open his eyes.”
She looked around the waiting room. “Where’s Gunner?” she asked. She hadn’t seen him earlier when the nurse brought her up, nor the last time she came out for a break.
“He’s in the chapel,” answered Monk from the far corner of the room.
“Where is that?”
“I’ll take you,” offered Kade.
“How are you holding up?” he asked as he led her down the hallway.
“Better now that I know Tabon is going to be okay.”
“If you need to talk, I’d offer myself, but you’d probably be more comfortable with Merrigan.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Here we are,” he said, motioning to a door flanked by two stained glass windows.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
Kade shook his head. “I think he’ll want to talk to you on his own.”
“Gunner?” Ava said, slowly walking down the aisle that separated the rows of pews in the small chapel. She saw him brush his face against his shirt sleeve before looking up at her.
She got right to the point, knowing that if the situation were reversed, she’d want him to do the same. “He’s going to be fine.”
