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“I am.” I stood, holding Brynlee tight against me. I could feel all eyes burning into me over the doctor referring to me as Jaron’s wife.
“I’m Dr. Rainn. Will you step out into the hall with me please?” Dr. Rainn asked, looking past me.
“No. You can tell me here,” I insisted. “This is Jaron’s family.”
“Fine.” He looked back down at me. “Jaron was shot twice. Once in the abdomen and once in the shoulder. His right kidney was severely damaged and had to be removed. His liver, stomach, and intestines were also hit. The wound in the shoulder didn’t hit anything vital and both surgeries went well. But he has a long road ahead of him as we now have to worry about infection—”
“But he’s alive?” Eve asked, coming up to my side.
“Yes, ma’am. He is alive. You can see Jaron now, but I will warn you, he isn’t awake.”
I nodded, looking back at Jaron’s parents.
“Let me take Brynn,” my mom said, coming up to me. “I know you just got her back a few hours ago but…”
“No, I…I know she’s young, but I don’t want her to see her daddy like that.” Or for her to see me break down. “Thank you, Mom.” I looked at my dad who was still sitting by the far wall. “And Daddy.”
He nodded once.
“We love you, sweetheart.” Mom took Brynlee from my arms and kissed my cheek. “Now go see Jaron. He’s going to need you.”
I nodded, petted a hand over my daughter’s head, and went up to Jaron’s parents. “We aren’t married,” I said, grabbing Eve’s hands. “I promise you that. We would never get married and not invite you.”
She threw her arms around me, knocking me back a step. “I know. Jaron did tell me he was going to marry you one day.”
I leaned back, finding Eve’s red rimmed eyes staring down at me. “He said that?”
She gave me a soft smile. “You were kids. We had gone to see his Aunt Brogan and Uncle Coby and the rest of you. It was the first time he had seen you in a couple years. He told me…” She laughed lightly, a lone tear rolling down her cheek.
Greyson placed a hand on her shoulder.
“His words were, ‘I’m going to marry her, Mama. And I’ll follow her around the world until I convince her to say yes.’”
“He…” I swallowed past the hard lump that had suddenly taken up residence in my throat. “Really?”
She nodded. “You must have been talking about traveling or something. But that’s what he said. I never really believed him but now…” She shook her head. “He has you down as his wife and you’re not even married yet. God, I never realized…I just…He’s so much like his father, it’s unreal. He’s a stubborn one and can be a jerk at times, but he loves you. He loves you so damn much, Piper. Go see him. Our boy needs you. God, does he need you.” She cupped my cheek. “Take care of him.”
I nodded, swallowing hard.
Following the doctor, he led me to Jaron’s room. I tried to expect the worst, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw before me. A large tube was down Jaron’s throat. The doctor explained what it was for but the only thing I could focus on was how Jaron looked. Tubes were sticking out of his arms. The machines that he was hooked up to, beeped and controlled the life inside of him.
Jaron was usually strong and sure of himself. Now he just looked weak and like he was barely holding on.
My knees buckled beneath me when an arm wrapped around my middle.
I jumped, staring up at Cyrus.
“Eve said you were in here. I know I’m not supposed to be, but I also knew you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
I nodded, words lost on my tongue.
I couldn’t handle it. He was right. Jaron didn’t deserve this. Neither did his parents. And neither did I.
I pulled out of Cyrus’s grip and rushed to Jaron’s side, falling to my knees. “Oh Jaron. I’m so sorry.” I kissed his cheek, pushing my face into the crook of his neck. He was back. But at the same time, fighting for his life.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Cyrus, I can’t do this.”
“You can. He needs you to be strong for him.”
