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He let out a deep exhale. “I don’t have to tell you that we’re all out of options here, but I’ve seen miracles before and I’m just about due to add another one to my list.”
Sophia’s cheeks already ached from smiling so hard. It wasn’t necessarily happiness that she felt. More a strange mix of being overwhelmed yet completely calm at the same time. Somewhere amid this madness, she found clarity.
Now she just needed to tell Brodie that she screwed up. That she’d do anything and everything she could to stay alive just to be able to look into those breath-taking ocean eyes and tell him how much she loved him.
“When will it be?” Sophia asked.
“I’ll need a signature,” said Doctor Gunner, passing her the clipboard along with a pen. Sophia signed her name on the dotted line.
“Once I have the results from the blood tests back, I’ll let you know, but I’m hoping to clear my diary for tomorrow. We don’t have the luxury of time on our side.”
Sophia swallowed. All this time she’d been waiting for a tomorrow she wasn’t sure was going to happen and now it was here. The consent form was signed.
“We’ll be crossing our fingers and every other possible body part,” her mum chuckled.
“I’ll be back as soon as the results are in. Don’t go anywhere, Sophia. I’d like to keep an eye on you in for observations. Plus, if you’re here, then we can prepare you for surgery first thing in the morning.”
Usually, she would complain about the prospect of an overnight stay in hospital. She tried her best to avoid them at all costs so she could stay home with Brodie. But today she simply nodded and smiled sweetly.
“Are you okay to go and get my overnight bag?” she asked her mum. She always kept one packed and ready to go by her kitchen door, just in case.
“Sure honey. I need to find Austin, too.”
“He was in a dark place when he came to see me. I don’t know what changed, but just before I passed out, he was leaving. He was certain that he didn’t want to help me. I don’t know what changed, but just be wary of him, Mum.”
“I’m sure I can handle him. He’s my son when all is said and done.”
“I just wish you would have told us. He looked so lost when he was telling me what had happened. Like a part of him was broken. I just hope that being here in the bay with all of us can fix it.”
“The oldest wounds are the hardest to heal. It must have taken a lot for him to come back.” Her mum looked spaced out, as though her body was in the room, but her head was in some other universe.
“What do you think Dad will say about all this?”
“It’s going to be a huge shock for him to see Austin again, after all these years, but he’ll be over the moon. However much we tried, we never stopped thinking of him as our son.”
“I can’t believe he’s willing to go through with the transplant. Can you pass me my phone so I can call Brodie and tell him? He’s going to freak out, especially as he’s out of town.”
“Why is he out of town? I meant to ask earlier?”
“He went to find something to make me better. I’m not sure where he went or what he was hoping to come up with, but I can guarantee he won’t be expecting this.”
CHAPTER 36
Emmet had given up trying to convince Brodie that they should keep looking. Brodie felt the urgency, too, but knew they could waste more time looking without a plan than if they headed back to the bay and thought things through.
“Do you think you’d be able to convince Austin, even if we do manage to track him down?” Emmet asked.
“Do you mind if we talk about something else for a while?” The more questions Emmet asked, the more of a jerk he felt like for driving all the way to Puffin Sands without a decent plan B.
“Sure. Like what?”
“I don’t know. Anything. Life. Work. How’s it going with the girls all staying at your place?”
“It’s pretty intense,” Emmet admitted. “They have turned my whole place upside down. Half the time I feel like I’m living with them, not the other way around.” They just have so much stuff, I’ve never known anything like it. Hairbrushes, make-up, and shoes. I don’t think I own as many pairs of shoes as they’ve packed. Bearing in mind, they were only planning on staying for a week or two.”
“Imagine if they’d have known they were coming for four months.”
“I’d need to build an extension.”
