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“No!” Luke said in a raised voice that got the attention of both Callie and his father. They were both staring at him with wide eyes. “For the first time in my life I’m stepping up and claiming my life. Clearly you think there’s something wrong with that, but I don’t.”
“You’re a Duvall, son. Duvall men don’t go gallivanting all over the place singing on stages,” Lionel huffed.
“Daddy, haven’t you gotten tired of meddling?” Callie huffed. “I thought you’d learned your lesson a few months ago when Mac showed up in Savannah and your deception unraveled.”
Lionel glared at his daughter. “I love my children. Your happiness means the world to me. If that’s meddling, then so be it.”
Luke raised his hand to his forehead. It was pounding. He’d never had a headache quite like this one before. He hadn’t slept very well last night. Perhaps he was overtired and dehydrated.
Suddenly, all he could see were bright silvery stars in front of him. He shook his head then rubbed his eyes. A feeling of such weakness came over him. He felt his legs giving out.
“Luke. What’s wrong?” Callie asked.
“I-I feel strange all of a sudden. I can’t focus—” he told her. He felt himself slumping to the ground.
“Luke. Open your eyes.” His father’s voice called to him from nearby.
Right before he lost consciousness, Morgan’s face appeared before his eyes and he heard Callie frantically crying out his name. Then everything faded to black.
**
Morgan’s cell phone buzzed insistently. Her head was still wrapped up in her conversation with her mother. Luke. She had to find him. She needed to make things right with him and tell him from the bottom of her heart that she loved him. Madly. Deeply. A forever type of love. She’d been forced to live without him in her life once before. It had been a hideous existence, filled with regret and yearning and devastation. She had no intention of reliving that horror.
Morgan didn’t recognize the number flashing on her phone, although it was a local number.
“Hello. Who’s calling?” she answered.
A deep voice came on the line. “Morgan. This is Jax.”
“Hey Jax. How are you doing?” A slight pause ensued.
“Not too well at the moment. I won’t beat around the bush. It’s Luke. Something’s happened. He’s in the emergency room after collapsing at the office. We’re all gathered on the fifth floor while he’s being operated on.” Morgan heard Jax as if through a wind tunnel. After a while all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart and a thunderous noise buzzing in her ears.
Morgan quickly ended the call and sprinted into action. She grabbed her purse and keys, then raced out the door. The drive to the hospital was agonizing. Jax hadn’t given her any details about Luke’s medical emergency which caused her to speculate about it during the car ride.
Was it a stroke? An accident? Her mind whirled with the possibilities. What if he didn’t make it? Jax’s voice had betrayed his own fear and nervousness. Luke’s condition had to be critical.
Please Lord, let him be alive. Please let him live. Even if we’re not together, please let him be a part of this world.
Fear unlike any she had ever known had her in its grip. This was far worse than any other fear Morgan had ever dealt with. The dread of losing someone she loved beyond all measure threatened to choke her.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear hath torment. The passage from John spoke to her, providing her with comfort. For so long she had been living in fear and blocking out the blessings of what she’d found with Luke. Love. True, real and enduring love. Luke had never wavered in his love for her and his belief that they would be wonderful life partners for each other. He had fought tooth and nail to be with her. At every turn she’d fought him. She had always had one foot in the relationship and one foot out. Morgan had allowed her fear of abandonment to destroy their second chance at love.
And now, all she wanted to do was run to Luke. To tell him what he meant to her. To shout it from the hospital rooftop if necessary.
The last time Luke had been in the hospital Morgan had remained at a safe, discreet distance. Even though her heart had been breaking, she had stayed off to the sidelines. She had hidden her love away like a dirty little secret. There was no way in the world she was going to do that this time around. She loved Luke. And he loved her in return. He’d proven it over and over again.
When Luke had been hit by the car, Morgan hadn’t stepped up. She had still been masking the fact that she loved Luke. This time she would move mountains to be at his side. If the worst happened—which she prayed it didn’t—she wanted to be at Luke’s side as the woman who loved him beyond all reason.
Morgan raced to the fifth floor. As she ran to the front desk, she heard her name being called by a deep, masculine voice. Jax, Callie’s husband, stood there, a frantic expression etched on his face. Her heart pounded even louder.
“Jax! Where’s Luke? What are the doctors saying?”
He ran his hand through his dark mane of hair. “He’s in surgery. It’s a blood clot. They needed to snip it before it reached his brain. They think it was the result of the accident.”
Morgan gasped. She had known it was serious, but this sounded life threatening. She knew enough about blood clots to know they could be fatal.
Please, Lor
