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Leo: Uncle Brett is pissed. Brad is on his way to your place to deal with the police so you can get here.
Leo: They took Nov for exploratory surgery. It’s common with stab injuries.
Missed Call - Brett Pratt
“You can answer that. We’ll be there in three.” Officer Landish switches lanes. I must shake my head because he keeps talking. “Nova? That’s your fiancée’s name? She looked good when they got to her. She—”
“She could have been killed because of me.” I don’t recognize my voice. “I promised I would always keep her safe, that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I’m…”
Another call jostles my phone.Brett Pratt.
With trembling hands, I manage to answer. “I’m sorry. It was Tara. I’m so, so sorry.” My throat closes on a choked sob.
Brett curses. “Son, it’s not your fault. Dev, do you hear me?” I grunt, swiping at my damp cheeks. “Where are you? Are you on your way to Nova?”
The blue lights lining the rooftop come into view as we near the Hospital. “I’m almost there. I… Leo’s in the ER. He’s…she’s in surgery.” My thoughts won’t stop scrambling.
“Exploratory surgery. Yeah, I talked with him. That’s not a bad thing. She’s a Pratt, Dev. She’s built for tough things. She’s gonna be fine.”
“She has to be, Brett. I don’t… I can’t live without her.”
The patrol car comes to a jolting stop in a parking spot near the ER doors. I’m unbuckling and jumping out before Officer Landish is inPark.
“Dev? Ruby’s booking us the earliest flight she can find. I’ll let Leo know when it is. One of you call me the moment you know something.”
“Okay, yeah. Of course, I will. I’m about to walk into the ER.”
“You give my girl a kiss from her momma and daddy when you see her, okay?” Brett clears his throat. “We love you guys.”
“I know.”
“No, Devin.” His stern voice stops me in my tracks. “I love you, son. I need you to know that. We love you and would never blame you for what happened. No matter what. You got that?”
I swipe more moisture from my eyes with the back of my hand. “I love you guys, too. Thank you. And your daughter…”
“I know, son. Go take care of our girl.”
I consider myself a patient man. I don’t honk and tail slow drivers. I wait. If there’s a long line at the store, I don’t huff in annoyance. I wait. When I found out Nova wasn’t with Benito anymore, I didn’t throw her over my shoulder. I waited.
In this waiting room, I’m crawling out of my skin. If I wouldn’t be dragged out of here by security, I’d be barging into that operating room and never leave Nova’s side.
When a woman in green scrubs approaches, asking if we’re here for Nova Pratt, I shoot to my feet.
With a reassuring gleam in her eyes, she says, “The surgery went well. Nova’s in recovery now. There were three lacerations on the surface of her liver which required some sutures, and a two-centimeter perforation of the anterior surface of the stomach, which I closed.”
“What does that mean?”
“To be put simply, she’s going to be just fine. We also did a CT Scan to check for brain trauma, which was negative. She may have a concussion, but until she wakes, we can’t verify that. We’ll keep an eye on her, but she should be able to go home in a few days if we don’t run into any complications.”
Leo’s hand clasps my shoulder. “Told you she was tough.”
“When can I see her?”
Nova still hasn’t opened her eyes, but I haven’t let go of her hand. Sitting on the edge of a chair, I rest my head on the bed, draping my other hand over her hip.
Open your eyes, baby. Open your eyes.
In a fog of torment and exhaustion, I don’t remember falling asleep, but something wakes me. Nova’s fingers twitch, and my head whips up. Fluttering open, her eyes land on me. “Dev?”
