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The social worker left, and I eased a sigh, a small one, and waited for the doctors to come out and tell me I could see him. Until that happened, the rest of this craziness could wait.
What felt like an eternity later, a doctor—middle aged and balding—approached. He was frowning as he read the chart in his hand. I stood up on shaking legs.
“You’re here for Mr. Meade-Finch?”
“How is he?”
“Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it.” The man’s frown deepened. “He’s fine.”
I blinked. “He’s…fine?”
“Perfectly healthy. Vitals strong, oxygen levels normal, toxicology is clean, CT scan is clear, and he passed a mental examination with flying colors. All of which has left the team a tad baffled, to be honest. The field report states he was clinically dead for four minutes.”
I winced as if I’d been punched in the gut, but the doctor was busy studying his chart.
“Given how long he was unconscious in a burning structure, we’d expect to see severe burns, lung damage due to smoke inhalation, and possible anoxic brain injury. He’s clean as a whistle.” He shook his head. “I’m not a religious man, but…it’s rather a sort of miracle.”
I barely heard, as if my tears blurred my eyes and ears, both. “Can I see him?”
I was led to CCU room number nine where Ambri lay in a hospital gown, the bed partially inclined. A nasal cannula was in his nose, and monitors on the wall beeped and displayed his vitals. I approached slowly. The last image I’d had of Ambri, his back had been torn open and shadows were reaching for him. I wanted to burst into tears of joy, but it was all too surreal.
A nurse smiled at me. “He’s resting now, but I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.”
I nodded faintly and sat beside him. I took his hand in mine and just held it for a few moments. I traced the lines of his fingers, his palm, then pressed the back of his hand to my lips, forcing my senses to believe this was real.
I glanced at the nurse who gave me a final parting smile, then left us alone. Whenmy gaze returned to Ambri, he was awake and staring at me.
“Hi, baby.”
“Am I dreaming?” he whispered.
“I don’t think so, but honestly, it’s hard to tell. What do you remember?”
“All of it,” he said. “But the worst parts…like the Other Side…are hard to grasp. It’s like a nightmare that’s fading away.” Tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. “I’m not…what I was anymore. I’m…free.”
He broke down and I climbed onto the bed beside him and pulled him close. He clung to me, trembling, and I held him as he cried. My chest ached; I wanted to let go too, but I couldn’t.
What if this isn’t real?
Ambri sat up and wiped his eyes. “Look at me. Handful of moments as a human, and I’m already a sobbing mess.”
“I love you as a sobbing mess.”
“You’d better, because it’s your fault,” he said and settled against my chest. “I’ve never felt this happy before. It’s so powerful, I’m scared it isn’t real. That this is a trick or ruse, and I’m going to be hauled away from you at any moment.”
“I know what you mean,” I said, holding him tighter.
He pulled back to look at me. “Are you happy too?”
His hopeful uncertainty nearly broke my heart, so I kept my fears to myself. I bent and kissed him softly. “I’m so fucking happy right now, if you hooked me up to that heart monitor, doctors would come running.”
“Because there’s no place for me to run anymore,” Ambri said. “No Other Side I can hide in when things are tough. It’s just going to be me, all the time.”
“That’s all I’ve wanted since the moment we met. You, all the time.”
Please let this be real.
Ambri smiled, soft and full of love, and laid his head back down. “I think I’m falling asleep. It’s nerve-wracking to just…drift away. Will you stay?”
