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“I’m almost done. I only noted two or three minor points.” He pointed a finger at Erin. “You made me teary.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Very good. Your characters are going to resonate with people. They aren’t perfect, but they’re likable and relatable.”
“Yeah, Megan hates it when the media portray military guys as alpha holes,” Reece agreed. “Hurry up and finish. I like to binge-watch shows rather than wait a week or two for more. I want the third episode by the end of the day.”
“If only.” Erin laughed. “But I do have the second episode on that tablet.”
Once the men were both reading, she put in her earbuds to drown out the voices on the TV and began typing on her laptop. She didn’t know how much time passed until Reece stood and stepped toward the man in blue scrubs who approached. Graham got up too.
“The surgery went just how we hoped,” the doctor started. “We put coils in both the main aneurysm and the smaller one to be safe.”
“Two?” Graham said in a tone so low it was barely audible.
“She’s in recovery now. Her sensory reflexes are as expected,” the doctor continued. “In about an hour, she’ll be moved to her room. She will be groggy and may have some speech or memory issues when she first wakes up, but that’s normal. I’ll check on her tonight and again in the morning. It’s possible she could go home tomorrow as long as someone is with her at all times.”
“I’ll be there,” Reece promised.
“I can help if needed too,” Erin volunteered.
“I’ll have a better idea once I check on her tonight. Again, thank you for your service,” Dr. Verner said to Reece and nodded to Graham before departing.
“Twoaneurysms?” Graham eyed Reece.
“The doctor wasn’t worried about the smaller one, so she didn’t want to make you worry more than you already were. Need to know basis,” Reece explained.
Graham returned a semi-amused grin and let out a deep breath. “Thank you.” He kissed Erin’s temple.
They took seats and let the good news seep in.
* * *
Graham finished readingErin’s script and gave her his notes. The second episode was every bit as engaging as the first. Now, Reece was flying through the pages.
Erin ran some questions past them for the scene she was working on, which helped pass the time while they waited. It was well over an hour before a recovery nurse called Reece’s name, then escorted them to Megan’s room.
Reece stroked Megan’s cheek as she slept. Relief and sadness choked Graham. If they’d only known about Bethann’s aneurysm before it ruptured. But Megan should be able to move forward to live a full and long life and Erin was here. He counted his blessings rather than focus on regrets since they couldn’t change the past.
When the nurse came to check on Megan later that afternoon, she woke up for a few minutes. Her speech was slurred, but she was able to respond to the nurse’s questions, which further assured Graham that Megan would be okay. He and Erin went to the cafeteria to eat, then returned to cover so Reece could grab food too.
“Has she woken yet?” Reece asked when he returned with a tray of food.
“She stirred a little, but the nurse said it’ll probably be another hour or more before the sedatives wear off,” Graham relayed.
Reece settled into the recliner next to the bed. When the door opened next, it was Bethann’s sister, Sharon, who entered. Graham immediately removed his hand from Erin’s knee.
“Sharon, I didn’t know you were coming.” Reece hesitated, then got to his feet.
Graham followed suit.
“Of course, I came. I couldn’t get here faster since I didn’t get the text about the surgery being today until this morning.”
“We didn’t know until last night ourselves,” Reece said.
“I replied to her text but didn’t hear anything back.”
“I turned off Megan’s phone once they prepped her for surgery.” Reece sounded unfazed by Sharon’s accusatory tone.
