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He takes the phone from my hand and hoists me up. “Everything is cleaned up, and the doctor has news. You need to talk to him.”
I tense.
“Go,” he urges, pushing at my shoulder. “He’s waiting for you.”
I wipe at my eyes again, and I take the phone back. “I love you. Thank you.”
“Love you too, honey,” Mom answers. “Be brave for her.”
Be brave for her.
I can do that.
61
AURORA
The first people in the room after I wake up are two police officers. They have a list of my injuries from the doctor, and although I don’t know what Knox’splanis, if he has any at all, I figure it’s better to lie.
I tell them that I was showering when my heart felt funny. I collapsed, and that must’ve been when my shoulder dislocated. No, I don’t remember being brought to the hospital. No, I don’t remember anything else.
When they leave, a nurse helps me raise the bed a little more.
My chest hurts. There’s a good amount of pain medication flowing through me, as well as something to help hopefully prevent infection and sepsis like last time.
And then Knox is here.
My eyes fill with tears—and so do his. His eyes are already red, and he doesn’t seem to be bothered when they spill down his cheeks. I haven’t seen so much emotion from him in years. And yet he’s giving it all to me now. All his worry, heartache—no irony intended—and his relief. He climbs on the bed, ignoring the nurse’s quiet gasp, but he doesn’t so much as graze my chest. He kisses my forehead and leans to the side, curling around mein a way that’s heartbreakingly familiar. His arm comes down across my abdomen, a secure weight that grounds me.
I was in heart failure.
They cracked open my chest again and cleared out scar tissue and replaced the valve, which should hopefully give me more of a fighting chance to stay away from more open-heart surgery.
“Be easy with her,” the nurse orders.
“Yes, ma’am,” Knox replies.
She slips out, I think. The door clicks shut a moment later.
I raise my hand, and Knox takes it.
He meets my gaze. “I should’ve told you I loved you that day on your doorstep instead of telling you to suffer. You didn’t deserve that from me.”
“I didn’t,” I agree. But… “Did you just say love?”
“I did. I do.” He clears his throat. “I mean, I’ve been in love with you forever, Sunny. Obviously.”
I laugh. It aches, but it also feels good. “Obviously, Knox?Obviously?”
He smiles. “Maybe not so obvious, then. I mean, why else would I not divorce you?”
“Because you’re insane.”
“Well, yeah.” He sighs. “Your dad’s on his way.”
I suck in a breath. “What?”
“He should be landing soon. I thought you should know. And I’m taking the rest of the season off?—”
