AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’d been trying to keep it together since the moment the phone had rung.
Uncle Arthur was in his sixties. He had high blood pressure. He was fit enough, but he never stopped, never took care of himself. Others always came first.
“Shh, I got you,” Devin murmured.
Tears were leaking down her face. She breathed through them. “He’s fine. He’s going to be fine.”
So why was she losing it like this?
Maybe it was because she finally had the option to.
On the way to the hospital, she’d had to be the one to drive. Her mother had been even more of a wreck than her, so Zoe had been strong. It made sense. Uncle Arthur was her mother’s big brother, after all. They’d been through so much together.
Devin rocked her back and forth, whispering reassurances into her ear the entire time, and she melted into him.
It seemed like it took forever, but Devin’s steady strength slowly seeped into her. The tears ebbed. She pulled away, reaching into her purse for yet more Kleenex. Dabbing at her eyes, she shook her head. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
She blew her nose, but her mouth started wobbling all over again. He was being so nice to her, when he must be all shaken up, too.
Sitting back down, she beckoned him to take the seat beside her.
“What happened?”
“Heart attack. Partial, they said?” She gestured at the door her mother had disappeared behind a few minutes before. “They let my mom go see him before he heads up to surgery. They’re doing that—that balloon thing.” Angioplasty? “And a stent. They think his prognosis is good.” She waved her hands at herself. “I don’t know why I’m freaking out.”
“Hey, hey.” He grabbed her hand out of the air and squeezed it. “It’s okay.”
“I just—” She forced herself to stop and take a few deep breaths. As she stared up into his eyes, an unshakable sense of safety wrapped around her. It made her mist up all over again, but it was better this time. Shaky, she buried her face in his shoulder. “I’m just really glad you’re here.”
Too glad. Good grief. She needed to pull herself together. Han would be back with Lian soon. Her mother would be coming out before she knew it. The moment any of them returned, Devin would pull away. The idea of having him so close but unwilling to actually touch her made a fresh wave of misery crash across her chest.
“Come on.” He held her close, rubbing her back. “You said it yourself. He’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” she said, but the reassurances rang hollow. The only thing that helped was him holding her, so she clung to him, trying to soak in his strength while she could.
Far too soon, the elevator let out another chime. When she looked toward the opening doors, a different sort of nerves stole over her.
There they were. Han and Lian. Ten minutes ago, she would have been trembling with relief.
Ha.
She dropped her face into Devin’s neck for one last breath. Then she tore herself away, and it actually hurt. She met his concerned gaze, and she hated having to do it, but she nodded toward her brother and sister.
Devin glanced in the direction of the elevator. He had to see them, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he turned to Zoe. He stared deep into her eyes. A dozen emotions flashed across his face.
But the last one—the one that remained…
It was resolve.
Enough.
It was the same feeling that had come over Devin back at the construction site. When he’d been pushed too far, and he finally pushed back. He’d made himself heard.
And it had worked.
A strange, ringing silence eclipsed the riot of voices in his head.
