“Asher, please let me know if you need anything. Anything at all. Let’s pray for a quick recovery.”
“Thanks, Michael. I appreciate it.” And I did. It was his job to oversee hospital policy and procedure. He easily could have pulled the ethics card. I appreciated his blind eye. He was no fool. He’d want the best taking a scalpel to his significant other as well.
Alone once again, I once-overed Tack who was deep in thought. “Let’s get a drink, bud.” Hesitantly he agreed, but was relieved to stay put when Lili walked in with a cardboard container holding three cups of coffee. “Perfect timing.”
“Thought you could use this.”
Tack took his cup and parked himself back in a chair. It was obviously a waiting room for one purpose. To wait. And Tack had no intentions of going anywhere.
“Is he okay?” she whispered, pulling me into the hall.
“He will be. On the other side. Once it’s done.”
She nodded, not pressing any further. Nothing about this whole messed up situation was okay. None of us were okay. And we wouldn’t be. Until Tal was home in our bed, bulletless, biting her lip and getting all sassy, I was not going to be okay.
“I talked to Avery.” Lil stopped there, and I got the gist. The Craig clan would undoubtedly be descending in a few hours and I had zero say about it. It’s how we rolled. And I loved them for it, but right now I wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t feeling anything other than spending time with my woman.
“Mr. Craig, Mr. Pryce, Dr. Colton asked me to come get you. Of course, Mrs. Colton, you’re welcome as well. The OR is ready and we’re getting ready to move Dr. Pryce upstairs.”
The sick pit in my stomach churned as we followed the young nurse down the quiet corridor. The nervous energy at my back fueled the bile threatening to rise. Tack wasn’t going to trust anything until he saw her with his own eyes.
She escorted us down a few long halls, away from the craziness. I wasn’t familiar with this part of the hospital. It was quieter, more private than the hectic trauma bay. From a distance, I saw a lone stretcher in front of a massive steel elevator that had direct access to the OR. Several varying-sized bags of fluid still hung from poles attached to her bed, while the blue monitor at the bottom broke up the monotonous sea of sterile white surrounding her. This time nothing was tainted red. The blankets were tucked in such a way that her already slender frame looked tinier, leaving only her face exposed. A few blonde strands had escaped from beneath a thin blue cap and needed to be tucked behind her ears. But the tubing securing the nasal cannula feeding her oxygen was using that space. The mask was gone. Her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful.
She heard us silently approach, lifted her lids, and smiled. A heart-stopping beautiful smile. My woman had a bullet lodged in her goddamn back and this was her way to comfort us, make it easier for us. Sweet Jesus, her armor was made of iron. She was bulletproof.
Tack flew directly to her side. “Mom. I love you.” No how are you, no don’t worry, no you’re going to be fine. Nope. Straight to the point, he needed to put it out there, saying the only thing that mattered. I stilled with burning eyes. At nineteen he had already figured it out. It was the only thing mattered. “They say Chase is the best, you’re in good hands.”
“He tell you that?” Tal half-smirked, struggling to keep her eyes open to look past us. I cringed thinking about how much pain my woman was in and wished it on myself a million times over, but at least they made her comfortable. I followed her gaze to find Chase now standing at the foot of the bed. Even through her sass, her soft eyes were searching his. He answered her question with a barely there smile, but it was enough. He and Tack were good. Content, she moved her eyes back to her son. “Now listen to me, I know this is scary, but I’m okay. His ego doesn’t need to hear it, but you’re right, I’m in good hands. And ... I love you too.” She spoke slowly and calmly. Tack rapidly blinked and stiffened his spine, struggling to control his emotion. His armor was not as strong. Yet. The vice that had taken up residence in my chest from the second he said ‘she’s been shot’ managed to squeeze even tighter witnessing his raw vulnerability. Tal unburied her arm from the waffled blanket and egged him closer whispering, “It’s gonna be okay, baby.”
He kissed her colorless cheek, nodding to convince himself and walked away. He needed his minute.
Lili stepped up. “Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll go with him. You just hurry up and get back here. I need you healthy, I can’t handle hormonal asspuck without ya. I love you.”
“Thanks, Lil, see you later.”
Lil swiped her tears, exchanged a meaningful glance with her husband then squeezed my shoulder as she walked by.
Chase followed her halfway down before he wrapped her up. When her muffled sobs echoed down the hall it dawned on me that it was the first time they were seeing each other. Fuck you, Roy Wayne. I shut it down; I’d deal with that anger later. That bastard wasn’t stealing one more second of our time. It was just me and her.
My turn.
I went straight for her lips. She was warm and tasted like my Tal. “Teeps, god, you’re beautiful.”
“I know you’re lying, Ace, but thank you. Putrid yellow’s not exactly my color.” She bit her lip and jostled the blanket to show her gown. She gave me two of the three and I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved her more for it. Now I just needed her bulletless.
“Promise me you won’t give the asshole any surprises in there, okay? I want him in and out. And I want what’s mine back in one perfect piece.”
Her smile spread to a grin, and her chocolate crystals pooled. “I love you. You know that, right?” Her voice was so raspy and frail. I wanted my vibrant Tal back.
Don’t you dare go there.
I swallowed the blade in my throat. “You get back down here and we’re gonna talk about changing that last name of yours.” I kissed her again, memorizing everything about it. “I love you too, more than you know,” I whispered, not because Chase was back, but it was all I could manage to get out.
It was time.
One last kiss and I stood up, wiped my face, and smacked Chase on the back. “Fix her, man. She’s my everything.”
His team wheeled her onto the elevator and I prayed to God her armor didn’t crack.
Chapter 22 Wait
The relief on Chase’s face was the cure better than oxygen. My lungs expanded wide and I could finally breathe again.
It was over.
My family hung back while Tack and I met him at the door. Over the five and a half hours of waiting hell, the administrative conference room had become the Craig family respite. They arrived like clockwork, staking claim and parking it for the long haul. All of them, except for my parents. Luckily, Molly convinced Ma to stay home with Dad by promising hourly updates. Add Lil, Sierra, and Dodd and we outgrew the waiting room. Coffee cups and tissue boxes were scattered, chairs were shuffled, and a fresh fruit and sandwich platter lingered in the middle of the table. Leave it to my sisters to never arrive empty handed. As much as I wasn’t feeling it earlier, I was happy they came.
“All fixed.”
Two words. That’s all it took to loosen the jaws of the vice around my heart. Thank you. I accrued some heavy debt with the big man over the past several hours. Debt I’d gladly repay. Hell, he could take whatever, whenever.
Tack bent in half, braced his hands to his thighs. He wouldn’t have been any less of a man in my eyes if he upchucked right on the spot. Hell, I was tempted.