Page 17 of A Castle in the Sky: Fern & Connor
When she left, Fern exhaled slowly and sat on the edge of the bed, tucking a curl behind Coral's ear. Connor watched from where he was leaning against the wall. He seemed to be holding his breath.
"Are you feeling okay, baby?" she asked softly, ignoring him.
Coral considered this before she nodded her head. Jim had explained what was going to happen to her, and Coral seemed to like the kind man with caramel skin and brown eyes.
"Not scared at all?"
Coral leaned into her side, careful not to bump her arm. Fern could feel her shake her head again.
Fern wrapped her arms around her daughter, pressing her cheek against the top of Coral's head. "Always," she whispered. "Always here."
Coral yawned against her, small, warm and trusting.
Fern blinked hard against the sting in her eyes, breathing in the strawberry scent of her daughter's shampoo.
Today would be hard.Today, she would have to watch Coral drift off under anaesthesia, limp and small and frighteningly still.Today, she had signed forms and braced herself for whatever came next.
And just as Fern was about to lose her shit, the nurse came in to tell her that her father was outside, and could he come in?
Chapter 11
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall before she saw him.
Then her father filled the doorway—broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, his bald head gleaming under the bright hospital lights. His jacket was unzipped, the thick fur lining brushing against his collarbones. He looked exactly as he always did, like a man who could haul a lorry engine out with his bare hands and then fix all that was wrong in her world. He had single-handedly raised her when her overbearing mother left him for another man. It had been just the two of them against the world for the longest time… that was, until Connor entered her world.
Her face crumpled.
"Papa," Fern whimpered through dry, cracked lips.
Harlan dropped his bags exactly where he stood and strode forward. He went down on his knees and wrapped her up in those enormous arms, smelling of diesel, cold air, and the faint bite of wintergreen gum.
This time, she didn't even try to hold back her tears.
"My baby," he murmured as he pressed kisses into her hair. "My poor baby."
When she pulled back, wiping her cheeks, Harlan turned his attention to the bed, and his expression softened instantly.
"Hello, my little butterfly," he said, voice thick with warmth and not quite steady.
Coral lifted her good hand in a demand for a hug, her little head tilting helpfully, her right arm carefully still.
Harlan crouched beside her, his huge frame folding down to her height, his piercing blue eyes skimming over the dressings with an expression Fern knew too well—that quiet, murderous grief of a grandfather who'd give his own life to shield her from pain.
"You're being very brave, love," he said gently.
Coral nodded solemnly and indicated her bandaged arm, which he admired with appropriate horror.
Harlan kissed her temple, but then, his eyes drifted to Connor.
Connor stood by the wall, hands clasped in front of him, looking like a man waiting for the gallows. Tortured, hollow eyes looked back from a scruffy face.
Harlan's icy gaze sliced into him like a razor, yet Connor didn't look away.
A knock interrupted the thick tension, and a porter and nurse stepped in.
"Ready to go up, cupcake?" the nurse asked brightly. "We have this huge fish tank with... "
And just like that, the bubble broke as the nurse and porter chatted with Coral as they briskly transferred her to a gurney.
