Page 110 of The Chosen
Sarah shifted awkwardly. “No pressure or anything. I get this is a bit of a surprise. It’s a surprise to me, too. But I spent years wondering where I came from, so if it’s not too painful, would you mind telling me about her sometime? Not right now, but?—”
“I’d love to,” he whispered, standing and moving toward her, wrapping her in his embrace.
Watching them hold each other filled me with hope. Despite everything Isaac stole from Blake and everything Josiah stole from Sarah, somehow they still survived.
Managed to find each other.
“Mrs. Kane?” a voice said.
I looked up, worried it was another detective wanting to ask even more questions.
Instead, it was a man in green scrubs.
“I prefer to go by Ms. Summers, if you don’t mind,” I corrected, pulling myself to my feet.
The man gave a quick nod. “Of course. I’m Dr. Sterling. I just finished operating on Mr. Fontaine.”
Every ounce of blood drained from my body, worry and dread colliding inside me.
Blake moved toward me, finding my hand and squeezing it.
“And?” I asked breathlessly, searching Dr. Sterling’s expression for a clue as to whatever he was about to tell me. Compassion. Sympathy. Understanding. But it was calm and professional, giving nothing away.
“The bullet hit Mr. Fontaine’s kidney and nicked part of his liver. With injuries like that, time becomes critical.”
Fear wrapped around my chest, making it impossible to breathe.
“Thankfully, I was able to successfully remove the bullet and repair the damage.”
“So he’s okay?” I whispered, air rushing from my lungs so hard I nearly collapsed.
“I’m cautiously optimistic. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are critical. Infection and sepsis are my biggest concerns right now, so we’ll be keeping a very close eye on him and may need to operate again. But for now, he’s stable.”
Stable.
Not dead.
I’d take stable.
“Can I see him?” I asked hopefully.
“The anesthesia hasn’t fully worn off yet,” Dr. Sterling warned. “When it does, he’ll probably be quite disoriented from the pain medication.”
“I don’t care.” My voice cracked. “I just… I need to see his chest rise and fall.”
Something softened in his expression, an understanding of sorts. “Of course. Come with me.”
I followed him out of the waiting room, keeping my head lowered against all the curious stares.
The walk down the maze of hallways felt endless. Every light overhead buzzed too loudly. Every heartbeat thudded against my chest. Every breath of air felt strained.
Finally, the doctor stopped outside a room and opened the door.
The sight of Henry nearly broke me.
He lay motionless in the hospital bed with a thin blanket over him, machines blinking and humming around him. Tubes snaked from his arms, bruises still darkening his face.
He looked so fragile. So…human. Not the formidable man I’d always known him to be.
