Emily

I stopped off to get some ice chips from the nurses and stood in the hallway long enough to text Dana for yet another favor.

She was already bringing me clothes and some toiletries from my place, one more thing wouldn’t be so bad, right?

At least, until she saw the size of it.

I could practically hear the string of cuss words she’d let loose even as I texted her the request.

She could yell at me later. Right now, all I cared about was Ethan.

I passed Lennox and Kane on my way back to his room, the two of them had their solemn faces on, which was a far cry from their usual constant bickering.

“He looks pretty good, don’t you think? I mean, all things considered?” Lennox asked, already nodding in answer to his own question. His eyes strayed toward the waiting room, but he didn’t ask what happened.

Kane, on the other hand had no compunction about asking. “So, how’d it go with parents of the year in there?” There was no mistaking the look on his face, and his obvious anger made him look momentarily as menacing as his twin. I didn’t know him well, of course, but from what I’d seen, it took a lot to wipe the easy smile from Kane Edenfield’s face.

And Ethan’s parents had definitely done that.

I shrugged and gave Kane and Lennox the only answer I had at that moment. “I tried. Now the only thing we can do is wait and see if they’ll do the same.”

“Wouldn’t hold my breath on that one,” Kane remarked, his angry expression slipping when he reached out to rub my upper arm. “But I think I speak for everyone when I say you’re fucking awesome for having tried. You went to bat for him and that means a lot. To all of us.”

Blinking back tears, I nodded and stepped around them before they turned me into a blubbering mess. I didn’t want to think about it yet, didn’t let myself really process what I’d done, what I’d said to Ethan’s parents. Because the truth was, it didn’t matter.

Not if they walked out the door anyway.

None of it will matter if it didn’t get through, if Ethan left here as parentless as when he was wheeled in.

Kade tipped his head in my direction when I walked back into the room. “Aubrey ducked in here like a ninja, stole a quick kiss on his cheek, and darted out again before the nurse caught her. He was asleep at the time, I think. She’s going crazy waiting her turn.” He offered a quick smile to Ethan and waved me over to take his spot. “I’ll send her in in a few, give you two some time alone first.”

Jared followed him out, stopping to give me a quick hug as he passed.

Finally alone with Ethan, I took the seat closest to his side. I gripped his hand and leaned over, peppering the back of it with soft kisses before holding it against my cheek. The tears started up again and wouldn’t stop.

They kept coming and coming until I thought I might dehydrate. Ethan’s other hand came to rest on the top of my head, stroking my hair, comforting me when it was him who was in pain.

“Baby, stop. It’s okay. I’ll be okay.”

Hearing how hard it was to even get those few words out gutted me, kick-starting another wave of helpless, angry, frightened tears. “I can’t stop seeing it, Ethan. It’s always there, every time I blink. I thought you were going to die. Or be paralyzed. What if you wouldn’t have been able to play or paint?” I sniffed miserably, still nuzzling his warm hand against my cheek.

“That didn’t happen. I’m here and whole, or as much as I ever was. So stop.” He coughed raggedly, clenching his teeth at the pain, and I felt like crap for acting this way, making him comfort me when it was him who needed comforting.

“I love you, Ethan. So, so much.”

“I love you too, Miss Emily,” he whispered, tugging my hand to get me to look up. “Show me that smile I adore.”

I tried, I really did, but we both knew I wasn’t capable of it just then. Not yet. Maybe when I got him home.

He wheezed and gave another painful-sounding cough, so I jumped up and got him some ice chips. He tried to take the little cup and spoon, but I refused to give them up.

His eyes lingered on my face as I sat on the edge of the bed and carefully spooned up a few chips. He allowed me to feed them to him and smiled as he let them slowly melt in his mouth. While I loaded a few more onto the spoon, he draped his arm across my thighs and the warmth of it helped me relax a bit.

Several bites later, he said he was done, and I put the cup away. We sat there holding hands for a while, not talking, just zoning out to the sound of the heart monitor beeping.

It had been a while since I left Mr. and Mrs. Chase in that waiting room. And they hadn’t shown. I didn’t know what to do with that—how to quell my anger so Ethan wouldn’t know what had happened.

The nurse came in and checked on him, administered something for his pain, and promised the doctor would be in again before dinner.

When Ethan’s eyes fell closed a few minutes later, I was grateful. Grateful that he didn’t look to be hurting as much. Grateful that he was here and able to hold my hand. And grateful that he didn’t know his parents were here and left without even seeing him.

The nurse couldn’t have given him a single thing to take away pain like that.

I leaned on the bed, with my head resting against his arm so that I could be close without worrying about accidentally hurting him. Aubrey came in and stood by my side, rubbing my back as she looked Ethan over.

From the pained expression on her face, I could tell how much she cared about Ethan, about all of them, really. They were her family as much as each other’s. She was one of them, and as it turned out, so was I.

“He told me what he did for you for Christmas,” she whispered, watching his chest rise and fall. “That’s a whole new level of love.”

“Guess Kade has to step up his game now, huh?” I managed some semblance of a smile.

“Oh yeah. E set the bar high as hell with that one.”

“He sure did.”

She glanced at his face and dropped her voice to a whisper. “They coming?”

I just shook my head, afraid if I opened my mouth, I’d say something vile and angry at a volume guaranteed to wake Ethan up.

“He has all the family he could ever need, Em. He has us. And now he has you. He’s happy and loved. Screw them. He’s ours.”

“Yes, he is.” I managed past the knot in my throat.

Aubrey stood there beside me and nodded resolutely, one hand on my back, the other on her hip.

I didn’t see Gail and Charles come in, but I felt them. I felt their presence in the same way I always felt Ethan walk into a room even before I saw him. He had an energy about him, an electricity that almost hummed.

Apparently, it was hereditary.

Aubrey and I both turned in their direction as they moved to the end of the bed, Gail holding a large vase of flowers—roses and lilies and daisies that trembled like the hand that held them.

They didn’t look at us—their eyes were locked on their son, their broken, abandoned, amazing son who would open his eyes to a whole new chapter in his life—a healing chapter, in every sense of the word. And hopefully a new beginning for all three of them.

“Is he…?” Charles croaked, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.

“He’s sleeping. The nurse gave him something for pain.”

“He was in a lot of pain?” This from Gail.

Aubrey patted my shoulder and stepped out, leaving us alone. The guys would hear the news in a minute, and I could only hope they behaved themselves when the time came for them all to be in the same room again.

“Not a lot. He was talking and seemed relatively comfortable at first, but I could tell whatever they gave him was starting to wear off. His expression was pinched, like he was fighting to hide it, so I wouldn’t worry.”

“He never did like to let on when he was hurting,” Gail said, giving a little smile. “He shrugged off skinned knees and stitches like they didn’t even hurt.”

“He didn’t want to upset his mama,” Charles added, reaching for her hand as he told me. “Gail went all to pieces every time either of them got so much as a scratch.”

“They were my babies, Charlie.” She shot her husband a look. Her chin quivered when she looked back at Ethan, and I watched two fat tears roll down her face as she whispered again, “They were my babies.”

“Mom? Dad?” Three sets of eyes darted to the bed and found Ethan staring wide-eyed around the room. “Are you really here?”

The way he said that—the childlike tone—made me want to crawl into that bed and hold him to my chest. It was such a small voice coming from such a strong, grown-up man.

His parents heard it too. From the corner of my eye I watched Gail rock back a little, like hearing the doubt and vulnerability in his voice was a physical blow.

Good. I hope it hit its mark.

He looked back and forth between them and me, his eyes as round as saucers.

“I’m going to let you three talk.” I went to stand, but he gripped my hand tight in his own, tugging me back down.

“No, stay. Please.”

And so, I did.

When Ethan was satisfied I wasn’t going anywhere, he turned back to his parents and swallowed hard. “Good thing I didn’t die, or you never would have had this chance.” His chin trembled as tears gathered in his crystal blue eyes. “Please don’t waste it.”