He looked so vulnerable, lying on the hospital bed surrounded by various machines. A nurse stood at his side, checking the screen.

“Sorry, just a sec and then I will be out of your way.”

“Take your time,” Emily whispered.

She stared at Conor’s face, his color matching his bed linen. The nurse finished and beckoned her forward.

“I have to stay here. Just in case. But I will be working on paperwork.”

Emily nodded and took a seat at the side of the bed.

“Can I touch him?”

“Sure, hold his hand. Speak to him. He can probably hear you.”

Emily looked at Conor’s face. He looked as if he were in a deep sleep. She kissed his hand before moving slightly to place a light kiss on his lips.

“Wake up, please. I love you.”

She stroked his hand, willing him to open his eyes but he didn’t.

“Conor, can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand?”

She held his hand but nothing. Feeling more than a little stupid, she looked to the nurse. “He isn’t moving.”

“He’s heavily sedated. That’s the best thing for him, given what he has been through. Thank goodness the shooter wasn’t a good one.”

“What are his injuries?”

“The bullet passed through his leg but it was a while before anyone called the paramedics so he lost a lot of blood. He was lucky. A couple of inches up and he would have hit an artery.”

An alarm sounded, making Emily jump. The nurse moved quickly but efficiently. “Nothing to worry about, but I should ask you to leave now. He needs his rest.”

Emily nodded. “Thank you. Can I come back?”

“Yes, we encourage that. You keep talking to him. I don’t want him blaming me for keeping his fiancée away.”

“Thank you for being so kind.”

“My pleasure. See you soon.”

Emily gave Conor one last kiss before she left the room, tears now falling freely down her cheeks.

“Did he say anything to you, Ms. Williams?”

Emily looked at the cop. “No, he’s still unconscious.”

The cop looked disappointed.

“Do you have any idea who did this?”

“No, ma’am. But we’ll find out.”

Emily hoped he was as confident as he sounded. She moved slowly toward the waiting room. Her grandmother came forward and put her arms around her, pulling her close.

“Nana, he hasn’t woken up. He didn’t even move.”

“That’s normal, darling. It will take a while for him to come around.. Come on, let’s get you home.”

“No way. I’m staying here. I want to be nearby,” Emily said.

“Will she be allowed to stay here, Steven?”

“I don’t think they’ll give her any trouble.” Steven winked at Gertie. “I told the women at the reception desk that Emily is his fiancée.”

Emily broke out in a crimson blush, but couldn’t bring herself to correct him. If that was the lie they had to tell to give her access to Conor, then so be it.

“We’re going to get him moved as soon as we can. There’s a private specialist hospital he should be transferred to when he’s recovered a bit.”

“Steven, have you contacted his mom?”

For the first time Steven’s cool façade dropped. “He doesn’t want her here.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Are you telling me Conor has discussed what should happen if he was ever shot?”

Steven looked uncomfortable.

“Give me her details and I’ll call her. Then it’ll be on my head if he’s mad.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Emily saw the stubborn look on Steven’s face. She took a step toward him and put a hand on his arm. “I know you’re more than security to Conor. You’re his trusted friend and you want to protect him. But his mom should know about this. He was shot.” Emily faltered for a second. “She’s his mom.”

She watched his face closely, but his training won out. She couldn’t read him. He looked from her to her grandmother.

“I believe Emily is right,” Gertie said. “I know Conor will recover. But I would have given anything for the chance to hold my son one last time before he died.” Gertie wiped a tear from her eye.

“I will get her number. Wait here.”

Gertie took a seat and dragged Emily into the chair beside her. She put her arm around her. “Emily, darling, let the tears flow. Then you will be strong enough to deal with what’s coming.”

“Nana, I can’t believe he was shot. You were right, I love him.”

“I know that, sweetheart. He is in the best place. All we can do now is pray.”

After she’d cried herself out, Emily found a coffee machine, grabbed two and brought them back to where her grandmother was still waiting.

“Nana, do you want to go back to Conor’s? You don’t have to stay here. It might be a long wait.”

“No, darling, but thank you. I want to be nearby.”

Emily knew her grandmother didn’t want her to be alone just in case things took a turn for the worse. She sat down beside her, both sipping their coffees.

“Has the nurse come over to say anything?” Emily asked.

“No.”

“What are you smiling about?”

“I was just thinking of how Conor will react when he wakes up to find he’s engaged.” Gertie laughed. “That was quick thinking on Steven’s part. How does Conor know him?”

“I’m not sure. I know Steven spent time in the military. I think he was a Green Beret.”

“The poor guy. I bet he saw some sights.”

Emily didn’t comment. She couldn’t think of more sad things now. Her focus had to stay on Conor.

“Ms. Williams? The doctor would like to speak to you. Come this way, please.”

“Can I go with her? I’m her grandmother.”

The nurse nodded. Emily was glad her nana had spoken up. Her head was spinning as she walked to the room. The officer nodded in recognition but didn’t say anything to them. When they walked in, Conor looked just the same as before, still sleeping. Walking over, she dropped a kiss on his lips before sitting to hold his hand. Her grandmother took the seat beside her.

A professional-looking man still wearing surgical scrubs read Conor’s charts. Then he turned and glanced at Emily.

“Your fiancé is a very lucky man, Miss Williams. An inch above and he may have lost his knee..”

Emily wasn’t sure she would call Conor lucky, but she wasn’t about to argue.

Emily swallowed, her mouth dry. The doctor looked at her as if waiting for a question, but she couldn’t think of any.

“Will he suffer any detrimental effects, Doctor?”

“No, I don’t believe so. He won’t be playing much sport or spend any time at the gym for a while.”

“We’ll make sure he does as he’s told, won’t we, Emily?”

Emily couldn’t answer. The lump in her throat was too big.