Felicity sat in her hospital room, looking out the window. She couldn’t help thinking how much she would have loved to have her parents getting along like this if only it weren’t because they were united against her.

“Felicity.” Her father stood next to her, gently picking up her hand. He was sober. He’d taken a shower. He actually looked like a normal human being. “We need you to do the surgery. Your heart isn’t functioning well." He had the paperwork in his other hand. “They’ll be coming for you in just a little bit. Everything’s in place. Please, just do it.”

Jerking her hand out of his, she shook her head. “Just stop talking to me.” She knew it was stupid and childish to refuse, but she couldn’t do the surgery. “It’s not certain the surgeon can fix it.”

Her mother stood next to the window, looking over the city. “Felicity, I need you to have faith.” She turned to face her, tears on her face. “I know you’re afraid, baby, but you can do this.”

Moving to her father, they held hands.

Her father had tears in his eyes. “Felicity, you gotta do this. Your mom and I need you.”

It’d been amazing to Felicity that, since the pressure of paying the mortgage had gone away, it was like her mother had found hope again. She’d been planting a garden, and she’d fixed up the yard. It was like she had found a new lease on life. It was amazing, how her father stepped up when her mother called him.

Inner turmoil assaulted her. She did not want another surgery!

Closing her eyes, she thought about Kade. Thought about being with him on the beach. She closed her eyes, and there they were, building a sand castle together. He was covering her with sand, and the memory felt cool, fresh, perfect.

“Felicity.” But it wasn’t her father’s voice.

It was Kade.

She opened her eyes. Happiness filled her. “Hey!”

There he was. Looking ragged and mussed and beautiful in the sunshine coming through the window. Guilt immediately filled her. He looked so upset.

She pushed it aside. It would be better this way. His father was right. She was broken. Kade should move on, but dang he was beautiful.

Kade looked at her father then her mother.

Her mother went to him. “I wanted to call you, but she wouldn't let me.”

“I’m getting out of here today,” she said quietly.

Her mother moved to Kade’s side. “She is slotted to do a surgery in less than thirty minutes. Everyone is ready.”

“No, I’m not doing a surgery.”

Her father was next to her mother, holding up some paperwork. “She needs to sign these papers so the doctors can go in there and fix her valve. She can’t wait any longer.” He held the papers out to Kade.

Her mother hugged him. “Please, talk sense into her.”

Kade’s face was serious as he took the papers from her parents.

Her father took her mother’s hand. “Let’s let them talk.” Her father looked so different. Felicity liked seeing him sober. A twinge of resentment fell through her, but she didn’t like him ganging up on her with her mother.

She blinked and decided not to focus on that. She looked at Kade’s beautiful face and grinned, feeling warm again.

Kade’s gaze locked with hers, and then he was by her side. He took her hand, evaluating her from the top and then going down, taking her shoulders and then her arms. “What’s happening?” His voice was soft, and she saw that laser-like focus, so like his father’s.

She sighed, feeling woken after a long movie. "I passed out, and everyone’s turning it into such a big deal.” Tears filled her eyes and real terror began to creep into her. “I can’t do another surgery. They never work.”

He stared at her, and before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. She felt him give to her, knowing that for once he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay focused on the medical issues. She smiled and reached up, putting her hands around his neck and pulling him into her. Needing the sunshine. The warmth. She’d felt so cold.

He didn’t push her away, but he stopped kissing her. He reached back and grabbed a chair with his foot and pulled it to her side.

“I love how agile you are,” she said. “I also think you’re like sunshine,” she stated, knowing she should feel silly saying this to him, but she didn’t care. They’d given her some medicine a bit ago, and she wondered if it was making her loopy.

He searched her face. “What is going on?”

“They must have slipped me something,” she said quickly. She shook her finger at him. “But I’m not doing this surgery, Kade.”

Tugging back, he frowned. “Why not?"

She grabbed him harder. “That’s what I was going to tell you that day when we got back, right before you got the call about your brother. I was going to tell you that I’m done with surgeries, because they never really fix the problem, and it’s just … I’ve had way too many unsuccessful surgeries. Do you have any idea how hard it is every single time? They cut me open, pull out my heart, try to do something to fix my valve, but in the end, they just put it back in.” Her hand trembled, and she looked at it like it was trembling and it had no permission to do so, but she couldn’t stop it. “I’m done now. I just want to enjoy my life.” She turned back to him. “With you. What should we do next?” She smiled at him.

He gave her a measured look. “Felicity, you need to do this. I don’t think your mother would want you to do it if it’s the wrong thing.”

Tears burned into her eyes. She thought she’d cried enough, but she felt emotion in the back of her throat. She released him. “Please leave. If you can’t support me not doing the surgery, you’re just making my life harder.”

He took her arms and pulled them back around his shoulders, his face intense. “No way, Song. No way. You’re not quitting on me.”

The way he looked at her, like he could fix this, made her both happy and sad. “You’re not listening. Even if I got the surgery, it’s not guaranteed and every surgery that doesn’t work, weakens me.”

The crease between his eyes deepened. “There’s always another play.”

“No,” she said more harshly than she’d intended. She pushed him back, even though she was weak. “You can’t do that…it’s just like your dad.”

Sitting up straight, any trace of sunshine was erased by a storm. “What happened?”

She shook her head.

“Felicity.” He growled.

Knowing it was useless, she started telling him. “He wanted me out of the way, so he tried to send me off on some fake job in Reno, tried telling me he was getting me an apartment there.” She laughed, and it felt good, only suddenly she was crying. “Then he offered me a blank check. Isn’t that funny? I realized I was the poor girl in the movie where the rich parents offer to write a check for anything you want to get you out of the way, but it was me and my real life.” She laughed, and it sounded awful, even to her. Because she was hurt. Hurt and confused about how she’d let herself fall in love. “I love you, Kade.” She couldn’t believe she’d just admitted it.

His eyes instantly misted. “I love you, too, piano girl.”

Gently, she reached up and touched his face. “I should have told you the next surgery I need has a fifteen percent chance of working. Your father said I’m broken. He’s right.” Certainty filled her. “You should go. You should.” She pulled back her hand.

He took her hands, tears in his eyes. “Don’t quit on me, Song. What about a transplant?”

She shrugged. “I have to get this surgery first. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be put on the list. But …”

“It’ll work.” Kade said quickly, wiping his eyes. “It has to.”

She searched his face. “Kade, you were my first real Prince Charming.” She couldn’t stop the tears from running down her face. "Isn't that funny?” Now she laughed. “Isn’t that funny?” She repeated as she reached up and gently touched the soft facial hair on his face again. “I never thought I’d have a bratty, spoiled billionaire as my Prince Charming.”

“Don’t forget selfish and entitled,” he said softly, picking up her hand and kissing the back of it, tears washing down his face.

Despite the tears, the expression on his face wasn’t defeat. It was the same laser-like focus he had on the field. “Felicity, you’re right. I’m too bratty and selfish to ever give you up.”

She shook her head. “You have to. I see that now. I fell in love with you. But”—more tears ran down her face—“you need someone strong, you should go.”

Tears fell down his cheeks. “No, but I do need you to sign these papers because I need you with me.”

She smiled. “Then the prince comes to save me?” All her resistance to the surgery was failing.

He had both of her hands and he put them to her mouth and kissed them. “Please, Song, do this with me. I’ll be here. I’ll block for you.”

Every worry and fear and vulnerability seemed to melt in his eyes. She never thought anyone could convince her to do a surgery again, but she hadn’t known what loving a good man could do to her.

“Please.” He bent and kissed her forehead and then pulled back, getting the paperwork. “Sign here, Song. I’ll be here when you come out, and we’ll have everything together.”

She reached up and took the pen, trusting in his blue eyes, putting all her fear aside. She scrawled the necessary signatures and tried not to think of the horribleness of surgery.

Kade rushed out to the hallway and then back in to her, sitting next to her. “Okay, they said five minutes. You got this.”

She turned to look at him, seeing he looked pale. “Are you going to throw up, Kincaid?” she asked, feeling peaked herself.

He kept her hands in one of his and then took the other and put it on her forehead. “Hey, I always win a game when I throw up right before.”

She found this funny and laughed. She could feel the loopy medicine taking a firmer hold.

Then she felt different.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

Suddenly, her heart monitor started beeping and going out of control.

She felt herself falling, just like in her dream. “Kade!” She yelled but it didn’t come out like a yell, it came out muffled.

“Felicity!” He kept her hand, but shouted and her parents ran in, and a bunch of staff ran in. She heard her mother yell out and reach for her as her father held her back.

Then it was black.