All around me, I hear screaming. Screaming. The sound of bodies thrashing around.

I try to open my eyes, but they're too heavy, and I'm so tired. So very, very tired.

Will. I need to see Will.

But I can't open my eyes to see him, and before I can summon the strength, the darkness consumes me again.

* * *

"What's the meaning of this?" I demand.

A man who looks to be in his early sixties and seen better days approaches me. His disheveled hair hangs in oily strings over his eyes, and he is constantly pushing them aside as he addresses me. "I'm Krista Bradford's father. I came here to check on her and was told she's on life support. Krista would never have wanted this. Living the life of a human vegetable." He shakes his hair, dislodging his wild strands, and they fall back over his eyes.

"You have no right coming in here after all this time and demanding to make decisions that you're obviously not in the right frame of mind to make." Judging by the smell of alcohol on him, he's not far removed from the bottle.

"I have every right. I'm her father," he sputters out, his words lilted with a drunken slur.

I step forward, pushing my chest against his and looking down my nose at him. "You. Have. No. Right." Without a show of physical force, I back him down with words. He takes a couple of shaky steps backward, putting some distance between us. "Her name is no longer Krista. It's Kara. She had it legally changed. You would know that if you had any contact whatsoever with her, which you haven't. And thankfully so. By the looks of you, it wouldn't have mattered any way." I cast him a look of disgust.

How dare this man come back into Kara's life and threaten to take away the woman I love?

"She's not brain dead. She'll heal; she just needs time, and I'm not going to allow you or anyone else to take that away from her. It would be best if you left now before I do something I'm going to regret later."

He eyes me up and down, taking in my expensive watch and BMW key clutched in my hand with the emblem sticking out, and his eyes widen as he comes to some sort of conclusion. "You'll do what? Kick my ass? Wouldn't be the first time, rich boy. My daughter done up and got herself hooked to a rich man. Is that it? Now she thinks she's better than the rest of us?"

My face contorts into an expression of rage. "You'll not speak of her in that light. Kara deserves better." I look over at the security guard and raise my chin for him to come here. "Take this man to the hospital entrance and kindly escort him into the back seat of a taxi. He's not to be on the same floor as her. Understood?" I raise a brow in question, and he nods his head before grabbing her father and dragging him down the hall to the elevators.

"You won't get away with this. She's my daughter. My daughter," he yells.

I shake my head and turn my back to him as his screams grow fainter until the elevator doors close and I can't hear him anymore.

My eyes flick to the charge nurse. "What's her condition?"

"Heart rate and BP were elevated. Gave her an IV injection of Ativan. It's starting to take effect. Heart rate has lowered from one fifty to one twenty-six. BP is slowly decreasing as well. We'll continue to monitor and make sure we get her heart rate below one hundred." She gives a brisk nod and carries on with her rounds.

I look through the glass door at the woman beyond who holds the key to my future and my heart. I know it's going to be a long road, but she's a fighter, and I'll stand beside her through it all.

Everyone needs someone in their corner no matter the circumstances. I'm going to be that man for her.

With that thought in mind, I push through the doors and make my way over to the chair next to her bedside.

"Good morning, beautiful." I lean down and press my lips to her forehead. "I'm here, baby. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," I whisper to her and then take my seat. Reaching forward as soon as I'm seated to take her hand in mine.

"You gave everyone a scare." I look over at the monitor and notice that her heart rate has dropped even lower, now sitting at one hundred and eight BPM. I release a worried breath and shuffle the chair as close as I can to the bed, never letting go of her hand in the process.

"Kara, squeeze my hand if you can hear me, baby. I need to know you're still with me. That somewhere in there is the woman I love and that she's fighting to come back to me. Move your finger ... anything." I look down to her hand in mine and watch for any sign of movement.

Nothing.

After a few minutes of watching, I give her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's all right. You just rest. I'll take care of everything to make sure you get the time you need to come back to me and the girls. They're getting so big. They won't sleep unless they're touching each other. It's the cutest thing. I have to lay them down facing each other with their hands and legs touching."

I pause. Watching her face to see if her expression shifts when I discuss them.

"They almost sleep throughout the night. Only waking up once to feed, and then they're back to sleeping. They're such good babies. I know we haven't really discussed this, but I want you to stay with me and help me raise the girls." I move to the edge of my seat so I can be closer to her.

"I want you to be their mother and my wife. Do you hear me, Kara? You have a family waiting for you to get better and come home to. The girls need you, and so do I. We can't do this without you, baby. Please don't quit fighting. I know you're tired, but I need you to keep fighting. It's not your time yet. You hear me? You have to stay here with me and our girls." I plead with her, knowing she might not be able to hear me but hoping that maybe my words will sink into her subconscious, and on some level, give her the strength to fight.

I sit like that until the sun rises over the horizon, and I'm forced to leave while the nurses bathe her and change her bedsheets.

I call Abbi to check in. "Is everything okay?" she asks, sounding worn out.

"Fine. They were able to get her heart rate and BP down last night, and as of an hour ago, everything was well within normal ranges."

She heaves a relieved breath that I can practically feel through the phone. "Thank god! I was so worried. I barely slept a wink after I put the girls back down this morning." She yawns. "You really should look into getting a nanny until Kara comes home to help you with the girls. When you go back to work, it's going to be more than you can handle on your own."

"I know. I've already looked into an agency, and they're going to send over some recommendations."

"That's good." She yawns again. I chuckle.

"I called Mom, and she's coming over to take over baby duty so you can get some rest. I have to meet with my attorney to make sure Kara's father can't overturn my POA. I have to ensure I'm able to protect her from him. He was drunk off his ass last night and in no shape to be making life or death decisions for anyone."

"Good. Don't worry about the girls. Mom and I will look after them until you get everything situated."

"Thanks, Sis."

"Love ya."

I smile to myself. "Love you too."