Page 116 of Always Right

I couldn’t stand their eyes full of pity.

And as the two men looked at me, my throat dried and my chest tightened.

Don’t say it.

Please don’t say it.

“Blake lost a lot of blood and Mr. Hensley’s surgery was touch and go for a moment. His injury was near an artery but we were able to repair the damage. They are both resting now and are stable.”

He’s alive.

They are alive.

Had I not been sitting, I would have collapsed to the floor. I let out a breath I had been holding and Nathan sat next to me, placing an arm over my shoulders and pulling me close to him. I didn’t want to cry anymore, but tears blurred my vision as I took the doctor’s words in.

“When can I see them?”

The men looked at each other before the doctor who performed Derek’s surgery spoke again. “You can follow us if you’d like.”

It took a few seconds for me to react. Evie cleared her throat, holding up a bag that I hadn’t even noticed she’d brought in.

“Can she change first?”

Both doctors offered a gentle smile. “Of course. Follow us.”

Nathan gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and finally I stood up, taking the bag from Evie’s hands and walking away.

I changed quickly in one of the bathrooms. I wiped what was left of the blood of my hands, watching how the water quickly turned a light pink color and nearly threw up at the sight.

Their blood is on my hands.

Pushing the thought away, I splashed my face with cold water and took a deep breath to ready myself for what I would see.

The bright hospital lights bothered me as we walked down the quiet hallway and stopped in front of a door. Blake slept with a tube down his throat, peaceful and pale. I couldn’t move, frozen in place as I took in the sight of him.

If you hadn’t entered his life...

“It’ll be a while until he wakes up, but we will let you know as soon as he does.” I nodded at the doctor’s words and with a sigh, continued walking a few doors down.

My breath caught when I saw the man I loved laying on the bed, the soft beeping sound filling the air as the nurse spoke softly to him. I wasn’t sure what she said, but Derek opened his eyes and offered her a small smile and I nearly stumbled back in relief.

He’s awake.

Alive.

I wanted to scream and cry all at once but all I could do was stare. I could barely move, could barely even breathe at the sight of him.

Like he could sense me there, he turned to face me and he exhaled, like he’d been holding his breath without me.

It took one word for me to react.

One word for me to finally move.

“Hannah...”

My name falling from his lips propelled my feet forward. He shifted and winced as he forced himself to sit up but within seconds I was sitting next to him, falling into his embrace despite his injuries. And though I knew it hurt, though I knew it caused him pain, he didn’t hesitate, holding me against his chest with everything he had.

“It’s over, baby,” he whispered. Oh, the break in his voice tore my heart open.

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