Page 78 of No Sweet Goodbyes

With her eyes closed, she almost looks peaceful, except for the now-drying blood that colors her blond hair.

“She likes to be called Bee,” I tell him quietly. “I know her name is Bianca, but when the nurses come in or anyone talks to her, she likes to be called Bee. If that’s something that you can do for her.”

He nods and then steps back toward the door. “I’m going to be right at the nurses’ station when you’re finished here.”

“She’s alive,” Bria says once we are alone with Bee. “And I have to think that’s because of you. Anything else that comes, we will be able to handle. You’re the one who jumped into action. The one willing to fight for her this entire time.”

“Can you place her with the Ortiz family?” I know I’m asking a lot of them, and I haven’t even spoken to them about it yet, but I need to make sure that Bee goes to someone who will be able to love her and give her everything she needs.

“It’s funny,” Bria murmurs while reaching over and brushing a strand of Bee’s hair out of her face. “They already called my boss and put in the request. Before I got to the hospital. The paperwork’s done.”

“When she gets to come home, she’s going to be so loved.”

I sit with Bee while Bria takes her photos and documents everything that the doctors and nurses noted in her chart. The entire time, I alternate between holding her hand while murmuring random plans for the future and rubbing her legs through the thin hospital blanket.

I don’t even notice the hours passing by. Not when I’m focused solely on the little girl in bed, hoping and praying she’ll wake up without the scars I know she’ll have.

The doctor doesn’t make me leave, and I don’t think the nurses have the heart to ask me to go. Someone brings a reclining chair into the room for me to sleep in. One by one, Bee has visitors checking to make sure that she’s still breathing.

First the nurses, then my brother and family stop in to see her. I manage to hold it together through their relatively short visits. But when Alta walks in with her husband at her side, my heart breaks for them.

They love Bee like their own child, and watching her here, I can see the devastation.

“I told you, mi amor. I told you that he would hurt her.”

Alta pats her husband’s arm. “We did all of that research and couldn’t find anything. But you were right. We’ll heal her, though. She’ll never know another day of pain as long as she lives.”

Dom’s standing at the doorway, his eyes locked on mine. “I know we can’t stay very long, but we’ll come back first thing tomorrow, Emma.”

“I don’t want to leave her.” I can’t stop the tears. “I don’t want her to be alone.”

“We’ll take turns.” Alta steps forward, a fierce expression on her face. “You two go get cleaned up and deal with the dead body.”

Dom holds out a hand and I take it, trembling while I get to my feet. Before we leave, I lean down and press a soft kiss to her sleeping brow. “Little Bee, you have to wake up. There’s going to be a wedding, and I can’t get married without my favorite girl by my side.”

“You shot someone today.” Dom drapes his arm over my shoulder and pulls my body against his while we’re in his shower an hour later. “How are you doing with that?”

“No clue.” I tell him honestly. “I don’t think it’s sunk in. I’ll probably need to get counseling or something. And I’m definitely going to have to move out. There’s no chance in hell I’m ever going to be able to sleep there again.”

“You can move in with me.” Dom holds my hair to the side while I rub soap down my body. “I want you here.”

“No.” I shake my head, which doesn’t actually move very far because he’s still holding on to my hair. “I love you, but I don’t want to invade your space like that.”

His laugh, pure and unfiltered, takes me by surprise. “Emma Hayes. From the day I met you, you’ve invaded every single part of my life. I don’t want to spend another day away from you. And your condition… being done with the Reserves? Done. I already knew I was done before you said a word. I would do anything for you, but I don’t want you thinking that you’re giving me an ultimatum or making me choose. In my mind, there is no choice.”

When the water starts to run cold, we get out and he hands me a towel.

“I did not see the last twenty-four hours going like this.” The admission breaks free when we’re lying in bed together.

“I didn’t think you’d give me a chance,” Dom tells me. “So yeah, we may be living in a nightmare until Bee wakes up. But I’m okay with that because the light at the end of the tunnel is you. You and me. Anything else, we will get through together.”

27

DOM

One day I’ll learn to put my phone on Do Not Disturb when Emma and I are in bed. She’s been asleep for a few hours, and I’m just counting the minutes.

I’ll never take another minute with her for granted.

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