Page 112 of Vengeful Guard

I let out a long breath and finish getting dressed, putting on a bra and a T-shirt over my jeans.

At the hospital, I call Lara to tell her that Declan is here to relieve her. She sounds exhausted.

“I thought you took the last shift.”

“I did. I’m only staying long enough to talk to the doctor. Declan will take over for you, though. Come out to the waiting room.”

Lara meets us, and Declan pulls her into a hug.

“You look like shit,” he states, and Lara barks out a laugh.

“Gee, thanks,” she drawls, and puts an arm around my shoulders. “I want to stay and talk to the doc, too, but I need something to eat. Want to come down to the cafeteria with me, Paige?”

“Sure.” I follow her downstairs, picking out a short stack of pancakes and some scrambled eggs with cheese while she gets a Denver omelet.

We hurry to eat and get back up to the waiting room, and when we walk in, there’s a doctor looking around.

“Smith family?”

“We're here." We rush to him. “What’s the news?”

The doctor takes us to a smaller room to speak with us privately, and my heart slams against my chest.

Is this bad news? What does this mean?

“I’m recommending against taking your father off the ventilator just yet. His heart is still beating irregularly after the surgery, and it doesn’t bode well for his healing.”

“What else can be done?” I bite my lip.

He spreads his hands. “We can wait, or we can put him on an ECMO machine that will do the pumping of his heart for him.” He pauses. “I do have to tell you, though, that he only has a fifty percent chance of coming off that machine.”

Lara’s hand flies to her mouth. “Fifty percent? But that’s only half?—”

“I know. But I’m afraid it might be our only shot at keeping him alive.”

Tears burn in my eyes, and I wish Declan and Gray were here.

“I’ve already given your brother the news. I’d like you to talk about it as a family and decide if you’d like to wait or try ECMO.”

I nod and when the doctor leaves the room, Lara draws me into her arms.

“This is so hard,” she whispers. “Da’s always been so healthy.”

I swallow back tears. “I know. I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ll talk about it at dinner. Like a family.”

I nod and when I go back out into the waiting room, Kael is there.

Lara raises an eyebrow at me, and I elbow her.

“What are you doing here? I said I’d be safe with Declan.”

“Well, Declan’s staying all day, and you need a ride home. You need to get some rest before your next shift.” He looks at Lara. “And besides, I know Lara must be tired.”

“Exhausted.” She loops her arm through his. “Take me home, Sullivan.”

Kael laughs, and I follow them out to the car, getting in the backseat. Lara, to her credit, doesn’t say anything or tease me on the way home, which is good because I don’t want Kael to know that she knows.

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