Page 19 of Broken Promises

She looked up at me with a slight nod.

My hand clasped around hers. “Come with me,” I told her, not wanting to leave her alone for a second. For as long as I could remember, it had always been just her and her mom, so it wasn’t surprising that this left her completely shaken up.

Lucy was silent as we strolled toward my brother’s office. Just when I was about to knock, the door opened, and I nearly bumped into him. While I had the darker traits in the family and Logan lighter, Landon was in the perfect middle, with warm, brown hair and brown eyes to match. He was a few inches taller than me, too.

“I was just about to come find you,” he said. Lucy started sobbing again, but I knew my brother’s expression. The news he was about to deliver wasn’t bad.

“How is she?” Lucy barely managed to force the words out between the sobs.

“Lucy,” my brother said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “She’s okay. She’s in surgery right now. The fall was pretty bad, and she broke her bones in multiple areas. The recovery before her will be lengthy, but she’s in stable condition. We suspect she may have a concussion, too, but that’s about it. After her surgery, she’ll need to stay in the hospital for a few days…” Landon trailed off as Lucy buried her face into my chest. The sobs intensified, but it was the relieved kind. Landon and I exchanged a glance—one where I told him I’d take care of her, and he was free to go. He nodded, then moved down the long hallway to see his next patient while I held Lucy with promises that everything would be all right.

lucy

. . .

“Lucy…”The familiar voice tugged me out of the uncomfortable slumber. When I blinked, the world materialized around me, and I realized I had been stuck in this uncomfortable position for God knows how long. I’d definitely feel this later—in the worst way possible.

Luke was still beside me. I told him to go home—there was no reason for him to be here, especially when Ed was about to come in, too, but he told me to stop being ridiculous. He stuck by his word, and as the doctors approached us, I was glad he did.

My heart thudded in my chest. Despite what Landon told me, I was terrified that something would go wrong. My mom was the only family I had, and the thought of losing her made me feel like I was about to lose my mind.

The doctor who approached me wore blue scrubs as if he had just left the surgery. I quickly stood up, and Luke followed right away.

“Lucy Milburne?” he asked. I nodded. “Your mom is out of the surgery. It went as well as it possibly could have. We’ll discuss her fall and what will need to be done later, but for now, I thought you may want to know she’s stable.”

“And her concussion?”

He pressed his lips into a thin line. “We’ll know more when she wakes up, which should happen in about half an hour or so.”

“Can I see her? Please?” I pleaded. Luke rubbed my back, still standing by my side.

“She’s still out of it.”

“That’s fine. I need to see her to see for myself that she’s alive.” Tears threatened to flood my eyes again. I was sore all over, and I just wanted to see my mom. The doctor sighed before nodding once more. With a quick gesture, he indicated for us to follow, and I quickly marched behind him as he guided us to my mom’s room.

Luke followed behind me, but he stopped in front of the room. “I’ll give you some privacy,” he told me. “I’ll wait right here.”

As the doctor opened the door, just like he mentioned, my mom was out of it, looking so peaceful in her slumber, like she didn’t have a single worry on her mind—despite all the machines that surrounded her.

I reached for my mom’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. My eyes welled up again. I should have been there to help her. How often did she do something like this on her own because I avoided returning to Port-Cartier? Guilt itched at me from inside.

My whole family was condensed into one person—my mom. And while I originally planned to stay here for two weeks, I knew now that I couldn’t leave her when she needed me most. She’d need a lot of help with recovery, and I’d be damned if I wasn’t there for it.

“You scared the shit out of me,” I whispered, still holding her hand while her doctor checked out her vitals. “When you wake up, we’re going to talk about this. You hear me?”

I didn’t expect a response, but on some deeper level, I knew she heard me. She was my mom. She always knew everything.

“You should go home and get some rest, Miss Milburne. You can see her in the morning.” The doctor lingered at the door, gently prompting me to leave. I nodded weakly, heading back out where Luke was still waiting for me.

luke

. . .

Lucy looked slightly calmeras she exited the room but was still visibly worried. It pained me to see her like this, and it was even worse to know there wasn’t anything I could do to fix it.

“She’ll be okay,” I told her as the doctor gave us privacy again. “You Milburne ladies are strong.” Lucy forced a small, exhausted smile to cross her face, but she didn’t respond. A strand of curly hair drifted across her face, and I fought the urge to tuck it behind her ear.

“I’ll drive you home. You should get some rest,” I told her. She shook her head.

---