Page 50 of Your Heart & Mine

Once he had disappeared into the elevator, Cam looked around the room. He grimaced. Several groups of people were huddled together in unfortunately colored green chairs. Some cried softly, others stared into space, shell shocked by whatever tragedy had brought them there. A few crumpled looking magazines sat on low tables and a lone Gideon Bible rested on a counter. A muted TV in the corner played a rerun of Gilligan's Island. Tragic all around.

"Darling, I think we passed a Starbucks kiosk in the lobby. How about you go down and get us all some caffeine?" Cam handed her a handful of bills to Brenna and pointed toward the small coffee maker on a nearby counter. "I doubt the coffee over there is palatable."

"Okay." She shoved the money in her pocket before turning to hug her sister fiercely. "I'll be right back. Everything is going to be okay, Harp."

Harper patted her sisters back listlessly while she hugged her. She was thankful for Brenna's support. Truly, she was. But she couldn't seem to claw her way out of the dense fog, cold fog that had engulfed her.

With Brenna on her errand, Cam led Harper to one of the uncomfortable looking chairs and sat her down. He chaffed her hands between his own. Harper struggled to speak. Find something to say to him that wouldn't come out as a sob. When she was finally able to push words from her throat, they came out as barely a whisper, "What if…"

Cam didn't let her finish but gripped her hand more tightly. "None of that. No what ifs. We will deal with what is dealt to us, when they tell us something," he chastised. "In the meantime, we are going to believe that he is going to be fine. There's no other option."

Harper stared at the resolve in his blue eyes. She didn't think she'd ever seen him so determined and serious. Another traitorous tear escaped and slid down her cheek. Then another. Cam gathered her close, rocking gently as she wept. Finally pulling back, she swiped her sleeve across her cheeks. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Cam."

"You never have to find out," he assured her. She rested her head on his shoulder and they sat in silence, awaiting news. His quiet strength and reassurance were exactly what she needed in this agonizing limbo.

Brenna returned with coffee, and they sat in united silence as the minutes ticked by. Harper stared blankly at the TV, willing the surgeon to emerge with hopeful news. She couldn't lose Wyck now, not before she could woman up and tell him how she felt about him. Sipping the coffee that had gone cold, Harper clung fiercely to Cam's assurances and her own frail faith that somehow, against all odds, Wyck would come back to her. He had to.

Chapter thirty-nine

Vigil

Harperstartledasthewaiting room door swung open. A tall man with salt-and-pepper hair and tortoiseshell glasses strode toward them, green scrubs wrinkled from hours in surgery. Harper's heart lodged in her throat as she shot to her feet. Was this the doctor? Did he bring news of Wyck?

The man offered a tired smile. "Family of Wyck Ward?" At their anxious nods, he extended his hand. "I'm Dr. Nash. I operated on Mr. Ward."

Harper clutched Brenna's hand tightly, bracing for his next words. Cam placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while the doctor gathered his thoughts.

Finally Dr. Nash began solemnly. "Mr. Ward sustained very serious injuries in the accident. Major trauma to his abdomen required immediate surgery when he arrived. We had to remove his spleen and repair a severely lacerated liver."

Harper swayed. Cam's grip tightened, anchoring her upright. She blinked back tears, gesturing for the doctor to continue.

"He also had several broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung. We've inserted a chest tube for drainage. Once he's more stable, he'll need additional surgery to fully repair that."

Dr. Nash removed his glasses, polishing them wearily on his scrubs before replacing them and consulting his notes again. "Our biggest concern right now is a traumatic brain injury. When the first responders arrived, Mr. Ward was conscious but by the time they got him to the hospital, he was unresponsive. A CT scan showed bleeding and swelling in his brain requiring immediate intervention."

The clinical terms washed over Harper like a frigid wave. Her mind flashed to an image of Wyck crumpled and bleeding after the crash, alone on the dark highway. A whimper escaped her throat.

Dr. Nash cleared his throat before continuing his recitation. "We performed an emergency craniectomy to relieve the pressure and evacuate the bleeding. He's being closely monitored in the ICU. The next 24 hours are critical."

Harper swayed again, fresh horror crashing through her. Emergency brain surgery? Bleeding and swelling? She squeezed her eyes shut but the terrifying images persisted.

"Is he...is Wyck going to be okay?" Brenna managed to ask tearfully.

The doctor hesitated. "With injuries this severe, it's too soon to know for certain. He has youth and strength on his side, and we'll do everything possible. But I urge you to prepare yourselves that his recovery may be long and difficult."

Harper's legs gave way. She sank into the chair, pressed both hands over her mouth to hold back the screams clawing up her throat. Not Wyck. Please God, not him.

Cam crouched before her again, clasping both her arms. "Hey, look at me, Love. Breathe with me now." He inhaled slowly, nodding encouragement until Harper mirroring him, gulping air in ragged gasps between sobs.

Finally, the panic receded slightly. Harper swiped the tears from her face. "Can I see him?" she rasped. Even if he was unconscious, she needed to be at his side. To see him, touch him, will him to keep fighting.

"Of course. I'll have a nurse take you up shortly." Dr. Nash patted her shoulder. "We're doing everything possible for him." With a few final consoling words, he slipped from the room, pulled away to other emergencies that required his help.

Harper stared after him in a daze, struggling to process the devastating facts. Wyck was hovering between life and death. The vital, strapping man she loved reduced to damaged flesh and fragile breaths.

And she hadn't even told him she loved him. Not once in all the weeks since reconnecting. Too paralyzed by the past to risk her heart, despite already having lost it to him again. Would she never get the chance to say the words now? To promise him all the things she should have long ago?

Brenna wrapped her in a fierce hug. "He's so strong, Harp. He'll keep fighting." But beneath the forced optimism, dread clouded her gaze. Elizabeth and her mother arrived minutes later both enfolding her in their embrace. Harper clung to her family, drawing what comfort she could from their presence. But nothing could banish the icy claws of fear shredding her heart.

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