Page 100 of Everlasting Love

I smile gratefully at Mom. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Let us know when you have news.”

I nod and reach forward to embrace her, then kiss Jas and the girls goodbye. Flopping down into a chair, I blow out a relieved breath that Jas went willingly … it’s been a long afternoon and she’s exhausted; poor kid. Even I feel like I could curl up into a ball beneath the blankets and sleep for a week. Mom used the need to harvest the cauliflower so we can make it into rice to coax her home, otherwise, I don’t think she would have left.

She loves Shane so much.

We both do.

I cover my mouth when a sob breaks free at the thought of possibly losing him. Our lives would be irrevocably changed, and I’m not sure how we could possibly recover from the devastation losing him would cause. Quinn, Hope, Kate, Cass, Mrs. S, and Shane’s mom gather around me, sharing their support and strength with me, reminding me how strong he is and telling me that he’ll be doing everything he can to pull through this for me and Jas.

“The family of Shane Sutton.”

I stand faster than I should on shaky legs, and my head spins a little. Cass supports me as I make my way toward the nurse. “That’s us.”

Her eyes scan our group, taking in the number of people here for Shane.Does he realize how many people love him?“I can only take two people.” My heart sinks. That means I won’t be able to see him.

“Can you give the rest of us an update at least? Is he … is he okay?” I manage to ask.

“He was in pretty bad shape. The amount of walking he did before he received assistance meant the venom made its way through his system. However, he was brought in within two hours of the bite, and we immediately started antivenom treatment. While he didn’t have an allergic reaction to the treatment, his condition worsened, and we had to give him another dose and move him to the ICU where he’ll be monitored closely and continue to receive further treatments every six hours.”

My legs give out, and strong arms catch me from behind before I hit the floor. I can’t believe this is happening. “Will he be okay?”

She presses her lips together. “He’s improving, which is a positive sign. I can’t tell you any more than that. You’ll need to speak with his doctor. But I’m happy to take two people through to see him.”

My heart sinks, and I turn to Fiona. “Please tell him how much I love him and that I’ll be waiting out here for him.”

William moves next to his wife. “You and Fiona should go through. You can tell him how much you love him yourself.”

My relief and gratitude are instantaneous, and I exhale a long breath. “Thank you so much.” I lean forward and wrap my arms around Shane’s dad. He stands stiffly, but I squeeze him tighter, and he softens in my hold.

His arms come around me, and he returns my embrace. “You tell that boy of mine that I love him, and I’ll be waiting out here.”

When I pull away, I look up at his face. His eyes look a little glassy but he’s putting on a good front. “I will.”

Nix and Toby quickly embrace me and tell me to stay positive, then Fiona and I leave our group behind and follow the nurse through to the ICU. She slides her hand into mine as the nurse stops at a door. “He’s in here. You can go in.”

“Thank you.”

I open the door and gasp, my stomach twists, and my wobbly legs barely support me so I reach out to grip the door frame. The giant of a man I’ve fallen in love with lies helpless in a hospital bed, hooked up to noisy machines. Fiona rushes forward but it takes me longer to find the strength to take the few steps to his bed. It’s completely foreign seeing him still like this, and my mind fills in the gaps of how he would have been lying all alone in an ICU in Germany. My heart shatters for everything this man has already endured. The amount of healing he’s already done and the amount of healing he has in front of him.

This time he won’t be on his own. I’ll be supporting him every step of the way.

His eyes open slowly, and his unfocused gaze skims the room until it lands on me. One side of his mouth tips up and my breath bursts out of me in a rush of relief. I quickly wrap my hands around his and bend down to place a kiss on his knuckles. When I lift my head, his eyes are closed and his face is relaxed as though he’s still asleep.

I glance at Fiona, and she gives me a watery smile. “I think he sensed you in the room.”

My heart does a flip that she thinks our connection is so strong.

36

VIOLET

Seven and a half hours later,Shane finally opens his eyes with a groan and then promptly falls back to sleep. Fiona went home with William late last night, leaving me alone with Shane as nurses came and went throughout the night, checking his vitals and administering the precious medicine his body needs to heal.

When Toby walks through the door carrying a cup of coffee for himself and tea for me as well as breakfast wraps for each of us, telling the staff that Shane is his brother, relief overwhelms me. I don’t think the nurses believe him but they let him in just the same. He hands breakfast to me with a kiss on the top of my head, and I mumble my thanks. Taking a seat on the opposite side of the bed, he asks, “Any change?”

“He sort of woke up earlier. He’s moving around more, so the nurse thinks he’ll fully wake soon, though he’ll still be groggy for a while.”

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