Page 117 of Everlasting Promises

Evan nods and we fall into silence as shadows lengthen across the floor of the waiting room. I’ve lost track of the hours, but I’m also grateful for the time it’s taking—it means they’re working on Rex. It means I still have hope that he’ll be okay. Maybe not the same as he was before, but as long as he’s here, I don’t care. He’ll still be my Rex.

The doors that lead through to the surgery swing open like a gunshot in the silence, and with energy I didn’t think I had, I jump to my feet and stalk forward, aware of Hope and Evan following close behind. “How is he?”

The doctor gives me a smile full of pity and my guts drop to the floor. My knees threaten to give out, so I lock them in place, preparing for the worst.

“We’ve had to give Rex several infusions, and we’ve removed the bullet which shattered his scapula. An inch to the right and it would have hit his heart. As it was, the bullet scraped his lung. He has pins and rods holding the bone together. He’s under heavy sedation and will need to remain here for at least forty-eight hours once he wakes properly. He’ll need physiotherapy once the bone knits together.”

My breath gushes out of me, and my weary muscles relax. The doctor’s eyebrows knit together, and sadness washes over her features.

“I’m not sure how to tell you, but my previous experience with injuries like these leaves me with little doubt that the extensive damage caused will be career-ending for Rex. I’m so sorry.” She lays her hand on my forearm and squeezes.

How many times can a heart break? Can it really shatter and put itself back together, only to get broken again with different news? In the grand scheme of things, I’m just glad he’s still alive. The rest doesn’t matter. “Thank you, doctor. Can we see him?”

She nods. “Sure. Just give us a few minutes to clean him up and settle him in his crate.”

She heads back through the doors, and I drop my head, breathing deeply for the first time since Rex was shot. Cupping my face in my hands, the tears that have been threatening to fall escape in sheer relief.

Hope gently strokes along my spine, and Evan wraps his arms around my waist, reminding me I’m not dealing with this alone. They love Rex as much as I do. I wrap my arms around them, holding them close, drawing strength from them and giving it in return.

“You guysreally should go home. There’s nothing you can do here. Get some sleep and something to eat and come back tomorrow,” the night nurse murmurs.

If it were only me, I’d stay, but as I look at Hope’s exhausted face and Evan sleeping on the hard plastic chair, I realize I need to take them home. I nod at the nurse and climb to my feet, stretching my arms above my head. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

Hope’s questioning gaze locks with mine. “Are you sure? We can stay.”

I tuck a loose curly lock behind her ear and trace the line of her delicate jaw with the back of my hand. “We all need to rest. I need to feed you guys, and I desperately need to shower.”

Her eyes drop to my body, tracing over every inch of my blood-stained uniform—not that the blood is overly visible on the dark navy material—and widen when they land on the dried blood on my neck and arms. I can’t imagine what I must look like. She nods, then leans over Evan, rubbing his back and whispering in his ear until he rouses.

He jolts upright, looking around in confusion. “Is Rex okay?”

She smiles gently. “He’s fine. The nurses are looking after him, so we’re going home to eat and sleep. We’ll come back tomorrow.” She glances at the clock on the wall and winces. “Actually, later today. Okay?”

He nods. “Yeah, okay. I could eat, and I’m pretty tired.”

I drag out my phone. “I’ll call an Uber.”

“No need. My car’s here. Nix followed Shane, so we wouldn’t be stranded,” she tells me as she drags her keys out of her purse.

Gratitude fills every cell of my body for the support of Hope’s friends. The nurse unlocks the glass doors, and we step out into the chilly night, my arms wrapped around my two most favorite people.

When we breach the doorway and I look up, the sight that greets me steals every molecule of oxygen from my lungs. At least one hundred people, wrapped in blankets and warm clothes, holding candles in the darkness of the earliest hours of the morning.

“Oh, wow,” Hope murmurs, her fingers gripping tightly to the back of my shirt.

“Are they here for Rex?” Evan asks, his voice full of wonder.

“I guess so.” I nod as the three of us move toward the large group.

As we grow closer to the crowd, familiar faces catch my attention. Donnelly, Eva, Samuel, and Peter huddled together with Brett, Francine, Connor, Michael, and Scott. Tori’s standing with them, and Evan breaks away from us to jog over to hisfriends. They greet him like they’ve been friends forever, not a few months, pulling him into their huddle.

I watch the tension fall away from the group when Evan tells them Rex is going to be okay. Tori’s eyes snap up to mine, and I know she’ll want all the medical details later.

Looking around at the gathered crowd, out here in the middle of a freezing night, holding a vigil for Rex, my chest expands with thankfulness.

Keeping Hope close, I clear my throat. “Thank you so much for coming out to support Rex. He’s undergone extensive surgery to repair the damage he sustained today. He’s still heavily sedated, but the doctors and nurses believe he’ll pull through. We don’t yet know how his injury will impact his future as a K9 officer, but at this time, I’m just grateful he’s alive.”

Cheers, applause, and loud whoops of joy fill the night air, bringing a smile to my lips. I lean down and kiss the top of Hope’s head, needing her to ground me after my shitty day. I stop to talk to the kids and Tori, as well as other members of the community holding vigil.

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