Page 104 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

“No, you aren’t.”

I open my mouth to argue. To tell them that all of this is my fault. But at that moment, Creed and Hale stride into the waiting room, freshly showered, clothes changed. They make a beeline for our little group, both of them dropping to their knees in front of me, reaching out to brush their hands over me, like they need to physically touch me to make sure I’m okay.

The tenderness in their gazes, their hands only makes me feel worse, though. The few chips I’d swallowed roil in my stomach, and I make myself pull away from them.

If Jude didn’t have such a tight grip on my waist, I would have stood up and crossed the room to get some space. But as it is, I can tell he won’t let me go and I don’t want to cause a scene.

The four of them exchange a narrow-eyed look. “Haven was just about to tell us why she thinks she’s awful,” Tic says casually.

Hale groans, then says gently, “Little mouse, you aren’t awful.”

Tears fill my eyes as I nod. “I am. Look at me eating chips, being comforted by my pack, when Ren is in there fighting for her life because of me. I’m awful.”

Creed’s eyes narrow at me. “Baby girl, this is not your fault. You know Ren wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”

She wouldn’t. It doesn’t stop me from doing it, though.

“And she isn’t going to die from this, button.”

I clamp my teeth around the words I want to snap at him. Because again, he’s not wrong. Ren is going to survive this. She’ll survive the shattered knee and the surgery, but some part of her will forever be fundamentally changed, and not for the better.

“She’ll never dance again,” I whisper.

Hale grips my knee and squeezes while Jude presses a kiss to the side of my head.

“Probably not.” Tic doesn’t sugarcoat it. “But she’ll be alive and we’ll do everything we can to help her thrive after this, Haven. You know we will.”

I nod, throat feeling tight with tears I don’t want to shed. “I know you will because she’s important to me.”

“She’s important tous,” Jude corrects. “Not just because she’s your friend, your family, button.”

“She’s like the annoying little sister none of us knew we were missing,” Hale says wryly with a little smirk on his lips. “She’s our family, too.”

“And we take care of family,” Creed vows.

I blink at them, not sure what to say. I guess I’d always thought they tolerated her presence in their house over the last few months because of me, because they knew I needed her with me. It never occurred to me they might actually like her, care for her the way that I do.

But of course they do. Ren is extremely likable. To know her is to love her.

Finally, I choke out. “I-Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us, mouse.” Hale leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Not for this.”

The door behind Hale and Creed opens and the doctor in charge of Ren’s surgery strides through. The five of us are on our feet in an instant, Moira slower to follow since Ginny is still asleep and needs waking. As the Doctor comes to a stop in front of us, the girl rouses enough to blink sleepily up at her mom in question, then leaps to her feet as she remembers where we are. “Is she okay? Is Ren going to be okay? Will she dance again? Is she awake? Can we see her?”

“Patience, Gin,” Moira says, sliding her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Let him speak.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to snarl at him, to say something, anything, but I just barely stall the impulse.

“She’s just fine,” the doctors says with a reassuring smile. “The surgery went off without a hitch. We were able to reconstruct most of the damaged area.” Relief overwhelms me, and my knees turn to mush. Four sets of hands grab me, keeping me from falling, guiding me to lean against Creed’s solid weight.

The blood rushing in my ears keeps me from hearing what else he’s saying, what anyone is saying. I watch as his mouthmoves, watch as Tic asks a question, and the doctor responds, but I don’t understand a word of it. I hope like hell someone will tell me later what he said. Creed’s arms wrap around my chest and shoulders, cradling me against him, holding me up.

“Can we see her?” Ginny asks again, and that question breaks through.

“She’s still under sedation from the surgery, but she should be coming out of it slowly.” He looks at Moira. “If you two would like to go sit by her bed, I’m sure that would be fine.” He gives Ginny a bright smile. “I bet she’d love to see you when she wakes up.”

Ginny nods, tucking her head against her mother, late blooming embarrassment suddenly making her shy.

---