Page 16 of Zane

“In fact, why don’t we pray before we leave?”

As he listened to his dad pray, Zane felt himself drift. Now that the pain in most of his body had been taken care of, courtesy of the nurse, he could feel sleep calling to him.

“We love you, darling. Sleep well,” his mom said as she pressed one more kiss to his forehead. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

He heard some murmured conversation and was briefly aware of the nurse at his bedside before he fell asleep, hoping and praying that the morning would bring less pain, more clarity, and the return of his missing memories.

~*~

Kelsey stared at herself in the mirror of the women’s bathroom. Her skin looked sallow under the bright fluorescent lights, and the dark circles under her eyes spoke to the sleepless nights she’d endured lately. But none of that matched the devastation in her heart.

She’d been so certain that once Zane woke up, everything would be okay. He’d still need healing, of course, but her worry over his physical state would have lessened a lot. No one had warned her that he might have memory issues.

Although maybe she should have realized it was a possibility.

Or that he’d think he was in love with another woman. One named Sarah… that Kelsey knew nothing about. The pain she’d felt as she’d heard him say he loved Sarah hadn’t lessened at all.

She wanted to believe that his memories would return in full, but she could no longer allow herself to be that hopeful. Hope was the reason she was hurting so badly right then.

She’d hoped that all would be well when Zane finally opened his eyes. She hadn’t realized that—for her—things would go from bad to worse.

Still, it had been good to see him awake and interacting. While he might not remember her or the love he once had forher, he was still the man she loved. So seeing him take this step forward in his recovery by waking up was still a good thing.

Bracing her hands on the counter, she took several deep breaths, wondering if there was any way she could leave the hospital without having to deal with the Halversons.

Hoping to keep her emotions under control, Kelsey took several deep breaths. She could do this. She’d stayed strong through these new developments, just like she’d stayed strong since the accident.

She had no choice.

Returning to the waiting room, she saw that all the family members currently in Tampa were gathered there. Wilder spotted her first and left the group to approach her.

“Are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine.” She could tell he didn’t believe her, but that was too bad. She wasn’t going to parade the hurt she was feeling out for them to see.

“I know it must have been difficult to hear that Zane had lost his memory,” Wilder said, glancing over at Lexi as she joined them. If Rori had been there, she would absolutely have wrapped Kelsey in a tight hug. “But we’re all very hopeful that it’s just temporary.”

“As am I,” she said.

The others had moved over to where they stood, and Cathy said, “Zane has fallen asleep.”

“I’m going to go see him, then I’m going home.”

“But he’s asleep,” Cathy repeated.

“Mom.” Gareth’s voice was firm as he spoke. “It’s probably easier for Kelsey to see him while he’s sleeping, and I doubt herintentions are to wake him. But regardless of all that, she’s his wife. She has the right to see him whenever she wants.”

Kelsey appreciated Gareth coming to her defense, especially when she hadn’t expected it.

“He’s right,” Dan said. “We need to be going as well.”

Once Lee and Rori had returned to Serenity, Kelsey had brought her own vehicle to the hospital, so she didn’t have to spend any time trapped in awkward silence with members of Zane’s family.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Kelsey,” Gareth said. “We’ll be praying for you.”

Kelsey appreciated his words, since, given his defense of her, he might just be as sincere as Rori and Lee had been in their prayers for her. “Thank you.”

Turning, she headed for the doors that led to the ICU. A nurse was in Zane’s room when Kelsey stepped through the door. She looked up and gave her a smile.

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