Page 106 of Her Dark Salvation

“I’m so thirsty.”

He released a nervous chuckle, and tears spilled down his ashen cheeks. “I’ll call the nurse.” He opened the door, shouted down the hallway, and came right back to my side. “Marco would kill me if I left you. Even for a second.” He smiled, his expression filled with so much relief,Iwanted to comforthim.

“Marco was here?”

“Are you kidding? He came in with you in the ambulance. Stayed all night and yesterday. He didn’t want to leave until you woke up, but he had some urgent business.” Jeff’s jaw twitched, and his eyes darted away. “He told me not to leave until he got back. And to call if anything changed.”

“What—” I swallowed, desperate for water. “What happened?”

A nurse appeared carrying a Styrofoam cup with a bent straw. “Be careful,” she said. “Small sips.”

“Thank you.” The cool liquid coated my mouth and slid down my throat like ambrosia.

“I’ll let the on-shift doctor know you’re awake. He’ll be in shortly,” she said and walked out.

I sipped the water, my head still resting on the pillow, and raised my eyebrows to get Jeff moving with the story.

“You were hit by a car.”

I let the straw slip out of my mouth long enough to say, “I remember,” and resumed my sipping.

“Marco was there when it happened. He called an ambulance. You were in surgery for five hours, the ICU for twenty-four. Then, they moved you here.”

The straw fell out of my mouth. “Jesus.”

“I know.” He wrapped his hands around mine. “I was so scared, Anna. When Marco called, I…” Tears welled again, and he turned away, swallowing his emotions until they were back under control. “The doctors thought you might not make it, but I know”—he nodded to himself—“I know how strong you are. I knew you’d pull through.”

He laughed then, a bit hysterical. “Your vitals were normal by lunchtime today. The doctors said they’d never seen anything like it. Called it unprecedented. A miracle.”

Beyond Jeff’s smiling face, Marco’s imposing frame loomed in the doorway. He leaned against the jamb, arms crossed, his normally stoic features softened with relief and what looked a lot like exhaustion.

“Hi,” I said.

Jeff followed my gaze over his shoulder.

“Hi,” Marco said, the boom of his voice tempered into a low whisper.

Tears poured down my face.

Jeff stood and bent to kiss my forehead. “I’ll let your parents know you’re awake. They wanted to come down, but I told them to wait.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll call you soon.” He squeezed my hand, grabbed his coat off the back of the chair, and made his way to the door.

“Grazie,” Marco said and clasped Jeff’s forearm. Jeff grabbed his in return and nodded. He looked back at me one last time and left.

“Don’t disturb us,” Marco barked over his shoulder.

I chuckled, but my amusement at Marco’s demand quickly morphed into gentle sobs. He slowly and calmly shut the door behind him, removed his coat and suit jacket, and rolled up his shirtsleeves. He sat on the edge of the bed, took my face in his hands, and kissed the tears streaming down my cheeks.

I held on to his wrist, desperate to feel his skin against mine, to hold on to him and never let him leave. He kissed my forehead and left his lips to linger there while I finished crying.

He trailed kisses down the side of my face until his head met the pillow, and his warm breath tickled my ear. “La mia bellissima Anna. Mi hai spaventato a morte. Non farlo più.”

He kissed my ear and brought his face to hover inches above mine, and through my tears, I saw the unending depth of his love for me revealed through dark eyes.

“I am so sorry, Anna. This is why I didn’t want you anywhere near this world. I could have lost you.” His voice trembled through his confession.

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