Page 7 of Never To Forever

He blinks up at her but slowly nods.

“Okay.” Ally offers him her hand, and he takes it. She leads him away, giving me a jerk of her chin as she passes by.

“Thank you, Ally,” Christian calls after them.

Once Ally and Oliver are out of sight, I move to sit on Haven’s other side. I feel like I’m shattering from the inside out, but I hold myself together as best I can. Haven is under enough stress as it is. She’s only three months into her pregnancy, which means her risk of miscarriage is still high.

“Hey,” I say softly, grabbing her hand. Haven immediately lifts her head and drops it against my shoulder.

I glance up at Peter. “How are you, Mr. Merritt?”

He gives me a shaky smile. I can’t imagine what he must be going through right now—he lost his wife recently, and now his stepson is in the same hospital she died in, hurt and suffering.

“I’m all right,” he tells me softly. He shoots Haven a quick look, his concern for her obvious. “We just need to pray that everything works out right now.”

I struggle to swallow down my fear. Haven continues to cry, and I meet Christian’s gaze over his sobbing wife.

“Have you heard anything yet?”

He shakes his head. “Not yet… other than he’s alive. They’re examining him now. A few other guys got caught in the explosion, but their injuries are minor compared to Garrett’s, so they’ll be okay. Garrett, unfortunately, was caught directly in the blast.”

I swallow. “Okay, so we’ll probably hear from the doctor soon?”

“I hope so,” Christian murmurs, while I hold Haven in my arms. His phone suddenly rings and he pulls it out, frowning at the screen. “Give me a minute. I’ve got a team from the corporate office in Houston on the ground at the rig to oversee cleanup and repair. I’ve got to take this.”

I nod, squeezing Haven closer to me. “Don’t worry. I’ve got her.”

He gives me a weary, grateful smile before turning and answering the phone, his voice trailing off as he walks away. “How the hell did this happen?”

It’s another fifteen minutes before a doctor appears. Christian quickly hangs up his call. Haven and I stand up, and Peter moves to stand next to us.

“How is he?” Peter asks in a strained tone.

“Garrett’s stable,” the doctor says. “He’s not in any danger, so you don’t have to worry. There is a concussion, some cracked and bruised ribs, and his right shoulder blade is fractured. He should regain full use of his arm and full mobility, but he will have to spend at least a few weeks resting and recovering, and attend physical therapy. He’ll be just fine.”

The relief that washes over me is so intense, my knees shake. Haven is clutching my arm, and I hold her just as tightly to stay upright myself.

“Can we see him?” Christian asks.

“Yes,” the doctor nods. “He’s down the hall. Room 104.”

With that, he turns and walks away. Haven sags against me, and we hug. Thank God…Garrett’s going to be okay. He’s hurt, but he’ll recover.

“Come on,” Christian says. “Let’s go see him.”

The four of us move down the hallway to Room 104. The door is open, so we make our way inside. Garrett is lying in a hospital bed, his right arm fully wrapped in a stabilizing manner and his handsome face covered in bruises. My stomach twists, and I have to fight to maintain my composure. It’s been so long since I’ve been in a hospital like this. My mom died in an accident, and every bit of that memory is slowly resurfacing as I stare at Garrett.

I hate seeing him like this—broken and in pain. He’s always been so strong. So protective. He was the one who stepped up when his and Haven’s mom got sick and took care of everyone. He sacrificed so much in order to keep his family together.

Garrett looks up at us as we enter and gives us a tired smile.

“Hey, guys,” he says.

Haven rushes to him and takes his good hand. “Garrett! Oh, my God! I’ve been so worried.”

“I’m okay,” he assures her, pulling her in for a one-armed hug. “I promise, Haven.”

Haven sinks into his embrace, and Garrett flinches. He keeps his pain contained, holding back so he doesn’t upset Haven any more than she already is. Even if he hides it from everyone else, he can’t hide it from me. I can read Garrett better than anyone because I’ve been crushing on him for so many years.

---