Page 24 of He Saved My Boy
This is the longest fucking hour of my life.
Sitting in the reclining chair, I will myself to relax. I close my eyes and try to focus on the sounds around me rather than the thoughts twirling around like a tornado in my head. With the door cracked open so the Harringtons will be free to enter, I listen to footsteps approaching and continuing down the hall. I hear the faint sound of a heart monitor in a room nearby, and I hear laughter coming from the nurses’ station. All the while, I count my steady breaths flowing in for two, three, four, five seconds and out just as slow. It’s not effective, but I’m no longer losing my shit, so I guess this diversion is better than nothing.
When there’s a light knock on the door, I nearly bolt from the chair.
Seeing Davis’s triumphant smile instantly sets my racing heart at ease. “Sorry to startle you, but the door was open. I came as soon as I could to tell you the news.”
“No… that’s okay. I’ve been going out of my mind waiting,” I mutter as I close the distance between us. “Please tell me he’s okay,” I practically beg.
Nodding profusely, he grins from ear to ear. “Everything went as planned. Connor’s break was clean, and I was able to get it repositioned and stabilized with only three pins. Everything’s in a cast so you won’t have to worry about him bumping anything when his energy returns to normal.”
“Oh my God. Thank you, Davis!” I throw my arms around him.
Wrapping his arms around me, he pulls me close. “You’re welcome, T. I’m glad I was able to help. With any luck, Connor will be as good as new in no time. Of course, we’ll have to see how he feels after he comes out of recovery, but he should be released this evening.”
I keep replaying the words he’s just told me in my head as if I’m unsure they’re real. Still clinging to him, I pull back to look him in the eye. “He’s really gonna be okay?”
With another tight hug, I feel a kiss to the top of my head. “Yes. He really is. The better question is, are you?”
“I will—I just need to see him for myself, if you know what I mean.”
I feel the rumble of laughter more than hear it through Davis’s chest. “I can only imagine. But he really is okay. I saw with my own eyes.”
Squeezing him once more, I say, “Thank you for giving Connor a chance to heal properly. I’m sure it will take awhile to recover, but I’ll be forever grateful for you fixing him.”
“I’m glad Jamison’s boy chose today to be born—so I could.”
Pulling back, Davis locks his gaze on mine for an immeasurable moment. Somehow, in all this chaos, our chemistry from last night soars back to life, and I find myself thinking of kissing him to show my appreciation.
He must feel it, too, as he slowly leans in to close the distance.
Before our lips can connect, a loud shrill from his phone fills the room, making us jump apart.
“Shit. That’s my service. I have to take this.”
Thinking it might be about Connor, I quickly step away as he says, “This is Davis Fallon.” He listens for a moment as his eyes pinch together with concentration. “I’ll be right there. Get an OR ready and have Brighton join me.”
The minute he ends his call, his apologetic face says it all. “There’s been a vehicular accident involving a bus filled with teens and a semi-truck. There are multiple open fractures, which means I’m busy for the foreseeable future. Please know Connor is in good hands, but I won’t be able to see him before he discharges this evening. Who knows how many cases I’ll have tonight. A nurse will reach out to schedule a follow-up appointment in Seattle from their children’s hospital. I’ve already put in the orders.”
He reaches out to squeeze my hand, then turns and rushes out of the room.
Before I can even process a word he’s said, Dianne and Jim return and point down the hall in the direction Davis went.
“Was that the doctor?” Dianne asks.
I go through the motions of telling them that Connor’s in recovery and that the surgery went as well as expected. Their bodies sag with relief, and they each take turns hugging me. They may only see Connor a few times a year, but I know without a doubt, they love him just as much as I do.
Eventually, a nurse comes to tell us that Connor’s starting to wake up and that I can go see him. I almost want to hug her, too, for not making me wait much longer. I swear I’ve aged ten years in the span of the last few hours, and I’m not sure my nerves can handle waiting to see him much longer.
When I reach the curtained-off bed, the weight I didn’t know I’d been carrying lifts the moment my beautiful boy opens his beautiful blue eyes and asks, “Is it over, Mommy?”
Rushing to close the distance between us, I lean in and carefully run my palm against his cheek. “Yes, sweet boy. I just spoke with Dr. Fallon, and he said you’re gonna be okay.”
Leaning in, I kiss his forehead as I whisper, “I love you so, so much.”
Even though his voice is groggy, his words slay me. “I love you more, Mommy.”
And just like that—being able to touch my son and see he’s okay set my world right again.
