Page 95 of Star-Crossed
“Gemma has been texting me from the ambulance,” Vee announced as she slid behind the counter, shooing Gabe out the other side. “I can look after Star-Crossed if you want to keep an eye on things at Bazaar Girls.”
Whether she thought that Gabe would be more comfortable with crafts than he seemed to be with crystals, or she was just trying to get rid of him, Cy was immeasurably grateful.
“On it,” Gabe said with a little salute.
Vee turned to Cy once he was gone. “Well?”
He stood frozen. “Well?” he echoed.
Vee’s expertly shaped brow rose at an angle Cy thought of as being distinctly British. “Are you going to stand there with your thumb up your arse, or go to the hospital to be with the woman you love?”
Cy turned on his heel and didn’t look back.
As he climbed into his truck, the engine roared to life, thankfully drowning out the chaotic tangle of his thoughts. He gripped the steering wheel tightly. The leather was warm against his skin, anchoring him to the present moment.
He made the journey not on wheels, but wings, flying through an unprecedented lucky streak of green lights.
As the truck rumbled into the hospital parking lot, the world around him seemed to blur into a whirlwind of color and sound. Cold, sterile corridors. Fluorescent lights. The steady beeping of machines. The smell of the antiseptic mingling with the scent of wilted flowers.
Lyra was in there now.
In the place where he’d sat with his mother through chemo treatments, sucking down sugary Popsicles. Believing her when she told him that she was going to be just fine.
Believing they had time.
He needed to believe now, too.
Standing outside the imposing edifice, Cy watched the dying sun cast long shadows over the façade, painting a deepening contrast between darkness and light. He felt as if he were caught in that very same limbo, torn between hope and dread.
The uncertainty gnawed at him, threatening to consume him whole. He thought back to the countless times he’d run from difficult situations, from the pain of losing his mother to the fear of what others might think of him. Then he could run no further and allowed himself to be swept along with the collective momentum of their hometown.
But now, he would stay and stand.
He would fight.
For the woman he loved.
For himself.
For the future he hoped fate hadn’t fumbled.
NINETEEN
Aura
THE LIFE-ENERGY FIELD WHICH SURROUNDS ALL LIVING THINGS
The harsh fluorescentlights of the ER stabbed at Lyra’s eyes, and the chemical smell of disinfectant made her stomach churn. Again. They’d extracted at least a gallon of blood for tests, leaving her feeling even more drained and weaker than before.
Gemma fluttered around her like a concerned mother bird, adjusting pillows and offering sips of water. It was adorable, really, but if she didn’t stop, Lyra was going to throw ice chips at her.
“Do you think it’s dehydration?” Gemma asked, wringing her hands. “Have you been drinking enough lately?”
Lyra groaned. “I’ve been guzzling water like a fish. Try again.”
“Diabetes, then?” Gemma rifled through the stack of medical pamphlets on the table next to Lyra’s bed. “It runs in the family, you know.”
“My blood sugar is normal. Keep guessing.” Lyra fiddled with the IV in her arm, feeling the tape tugging at her skin. She’d felt off for days, lightheaded and queasy, but hadn’t wanted Gemma to know she was worried. Her sister meant well, but she’d insist on moving Lyra into her parents’ house and calling them back from their months-long tour of Thailand so they could monitor her around the clock.
