Page 127 of Puck Struck
"Hey, nothing's going to happen tomorrow except you’re going to save Ethan's life and I’ll be right next to you when you wake up," he says, bringing his face close to mine. "And then we start figuring out what comes next."
"Which is?"
"Your recovery, my career, our life together. All of it." He presses a kiss to my lips. "I'm not going anywhere, Logan. You’re it for me."
I fall asleep with his arm around me, his breathing steady against my chest, his promise echoing in my head.
The alarm goes off at four o’clock in the morning and my heart immediately takes off on a fast gallop. Surgery prep starts at five, then the procedure is scheduled for six. Cam drives us to the hospital in my truck. I’m in the passenger seat, and Ethan curled up in the back with Tessa, still half-asleep, his skin and eyes a disturbing shade of yellow.
"You nervous, Uncle Lo?" Ethan asks in a groggy voice as we pull into the hospital parking garage.
"A little," I admit. "But excited too. We're going to fix you up, buddy."
"And then you'll be tired for a while?"
I turn to look at him. "Yeah. For a while. But Cam's going to help take care of both of us."
Ethan nods. "Cam's good at taking care of people."
I grin at Cam and give his hand a squeeze where it grips the gear shift. "Yeah. He is."
My stomach roils as the elevator creeps up to the surgical wing. Pre-surgical prep is a blur of paperwork, IV lines, and medical explanations. Dr. Patel goes over the details of the procedure one more time.
Tessa and Cam take turns sitting with me and Ethan as we wait. My nephew is braver than I am, cracking jokes with the nurses and asking detailed questions about the surgery that make the medical staff chuckle.
"You sure you're only six?" one of the nurses asks him.
"Six and three-quarters," Ethan corrects her. "I read a lot about liver stuff on the Internet."
"Of course you do," I say. "Just like your uncle. I think maybe the control freak gene skipped over Tessa and hit E."
When they come to take us to the operating room, my chest aches. I didn’t think the goodbyes would be this hard. Tears slip from Tessa’s eyes and she chokes out a sob.
My own eyes sting with tears when she leans down. “Thank you so much for saving him. I love you, Lo.”
“I love you too,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Don’t worry. We’re going to be fine.”
She nods and wipes her eyes. “Okay, I trust you.”
“Love you, Uncle Lo,” Ethan says, flashing a smile as the nurses maneuver his gurney out into the hallway.
“I love you, kid. See you soon.” My voice cracks. Fuck, I love him so much.
Cam leans down and kisses me on the lips.
"I'll be here when you wake up," he promises. "When both of you wake up."
"Take care of them," I tell him, nodding toward Tessa.
"I will. You just focus on coming back to us."
And then the nurses wheel me toward the operating room. I shiver in the stark cold of the space.
“I know it’s a little cold,” one of the nurses says. “But in a few seconds, you won’t feel a thing.”
The anesthesiologist introduces himself and hooks my IV up to some hanging plastic bags.
“Count backwards from ten,” he instructs.
