Page 71 of Whisper of Surrender (Whisper Lake 2)

Her parents hadn’t left her side since arriving at the hospital. She knew that if it were up to her dad, he would’ve come back with her to see Ethan. He’d been hovering over her in worry, asking her if she needed him to get her something to drink or eat. Telling her he could go grab anything from her house that she needed and run it back to her. And for the first time in her life, she hadn’t felt smothered by her father’s doting. She felt loved and taken care of.

The door opened and she glanced over her shoulder to see Chad, the nurse. She’d told him that she loved the skull and roses that were inked on his forearm and he’d complimented her dress, immediately recognizing it from Dirty Dancing. Their rapport was instant and it reminded her a lot of the first time she’d met Kingston.

Chad waved as he came in and changed out a clear plastic bag hanging on his IV. He took a barcode scanner that hung on his waist and held it to the bottom of the new bag before replacing the old one.

“I bet he was happy to see you,” Chad spoke in a low whisper.

Well, you would’ve lost money on that one.

“He must’ve said your name a hundred times when he was going in and out of consciousness.”

She wished that he’d said it when he was awake. Another tear started to fall down her face and Chad patted her shoulder.

“I’m on for the next six hours. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, I will.”

When he left and she found herself alone with Ethan, she scooted closer to him and placed her hand over his chest so she could feel his heartbeat, like he’d had her do at the dance lesson. He was alive. That was all that mattered. Nothing else.

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