Page 144 of Chasing Infinity

We open in the mornings at six, which means the first round of early-morning guests have come and gone by six-thirty. I’m in the middle of rushing a plate of dirty dishes toward the back when I spin around too quickly, almost tripping over someone standing right behind me.

I gasp as his arms shoot out to steady me, big strong hands grabbing onto my upper arms. I mumble an apology, barely registering the deep response. When I look at him, my mouth falls open with a gasp, and I can hardly believe what I see. I wonder if I’m living in a dream because this is too good for reality.

At the sight of him standing before me, all the memories and heartache seeps into me. He looks the same but so different, almost—weathered. Time stands still as I take a moment to absorb every feature of his face, lingering on the silver-blue eyes that often haunt my dreams. The long unruly dark hair gives him an edgier appearance than the last time I saw him. The man standing in front of me seems different, but every molecule in my body comes alive, telling me that it’shim. He’shere.

It’s almost as if the wind is knocked out of me at his nearness, but I manage to squeak out, “Noah.”

PartThree

Now

They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

* * *

Chapter 36

Addison

“Noah? Can you hear me?” I ask softly. The beeping from the hospital machines echoes in my ears, and I try my best to drown it out. “It’s me. I’m here. You’re okay now. Just open your eyes, please, Noah.”

When Noah doesn’t respond to me, my heart deflates. I squeeze his hand again, wishing with everything in me that he’d just wake up.

I’ve been here for what feels like days, though I know it’s only been a few hours. As soon as I got the call from Charlie that they found Noah stranded in the middle of the woods, I rushed over here, waiting for them to haul him in. He was barely conscious enough to tell the doctors that I was here with him and that they could share his medical records with me. Before passing out again, he gave me a weak grin, his eyes sparkling as they looked me over.

After checking him over, they decided he has a concussion from his car wreck and a compound fracture of his wrist. Before I even had the chance to process what was happening, they wheeled him out of the ER and into surgery so they could set the wrist before any permanent damage was done.

It was a few hours between when I last spoke to him on the phone and when they found him. In that time, I frantically did exactly as Noah asked me. I called Charlie and had him reach out to whoever this Vincent person was. Charlie knew exactly who to call and didn’t ask any questions, just as Noah said he would. After all that was done, all I could do was wait.

The hospital staff let me wait in one of the family waiting rooms until Noah came out of surgery. It took almost two hours before his surgeon walked out to find me. I immediately stood up, clutching my hands in front of me.

“Noah’s doing very well. We have him out of the OR in recovery; you should be able to see him soon.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded my head. The surgeon continued, “Noah had a complete fracture to the end of his radius bone,” he pointed to his forearm just under his thumb, showing me exactly where. “After x-raying it, we determined that it wasn’t stable enough without this surgery, so we went in and put a plate and screws in to hold it together. He’ll have to do some physical therapy, but I’m hopeful that he’ll get most of his full function back in that hand.”

After the doctor gave the all-clear, I could go into Noah’s room and haven’t left since. I’ve held vigil next to his bed, just waiting and waiting for him to wake up. They told me it wouldn’t take long, but with still no sign of him coming to even a few hours later, it still isn’t quick enough for me. The need to see his blue eyes sparkle with reassurance, to let me know everything will be okay, consumes me.

A nurse steps into the room and gives me a gentle smile. “How are we doing in here?”

I shift in my chair and glimpse up at her. “Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

“His general anesthesia should have worn off by now, but he’s had a rough night. His body might just be taking the extra time it needs to get back to tip-top shape,” she explains. “I bet you’ll see him coming around here within the next half hour.”

“The doctor said he’ll need to spend the night?”

The nurse nods her head, regarding me sympathetically. “At least, just to make sure that he clears all of the concussion protocols once he wakes up.”

I let out a heavy breath, my shoulders falling as I look back at Noah. His hair is unruly, and I reach over to brush a few strands off of his forehead. I run the backs of my fingers against the slope of his jaw, feeling the prickly stubble starting to form. His skin is still warm beneath my touch, reminding me he’s still with me. Seeing him lying here, unconscious, just makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry.

This isNoah. Though we haven’t had much time together since he returned, I know this man. And seeing him incapacitated in such a manner is jarring. He’s not supposed to be here like this.

Despite everything the nurse told me, I cannot help but feel my chest tighten with worry. What if he doesn’t wake up? What if the doctors missed something serious like a brain bleed? I’ve seen all the medical shows, and I know that things can go wrong quickly and without rhyme or reason. I don’t want us to be the next case study that is used for prime-time TV.

My chin quivers as that thought comes and goes. Noah’s chest’s steady rise and fall does soothe some of my worries. The heart monitor beeping next to me assures me that he’s still here with me, just sleeping. He’ll wake up and give me that crooked smirk, telling me with a sparkle in his eyes that I worry too much.

I’ll roll my eyes and shove his shoulder before leaning over and capturing his lips in a kiss that will leave both of us breathless. Then he’ll walk right out of this hospital and take me home to our bed, where he’ll get rid of every worry I’ve ever had in my life.

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