Page 138 of Forever After All

Jess rubbed the pads of her thumbs over the back of Linc’s hand. She’d been silently praying for hours at his bedside, but his condition hadn’t changed.

The sterile smell hung in her nose as she sniffed. She hated the waiting. Hated sitting here helpless while Linc needed a miracle.

God, please.

The surgery went well last night, and the doctor had been able to repair most of the damage in Linc’s shoulder. Even with the best medical intervention, no one could guarantee he’d make a full recovery.

Bandaging covered his whole shoulder, and another wrapped around his middle. The cut on his side had been tedious to repair too, but the doctor seemed to be more concerned with the shoulder.

There was a quiet knock on the door before Hillary walked in. She’d been his nurse since early that morning. It took a special person to be a nurse, and Jess appreciated the attentiveness.

“Still the same?” Hillary asked.

“I guess so. He hasn’t moved.”

Hillary stepped up to the computer beside the bed. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, and she couldn’t have been much older than Jess. “Just checking some things.”

More checking when Jess wanted action. Impatience had been her enemy for the last twelve hours.

“Everything still looks okay. Call me if you need anything or if he wakes up.”

“Thanks,” Jess whispered as Hillary left as quickly as she’d come.

Jess let out a deep breath and rested her forehead on the back of his hand. The bending tugged at the stitches in her side, but she didn’t care.

She’d prayed about everything she could possibly think to pray, but nothing was changing. Linc was still lying in the same position he had all day.

A knock on the door startled her, jerking her from a weird dream.

“Knock, knock,” Brett said as he walked in, followed by Vera.

Jess sat up, blinking past the grogginess. How long had she been asleep?

Brett set a large bag filled with food containers on the tray. “We brought food. Well, Vera brought food.”

Vera patted Brett’s shoulder. “You carried it, so you did your part.”

“Thanks. I don’t know if I could eat, and Linc hasn’t woken up yet.”

Brett’s eyes squinted as he gave Linc a once-over. “Still no change?”

“No. The doctor and nurses said to be patient.”

Brett chuckled. “How’s that going for you?”

She glared up at her brother. “Not great.”

“I do have good news. I talked to Camille this morning. She’s pretty up-to-date on what’s going on, and she said she’d represent you and Linc if any charges get brought up.”

Jess straightened. “Why would that happen? Ryan attacked us.”

Brett lifted his hands. “I don’t know, but I thought it would be better to be prepared just in case. You shot someone, so I figure there will at least be an investigation.”

Jess rested her forehead in her hand. The fever hadn’t come back, but the exhaustion still hung over her like a thick blanket. “The police have already been by to talk to me. I can’t believe I shot someone. Even if it was Ryan.”

Vera rubbed a hand over Jess’s back. “Don’t beat yourself up. You did what you had to do.”

“Yeah. At least Ryan will be leaving here in cuffs,” Brett said.

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