Page 43 of Unforgettable

“Oh, I’m sorry,”—I bent forward to look at his nametag—“Jason. Are you a cardiothoracic surgeon? Or a cardiologist?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Then I think you’re on your way to the hospital with my husband. I’ll be right behind you. I have to get our son out of bed.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I left in a huff, but not before I heard Vince tell Jason, “She’s not normally such a ball buster.” When I heard Vince’s laugh, I smiled.

We were still at the hospital, and it would be a while until Vince was cleared. They took his blood, made him pee in a cup, and already did a series of tests. The good thing was Vince didn’t have a heart attack. They were now going through a series of tests. Renee and Daniel picked up Hudson and took him back to their house.

After confirming that Vince didn’t have a heart attack, they did another series of tests. I was asleep in Vince’s bed when they rolled him back in. I shouldn’t be in his bed, but his nurse knew who I was from before, and she felt sorry for me.

“It was a panic attack,” Vince told me. “Coupled with PTSD,” he said.

“How are you doing?” I asked.

“I always knew it was a possibility. I knew the risks I was taking with being in the military and going to hostile territories. But anyone can get PTSD. It’s not a death sentence, and it’s more common than most people think. The good thing is that I’ve been doing exactly what I need to help deal with it. It’s a minor setback, but I’ll be fine.”

“That’s good news.”

“Yeah. What the fuck, Hailey?” His voice rose to a shout as his eyes, big as saucers, landed on my wrist. “Did I do that?”

“Vince, honey. It’s okay.”

“No, the fuck it’s not. Oh, my God! I can’t believe I did that to you. Come here.” He held his arms open. I climbed into his lap.

“Vince, it was an accident. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. I was talking to the nurse earlier, and she said it might be PTSD, so I read up on it while I was waiting. If this happens again, I’m not supposed to wake you up.”

“Right. That’s a common misconception. You think it works like a typical nightmare, but they are different.”

“It was automatic. I guess with Hudson, I’m used to waking him up if I know he’s having a bad dream. And I never saw you like that. I just reacted.”

“Hailey, I know. I probably would’ve thought the same thing. But we’ll talk with the doctor together and make sure we understand what to do and all of that moving forward.”

“Together,” I said, placing my hand in his.

“God, I love you.” As our lips met, I knew this moment was a testament to our unforgettable, everlasting, and unconditional love. Miracles were possible. This night took an unexpected turn, but we would make it through this just as we had everything else.

Chapter 23

Vince

Celebrating Hudson’s second birthday was better than anything I imagined. Our day was filled with family, friends, love and laughter. Hailey had gone above and beyond.

Thankfully, there hadn’t been any repeat night terrors since I was rushed to the hospital a couple of weeks earlier. It was scary for both of us. Even though she reassured me that she was okay, I was worried about having another dream like I had that night. Even worse was the terror and guilt eating away at me that I hurt Hailey in the process. I would never forgive myself for causing her pain. It was bad enough she had to worry about me. She should never have to worry about me hurting her.

“Are you almost ready?” I asked Hailey. She was standing in front of the full-length mirror.

“Almost.” Her beautiful smile reflected back at me.

“You look gorgeous.”

She twirled around, causing the fabric of her dress to flare outward. “It’s new.” She gave me a kiss and laced her arms around my neck. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” I said, wagging my brows at her.

“Ooh,” she crooned, unlatching herself.

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