Page 106 of Everything We Found

He was in significant pain and under a heavy dose of medication, going in and out of consciousness, his words slurred and disconnected when he managed to speak, for almost three days. She hadn’t left his side once, catching snack bites of sleep on the vinyl visitor’s chair. Food came and went, barely touched. Dressed in the same clothes she’d left Phoenix in, she was exhausted, in desperate need of a shower in lieu of the washcloth wipe-downs at the bathroom sink, and she gave it no mind. She had other priorities. Him. He was her priority. She needed to be here when he finally woke clear-headed so he’d know he wasn’t alone. That he was loved.

His fingers twitched in her clasped hands and Nadia’s head lunged up. He was watching her, his eyes no longer glazed overwith pain. Absolute relief washed over her, the weariness that had settled in her bones evaporating in an instant.

“Hi.” She kissed his hand.

“Hey.” His voice was a hoarse whisper. He gave her a slight smile and that small lift to his mouth uncorked the tears she’d been holding back. They flowed unchecked. For someone who wasn’t a crier, she’d wept a lifetime worth of tears these past days. His palm cradled her cheek, his thumb catching her tears. “It’s okay.”

She shook her head, unable to get any words out.

“Come here.” He opened his uninjured arm for her to join him on the bed.

“I’ll hurt you.”

“No you won’t. I’m so dosed I won’t feel a thing.”

“Don’t joke,” she whispered, too raw to find any humor in this.

He had the decency to look chagrined. “Come here. I got you.” He patted the mattress.

Carefully, she eased onto the bed, mindful of the tubes and bandages, and settled against his side. His arm came loosely around her and her tenuous control shattered. Face pressed into his chest, her tears drenched the hospital dressing gown. Thomas held her, fingers moving gently through her hair, his heartbeat steady beneath her ear.

When her tears subsided and she felt she could speak coherently, she lifted her head. His hazel eyes glistened with emotion. “Better?” he asked in a rough voice.

“Not even close,” she admitted, attempting a weak smile. “But it’s a start.” She wasn’t sure if she’d ever get over almost losing him.

“Tell me.”

“You’re in ICU,” she began, repeating what the doctors and nurses shared with her each time he woke confused. “The bulletnicked your femoral artery. If the medics hadn’t gotten to you when they did…” She wouldn’t finish that sentence. “The doctors expect to move you to a regular room soon, hopefully by the end of today. They’re thinking five to six days more, depending how fast the swelling goes down. They’re sending you home with a walker, and you’re going to use it.” She poked his chest when he grimaced. “Then two to three months of physical therapy. Full recovery expected in four months or so.” He was fortunate the doctors acted fast and were able to save his leg.

Thomas traced the line of her jaw. “No, tell me that other thing.”

“Oh, James and your mom are staying at a hotel nearby until your release. They’ve been by every day. James is fine. Stressed about your recovery and obvious stupidity—his word, not mine—facing the Hidalgos without backup.”

“We had backup.”

“He did. Not you. And I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for taking off the way you did. We’re going to have a serious conversation about your lone wolf heroics when you get out of here. Your mom…” She sighed, her face contorting. “Physically she’s fine. She’ll recover. Mentally? Make sure she meets with a therapist. She’s more stubborn than you.”

“I will. But that wasn’t what I was asking about.”

“No?”

“Tell me the other thing.”

She frowned.

“Did I hear you earlier say you love me or was I dreaming?”

Here came the tears again. She nodded, sitting up beside him, and clasped his face. Leaning over him, she gently kissed his mouth. “I love you.” She kissed him again and rested her forehead on his. “I love you so much.”

His hand lifted and brushed her hair behind her shoulder, his palm coming to rest on her nape, holding her close. “My love.”

“I was so scared I wouldn’t get a chance to tell you, that you’d die before you knew.”

“I knew.” He whispered. “Deep down, some part of me knew.”

She lifted her head to look him in the eye. “Don’t you ever leave like that again. You want me in your life, we need to have a true partnership. If we’re together, we need to be together—making decisions, facing danger, all of it.”

“Never again.” His thumb brushed her cheek and a trembling started in her hands that she couldn’t quite control. “True partners.”