Page 58 of Defend Her Heart

“Avery!”

I’m pushing off the wall with such force, I wouldn’t be surprised if I put a dent in it.

“Sir, please! Stop. Wait until I’ve lowered the table. This is normal.”

Normal? This may be a typical result of the test but nothing about this is normal. The seconds tick by, and I swear this thing is moving in slow motion. My hand is in my hair, tugging at the strands, my heart breaking at the sight in front of me.

The table levels out but Avery still doesn’t wake up.

I know it isn’t the first time I’ve seen her faint like this, but there’s something about her being up there, strapped to a table, absolutely helpless, that claws at something inside of me.

“Wake up! Please, baby, wake up!” My words, full of panic, cut through the room like a blade. Too loud,too raw to ignore.

As soon as the last word is out of my mouth, Avery’s eyelashes flutter. Once. Twice. And then her eyes open.

The tension in me snaps all at once. A breath tears out of my chest so suddenly that it almost knocks me off my feet. My vision blurs for a second, my chin dropping to my chest. The relief settles in, deep and overwhelming, making it hard to think past the simple fact that she’s okay. Her eyes are open and she’s looking at me again. She’s here and she’smine. Even if it isn’t real, it is for now.

I have to get to her. I have to touch her to make sure she really is okay.

The nurse must notice something in me, because once she’s done checking out Avery, she steps aside and motions for me to join them. “Well, come on now. Your wife is waiting for you.”

I’m at Avery’s side in an instant. One hand is clutching the side of the table and the other one is cupping her cheek. I scan her face, her eyes, searching for anything that still might be off. Anything that says she’s not fully back to me yet. But there’s nothing there.

“Avery.” Her name comes out low and unsteady, the emotion so clear in my voice, I almost don’t recognize it. My thumb brushes her cheek, grounding myself in the warmth of her skin.

Her eyes find me and for a second, everything else fades away—the nurse, the room, the sound of the machines—nothing else is here anymore. It’s just her and me.

Avery leans into my hand that’s still stroking her cheek, and it nearly wrecks me. Because my body remembers something I took years trying to forget. The feel of her skin against mine, leaning into me like she’s done a thousand times before. Something tight in my chest pulls sharper. The relief of the moment is tangling up with something I don’t want to name. It’s something I have no right to feel anymore. Because she still fits here, in my hand, in my life, just like she always has.For one selfish second, it feels like no time has passed at all. It’s almost like she’s still the girl I love with my entire being, and she still feels the same way about me.

Just as fast as the moment is there, it’s gone.

The nurse interrupts whatever was happening here to remove the sticky patches covering Avery’s chest that are connected to the machines behind me. As much as I don’t want to, I take a step back to give the nurse room to work. She undoes the straps across her body and the need to reach out and pull her into me is unbearable, but somehow I resist. Once everything’s off her and the nurse steps back to the monitors off to the side, I move next to Avery again.

We don’t say anything, but I grab her hand and I’m relieved when she lets me. I stroke the top of her hand with my thumb as we wait for the nurse to tell us what comes next. She’s busy on the computer when I apologize.

“I’m sorry I freaked out a little bit when she passed out. I knew it could happen but seeing it with my own eyes was too much.”

I’m taken aback when I hear her chuckle. “No worries, Mr. Chamberlin.”

Avery snorts out a laugh at the use of her last name, and I shake my head at her reaction.

The nurse doesn’t seem to notice though so she keeps talking. “That’s usually the reason we don’t allow people in here. I don’t blame you for being concerned. And thank you for allowing me to do my job and not rushing in to touch or move her.”

I have no idea if she’s looking at me, but I nod anyway. I can’t tear my gaze away from Avery. The color has returned to her cheeks and she almost looks as good as she did before the test. Almost.

The nurse instructs Avery to remain lying down for another ten minutes so we can make sure her heart rate gets back down. The ten minutes seem to fly by because the nextthing I know, the nurse moves in next to me. When I attempt to move away again to give her room, her hand reaches out for my arm. “You can stay.”

Relief settles in my chest again at her comment. I don’t think I can bear to be even a foot away from Avery at this point.

“Okay, Avery. Your heart rate has come back down so we’re going to attempt to sit you up now. Do you think you’re ready for that?”

Avery looks from the nurse to me and I give her my best encouraging smile. I’m not sure how good it is but Avery looks back to the nurse and in a soft, quiet voice she mutters, “I think so.”

The nurse nods and places a hand at Avery’s shoulder. She helps her into a sitting position, keeping her hand behind her back.

“Good. That’s really good, Avery. Mr. Chamberlin, can you come stand where I am? Just in case she starts to feel dizzy again. I’m going to grab her some crackers and juice.”

She doesn’t have to tell me twice.