Page 72 of Reckless Love

“Your head?” Sawyer asks. “I can request more pain meds.”

“No, I mean yes, but…” Everything is muddled, confused. “Landon—is he really okay?”

“Yes,” Nathaniel says, and he peers down at me again. “I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“Why do I feel like this?” I ask.

“Concussion. Postsurgery pain from the collapsed lung they repaired, and your ribs are probably sore. You have a couple broken ones,” Sawyer says.

“How long? How long have I been here?” I ask.

“Three days,” Gage says. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness.”

“Three days!” I exclaim. “I need to see Landon. He must be wondering where I am.” I try to lift the covers.

“This is what gets you sedated,” Gage warns, stilling my movement with his hand. “You gotta stop doing this.”

“What?” I whisper. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve woken up a few times,” Nathaniel says, “and you get worked up about the accident or Landon or…” He shrugs. “You try to get up. They have to knock you out.”

“Oh,” I say. “I need to see Landon, though. Can I… Can I see him?”

“If you’ll stay in bed, we can talk to the doctors. Maybe we can wheel you up or wheel him down or figure out a way to get you both in the same room now that you’re stable and reasonable,” Sawyer says.

“Raul’s been flown to Boston,” Gage says. “Swelling on his brain. I haven’t heard much else.”

“Oh,” I say, embarrassed that I didn’t even remember Raul, that it didn’t even occur to me to ask. That I didn’t even wonder if he was with Landon.

“I’ll go find out about how you can see Landon,” Maren says, exiting the hospital room.

Heaviness settles over me again, and I let out a sigh. “I’m tired. I think I need more sleep.”

“Yeah,” Nathaniel says. “We’ll get you and Landon together somehow. You just rest.”

The next time I wake up, the heaviness on my eyes, on my head, is gone. The room is dark, but when I stir, someone springs to life in the chair beside me.

“Ava.” A familiar face appears above me.

“Stephen?” A tremendous sense of relief causes my limbs to tingle. I cup his face, staring at him in the glow from the streetlights outside. His eyes are almost a coppery color, and they’re brimming with concern. “You’re here,” I whisper.

“I should never have let him take me off your detail,” he says. “This never would have happened if I’d been driving.”

“You couldn’t have known.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he says. “I’m paid to… My job is to plan for the unknown.” His thumb skims my cheek. “Landon’s here. Your family got him moved into the room with you. But he’s sleeping.”

“Is he really okay?” Tears spring to my eyes again. “Don’t lie to me.”

“Deep cuts on his arms and legs. A nasty concussion. He had a couple blood transfusions due to blood loss. But he’s going to be okay.” He meets my gaze. “He’s going to be okay.” His voice is thick. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”

“I tried…” I swallow down my tears. “I tried so hard to hold on to him.” The lump in my throat makes it impossible to say more, and I stifle a sob. “But I… But I…”

“Shh,” Stephen says, smoothing my hair off my forehead. “You’re not to blame here, Ava. The accident had nothing to do with you. What Datu told me about the accident—there’s no way you could have held onto anyone. You’re lucky to be alive. ”

His fingers trace my face, the lightest touch, but I lean into it. Waking up to all my siblings earlier should have been this kind of solace, but instead, it felt exhausting. But here, in the darkness, with Stephen’s gentle touch, big presence, and deep voice, that’s where real comfort lives.

“I need to see him,” I say. “Can you help me?”