Page 132 of Bulletproof

“Oh, you look better,” she told me. “It’s nice to see your color come back.”

“Thank you for taking care of me.” I smiled at her.

“Oh, you’re right,” she told Sam. “Those are the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen.”

His smile was enormous, and he looked almost proud.

“Sweetheart, it’s our pleasure,” she told me.

I nodded.

She patted my leg, glanced at Sam, and then left.

“I’m okay, then?” I asked, looking up at him.

“No, baby,” he said softly, moving up to the bed, taking my hand in his gently. His voice was like honey as he spoke to me. “You’re not okay.”

“What’s wrong?” I looked at him.

“We gotta wait for a few more tests, and then we’ll know more.”

Why were we waiting on tests? “Sam?”

“Just wait. Please. Dane will be here in a few hours, okay? Let’s wait for him.”

Dane was coming? “Why is Dane coming?”

“Because he’s your brother.”

“But you can make any decisions for me. You’re my husband, my domestic partner. It’s all legal, and registered in Cook County so⁠—”

“I know, the hospital knows, but just … we gotta wait for Dane.”

“Where am I?” I asked, looking around the pleasant private room.

“You’re at Queen’s Medical Center. It’s downtown, close to the capitol and Iolani Palace.”

I smiled at him. “There’s a palace?”

He nodded. “It’s pretty. We should go through it before we leave.”

“Tell me why Dane is coming.”

“He just is.”

“Sam?” My voice rose.

“Shh,” he said, leaning down so I could put my face in his shoulder and he could hold me. “It’s all right. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. Everything’s okay.”

I was crying. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn’t help it. He just held me, and after a few minutes, my eyes drifted closed.

“Rest for a little while,” he told me. “I’m just gonna stand here and hold your hand, all right?”

I thought I answered, "Okay," before I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was late and dark in the room. I looked for Sam, and he was there, at the window, standing in the moonlight streaming in through the glass. As I studied him, I saw how broken he looked. I needed to fix him.

“Did you think I was dead?”