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“Neveah?” I say quickly. “I know. That’s why I’m staying. I need her too.”
Her head shakes quickly, and her lips quiver. “No, Hudson. Neveah has me.” She pauses, swallowing. “She needs you. She has no one else.” Tears fill her beautiful eyes again, and she blinks them away. “She loves you the way you love me. Do you remember that pain?” She places her hand on my chest. “The pain right here when I was taken from you?” She pulls in a shaky breath. “Don’t do that to her. She’s been through enough already.”
Briar. She never says her name, but I know that’s who she’s talking about.
“There was never supposed to be a her, Cami.” I fight back a sob. “It was supposed to be me, you, and our daughter.”
“I know.” Her lips turn up a tiny bit, and she gives me a faint nod. “But sometimes, life doesn’t work out the way we plan. And you know what? That’s okay.”
I open my mouth to answer when, suddenly, Neveah is back by my side. Scooping her up quickly, I throw my other arm around my wife and bury my head in her neck.
“It’s okay, Daddy.” She hugs my neck harder before I feel one hand let go. “Look, Daddy. A dove.”
Turning slowly, I watch a dove fly toward the sunlight until I can no longer see it anymore.
Peeking up at me, Cami pushes to her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine. “We love you. It’s okay, Hudson. You can let go.”
“I’ll never let go,” I utter. “Never.”
Everything grows brighter, and I hold on tight to the two of them, not wanting to let them go.
But then it all goes white, and I can’t see or feel them anymore.
Where am I?
I keep my head rested on one hand, holding his with the other. I stare up at him, just like I have for the past forty-eight hours, minus the few times I got up to pee, dozed off, or was forced to eat or drink something by Rossi.
My brother wanted to fly over here, but I told him absolutely not. Not until Hudson wakes up because, honestly, the thought of dealing with anyone isn’t something I can handle. With Rossi, it’s different he’s feeling the same way. This isn’t just his coworker; it’s his friend.
Somehow, Rossi, Hudson, and I made it out of that burning house. Though I don’t know how because I lost consciousness, and so did Rossi. But someone was looking out for us because when the firefighters and paramedics arrived, we were on the lawn. They told us Hudson was barely hanging on because he had lost so much blood.
After some breathing treatments, Rossi and I are both much better. But Hudson was in rough shape. And even though they had to go in surgically to remove the bullet, he hasn’t woken up yet. The doctors told us the forty-eight hours after the surgery were crucial to his survival, so each hour that his body is still fighting to stay alive, I feel like I get a little closer to being able to breathe again.
“Oh, my baby boy,” a woman says, rushing into the room, covering her mouth with her hands. “Oh, Hudson.”
Pushing myself away from the bedside, I stand up. “You must be Mrs. Hale?” I wave toward the chair. “You can have this seat, ma’am. I’ll go outside.”
“Thank you.” She sobs, but just as I start to walk around her, her hand touches my arm. “What’s your name, dear?”
“B-Briar,” I say nervously. “I’m Briar.”
“Hi, Briar.” She sniffles. “Do you work with my son?”
Looking from her to Hudson, I feel another ball of emotion inside my chest as I take in his lifeless body lying in the bed. His face is a shade paler than it normally is.
“Your son saved my life,” I tell her honestly. “He’s saved a lot of people’s lives.”
Wiping my eyes, I pat her shoulder. “I’ll give the two of you some time alone, okay?”
“Briar?” she says as I start to walk out. “There’s another chair right there. Why don’t you stay?”
I nod quickly as tears flow from my eyes like a river. “I’d like that. Thank you.”
Despite downing the massive coffee Rossi brought us, I can hardly keep my eyes open. Hudson’s mom, Shayna, left to try to talk to his doctors about his latest test results. I’ve enjoyed her company for the past few hours, but I can feel her pain as she waits for her son to open his beautiful eyes. And I know she’s scared. So am I.
She is warm and welcoming—so different from her son, who is grumpy and mysterious. But I guess if I had gone through what he has, I’d be the same way. His mom hasn’t asked about our relationship, and that’s good because I don’t know what I’d even tell her.
I widen my eyes in an attempt to keep them open. It’s useless because my body is so exhausted. Meanwhile, my brain won’t shut off. I keep my hands over Hudson’s before laying my head on his bed. Within seconds, I feel myself dozing off. I try to fight it, but it’s useless. Ever since this nightmare began, I haven’t slept. I guess my body has finally exhausted all its energy.
