Page 178 of Primal

“He changed it.” My voice doesn’t waver. “Last week.”

The surgeon exhales. “Five minutes. And security will need to speak with you.”

He means the cops waiting downstairs. The ones who’ve been circling since we arrived.

“Wait here,” I tell Amanda.

She grabs my wrist. “What should I tell them?”

“The truth.”

I head into the ICU before she can see my tears welling.

But I hover in the doorway. The beep of the monitor. The smell of antiseptic.

Those tubes snaking from Kade’s arms, his stomach wrapped in enough gauze to mummify a lesser man.

I step inside.

It hurts to look at him.

I hold on to his hand. Let myself stare at the soft fall of his lashes. At the familiar crease between his brows.

His eyes flutter open.

“Payton.” His half-formed smile turns into a grimace. “You look like shit. That means I’m alive?”

A laugh scrapes out of me.

“Asshole,” I whisper, pressing my forehead to his hand. “You almost died.”

“Didn’t think I’d get to see you again.” He hums—barely audible. “Figured I’d go out with a better view.”

“You idiot. I almost lost you.”

His knuckles brush against my cheek. “You didn’t.”

His eyes lock on mine. Maybe it’s just the painkillers, but they soften, searching my face.

I drop my gaze first. Glance at the mess of his body again. There are too many tubes. Too many bandages. Too many things that could still go wrong in the next twenty-four hours.

“Rest. I’ll be here.”

“Yeah.” His words slur. “Always … watching me.”

The goddamn irony. I should snap back. Instead, my vision blurs.

Kade’s breathing evens out. The heart monitor keeps its steady chant.

I allow myself three deep sobs, forehead pressed to our joined hands.

Kristy’s laugh. Lana’s smirk. The things Kade and I did in that chapel—

“Ma’am?”

I flinch. Not letting go of his hand.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry. We need to clear the ICU.”