She blinked at me. “Sir, I’m not sure if you heard—”
“I heard you just fine,” I gritted out. “And you heard me just fine. Turn around and remind the doctor of the promise I made about his family.”
My words moved her, fear painting her expression. I watched her move through the bodies to talk to the doctor.
Then I waited. For my wife and son.
And I hoped.
WREN
The déjà vu was horrifying.
The hospital smells, the bright lights, the people yelling. Hands on me. Pain. Then emptiness.
It was too fucking familiar.
“I can’t save you, my Viking woman. You are going to save yourself too.”
But not completely. Karson had been there. He was there the whole time, reminding me to fight.
I felt a warm, dry hand in mine before anything else. Sensation started coming back to my body, and panic saturated my limbs as I once again felt emptiness in my stomach.
“Where is he?” I cried out, my voice thin and scratchy.
I tried to blink my eyes open, but they were full of grit.
“Where is he?” I repeated, louder this time.
“Sweetheart, it’s okay, he’s right here.”
I opened my eyes at the same time something warm was placed on my chest. I stared into wide, curious, ice blue eyes.
Like his father’s.
Tears ran down my face as I lifted my hand to brush his little cheek. He lifted his own to grab my finger in his.
“Oh my god,” I whispered, staring at him. “Striker, you’re here.”
“Baby, I understand you went through war to bring us our son, but no way in fuck are you calling him Striker,” Karson informed me.
I scowled in his direction but didn’t dare take my eyes off our little boy.
“He’s perfect,” I whispered.
“He came out of you,” Karson replied, voice gravely with emotion. “Of course, he is.”
I finally found the strength to tear my gaze from my baby long enough to look into my husband’s eyes. They were full of love. Yet edged with something else. Remnants of the trauma he’d gone through, pieces of the man he might’ve become if this had been different.
“Wren!”
We both looked to the door that Stella was bursting through, closely followed by Jay. “You’re awake,” she cried. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she rushed to my bedside. “You’re okay,” she breathed.
“I’m okay,” I agreed.
“I can’t believe what just happened,” she said. “You were … gone,” she choked. “The nurse came up to Karson and said you were gone.”
My insides shredded, thinking of Karson in that moment.