Divine Solace (Nature of Desire 8)

Gen steadied, trying to breathe, trying to calm down. Just breathe. Don't go beyond that. Don't go there. Beyond breathing was thinking, and a pain waited there she didn't want to feel. It would be beyond what she could endure.

"Lyda and Noah are both alive."

Gen's head snapped up so quickly Marguerite might have gotten her chin rapped if she hadn't anticipated her. Leave it to Marguerite to avoid any cliffhanging drama, just a quiet statement of fact, bringing the spinning world back to rights. "Oh God." Gen pressed her forehead into M's collarbone. "Thank you. Thank you."

"Though I'm sure God was there, you and Noah had a lot to do with it as well, according to the EMTs and eyewitnesses."

"Mostly Noah." It was coming back in harrowing pieces, including that horrifying image of Lyda's twisted body, the bloody face and hair. "When you say they're both alive...what does that mean? Are they okay?"

Marguerite eased a hip onto the bed so Gen could keep holding her. Chloe was cross-legged behind Gen, both as close as possible. Gen needed them that close. The room was whites and blues, medicine and disinfectant. She didn't want that reality.

"Noah broke a couple ribs, dislocated his shoulder. He kicked out the back window and caught hold of the rocks as the car went into the ravine. Tore up his hands pretty good on the rocks and the things inside the car, but the EMT who pulled him back over said it was one of the most impressive things he'd ever seen. Beyond all three of you getting out of the car alive, that is."

"I think he hates he missed catching it on his phone for YouTube," Chloe interjected.

They were trying to ground her, but now she only remembered that final second in the car, when Noah had met her gaze. He'd known the car wouldn't maintain stability when Lyda was cut free. He'd pushed Gen to follow his direction, and she'd let him. Guilt and shame swamped her, even knowing she'd been too disoriented to think straight. He'd been the only one in the position to do that, and he'd been prepared to sacrifice his life to save theirs. But he'd fought to live. Whether for them or himself, it didn't matter. He was alive.

"Lyda?" Dread filled her as Marguerite's face became more somber than usual.

"She has a skull fracture and other broken bones. Do you know what happened?"

Gen shook her head. While Noah's look was permanently engraved in her brain, the key moment was fuzzy. "I was looking at Noah, sleeping in the back. All I saw when I turned was Lyda's face. A flash of another car."

"You were on a sharp curve and the other driver was texting and crossed the line. Lyda took the brunt of the impact on the driver's side when she pulled the wheel to the right, but her deceleration when most people would have accelerated to avoid impact may have been what saved all of you. You went off the road, but the car tipped after it took out the guard rail, rather than shooting out into open space."

Only one thing was important. "How is she? Is she awake, talking?"

Marguerite shook her head. "But the swelling in her brain is already going down," Chloe added quickly. "The nurses say that's good."

She thought of Lyda, so strong and beautiful, running up the hill, making teasing circles around them. "No."

"They can't guarantee anything with head trauma, but once she wakes up, they'll be able to tell more. I think she's just resting up." M touched her face, gave her a steadying look. "You know Lyda's very particular about how she presents herself."

"I know. I know." Gen's voice was thickening. "If I'd lost them..."

"You didn't." Marguerite's arms were around her again. "You didn't, Gen."

"First it was you and Chloe, and now this..." She lifted her head, looked at Chloe. "Did you tell Noah how I felt...about nearly losing you?"

"Yes," the girl said simply. "In a way. He was as curious about you as you were about him. I told him you were the wonderful type of person who felt bad because you weren't there, even though it wasn't something you could control."

"I can't stand the thought of losing you. Either of you. It was so terrible. You're my family. All of you." Chloe and Marguerite, Lyda and Noah, all of them rolled together.

Chloe's eyes filled with tears again, and the three of them held one another. "You didn't lose us, and you didn't lose them," Marguerite murmured against Gen's hair. "Most importantly to us, we didn't lose you. You're our family too, dear heart."

Gen cried then. Not just because Chloe was crying, or because Gen was the type of person who cried in such situations, but because Marguerite was cry

ing too, silent tears dampening Gen's temple where the woman pressed her jaw against her.

They stayed that way for a while, then a nurse came in and discovered Gen was awake. Which meant she had to be prodded and poked. It turned out her injuries had been miraculously minor, the concussion the main cause of concern, but apparently they'd already done the diagnostics needed to verify no obvious serious brain trauma. Being awake and responsive to questions helped upgrade her status even further. Even so, the doctor made it clear she was going to be kept for at least one night's observation and gave Gen a list of symptoms she was to report to the nurse immediately if they occurred.

It was clear Marguerite and Chloe were taking careful note of that list. She'd wanted them to stay close, so through it all, Marguerite remained at the door, Chloe in the guest chair. Tyler arrived and stood behind Marguerite. His amber-colored eyes brightened, seeing Gen awake. She managed a smile, her eyes filling again when he pressed his lips to his fingers and turned them in her direction.

The more awake she became, though, the more impatient she grew. She needed out of this bed. She needed to go to Noah, to Lyda. Tyler would know where they were. That was probably where he'd been, getting a status report. As soon as the last nurse cleared the room, Gen was putting her feet over the side of the bed and looking for a robe.

Marguerite and Chloe didn't chide her, didn't try to stop her, but Marguerite did insist on a wheelchair. When Tyler disappeared and reappeared with one, she wanted to hold onto them all over again and never let them go. But as much as she wanted that, her arms needed to be around two other people even more.

Marguerite glanced at her husband. "You found that pretty fast. Please tell me you didn't dump a patient out of it."