Gunner didn’t say anything, but his expression looked hopeful.
She told him that he’d been taken off life support because the doctor believed he was ready to breathe on his own, and that all of his organs, including his brain, appeared to be functioning properly.
“Thank God,” she heard him whisper.
“Can I sit with you?”
He scooted over so there was room for her to sit beside him.
“He’s been my best friend for a lot of years,” he said.
“Tell me about him.”
Gunner smiled and started talking. An hour later, they were still laughing at the stories he told about boot camp and some of their missions. He even told her about how he’d been feeling the morning of Quinn and Mercer’s wedding.
“Razor was so nervous about seeing you. I’d never seen him like that. He was already so crazy about you.”
“It was the same for me,” she murmured.
“You probably want to get back to him.”
“I’d like it better if you’d come with me.”
—:—
It was almost as though Razor could hear voices telling him to wake up, but he didn’t want to. He was having the best damn dream about Avarie, and he didn’t want it to end.
“Tabon?”
When he heard her sweet voice, he opened his eyes.
“I was dreaming about you,” he tried to say, but his throat hurt like a sonuvabitch, and his voice was so raspy he wasn’t sure she could understand him.
“Yeah?” she said, smiling through tears. “Was it a good one?”
Razor looked away from her to see if they were alone before he told her exactly how good of a one it was, and saw Gunner standing with his back to the wall.
“Welcome back,” his friend said, also smiling through tears. Razor could only remember seeing Gunner cry one other time in his life.
“Ho
w long was I gone?”
“Not quite thirty-six hours.”
“Shit,” he said. “Is that good or bad?”
“You were in surgery for twelve of them.”
Razor tried to touch his side, but he had too many wires attached to reach it. “Where’d it hit me?” he asked Gunner.
“Both lungs.”
“No shit? That’s got you beat,” he said with a smile.
Gunner motioned to Ava with his head, and Razor looked over at her beautiful face.
“I’ll give you two a moment,” Gunner said, leaving the room. “Not too long, though. Your mom and Saylor will be back here as soon as I tell them you’re awake.”