“Buzz me if you need anything, Ms. Russo.” The nurse gently laid Carson’s buzzer in my lap. “I’ll be back in an hour to check on you unless you need me sooner. At that time, we’ll see how you’re feeling to stay for the second hour.”
“Thank you.” My voice was hoarse. I cleared it after the door closed and I was alone with Carson. I would force myself to remain calm if it meant more time with him.
I must stay strong.
It was hard seeing him lifeless. In my mind I could hear him say, “Everything is going to be okay, angel.”
Quickly, I glanced away and took a deep breath. Please wake up, Carson. Please. We need you. I cleared my throat again. “Hey, it’s me, Willow.”
With shaky fingers I touched his scraped-up hand. “We had an accident. The doctors say the baby and I are going to be okay. The seatbelt saved my life. You saved my life. I—”
The words caught and I swallowed. Needing a moment, I touched his hands.
“You’re always there for me when I need you. Now I’m going to be here for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. They had to get me a little stronger before I could come up to ICU.”
Memories of what was said in the dark flashed through my mind. The warmth of his hand soothed me. “I saw Francesca. She misses you. Marie is taking her back to the hotel to rest. We still have a big proposal to witness.”
With no response from my best friend, I felt the desperation clawing its way out. But I took a deep breath and pushed it down. The nurse was going to check my vitals when she came back. I had to be strong enough to stay the entire time. I cleared my throat again. “When I was out, I heard some of the conversations around me. If you can hear me, know I’m here for you. I’m going to be fighting right alongside you.”
My thumb stroked his hand, and I closed my eyes at the familiar touch. “Nonno asked me to say hi. You’re like a grandson to him.”
Silence.
This was beyond hard not hearing Carson’s words. I wanted to scream for him to wake up. Never in my life had I felt so helpless.
“I love you so much, Carson.”
I looked over and saw no change or response. I leaned in and winced. Repositioning myself, the pain left.
Carson’s body was too still. “Carson, I need you to fight. I need you to find your way back. For Francesca. For your baby. For me. For your parents. We need you. Fight, Carson. Don’t give up.” I took a breath, feeling my strength return. I was going to be here for Carson and fight for him if I had to. “Do you remember the time you busted your leg during the triathlon? You refused to quit and finished that race. I waited for you at the finish line. We’re here waiting, Carson. Come find us. Please.”
The tears trickled down, but I forced myself to sound strong. I talked about everything… mainly memories of our life together.
Nearly five days had passed since I saw Carson for the first time after the accident. The swelling had gone down in his brain, but no changes occurred in his situation on life support. They’d tried to take him off of it once, but his vitals quickly declined.
Knowing a few machines kept him alive was enough to nearly send me into a mental meltdown as I considered every negative outcome. But I kept it all inside, bottling it up for the time being.
Francesca was a wreck. Yesterday, she’d fainted and was now being observed for stress. If all went well, she’d be released with me today.
Andre had been released three days ago. His injuries had been less serious than mine since his airbags deployed. Paul was still in the hospital but hoped to be released by the end of the week. He had a broken arm that ended up requiring surgery four days ago.
But I was determined. We were going to weather this storm to find the rainbows on the other side—all of us.
The two hours a day never seemed enough time for any of us.
In the bathroom, fresh out of the shower, I caught my appearance in the mirror. I brushed my finger against my cheek where the bruise had turned to a more purplish yellow. Still tender, I carefully dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt. The soreness had lessened, but I still felt the effects from the wreck.
A door opened and shut in my room. I assumed it was Trent coming to take me to the Whitmore Hotel where we were staying for now. He’d been checking on me regularly. When I insisted Nonno be taken to rest, Trent stayed with me to keep me company. I had learned he grew up in an impoverished part of Ireland. After his parents died, he was adopted here in the states within a year. Shortly after, his new mother died from cancer and his new father killed himself. Trent had no one. I felt for him. Until Dad had come into his life, Trent had isolated himself almost completely, except for work.
I knew Trent was working around the clock to figure out who was behind the wheel of the Hummer. Unfortunately, no leads had developed thus far.
Stepping into the room, my suspicions were confirmed. Trent was seated in a chair speaking with Bennett. Everyone looked tired from the weary days and the sleepless nights. Carson hung out there, unspoken, on the lips of everyone.
Trent stood. “I hear we’re busting you out of here today.”
“Yes, I’m so glad to be leaving.” Being in the hospital kept me on edge with all the monitoring and beeping. I looked forward to uninterrupted sleep.
Marie walked in with Francesca, who looked more rested. Yesterday, I’d gone to her room for a few hours to keep her company and talk. For Francesca, it had been love at first sight with Carson. She’d known he wasn’t ready to settle down and had respected that. On top of everything, Francesca had been terrified Carson would initially think she’d trapped him.
Francesca had an honest soul. I sensed it.
“Did they release you?”
Obviously relieved, she responded, “Yes. I got to visit with Carson this morning. He’s looking better.”
So much hope resided in her voice. It was good to see her more rested, especially for the baby.
“I saw him, too. I agree, some of that ashen color is gone.”
It was still hard seeing him so beat up and broken, though I knew I looked fairly bad myself. From time to time, I saw Nonno looking at me the way I knew I did with Carson.
“Come in and sit.”
Marie stayed at the door. “I’m going to see Carson. Francesca wanted to leave with you if that’s okay, Willow. Or Bennett can take her.”
“I’d love the company. Francesca can show me the ropes of the hotel.” I gave her a wink which earned me a genuine relaxed smile. Though we were getting close, I knew Francesca was lonely and felt like she was intruding. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think the baby helped us hang onto hope. We had a piece of Carson.
At my insistence, Nonno went to the hotel to sleep for a bit. Being here most nights with me had worn him out. The last thing I wanted was for him to get sick. Francesca still hadn’t heard from her father even though she had left a message to tell him what happened.
He sounded like a genuine asshole.
The door cracked open and one of the security guards leaned in. “A Mrs. Rene Adams is here. She said Mr. Whitmore is expecting her.”
Bennett stood. “Send her in. I know about this.”
I knew what this was about as Bennett had told me this morning she would be stopping by. Hopefully, it helped Francesca. Everyone clung to anything to do with Carson. It kept him here in the present and not in ICU, hooked up to life support.
Mrs. Adams was an older lady in jeans and a yellow summer cardigan. I’d met her a few times when I was with Carson. “I’m sorry to intrude. Hello, Willow. It’s good to see you again, even under these unpleasant circumstances.”
I gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you, too.”
She looked at Francesca. “You must be Francesca.”
Shocked, Francesca glanced at me as Rene handed her a key.
“I’m Rene, Carson’s realtor. These are for you. I know Carson is in ICU, but I think he’d want you to have them.”
A gasp left Francesca
’s lips as she looked at the key and then cradled it to her heart. Tears flowed. I walked up to her and hugged her. “He’s still here, Francesca. He loves you so.”
More tears as she gripped me harder. “Did you see it yet?”
“No, but he told me about it.”
She showed me the brass key. I took it and read it. It had a simple silver heart key ring attached. An inscription in elegant script appeared down the key.
My fingers traced over the wording. I will not cry. I will not cry. He hadn’t told me about the engraving. Carson always paid attention to the details.
In a low, voice she asked, “What is it to?”
I looked to Bennett, and he nodded. “It’s to a beach house where you and Carson can live in and become a family. It’s a little more kid friendly than his loft.”
Another tear slipped from her eye, causing some to form in mine. Rene approached her. “I know you don’t know me, Francesca, but I hope my words give you some sort of comfort. I’ve helped Carson broker deals for many hotels. He’s an impeccable young man. About a week ago, he called me to finalize the deal on the beach house. He said it was for the most special person in his life. The one who would always own his heart.”
I sniffled as the emotions broke free. Damn it. I want to be strong, but I’m an emotional wreck. Carson, you are one sweet man. Please wake up.
Tracing the heart key chain, Francesca said, “My surprise,” as more tears sprang free. They rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.
Yesterday, Francesca mentioned Carson had told her about a surprise he had. I was glad Bennett reached out to Rene to get the keys. I thought it would help her through this difficult time to realize how much Carson truly loved her.
“Yes, your surprise. He was so excited to give it to you.”
Shaking her head, she replied, “Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed this. Not the house, but something to keep Carson close to me.”
Bennett gave me a nod, silently thanking me for asking him to do this. I was already able to see more hope in Francesca’s eyes. This was good for the baby. I knew it.