Forbidden Heir (The Heirs 8)

God, please let the surgery be successful.

Let the treatment work.

Please. Please. Please, let Danny be one of the few who beats this thing.

Lifting my head, I see Dad, Uncle Jaxson and Uncle Marcus walking toward me. Uncle Marcus pats my shoulder before he heads into the waiting room.

“How are you holding up?” Dad asks, his eyes filled with concern.

Uncle Jaxson comes to stand next to me, assuming the same position as me while muttering, “He’s not.” He lets out a sigh. “All you can do is push through. It’s shitty, I know.”

Uncle Jaxson had to face something similar when Uncle Marcus almost died. They’ve been best friends since forever.

“It’s hard,” I breathe.

Uncle Jaxson presses his shoulder to mine. “I was sitting in the waiting room while they were operating on Marcus, slowly losing my fucking mind.”

I just listen as I lower my eyes to the tiled floor.

“Danny was four or five years old. She came in and walked straight to me. She climbed onto my lap and kissed my cheek, asking me why I looked so sad.”

He clears his throat before he continues, “I told her my heart’s a little broken, and she placed her tiny hand on my chest, telling me not to cry. Of course, I lost my shit, and I started bawling my eyes out. Know what she did?”

I shake my head, picturing Danny as a little girl.

“She just kept saying it’s okay… it’s okay. She wrapped her arms around me then said, just don’t get snot on me. I began laughing and crying at the same time.” He lets out a chuckle. “She even checked her t-shirt to make sure I didn’t snot all over her.”

My lips curve up.

Uncle Jaxson lets out a sigh. “There are no answers, Ryker. Sometimes life just fucking sucks.”

I nod, totally agreeing with him.

My Dad and Uncle Jaxson just stand with me as silence falls around us.

Five hours and nineteen minutes.

That’s how long we have to wait before Dr. Friedman walks toward us. His features are tight, and the sight makes my mouth dry with fear. Pins and needles spread over me.

I try to suck in a breath, but it slams into my throat.

God. Please.

My heart begins to speed up, and Dad ducks into the waiting room. “The doctor’s here.”

I hear movement, and then everyone spills out into the hallway.

Dr. Friedman takes hold of my arm, giving it a squeeze as he looks at Uncle Carter. “The surgery went well. There were no complications. We got it all out. We did what we call a super maximal resection, which means we took out the tumor and then some. I think we managed to get it all. I’ve given Danny the injections, and I’m hoping it infects whatever cells we might’ve missed. She’s in recovery right now. You’ll be able to see her soon, but we will keep her in the ICU for two days. In twenty-four hours, I’ll administer the Valtrex treatment to kill the herpes and whatever’s left of the tumor.”

“So, it went really well?” Uncle Carter asks.

“Much better than I expected. We’re off to a good start.”

I close my eyes as I take in the fantastic news. It numbs my legs and sliding down against the wall, I crouch as I cover my face with my hands.

Oh God.

I suck in a desperate breath as my body shudders. An arm falls around my shoulders, and without having to look, I know it’s Tristan.

I just keep focusing on my breaths until the strength returns to my legs. When I rise to my full height, I turn to Tristan, and we hug. Relief is palpable in the air, knowing Danny just made it through the first stage.

That’s my badass girl. Just keep fighting.

Walking into the ICU, it feels like I can finally breathe when my eyes land on Danny.

She has a nasal cannula to assist with breathing, and the buzzcut she had on her right side has been shaved off. Other than that, she looks much better than I expected, with only a dressing covering the incision.

Leaning down, I press a kiss to her forehead while taking hold of her hand. “You did so well, babe.”

When she slowly nods, I pull back, and seeing her eyes open, a broad smile spreads over my face. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hey,” she slurs.

“How do you feel?”

When Danny manages to smile, the death grip on my heart lessens.

“Okay… for someone… who just had… brain surgery.”

Dr. Friedman lets out a chuckle as he comes closer with Uncle Carter and Aunt Della following behind him. “Look at you talking fifteen minutes after surgery. Quite the fighter.”

“Of… course,” she chuckles breathlessly.

My God, she’s so strong.

Dr. Friedman waits for Uncle Carter and Aunt Della to kiss Danny, then he takes hold of her hand. “Squeeze for me.” Danny only manages to stir her fingers, but Dr. Friedman murmurs, “Good. That’s very good.” He checks her other hand and her legs before he smiles. “You’ll feel some muscle weakness, which is normal, and it will pass. Once we’ve administered the Valtrex treatment, we’ll move you back to your room.”