Trusting Sydney (The Temptation Saga 6)

“Yes,” she said this time. “I’m his fiancée. Sydney Buchanan.” Would that work? “Can you tell me how he is?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know anything. Please have a seat and I’ll find you when I have any information.”

Sydney sat down in an empty chair. A few chairs down, a young woman held a crying infant. On her other side, an elderly man stared into space. Was he wondering if he should call someone too?

She couldn’t put it off any longer. She had to call Dusty.

“Hi, Sydney,” Dusty said.

Sydney cleared her throat. “Hi, Dusty. I’m not sure how to tell you this. I’m at Denver General with Sam. He was in a car accident.”

“Oh my God! Is he okay?”

“He’s in surgery right now. I won’t lie to you. It looks pretty bad.”

“Oh my God. I’ll come right over.”

“I don’t know how long he’ll be in surgery.”

“It’s okay. I have to be there. He was always there for me.”

“Whatever you think is best,” Sydney said, though she didn’t want company. She wanted to sit alone and pray for Sam.

Sam had to make it.

He had to.

I promise I’ll leave him. I won’t put him through any more torment. If you spare him, I’ll let him go. Clearly I’m not what he needs. I’ve caused him only pain. But he’s innocent in all of this. None of this is his fault. Please let him have his life, and I’ll leave. I promise.

Tears fell onto her blouse and she wiped her nose. So she’d live without him. She could do it. It couldn’t be that hard to live when your heart was with someone else. She owed it to him. And she’d do it.

The waiting dragged. She leafed through magazine after magazine, not even glancing at the pages.

In an hour, Dusty arrived and gave her a hug. Luckily, after she described what had happened, Dusty wasn’t in a talkative mood either. They sat in silence.

And waited.

Sydney lost track of time. Five hours later—six? seven?—a surgeon appeared.

“Miss Buchanan?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Sydney stood.

“Mr. O’Donovan is in recovery. He’s going to make it.”

Sydney threw her arms around Dusty. “Oh, thank God! How is he?”

“He had some internal bleeding that we were able to stop. That was the major concern. After that we turned to his eye.”

“Oh God,” Sydney said.

“Luckily the optic nerve was not severed, but the bleeding was causing quick damage. If we had been even ten minutes later, he would have lost his vision in the right eye.”

“Thank God you called when you did, Sydney,” Dusty said. “You really came through for him.”

Sydney’s body froze. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

“Is there anything else, Doctor?” Dusty asked. “I’m his sister.”