Chapter 36

Hours pass. Or minutes. I'm not really sure which.

One of the surgeons, a younger woman with blond hair, comes out twice and updates Bryce and Marjorie, and I try to listen.

Going well. No answers yet. We're doing all we can.

Damage to kidneys. To liver. To spleen.

All I can think about is Dave—the man I love—lying on an operating table, his life depending on these doctors.

Totally without his control.

Totally without my control.

Without the control of his parents.

Angie and Sage have fallen asleep, Henry is pacing, and Bryce and Marjorie sit together, holding each other.

How much more does this family have to go through?

Jonah is sick, and now Dave…

I can't let my mind go there.

A volunteer comes to me. "Can I get you anything, miss?"

I shake my head, though my mouth is dry.

Not even a drop of water would stay down.

She asks the same of Henry and Bryce and Marjorie. All three of them shake their heads.

Both doctors come out then.

I rush over to Angie and Sage. "You guys, wake up? Both the doctors are here."

Angie gasps. "Is he okay?"

I don't reply, just run toward the doctors and stand with Marjorie, Bryce, and Henry.

"He's not out of the woods yet," the doctor is saying, "but we were able to repair the damage to his liver and his spleen. Unfortunately, the damage to his left kidney was too invasive. We had to remove it."

"What about his other kidney?" Marjorie asks.

"His other kidney was much less damaged and we were able to repair it," the doctor says. "So if he recovers, he'll have full kidney function."

Marjorie breathes a sigh of relief.

"But you said he's not out of the woods yet," Bryce says.

"The next twenty-four hours are crucial. We'll be monitoring him in the ICU."

"Can we see him?" Marjorie asks.

"One at a time," she says, "and only family."

I swallow.

That means not me.

"You go first, sweetie," Bryce says.

Marjorie heads back with the doctor, and Bryce turns to me. "You may as well go home, Maddie."

"No," I say adamantly. "I'm not leaving."

"You need to get some sleep."

"Don't you get it? He was coming to see me. This is my fault."

Bryce's face twists as if he's angry but then falls into sheer exhaustion.

"I'm not leaving. I love your son."

He raises his eyebrows weakly. "Do you? Then please stay." His lips twitch upward. Were the circumstances different, I think he'd be smiling right now. "You're a lovely girl. And my son seems to be quite taken with you. I hope you can have a future."

Dave's father, usually so strong and assured, seems like a shadow. Dave told me how Jonah's illness is affecting him. They've been best friends their whole lives.

And now this.

He can't lose a best friend and a son.

And damn it, I can't lose Dave.

Henry walks up to me. "I'm taking the girls over to the Carlton. We're going to get a suite. You're welcome to join us."

"I'm not leaving," I say.

"All right." Henry nods. "Keep us posted. Please."

I nod.

I'm uncomfortable. I feel conspicuous in my black trench coat with no pantyhose and black pumps.

But that's the least of my worries.

I'm not leaving.

Not leaving until I can see Dave.

Until I can talk to him.

Until I can tell him that I love him.

Twenty-four hours later, Dave is still in the ICU.

But I heave a sigh of relief when Bryce and Marjorie tell me his prognosis is good.

I still haven't been able to see him.

"When can I see him?" I ask.

"He's awake now," Marjorie says. "And he's asking for you."

I don't bother to thank them or say anything else. I simply run toward his room in the ICU.

As soon as I enter the room, the blood freezes in my veins. I have to use every muscle in my body to not burst into tears at the sight of him.

He looks so pale and weak lying in the bed, his body attached to so many machines.

The beep of his pulse.

An IV in his arm.

I have no idea what I look like. And I don't care.

I'm still wearing the dress from our supposed date. I guess he'll see me in it after all.

I walk in tentatively. "Dave?"

He turns his head slowly. He's not smiling, but why would he be? He has a bandage over one eye, and some other scratches and bruises on his face.

But to me he's still the best-looking man in the world.

I sit in the chair next to the bed and take his hand. "I was so scared."

"Sorry about our date," he croaks out.

I shake my head, sending a tear flying off my cheek. "Please don't worry about that."

He twists his lips into a crooked smile. "You look…beautiful."

I can't help laughing. "I've seen myself in the mirror. I have raccoon eyes, a swollen red nose. I'm a mess."

"I've never seen anything more beautiful." Then he closes his eyes.

I cup his cheek. "I know you need your sleep, but I need to tell you something. I need to tell you that I love you, Dave Simpson. I should have said it last week. I knew it. But I… I was scared. I was trying to figure so much else out. But I love you. I love you so much."

He smiles wider, sort of. His lips are cracked and chapped. "That hurts."

"Then don't say anything."

"I'll say only this…" He reaches his hand out.

I grab it.

He squeezes it lightly. "Marry me, Maddie. Please."

I gasp as my jaw drops. I'm stunned, overwhelmed. Sure, he mentioned a honeymoon, but…

We've only been together a short while, but every moment with Dave has felt like stepping into a dream I never want to wake up from. I race through our short romance in my mind—the laughter, the shared trauma, the ridiculously amazing sex, and best of all, the way he looks at me like I'm the only person in the world. It's been a short time, but it's been the most intense and beautiful time of my life.

I look into his eyes, those deep pools of sincerity and warmth that are bloodshot and haloed by lacerations.

In them, I see love. I see promise.

I see my future.

I take a deep breath, let the fluttering butterflies in my tummy settle, and smile. "Are you sure?"

"It hurts to talk, so don't make me say it again."

I lean down and brush my lips over his. "Of course I'll marry you."

"We'll have to wait a while. Until I'm fit for human eyes again."

I kiss him again. "I'd marry you today if I could."

"No," he says. "We'll wait. Wait until Jesse and Rory get back from their tour. Until you and Brianna walk for graduation. Then we'll have the most lavish, exciting wedding in the whole world."

He closes his eyes then.

And I sit with him, holding his hand. I brush my lips over his dry, chapped ones yet again.

"I love you so much," I say. "I love you so damned much, Dave."