HE'D FLAT-LINED TWICE.
Both times, I felt my own heart stop as I waited for his to start pumping again. Those seconds, those moments, were the worst I'd ever experienced in my life. Nothing would make me feel better — nothing but hearing his voice again.
"Andi…" Nixon nudged me with his arm. "…you should get some sleep. I'll watch over him."
I shook my head and stayed glued to his bedside. He'd been in surgery for eight hours. His body had gone into such shock from dehydration that he'd seized; the bullet that Nixon had put in his leg was just close enough to his main artery that when he seized, it had caused a small tear.
He'd nearly bled out.
He would have had we brought him back to the house instead of the hospital. I gripped his rough hand harder, willing him to open his eyes.
Nixon sighed and pulled out a chair. "Fine. Stay, but I'm staying too."
I shrugged. I didn't care either way.
A knock sounded at the door. Tex pushed it open halfway, peeking his head around the side before he entered. "So I have some news."
I covered a yawn with my hand and laid my head against Sergio's chest. "Good news or bad news?"
"Bad." Tex's eyes fell. "He's not a match."
Sergio groaned.
"Sergio?" I cupped his face. "Can you hear me? Open your eyes."
"Water." His voice sounded rough, like he'd swallowed sandpaper. "I need water."
I quickly lifted the cup to his lips. He drank greedily then blinked his eyes harder as if trying to focus on me. "Why aren't you in surgery?"
"Uh…" I set the water down. "…because I wasn't the one shot?"
"No." His eyebrows knit together in frustration. "I'm a match, right? Why aren't you in surgery getting my blood? Why am I alive?"
Tex cursed softly behind me. I held onto Sergio's hand tighter. "I don't know how to tell you this, Sergio, but… you're not a match."
"Yes, I am!" His voice rose an octave. "Tex, you were there, and Nixon, I told you guys to operate while they were taking me in the hospital. I said—" His eyes darted between the three of us. "I said to do it… to tell Andi I loved her. I said…" His voice died.
Nixon was instantly at Sergio's other side. "You were severely dehydrated, drugged — you technically died. Whatever you imagined happening… didn't… happen, Sergio. Tex and I were there. So were Andi, Phoenix, Frank — all of us — and you did talk about being a match, but you aren't. Tex just came in to tell us."
"But—" Sergio's face fell. "—it was real. It felt so real."
I wiped the stray tears rolling down my face. This man, his love was so incredible. I didn't deserve it. "I'm so sorry, Sergio."
"Why are you sorry?" He jerked his hand back. "It's my fault!" The heart monitor started going crazy. "I didn't save you!" Tears welled in his eyes. "I can't save you, damn it!"
A nurse rushed into the room. "What's going on?"
"He's upset," I said dumbly as more tears collected on my cheeks.
The nurse frowned. "Well, try to keep him calm." She inserted something into his IV and checked his vitals. "Quite a close call, Mr. Abandonato. I imagine you'll be more careful what neighborhoods you walk around in next time."
Sergio didn't miss a beat. "Right, it was foolish of me to think I was safe in that area of Chicago."
She nodded and handed him his call button. "Be sure to let me know if you need anything. The police have already been by, so for now, just rest."
When the door closed, he glanced at Nixon. "Police."
"Gunshot wounds." He shrugged. "But me and the chief go way back. His sons always wanted to attend Elite."
"Amazing," I whispered under my breath.
Tex grinned in my direction. "What's amazing is the amount of cops we have on the ledger."
Sergio's breathing had evened out.
I glanced back at him. "I'm glad you're okay."
"But you're not." His eyes focused in on my hand; he gripped my fingers tight. "And I think I pointed a gun at you."
"Thus, why Nixon shot your sorry ass," Tex said.
"Caught that." Sergio pointed at his clipboard. I handed it to him while he quickly read it. His face paled as he set it back down. "Maybe next time my cousin should aim for the less important arteries?"
"You seized." Nixon crossed his arms and sat down in his chair. "I couldn't have predicted that."
"Yeah, well…" Sergio licked his lips. "…thank you… for coming for me. I should kick your asses but then I wouldn't be here, with Andi, so… thank you."
Nixon grinned. "You think this one…" He pointed an accusing finger at me. "…would have it any other way? She was ready to bomb the house just to find you."
"I briefly recall a bomb actually going off." He squinted in my direction while Tex and Nixon muttered, "Frank," under their breaths.
Tex nodded at Nixon. "We should let them talk."
Nixon rose from his chair and followed Tex out. "Let us know if you need anything."