We all nodded in understanding, and the doctor left. Noel took off not long after that, having heard all the important stuff. But I wasn't going anywhere until I got an eyeful of both girls. I needed visual proof they were okay.
I followed Reese and Mason up to the maternity ward and then to a window, where they opened the blinds to let us see Skylar.
Lying in the incubator, a little red human had a respiratory tube plugged into her mouth while I.V. lines and monitor patches on her chest made her look like she was on the brink of death.
I sucked in a hard breath. Next to me, Reese whimpered and covered her mouth with both hands. "She's so tiny. How could something so tiny possibly manage to survive?"
I swayed, a little dizzy with worry. Reese was right. She was so small and frail. What if Skylar still didn't make it?
Trying not to panic, I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the glass.
Mason placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "Hey, Alec and I made a deal. He's not going to tell anyone what you did to him . . . not if he doesn't want us telling the authorities what he did to Eva. So, you don't have to worry about getting into trouble or anything. Okay?"
Getting into trouble because of that douche had been the very last thing I'd been worrying about. Going to jail for trying to kill him over what he'd done to Eva would've been an honor.
I pointed into the window, feeling bitter. "So then, he gets away without even a slap on the hand for doing this?"
"Trust me, man. You messed him up pretty good. I'm almost positive he'll be spitting and pissing blood for quite a while."
It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough, but I said, "Good."
They didn't let us in to see Eva for another hour. Reese and I camped outside the window and watched Skylar most of that time. The nurses checked her vitals frequently, and a few times she'd squirm a little, but mostly, the little princess was pretty quiet.
Tinker Bell was probably pissed as hell because she couldn't see her.
And that's exactly the first thing she asked about when we entered her room.
"Have you seen her?"
I froze in the doorway. She was yellow and swollen, so fucking swollen. Her eyes, face, and neck were puffed out to ridiculous proportions and it seemed hard for her to see. All sorts of tubes and machines were hooked up to her, keeping her going.
Panic clawed at my throat, but I swallowed it down and silently followed Reese, though I stopped at the end of the bed, unable to move closer.
Reese grasped Eva's hand and grinned. "She's so small, E. Like a miniature, perfectly-shaped little human with a head full of dark hair . . . like me."
Tears trickled down Eva's puffy cheeks while she smiled. "Does she? She's okay then? They keep telling me so, but I can't go see her. I can't—"
"Shh." Reese leaned down and kissed Eva's forehead. "You'll have the rest of your life with her. Just lay back and relax so you can heal."
Her cousin's words seemed to reach her because she calmed down after that. Mason hung back with me, watching them with worried eyes. When he caught my gaze, he gulped down a guilty-looking cringe. "I feel like such a piece of shit right now," he murmured under his breath. "I told that idiot where she was. I swear to God, I had no idea he'd do this. I thought he was going to step up and finally help out."
Glad I wasn't the only one carrying around a shit-bag of guilt, I clasped his shoulder. "At least you didn't wait around until he was actually punching her in the stomach before breaking into their talk."
Mason opened his mouth to respond, but Eva suddenly said, "Is that Pick I hear?"
I turned to her. I wanted to get down on my knees and beg her forgiveness. I wanted to show her how much it hurt to see her like this, how scared I was for both her and her daughter. But I choked. "Of course, it's me."
I moved toward her and gently took the swollen, needle-stuck hand as she held it out to me. Shit, her grip was weak. "You did good, Tink. That little girl is so damn cute." I leaned down and kissed her cheek.
Turning my way, she brushed the side of her face against mine. "Thank you. Thank you so much for being there tonight. You saved both me and my little girl."
A trembling breath shuddered from my lungs. I pressed my forehead to hers and finally let some of my feelings slip. "I almost got you killed, is what I did. I listened to you guys talk, and I didn't step in. Not until it was too fucking late. I am so, so sorry I let him that close to you."
A hand touched my hair. I closed my eyes.
"Listen to me, Patrick Jason Ryan. You are my hero, and you have nothing to apologize for."
She must've sensed I didn't believe her because she tightened her grip. "You are. You're my hero."
"I'm still sorry," I whispered, unable to combat the guilt.