“I need a minute,” Tate said softly.
Lucas nodded, cupped his shoulder, and left him to look at the skyline.
Later that night, Tate was in the room, leaning against the wall with his eyes drifting shut, his head falling forward before nodding off. He jerked up then and glanced around, hoping no one had seen him almost fall asleep.
He was exhausted, having spent the afternoon awake while Audrey was in surgery for her nose and ankle while still comatose. William and Nora had suggested it, and he wasn’t about to argue with them. The surgery had gone well, but it made him nervous, thinking about it, and his heart still wasn’t beating at a normal rate. Glancing down at her now, he noticed that the swelling was going down along her jaw and outside her eyes. The inside around her nose was puffy and bruised, but he could see his Audrey. She was there; she just needed to wake up.
Fallon held Audrey’s hand, her knees tucked under her chin as she watched her sister. Lucas lay on the floor, snoring loudly. William and Nora were in the waiting room, sleeping, while Tate fought his sleepy body with everything inside him.
Looking over at Fallon, he saw her eyes drift shut and said, “Fallon, why don’t you go home and take a nap?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“You are dead on your feet.”
“Tate, leave me alone,” she said sharply. “We both need sleep, I know that, but we both won’t leave her. So let’s just let it go.” He watched as tears streamed down her face, while she played thumb war with Audrey’s limp hand.
“I’m sorry. I was only looking out for you.”
Fallon nodded, not looking back at him. She rested her head on her legs and tangled her fingers with Audrey’s before closing her eyes. Tate leaned his head back and took a deep breath, letting it out before closing his eyes. He knew there was no use fighting with her. Fallon was one tough chick, and she was stubborn as hell. Shaking his head, he took in another breath before letting it out slowly, trying to stay awake as his eyes closed again.
He was almost asleep when Fallon cried out. His eyes shot open as Lucas sat up quickly, knocking his head against the bed. Fallon was standing now, crying out loudly as she held Audrey’s hand. When Tate looked down at Audrey’s face, his gaze met hers.
All the air rushed out of him as he moved to the other side of her bed. He picked her hand up and kissed the back of her knuckles. light-headed with relief as her eyes locked with his. It made his hands shake. Hell, his whole body was shaking. He couldn’t breathe, his heart was jackhammering against his chest, and he wanted to cry out in joy. He wanted to tell her everything he was feeling, to gather her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her and had missed her. But when he saw the tears start to roll down Audrey’s cheeks, he stopped himself. She looked terrified as she looked from Fallon to him.
“Oh my God, Audrey, I love you, oh my God,” Fallon cried as Lucas came up behind her, smiling down at Audrey as he ran his hand up and down Fallon’s back.
“Everything is fine, baby, breathe, it is okay,” Tate said calmly, since all Fallon could do was cry and whisper that she loved Audrey. It was what he wanted to do, but someone had to be the calm one here. Lucas still looked half asleep, so Tate knew he was no help. “I’m here, Fallon’s here, everyone is here. Just breathe.”
Audrey nodded, looking up at him, tears welling in her eyes. He gave her a full smile as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her hands were shaking, and Tate knew she was freaking out. He reached for the nurse button and pressed it, waiting for the nurse to come over the line. When she did, he smiled and said, “Audrey is awake.”
Audrey’s body was on fire.