Minutes ticked by as I waited for whatever drugs they’d used to knock him out with to wear off enough that he’d wake up. It felt like it took forever, and a little bit of guilt crept into me that the others couldn’t see him yet. But I needed to be there when he woke up. I just . . . needed it.
I could tell when he was starting to come around. His eyes moved beneath his lids. Then he inhaled a deep breath and cringed on the exhale. I hoped he didn’t wake up in too much pain. When he finally opened his eyes, I thought my face might split apart I was smiling so hard. “Kellan, baby?”
He didn’t look my way, just slowly blinked and stared at nothing. He had to be confused. I wondered if he even remembered the accident. Tenderly, I stroked his cheek again. “Kellan?”
He finally turned my way, his expression blank. As his midnight eyes searched my face, I began to get the horrid feeling in my gut that he wouldn’t remember me. The doctor hadn’t mentioned a head injury, but what if he’d struck the concrete too? What if he had amnesia? God, would he still love me if we had to start over?
Kellan worked his mouth, then swallowed a few times. Forehead wrinkling, he said, “Kiera? What happened?”
Relief and amusement flooded through me. Of course he still remembered me. “I got pushed into the street. You raced out to help me, and a truck hit you. You’re in the hospital.”
Kellan’s eyes fixed on the bandage at the edge of my hairline. “Are you okay?” he asked.
Shaking my head that he was still more worried about me, I leaned down and gave him a soft kiss. “You’re alive. I’m perfect.”
Closing his eyes, Kellan looked pained as he breathed shallowly through his mouth. “I don’t feel good.”
I smoothed back his hair. “I know. They had to operate on you because your spleen ruptured. They were able to save it, but you’re going to be sore for a while.”
Kellan cracked an eye open, and a ghost of a smile crept into his lips. “Oh, good, I’d hate to be spleenless.” He closed his eyes again. “What the hell does a spleen do anyway?”
A small laugh escaped me. His sense of humor was definitely still intact. “From what I remember in school, it’s like the oil filter of your immune system . . . and it was once thought to be the source of anger. I’m not sure about that one though.”
Kellan started to chuckle, then froze. “Oh, don’t make me laugh.”
I kissed his cheek. “I won’t. We’ll never laugh again, I promise.”
Opening his eyes, he chuckled again, then cringed. “I said don’t make me laugh.”
Resting my head against his, I whispered, “I love you so much. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Kellan tried to pull me into a hug, but he was so weak and so sore. I didn’t want him hurting himself, so I stilled his hands and crawled into the bed with him. Carefully draping my arm over his upper chest, I gently squeezed the top of his shoulders. He sighed in relief. “I love you too.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks as what nearly happened today crashed into me. I kissed his head as I held him tight. “You saved my life,” I whispered, my voice warbling.
His words thick with sleep, he told me, “I was returning the favor.”
He started to doze off again, and I thought to leave so others could see him. His hand on my back tightened when he felt me move away. “It’s okay, I was just going to let the others come see you. They’re all so worried.”
“Stay . . . just . . . for a minute,” he mumbled.
I kissed his shoulder. “As long as you want, Kellan. As long as you want.”
He dozed off again after a few minutes. Knowing others needed to see him, I carefully climbed out of his bed. He stirred but didn’t open his eyes. When I got back to the waiting room, a surprise was waiting for me. Justin was there, talking to Evan. The nurses who had been hovering by Kellan’s room were openly gaping at the new rock star who had dropped into their midst. I figured this day would live on in infamy for them. For me too, I supposed.
Touched that Justin was there, I immediately threw my arms around him. “Justin, thank you for coming. This will mean so much to Kellan.”
Justin patted my back in a friendly squeeze. “Our tour was close by. When I heard the news, I had to. Is he okay?”
I nodded as I stepped back. “Yeah. Groggy, but okay.” I looked around the band members. “You guys can see him now.”
Matt, Evan, and Griffin all looked at each other. The nurse had said one person could go in at a time; they were trying to decide who should go in first. Shrugging, Matt stuck his hands out with his fist on his palm. “Rock Paper Scissors?”
Griffin rolled his eyes. “We’re fucking rock stars. When did we start caring about rules?”