Evelyn jumped from her chair and flew to his side.
“Oh,Nicholas,” she uttered through a brittle voice. “How on earth did this happen?”
He chuckled. “I’m just a dumbass, I guess.”
“This isnotfunny,” she hissed, causing James to rise out of his chair and hold her shoulder.
“He’ll be fine, sweetie.”
“He nearly killed himself, James!” she retorted. “Imagine what would have happened if Samantha hadn’t been there. He might have bled to death or been eaten alive by wild animals, or—”
“Mom,” Nick interjected, grabbing her hand. “I’m okay.”
Evelyn’s breath hitched and she pressed his hand to her cheek as she began to cry quietly, which caused a lump to rise in his throat. His glanced at James’s face, who appeared to be struggling to keep his own emotions in check, then to Sammie, who sat in a chair with glistening eyes and a quivering chin. He smiled warmly at her and she forced a smile back.
“Nick,” Evelyn went on, lifting her face and gulping in a breath of air. “I don’t understand why you continue to live your life as if you don’t give one iota about your future. Between the extreme outdoorsy activities and the—”
“Mom,” he cut her off again, knowing she was about to mention his former behavior with women. “I do care about my future. If anything, this whole experience showed me that. I promise things are going to be different from now on.”
Evelyn simply shook her head.
“I mean, look,” Nick went on, gesturing toward Sammie. “Didn’t I promise you I’d introduce you to Sammie? Right? And here she is.”
Sammie crinkled her nose in a small grin.
“Well,” Evelyn said, turning and smiling at Sammie. “Technically, Samantha introduced herself.” She turned back to Nick and leaned close to his face, eyebrows raised and voice lowered. “She’s taken good care of you these past few days. I hope you keep that in mind.”
Nick lowered his voice as well. “I’ll never forget it.”
“This is quite a piece of equipment you’ve got here, sport,” James piped up, clearly attempting to defuse the weighty atmosphere of the room. “Looks pretty painful.”
Nick shrugged. “I can’t feel much right now.”
“They um, they said you’re probably going to have some pain after you leave,” Sammie offered timidly. “You’re going to get some medication that will help, but it sounds like it won’t be as strong as what you have here.”
“I can handle it,” he said with a chuckle, then outstretched his arm, gesturing for Sammie to come closer. She hesitated for a moment, appearing to not want to get in the way of his parents.
“Come here, Sammie,” he urged. “I want to do something.”
She hesitated again briefly and then stepped across the room to stand next to the bed beside his parents. He took hold of her hand and tilted his head toward his parents.
“Sammie, these are my folks, James and Evelyn Chapman,” he introduced, which prompted a tiny, quiet laugh from both her and Evelyn. “Mom and Dad, this is Samantha Holt. Sammie. The sweetest, prettiest girl I’ve ever met, who also happened to save my life.”
Sammie giggled and his parents both laughed, as they shook each other’s hands.
Nick chuckled. “There we go. Now it’s all formal and official.”
Sammie grinned at him. “You’re so cute.”
“Nah. It’s just the drugs.”
She laughed again as she leaned down to kiss his cheek, but he turned his face so that her lips landed on his. She smiled, and he almost saidI love youagain, but decided he needed to be careful with that until he dealt with his confession. Instead, he opted for genuine gratitude.
“Hey,” he murmured, running the back of his hand down her arm. “Thanks for saving my life.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t save your life, silly.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “You did.”
