Again, this was on him. His own face felt hot. "She never made itthere."
Evie turned toward her parents. "I swear I'd never do anything to harm Amy. I apologized to her earlier for being a horrible sister when we were younger. Sheaccepted."
Amy had gone to see Evie, and the clip showed a smiling Amy at the end of the conversation. Lucio lifted his head. "Evie, I watched the video feed. No one is accusing you, but someone inside the palace must have kidnapped her—someone with the ability to adjust the securityfootage."
A stone-faced nurse entered the waiting room and Lucio tried to make out if she was relieved, happy, or heartbroken. Anything that might prepare him, but she gave nothing away. "What'shappened?"
Her words answered the silent pleas of his heart. "The surgery to stop the bleeding was successful. The doctors are setting her broken bones. We suspect she’ll be awakesoon."
Amy would be okay. He felt like he could breathe for the first time. "What did shebreak?"
The nurse took a folder from the nearby desk at the nurse’s station and returned to talk to them. "Her right leg has a spiral fracture in her tibia and the ulna has a straight line fracture in her lower rightarm."
Amy’s mother spoke in between her tears. "Thank goodness, she's a leftie. In recovery, she'll be able to flip a page of a book ortype."
Evie laughed. "Now that sounds likeAmy."
All Lucio could think about was seeing her again. His heart was in his throat when he asked, "When can I seeher?"
The nurse stepped aside and lowered her head. "She's still unconscious, Your Highness. The doctors are working onher."
He turned toward her family in the waiting area. They'd all want to see her too. "If you don’t mind, I want to be there when shewakes."
Theynodded.
The nurse said, "I will take you to her private room towait."
Lucio turned toward his mother and Amy's sister. "I'll call the second anythingchanges."
Evie walked to her mother's side. "Keep usposted!"
Lucio placed his hand on his heart. "And I will find out how she landed there. You have myword."
He followed the nurse down the linoleum hall lit with bright lights. She pointed to room 112 and he entered. "Oh, she’s herealready."
Amy lay on her bed, unmoving. No color was in her face. He pulled up the seat behind her and took her left hand in his. Once she woke up, he'd tell her how sorry he was that he let this happen. He swore he'd never let any hair on her head be harmed. He couldn't lose her, everagain.
19
Amy countedthe square white tiles of the ceiling and squinted away from the bright lights. At first her voice seemed nonexistent, and her mind wouldn't do more than count. There were two light bulbs in the florescent overhead. She could count her heartbeats. She realized that she wasn't in the fieldanymore.
She jerked up and people in white uniforms rushed toward her. As she shifted left, she saw Lucio's brown eyes and strong shoulders beside her and, in that moment, she could breathe easier. "Where amI?"
Lucio satstraighter.
The woman in the white nurse's uniform stepped in her line of sight as she placed a stethoscope on Amy’s chest. "Welcome back, Amy. Nice to see that you’re waking. Let me take yourvitals."
Amy didn’t have the energy to say anythingmore.
For a few minutes, she let the nurse do whatever she wanted, but once she moved and Amy had clear sight of Lucio, she feltbetter.
The nurse finished, stepped back, and said, "Everything is good. I'm going to update her chart and leave you two alonenow."
Good. Lucio scooted closer so he had to think the same thing. The moment the door closed and she heard the click of the handle, Lucio brushed her hair out of her eyes and leaned over her. "Amy?"
A huge smile grew on her face. She couldn't feel much on her right side, but if she was here, in a hospital near him again, then she'd been saved. "Oh. Thank goodness. You foundme."
His expression tightened and she swore he looked scared. He kissed her knuckles on her left hand. "Amy, finding you like that scared me. I'm never letting you out of my sightagain."
