Chapter 24
The morning of her surgery finally came. We were both groggy and bleary-eyed from not getting the best of sleep the night before. But we loaded up and set off for the hospital at just after four in the morning.
“You’re sure you’re okay with my family releasing a statement about your health? I don’t have the actual statement in front of me. Bastien hasn’t sent me a copy yet, so I don’tknow what it’ll say, but I think—”
“Luc, it’s fine. I agree with you. I said yes. They can release the statement.” Hannah laughed as she picked up my hand and gave it a squeeze. “You know, I think you’re more nervous about this than I am.”
Merde,if that wasn’t emasculating, I don’t know what was. But sadly, it was also true. Hannah was the rock this morning. “I’m sorry. I know everything isgoing to go fine. And I’ll be right there when you wake up. Your parents said they’d meet me in the waiting room, and I think Morgan arranged a private waiting area through the hospital for us, and—”
“Luc?” Hannah interrupted me with a smile.
“Oui?”
“You’re babbling, honey. And the last half of whatever you were saying was in French. Are you sure you’re okay? Should we get Dimitri to arrangea wheelchair for you when we get there?”
“C’est pas possible.I have nerves of steel. I flew helicopters in the Gulf. In Afghanistan. But this—damn, this is hard.” My eyes welled up with tears, and I blinked fiercely against them. “Hannah, I just want to say that—”
“Whoa-ho. Hold up. Stop right there. We are not doing deathbed confessions right now. I am going in for a routine procedure. They’reprobably going to release me tonight. So you can save anything you want to say for when I wake up from the anesthesia. Or better yet, for tomorrow. At least then I’ll have half a chance of remembering.” Hannah sounded like her usual cheerful self, but I could see her underlying fear in the way she gripped my hand and how she wouldn’t quite meet my eyes.
“You’re right. I’m sorry,mon chou. I’llsave it for later, but I do want to say one thing before we get out.” The SUV coasted to a stop at a side entrance Morgan had arranged for us to use. “I am the luckiest bastard in the whole wide world because I have you in my life. And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“You son of a bitch.” Hannah cupped my face as tears coursed down hers. “You weren’t supposed to say sweetstuff like that right now.”
“I want you to remember what I said while they’re getting you ready for surgery.” I leaned forward slightly and gave her a sweet, gentle kiss. “And that’s no way to talk about my mum.”
Hannah laughed as she swiped at her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispered.
The next few hours were a flurry of hurry up and wait. After serving several years in the military, I was wellacquainted with the concept. And then suddenly they were wheeling Hannah away, and I was sent to the waiting room where Mr. and Mrs. Allen were already seated.
“Luc.” Mrs. Allen stood up and enveloped me in a bracing hug. “We just saw Dr. Ledbetter. She said they were getting ready to rock and roll. It should be a short procedure, so we won’t have to wait long.”
“Let the boy up for some air,Tara. You’re going to smother him,” Mr. Allen grumbled.
Mrs. Allen patted my back, then took a step away so I could shake Mr. Allen’s hand.
“Again, thank you for being here for our little girl.” Mr. Allen choked up for a second. “It means the world to us. Here, have you met our son, Michael?”
I blinked as I took in the only other person in the room. Somehow I’d missed him in the flurry ofwelcomes. Michael looked more like Mr. Allen than his mother—both tall and stout men with more than their share of muscles, probably from their choice of work. I shook his hand as we both smiled awkwardly.
Then it was pacing or sitting in uncomfortable chairs while watching daytime TV or staring at our phone screens. After what felt like forever, the door opened and we all jumped to attention.Then I sprang out of my chair as my mum and brother walked into the waiting room.
“Mum. Bastien. What are you doing here?”
Mum gave me a hug as she kissed both of my cheeks. “You said Hannah was having surgery today. Of course we wanted to be here. Are we too late? We just got tied up giving our statement to the press.”
“She’s been in for about an hour. I don’t think it’s supposed to take muchmore time.” With my arm around my mum, I looked back and forth between her and Bastien. I couldn’t believe they were here. I never thought I’d live to see the day that Bastien shelved his important duties to fly across the country for me. And Mum looked better than she had in a long time. “Come. I’ll introduce you to Hannah’s parents.”
“Mrs. Allen,” Mum exclaimed as Mrs. Allen stood to greether. “Oh, my. Your daughter is the mirror image of you. You could be twins.”
“Th-Th-Thank you, er, how am I supposed to address you?” Mrs. Allen stammered.
“Please call me Vivian. There is no need for ceremony between us. We’re almost family.”
I watched in disbelief as my mum and the Allens sat down and talked like old friends. Two weeks ago my mum had been a shell of a person, and now…
“Sorrywe’re late, Luc.” Bastien slapped me on the shoulder. “But you know how the press can be.”
I turned around and buried my face in my brother’s shoulder and hugged him tight. After a moment his arms came around me and hugged me back. “Thank you,” I whispered chokingly. “Thank you so much for coming. I can’t—I don’t know what to say.”
