Lucian Divine(62)

“Want to get out today and go do something? Maybe wine tasting?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“Yes, please!” I opened my eyes wide.

“I’m gonna shower.”

“I’ll be there in a minute. I’m gonna eat my yummy toast,” I sang to him.

He walked away toward the bathroom. I watched the flexing muscles of his back, where once there had been beautiful wings. It all seemed impossible now. He was my husband. I smiled at the memory of the night before… his hands, his lips all over me.

Everything changed a moment later when I heard a loud crashing sound come from the bathroom. I ran and pushed the door open to find Lucian lying unconscious on the floor.

“No!” I got onto my knees and shook him, but he was limp. “Lucian! Wake up.”

He was wedged between the door and the tub, the water from the shower splashing onto his face. He seemed so fragile, like he could disappear right there in my arms.

I got up and ran for the phone. It felt like it took ten minutes for me to cross the loft and grab it, but it was probably two seconds. I dialed 9-1-1.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“My husband…” I couldn’t catch my breath as I ran back to the bathroom. Kneeling next to Lucian’s body, I scanned him for injuries and tried to continue. “He…”

“Take a breath, ma’am.”

“I’m trying. My husband… collapsed in the bathroom. I don’t know what’s wrong. He’s unconscious.”

“Can you tell if he’s breathing?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I can’t tell.”

“Put your hand behind his neck and check his airway by putting your ear near his mouth and your hand on his chest.”

“He’s breathing, I think.”

“Okay, just keep him still and keep his airway open.” I gave them my address and apartment number, though I felt like I was slurring my speech. It was hard to catch my breath. “We have emergency responders on the way. Are there any pets in the home?”

“No,” I breathed. We could have gotten a puppy. We should have gotten a puppy.

“Can you make sure that the emergency responders have access to your building?”

“Yes. We’re on the third floor, unit two.” I set the phone down and carefully removed my hand from behind Lucian’s neck.

I ran and propped the door open, then I went to the stairwell and propped that door open as well. I jogged down the stairs as fast as I could into the lobby of the building, where a man was sitting on the bench.

“S’cuse me,” I said, breathing hard. “Can you let the emergency responders in?”

He nodded. He said nothing to me, just a nod. Is he my new angel? Is this the end for Lucian?

I ran back up the stairs, back to Lucian. I took him in my arms and finally broke down and cried.

“Ev…”

I pulled away and looked at his face. “Lucian?”

He was groggy. “I’m still here.” Then he lost consciousness again.

“No, wake up, please.”

When the paramedics arrived, I was hysterical and hyperventilating.

One of them tried to calm me down. I screamed. “God, stop this!”

They plugged him into all of their machines and lifted him onto a gurney. They said his blood pressure was low. His condition seemed to be worsening rapidly. They put stickers on his chest and someone said, “Clear,” and his body jerked. They were trying to save his life. I was in shock.

Words were being thrown around, none of which I understood. I followed the paramedics to the van and hopped in the back.

Holding Lucian’s hand, I prayed while the two men worked on stabilizing him. They asked me about his medical history, but what could I say?

“I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it. He had a seizure a few weeks ago. They did tests but didn’t find anything. Please, please help him.”

“We’re doing everything we can, ma’am.”

In the hospital, they did their best to stabilize him. I stayed beside him all day, and he finally regained consciousness at four in the afternoon.

“What’s happening?” he said.

I was standing near the head of the bed. “They don’t know. They’re running tests. They’ve given you medicine to regulate your blood pressure.”

Somehow he had enough strength to pull me down onto the bed with him. “I’m okay, Evey. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“Your heart was going crazy.”

“You own my heart, lady.” He smiled weakly.

“How much time do you think you have?”

As sick as Lucian was, he still got a laugh out of that. “Like anything else, who the knows? Who the hell knows? Will you promise me something, Evey?”

“Anything.” I kissed his cheek and nuzzled into his neck.

“Promise me that if you remember anything after I’m gone, you’ll protect yourself by not speaking a word of it. There’s no telling what could happen.”

“I would never.”

“Also, you have to live a normal life for me. Please.” He squinted, smiling with his eyes. “I worked so hard to make sure you had a normal life. I wish I could control myself with you. I wish I hadn’t done this to you. I’m sorry.”