When Our Worlds Stand Still (Our Worlds #3)(79)

“Scaring the shit out of us,” I correct him, sitting up. He blink’s slow, showing how weak he is. “What did you do?” I whisper, running my trembling hand over his cheek. “What did you do?”

My chest burns from the pain he endures as his coughs rattle his chest. My hand covers his heart, and I sense the unseen struggle his body is putting him through.

“Want to tell me why you’re dumb enough to run into a burning building?” I swipe at the tears on my face. The thought of losing him muddles my mind.

“I got the call about the fire almost immediately. When I showed up, Betty was out of her mind frantic. They couldn’t find Ben. After two separate head counts, they knew he was missing. One of the other boys said he ran back into the building.”

“Is he … is Ben okay?” My heart lurches in my chest.

“He’s okay. He’s being treated downstairs.” The clear relief he feels shines in his eyes. “Do you think you could do me a favor?” Graham pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses my palm.

“Anything.” I dry the tears on my cheeks, a failure at pretending to be strong.

Graham turns his face from me. “Will you go sit with him? I don’t want him to be alone.” His breath hitches and his voice quivers.

At this moment, when his mouth struggles to produce words, I know I’ve been right all along about Graham’s intentions with Ben.

“It’s okay to love someone that much, you know? You don’t need to hide the vastness of your heart from me.” I stand and press my lips against his forehead.

He clutches my forearm. When he turns his head to me, he slips the mask away from his mouth. “When I look at you, Kennedy Conrad, my world stands still. It always has.”

“I’ll be back, and Graham, I love you, too.” I kiss him quickly and slide the mask back over his mouth.

My back hits the wall outside his room, and I slump to the ground. My knees are too weak to hold the weight of my body. To get my breath under control, my head slumps between my legs. A nurse walking by asks if I’m okay, and I nod as I stand. Hallway signs direct me until I find myself, again, fearing what waits for me on the other side of the door.

I knock twice before a nurse ushers me inside. Her easy going smile erases a sliver of my anxiety. When Graham asked me to come down to check on Ben, I wasn’t aware of how nervous I would be. I wipe the sweat from my hands before finally looking up. The hospital bed sits against the wall. The thick metal bars along the side swallow Ben’s small frame.

“Can I help you?” An older woman stands from the window seat, dropping her People Magazine to the table.

“She can be here,” Ben explains. His voice is strained, much like Graham’s.

“And who is she?” The gray hair of the woman makes me think of the nasty leftover snow after cars have driven over it for weeks and weeks. She has the personality to match it as well.

“She’s Graham’s future wife.” Ben smiles at me.

At his announcement, her eyes soften, and her shoulders fall slack. “Well then, do you mind sitting with him for a while? I could really use some coffee.”

“I can stay as long as you need.” I pull up the chair as she leaves. When I turn back to Ben, he leans back against his pillow. “How you holding up, kid?”

He shrugs. “Is Graham okay?”

“He’s fine. He’ll be taking you to the batting cages in no time.” I pat his leg to comfort him. He’s worried.

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have run back in.” Ben punches at the mattress. His silent berating of himself makes my heart break. To him, Graham’s at hero status, and to think, even for a second, he’s caused him any pain is unbearable for Ben.

I rest my forearms on my thighs. “Can I ask why you went back in?”

Ben reaches under the muted, tan blanket. “For this.” He holds out a worn out baseball and the photo book I made him. I take them both in my hands. He takes the ball back and tucks it under the cover where he believes it will be safe as I look through the photobook. The pages worn from the smoke of the fire. When I reach the end of the book, I tuck it under the blanket where it belongs.

Instead of talking, I flip through the channels until I come across cartoons. Ben instantly perks up, sitting with his legs crossed over each other. A scrape under his eye. A bruise on his arm. Ben’s minor injuries will heal in time.

“You saved Graham’s life once.” Unsure where Ben is going with the simple statement, my response is a nod. “And now he’s saved mine.”

I nod again, resting my head on his arm as we both fall silent, enjoying a cartoon moose chasing after other woodland creatures.

Something once again shifts in my chest. My heart stretches, making a little more room for those I love. The ache opens me up, and my mind runs wild. For the longest time, my heart’s only belonged to Graham. Now all of a sudden, he isn’t the only one who takes up residency. Ben’s somehow wrapped his little fingers into my world. Somewhere between the moose learning he holds some magical power, and nightfall, I’ve given into the slumber I so desperately need.





After Kennedy leaves, the nurses allow me to remove my oxygen mask. I still feel a small wheezing in my chest, but I ignore the dull ache. Swinging my legs off the side of the bed, I push on the mattress to stand. Outside the windows, it’s dark. Where the hell did she go? The hall’s empty, and I sneak by, holding the back of my hospital gown shut.