Love's Second Chance (Second Chances #1)(50)
“You don’t have a choice, Korinne. First off, you know they don’t allow that on this floor, and secondly, you’re sick. Not to mention you need to rest up before your surgery. You’re not going to do Galen any good if you die of exhaustion,” she instructed in her motherly voice.
“Yes, I would do Galen some good if I died,” I told her with a smirk on my face. “He would get two kidneys instead of one.”
Jenna sighed and smacked my arm. “Ducky, you’re too much. Leave it to you to say something morbid like that.”
I forced a smile to my face, but I was actually being serious about that statement. “How long have Brady and Elizabeth been with Galen? I really want to see him,” I said while I bounced my leg up and down impatiently. “If I don’t see him soon I’m going to go insane.”
Jenna looked at the clock and frowned. “It’s been almost an hour. They should be done soon.”
I knew not to say anything, and I knew they were his family, but I wished they would hurry the hell up. I hated feeling selfish, but I just needed to see him. Patience was not a virtue of mine. Even though Galen wouldn’t know I was there, I still wanted to talk to him and to tell him how sorry I was.
“They’re coming, Ducky,” Jenna said softly. I glanced up to see Brady practically carrying his mother down the hall. Jenna and I both ran to them, scared that something was wrong.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. Elizabeth’s condition had me terrified. She was crying and couldn’t seem to form the words to speak.
“Everything’s fine,” Brady claimed. “It’s just … it was hard to see him like that. Do you need me or Jenna with you when you go in there?”
I shook my head, trying desperately to be strong. The meltdown was about to come, but I didn’t want it to be out there. “No, I’ll be fine. I want to be alone with him,” I reassured them.
Brady kissed Jenna on the cheek and said to her, “I’m going to take my mother home and stay with her tonight. I can’t leave her alone.”
“Okay,” Jenna replied sadly. “I’ll be staying with Korinne tonight as well.”
Brady kissed her once more before addressing me again. “He’s in room 1065. I’m going to warn you, it’s not pretty.”
“I know, Brady,” I cried. “I’ll be fine. Take care of your mother and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
The tears began to fall again, and there was nothing I could do about it. I wondered if there was ever a time when a person couldn’t cry anymore. I thought I was getting awfully close to that point. Brady and Elizabeth headed towards the elevators while I made my way down the hall. Stopping mid-stride, I looked back at Jenna one last time before turning the corner. She smiled to reassure me and motioned me on. The numbers on the doors got steadily closer to 1065 the farther I went. My heart beat was so loud I could hear and feel it thumping in my ears. Once I reached Room 1065, I stood there frozen outside the door.
“I can do this,” I said to myself.
Before reaching for the handle, I wiped the tears away and took a deep breath. The room was quiet except for the beeping sounds of the monitors. The curtain was pulled halfway around the bed, and the only thing I could see were Galen’s feet. One was in a cast so that must’ve been the one he’d broken.
I walked slowly around the curtain until I got the full view of the man I loved. Gasping loudly, I threw my hands over my mouth to keep in the scream I was dying to let loose. A broken sob escaped my lips and I was consumed with the terror of what Galen must’ve gone through. My soul was in agony. I couldn’t begin to imagine the pain he must have endured, not to mention the pain he would go through when he woke up. His right leg was in a cast, along with his right arm. He looked like a mummy all wrapped in the gauzy white dressing. The only things that showed on his face were his closed eyes, nose, and mouth. There was bruising around the lines of his face and also some swelling along with it. Tubes were everywhere going in and out of different places on his body. I would understand completely if he hated me after this. I knew I would hate me.
“Galen,” I whispered, coming up to the bed. I took his hand lightly, but it was also wrapped in the gauze. I wished I could feel the smoothness of his skin, but I knew that wasn’t possible. “I’m so sorry,” I cried. “Please forgive me … oh my God, Galen please forgive me.” I kept waiting on him to answer but he laid there frozen while I poured my heart out. He couldn’t hear, think, or see me right then and it killed me to know that when he woke up there was no telling what was going to be wrong.
“You can’t leave me, Galen. Do you hear me? I’m not going to let you, so do us both a favor and fight. I’m going to be fighting for you, but I need your help.” I let his hand go and pulled up a chair so I could be by his head. Angrily wiping the tears away, I sat there and cried for who knew how long. Why couldn’t this be a bad dream, and when I woke up Galen would be right there beside me?
“I need you to come back to me, Galen. We have so much to live for. We have our cabin that needs to be finished. We need to have a family …” I choked on a sob and my throat began to tighten. Not being able to stay still, I got up from the chair and leaned over so I could see his face better and clearer. Placing a gentle kiss on his lips, I silently wished that it would’ve been enough to wake him. This sure wasn’t a fairytale, so wishful thinking wasn’t going to work, but I thought I would give it a try anyway. I ran my fingers lightly across his face just to be able to feel him.