Steve leaned his shoulder against the wall. The sun coming through the open curtains didn't disturb the girl in the bed or the man sleeping with his face on her hand.
He hadn't moved from her side since the hospital staff had finally allowed him access.
It was as if time had stopped when Scotch pulled her from the water. Steve would never forget the dark vacancy in Brady's eyes. The desperation of a man required to wait.
Waiting was all they had now.
It didn't seem fair somehow. These two people had finally found what everyone on earth was searching for—the thing so many couples took for granted and wasted—and it was being ripped away from them. One agonizing second at a time.
Brady sat up, sucking in a breath. He looked from Lo's still figure to Steve standing by the wall. Steve shook his head slowly.
No change.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he stepped out of the room.
“Hello?”
“Anything?”
One person he'd been in constant contact with since this entire nightmare had started was Lo's best friend Tessa. That girl could move mountains. Turned out, she was Lo's medical power of attorney. Getting Tessa involved had made it possible for Brady to be in the room with her.
“No. No change.” He tucked a hand into a pocket and stood with his forehead pressed to the wall in the hallway. “What about you?”
Tessa huffed. “I finally got a hold of her parents.” She paused, gathering herself so she didn't launch into a crazy rant again like she was inclined to do. Steve didn't mind it really, but she was always so damn apologetic afterwards. That part was a little irritating. “They asked me to keep them updated.”
“That's it?” he barked. Shit. He'd even offered to pay for their flight so they could be with their daughter.
“Yep.” The snap in her tone told him exactly how she felt about it.
“That's fucked up.”
Tessa sighed. “My flight is boarding. I'll be there in 18 hours.”
“Good. Hopefully she'll be awake by then.”
“Yeah...” Her voice softened. “Thank you for this, Steve.”
Despite his fatigue, he smiled. He wasn't often thanked. “See you soon.”
Brady
“I don't know who you think you're fooling,” Brady said against Lo's hand. He pressed his lips to the skin, feeling the warmth and the life pulse below the surface. “I can still feel it. I can still feel you.”
No response came from the still figure in the bed.
What Brady wouldn't do to have her wake up, tussle his hair, and call him ridiculous.
He could hardly look at her, yet he couldn't look away. Her face was mostly covered by scratches and bandages. Countless tubes connected all over her body.
From what they'd been able to piece together, she never even had a chance to pull the tabs on her vest. Her head hit the reef and knocked her out. The wave raked her body over the coral again and again, shredding the wetsuit, the vest and her skin.
His grip tightened on her hand and he rubbed it against his cheek. “Wake up, Lo. Come back to me. Stay with me.”
It was unfair to think of the energy she embodied, this impossible force of nature, confined to a bed. Silent. Like the current. She pulled him. Turned him over and inside out. Tumbling, tumbling tumbling...
“Run with me, Lo. Let's go away from here. Me and you. Anywhere you wanna go. Name it. Tell me what you need and I'll give it to you. Just... stay with me. I promise you'll never regret it.”
He slumped over the bed, holding her as much as he could without disturbing her.
All she had to do was wake up.
“I'll be your home. You'll never be alone again. Me and you. Teammates to the end, remember? And if I know you, which I do, this isn't the end. Not for us.”
Julia
Julia wiped at her eyes as she listened to Brady's whispered declarations.
She'd never believed in soul mates. Or really love for that matter.
But Brady and Lo?
They'd turned her into a believer.
She'd never known a man so unafraid to love. Surely the powers-that-be would have mercy on him and allow him to keep his heart.
Right?
Brady
Brady hated the look of pity on everyone's faces. Every time they came in to check on him, it was the same. The sympathy wasn't welcome. He knew they were all scared. They were all dealing in their own way.
Tessa had arrived a little while ago. Distraught didn't even cover it. Steve had finally taken her to the hotel to get some rest. Only one of them was allowed to stay with Lo overnight and Brady wasn't leaving.
Ever.
He would stay by his Lo until they removed him. And even then, he was certain he'd find a way to come back to her. Nothing in the world could keep him from her. And he firmly believed she felt the same. If the roles were reversed, she would claw her way back to his side every damn time.
So he stayed. Because she was going to wake up and he was going to be right where he belonged.
By her side.
“You should see the moon tonight,” he said. “It reminds me of the moon the night we stayed at the surf camp in Playa Hermosa. You don't know this, but I held you all night. As hard as I tried to resist you, it didn't matter. Even in sleep I've always been drawn to you.”
Sighing, he tugged on a stand of her hair as it rested along the length of her arm. He wrapped it around one finger, feeling its softness.
“I just wanna be wherever you are. All the time. Constantly. I feel this... pull. I can't explain it. Just... everything is better when we're working on it together.” He cracked a smile.
He'd spoken to his mom earlier and Dr Pho too. The surgery had gone well. But they wouldn't know the extent of the damage or if the surgery had been successful until Lo woke up and more tests could be performed.
“Don't be scared, baby,” he said gently. “No matter what happens, I'm not going anywhere.”
“Maybe you could get me some tacos.”
Brady's eyes shot to Lo's. Her voice was raspy, dry and unused. Her face turned towards him, and her gaze held a hint of mischief. He inhaled sharply, emotion filling his eyes with wetness.
“Welcome back.”
She tried a smile, but it was weak. “You can't get rid of me that easily.”
He grinned despite the hot tracks of tears spilling down his face. The weight of the unknown lifted from his shoulders and he took in a clean breath.
He hovered above her, absorbing the light and life shining out of her eyes. Most beautiful sight in the world. “I missed you.”
He cradled the side of her face in one hand. She closed her eyes and turned into it.
“I wasn't far.”
“It felt far.”
She licked her lips, his ache reflected in her eyes. His hand shook and he tried to stop it by threading his fingers into her hair. Her eyebrows tilted and a tear escaped from the corner of her eye and slipped to the pillow. He rubbed through the wetness with his thumb.
“You love me,” she whispered like it was the most surreal truth in the world.
“So much,” he confirmed. And nothing would ever stop him from loving her with all he was and all he had.
She let out a shaky sigh.
“I can feel it.”