As she alternated between pacing, sitting, and sobbing for an hour, Kathryn finally got some news.
Jake was stable. He’d be unconscious for a while, but the news snapped her from despondent to determined. She had to see him, and ran through the scenario.
The first stop on his long road to recovery would be the intensive care unit. He wouldn’t be moved from the ICU until the attending physician felt confident that Jake’s vitals would hold.
Heavy sedation was expected after an aggressive operation. So, visiting hours were unlikely at all today. And let’s not forget—visits in his condition were restricted to family. But bullshit rules were made to be broken.
She wouldn’t exactly be waiting for an engraved invitation but barging down the hallways of a hospital would only get her kicked out.
She needed a plan.
Scrubs and a cap were easy enough to come by, and instantly give her the power of invisibility. But she couldn’t move freely without an ID badge, and this wasn’t her stomping ground.
She pulled the Kat card, summoning Thelma and Louise, and they did what BFFs do. Dana handed over her badge, while Laurie walked her through the hospital layout. They hugged Kathryn for luck, and emphasized that if she got caught, they don’t know her.
Kathryn breezed through endless hallways and passed half a dozen nursing stations before finally finding Jake’s room. He was peacefully asleep, his breathing assisted by a ventilator. Oxygen was being pushed through a tube down his throat, keeping him going until his body was strong enough to take over.
She studied the monitor. His vitals were good, strong for a badass who’d battled death twice. She reached out, examining his morphine line. The drips were steady. She ran a hand down his body as she stepped to the end of the bed where she snagged his chart. The penmanship was atrocious, and she could barely make out some of what it said.
F in penmanship. A+ in surgery. You do you, Doc. And with enough squinting, I’ll figure out the chicken scratch.
“Oh, Doctor.” A soft voice came from the doorway. “How’s he doing?”
Kathryn spun around but couldn’t speak. She’d know this woman anywhere, though she didn’t know her personally. Her online presence preceded her, though her appearance now was a far contrast from her internet persona. Red-eyed and weepy, the woman entered, dabbing her makeup-free face with a wad of tissue. Ready or not—and Kathryn knew the answer was not—she was meeting Chelsea Anders.
Kathryn flipped through the chart in a poor attempt to gather her thoughts. “Uh, he’s stable. I’m not his doctor. I’m a nurse.”
“Oh.”
The ring of disappointment in Chelsea’s voice was oh-so-familiar. As if Kathryn’s day couldn't get crappier, Jake’s ex had instantly relegated her to the B-team because the initials following her name were RN and not MD.
“I was hoping to speak with someone who knew what was going on. No offense,” Chelsea said. When Kathryn stayed quiet, Chelsea picked up Jake’s lifeless hand. “Jake, please don’t leave me.”
Stunned, Kathryn stared at her. Leave you?
“Do you believe in second chances?” Chelsea asked, and Kathryn could only stand back with a silent nod. “I can’t lose him again. I was wrong about so many things. But I know I can make it right. I just need a chance.”
She pulled Jake’s limp hand to her cheek, kissing his palm. It was only then that Kathryn caught the glint of Chelsea’s engagement ring.
Kathryn dropped the chart back in the pocket at the foot of the bed, freeing her hands to wipe her eyes. About to leave, she was stopped by the doctor entering.
“Oh, no one should be visiting now,” the doctor said to Chelsea. “I heard his fiancée was waiting, but I’m sorry, you’ll have to go for now. Nurse?”
Reactive and mechanical, Kathryn answered in the role she’d always played. “Yes, Doctor?”
He motioned for her to escort Chelsea out. “We’ll keep you informed,” he said to Chelsea, “but stay in the waiting room. You’ll be able to see him soon. Very soon.”
And just like that, Kathryn had been dismissed from the main chapter of her life.
Seeing Chelsea kiss Jake’s cheek nearly killed Kathryn. She could only release her breath with the echo of Jake’s voice. Breathe, kitten.
Keeping up appearances, she passed the doctor, holding Chelsea’s shoulders for her own support. Obediently, she led the woman to the waiting room, holding back her own tears as Chelsea sobbed.
“I just saw him. I shouldn’t have let him go. Why did I let him go? We’re meant for each other. Childhood sweethearts. Engaged. Our parents are still best friends. Now, everything is such a mess. He was so upset about the pregnancy . . . it was the whole reason he gave me his house. Now all I can think about is him. I just need a second chance. He has to be all right. I need him.”
Pregnancy?
Sniffling, Chelsea flashed the ring, more to herself. But Kathryn couldn’t help brushing the naked finger of her own hand.
“I put it back on after I saw him,” Chelsea said as she dabbed at her eyes with the tissues. “He showed up out of the blue, and it’s like nothing had changed. He was back. I saw it all in his eyes. I love him, and I know deep down, he loves me.”
At the door to the waiting room, Chelsea pulled Kathryn into a hug, smothering the last ounce of strength from her soul. “Please, please—give him back to me.”
For no reason at all, Kathryn hugged her back, an automatic response she’d given a million times before when the friends and family of patients needed it. Pushing aside her own gut-wrenching feelings, she reverted to Kathryn-the-nurse, determined to lift someone else.
Firming her own voice, Kathryn reassured Chelsea. “I will.”
* * *
After leaving the waiting room, Kathryn took a long, lonely walk back to the ICU. Watching Jake’s chest rise and fall as air was forced in and out of his lungs, she stood next to his bed, knowing when he opened his eyes, he’d see the woman he was meant for . . . Chelsea.
Kathryn rubbed his hand. He deserved more than what she could give him. The life he’d known before war had ripped it away. Now it was his turn for a second chance.
He’d been gone so long that night. With Chelsea. Of course he’d stick by Kathryn. But now, it was as clear as day. He wasn’t in love with her. Just . . . indebted.
Sleeping, he stirred, tightening his hand around hers. His grip squeezed every tear from her eyes and ache from her heart. Kathryn licked the salt from her tear-soaked lips and kissed him on the cheek.
She’d never be ready to let go. But she could do this. For him.
Her whisper was soft in his ear. “I’m giving you back your life. I love you, Jake.”