Until then, I’m stuck.
I’m frozen in time until Carla returns to me because, without her, there’s no tomorrow.
I need to hear her laughter and her sass. I need to see her smile. I need to feel the heat from her body.
During the past three months, she’s become… the very meaning of emotion for me. She’s love. She’s happiness.
Without Carla, there’s nothing but cold hard facts.
There’s no warmth.
Dad pushes me back, and his worried gaze searches mine. “Your mother will save them both. Okay?”
Another wave of shock and pain hits, and I struggle to take a breath. “Dad,” I groan, unable to process the intense heartache ripping my world to shreds.
Dad’s arms instantly tighten around me again. “I’ve got you, my boy. I’ve got you.”
I’m sitting like a zombie in the waiting room. Dad keeps rubbing a hand over my back.
Suddenly there’s a commotion, and the room fills with Carla’s family and our friends.
Dad gets up to talk with them, but I can’t even manage to lift my head. Someone sits down beside me and pulls me into a hug, then I hear Kao say, “I’m here.”
I close my burning eyes, unable to say anything.
I feel a hand on my knee, and when I open my eyes, and I see Fallon, something breaks inside me.
The same silky brown hair.
The same golden-brown eyes.
I see some of Carla’s features in her cousin, and right now, it’s killing me.
I want my Carla back.
Lifting a hand, I cover my eyes, and the moment Fallon’s arms wrap around me, my shoulders shudder.
“Shh…” she whispers. “Carla’s strong.”
She is. Carla’s the strongest person I know. She never backs down from a fight. God, she gave me hell for three years.
The thought rips a gasp from my lips as the wave of heartache washes my world from under my feet.
For three years, I kept her at a distance. I was cold and downright harsh at times.
Then I gave in, and she fucking changed everything. She turned my world on its head. She added a deeper meaning to every single second.
“Can I bring you something to drink?” Fallon asks.
I shake my head because I know I won’t be able to stomach anything until I hear Carla and Raspberry are fine.
Raspberry.
My shoulders shudder again under the strain of the distress.
I don’t know how much time has passed, but my head snaps up the instant I hear Miss Sebastian say, “The surgery is going well. The bullet has been removed, and Dr. West is now repairing the lung and draining the blood that has built up. It should take another hour before Miss Reyes is moved to the ICU for recovery. Dr. West will see you then.” Miss Sebastian looks at me. “The baby’s also doing well under the circumstances. Dr. Wells was present during surgery.”
I feel a slither of relief trickle through my insides. Kao gives me a supportive squeeze.
Miss Sebastian smiles at me. “I wish I could hug you, my god-baby, but I have to get back. They will be fine. Okay?”
I nod, still unable to form words.
She blows me a kiss before she hurries back to the operating room.
Getting up, I rush to the nearest restroom. The moment I’m inside, and Kao’s arms fold around me, I can’t keep the tears from coming.
I grab hold of my best friend as I lose all control over my emotions.
I promise I’ll be the best husband and father.
My shoulders shudder.
Please give me the chance to be what Carla deserves. Give me a chance to hold our baby.
I just want them safely back in my arms.
Please.
After I manage to regain control of my emotions, Kao and I go back to the waiting room.
I walk to Mr. and Mrs. Reyes, and after shaking Mr. Reyes’ hand, I say, “I’m so sorry.”
The words sound empty to my own ears.
Mrs. Reyes rises from the chair, and then her arms wrap around me. Getting to hold Carla’s mother offers me a sense of comfort I haven’t felt since Carla got shot. It’s like I’m holding a piece of her.
When Mrs. Reyes pulls back, she places a cool palm to my jaw. “It wasn’t your fault. Okay?”
Her words make me frown. “What do you mean?”
Mr. Reyes pats my shoulder, then he explains, “The man who shot Carla lost his son three months ago. Your mother was his son’s doctor. After the death of his son, the man suffered a breakdown due to the grief.”
My mind rushes to retrieve the information I have on the patient Mom lost.
I have a twenty-year-old male patient who was rushed in with an aneurysm. Basically, the thoracic aorta consists of the aortic root…
My twenty-year-old male patient died. The aorta ruptured, and he bled out within minutes. There was nothing I could do.
My eyes lock with Mr. Reyes’. “So he came to Trinity to take revenge?”