Page 81 of Broken Ice, Mended Hearts

Praying for a miracle, I leaned over and kissed his cheek through my mask. “I love you, baby. Can you talk to me?”

How did we end up here? Instead of enjoying being in love, we were trapped in a fucking hospital in the fucking ICU, and he couldn’t even fucking move. I laid a hand on his chest and whispered, “This heart belongs to me, understand? You said you love me, so come back. I need to show you how much I love you. Let me love you, Sven.”

It was all too much, and I broke down, crying hard while I caressed his cheek. Memories of our day at the beach came flooding back. He’d gotten so upset, and I saw it in his eyes—his feelings for me, his fear that I might hurt him. Though I hadn’t realized it, I fell in love with him that day.

When my tears dried up, I held his hand until the nurse reappeared and said it was time to let him rest. “When can I see him again?” I asked.

“In about two hours.”

I held on to Sven’s hand. “Where should I wait?”

“There’s a family room down the hall. I’ll take you there.”

I didn’t want to be away from Sven. “Is it far?”

“A few doors down. I’ll let you know if anything changes, but you need to come with me now.”

I squeezed Sven’s hand and let go. “Don’t forget, baby. I love you, and I’m sorry I didn’t say it before.”

Jacob and I set up camp in the family room. We sat there while hours extended into a full day, and all the while, Sven lay in the ICU. I saw him every two hours, but he was always the same—ghostly white, ridden with tubes, and ominously still.

Chapter 23

Gags

It wasearly evening when my phone buzzed. Jacob had insisted that I lie down on a sofa in the family room, and although sleep hadn’t come, at least I’d been able to rest.

ALEX: We were in a meeting all afternoon, and I got your message late. I’m at LaGuardia and just boarded a plane. Should be at the hospital in an hour or two at most.

Shit, I’d forgotten I texted her. Sven and I told her about our relationship after we agreed to be partners, and she’d been thrilled for us. She’d flown down for an afternoon, telling us she saw the spark when we all had dinner at her apartment.

GAGS: You’re coming here? You don’t need to do that. I was letting you know what was going on.

ALEX: Will you let the big tough guy thing go for one minute? I’ve been friends with both of you for years, andI’d have been there sooner if I’d known. Is anyone with you?

GAGS: Nick Johnson’s husband. He’s been a rock.

ALEX: I’m glad you’re not alone. Now you’ll have two people keeping you company.

GAGS: Thank you. We’re in the family room on the seventh floor, near the ICU.

ALEX: We’re ready to take off, so I’ll see you soon.

I sat up and stretched. Jacob was nowhere to be seen, and I figured he’d gone to get coffee. After a trip to the bathroom, I walked down to the ICU, and the nurse said there had been no change in Sven’s condition.

“How long until I can see him again?”

She glanced at a clock on the wall. “Come back in forty minutes. We’re short-staffed tonight, so I’ll let you stay longer than usual.”

I went back to the family room and discovered Jacob had returned and set up two plates of food on a card table.

“What’s this?” I asked. “I can’t eat anything.”

“Unless you got something during my nap, you haven’t eaten since you’ve been here. Did you have anything on the plane last night?”

“Just coffee.”

Jacob must have studied Stick’s no-nonsense look, because Jacob did a better job of it. “If you don’t eat, you’ll get sick yourself, and then you won’t be able to take care of Sven. I know you like burgers, so sit down and eat this before I get a nurse to put in a feeding tube.”

---