Page 83 of Broken Ice, Mended Hearts

“How is he?” She waved an arm toward the sofa. “You’ve got to be dead on your feet, so let’s sit down.”

After we settled on the couch, I stared at my hands until she broke the silence. “How is Sven?”

“He’s the same.” I groaned and stretched my neck. “A doctor was leaving when I got there, and she said Sven was no worse. I…”

Something inside me snapped, unleashing a torrent of emotions I’d tried to hold in since I heard about the accident. I’d been afraid letting them out would make me too weak to do any good for Sven. Now, with Alex there, I bawled harder than I had since I was a kid.

“Why can’t he get better?” I choked out between sobs. “I love him so much. I need him.”

She held me until I grew quiet, then handed me tissues from the side table. “Better?” she asked.

I nodded, but after I wiped my face and blew my nose, the world tilted. “Oh God. I don’t feel good.” My head throbbed, and my abs were as sore as they were after one of Sven’s grueling workout routines. “Fuck, I…”

“Lie down and rest, Gags. You’re exhausted.”

She stood, and after I stretched out, she covered me with a blanket Jacob had used during a nap earlier.

“Thanks. I won’t lie here long.”

She patted my arm and brushed the hair back off my forehead. “Try to sleep. Jacob and I will be here, and I promise to wake you up if anything changes with Sven.”

Too exhausted to argue, I closed my eyes and tried to relax. Sven’s smile filled my head, and his lips played on mine.When he wakes up, I’ll tell him I love him, and I’ll never leave him alone again. When he wakes up, we’ll have the life I’ve always dreamed of. When he wakes up…

I sat up in the middle of a coughing fit, trying to catch my breath. Jacob handed me a bottle of water, but my throat was still parched after I chugged the contents.

“Hey, stranger,” he said. “Welcome back.”

I cleared my throat. “More water?” My bladder was about to burst, so I added, “After I go piss.”

When I came back from the bathroom, Alex—who hadn’t been there when I left—had returned. She and Jacob were sitting in chairs on either side of the sofa where I’d slept, so I sat down and looked out the window. The light was silvery; morning hadn’t quite arrived, but the night was over. “Shit, how long was I out?”

Jacob checked his watch. “About eight hours. You woke up about two o’clock in the morning and asked about Sven. Do you remember?”

“Nah. I was dreaming about him, though.” I grinned, remembering one of them. “We were at a pineapple plantation in Hawaii. He says pineapple is the best fruit on the planet.” I rubbed a hand over my face, then glanced at Alex. “You think we should get some? He’ll want it when he comes around.”

She chuckled, the same good-natured rumble that had always made me smile. “He may not be ready for pineapple at first, but we’ll give him some soon.”

“Holy fuck!” I jumped up. “I need to see him.”

Alex stood and took my arm. “I was with him when you woke up. They won’t let you in for a while.”

“How is he? Any better?”

“The nurse said his blood pressure has come up some. Otherwise, the same.” She pushed up on tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. “That’s good news, Gags. Every bit of progress is a step closer to having him back.”

“I read an article about people being unconscious after injuries and major surgery,” Jacob said. “The unconsciousness can be nature’s way of keeping them still so they can heal. Sven’s strong, so keep the faith.”

A nurse who’d taken care of Sven yesterday brought in some scrubs and said, “I thought you might like a shower and some clean clothes.”

Jacob looked at me. “I brought you clean clothes from home, but I’ll bet you’d like a shower.”

“Actually, can I wear the scrubs?” I asked. “I always wanted to dress up like a doctor.”

Everyone chuckled, and the nurse handed me the green pants and shirt. “You should wear these, Mr. Gagné. You’ve earned them.”

I nodded my thanks. “How’s Sven?”

“Mr. Holmer’s blood pressure has come up a little, which is positive. I’ll let you know after the doctors do rounds. You can see him then.”

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