Page 43 of Choosing Skyler

I nod excitedly, reaching for the coffee as Chelsea hands it over.

“Slow, Hun. Don’t chug.” She laughs at my glare.

I take a small sip and sigh at the flavor of the caramel macchiato hitting my taste buds. I would moan, but my vocal cords are still not working.

Dr. Henley smiles. “I’m glad that’s going well. Have you tried to speak at all since last night?”

I nod and frown.

“That’s okay. Perfectly normal after your injury. There’s still a lot of swollen tissue. We’ll monitor you over the next few days as the swelling reduces. Hopefully, you’ll be able to speak in a day or two. If not, we will look at other treatment options,” he assures me.

I nod again, taking another sip of my coffee.

He smiles before looking at Devon and Brady. “Any questions this morning, gentlemen?”

They both shake their heads and thank him before he leaves with his entourage.

“Sounds like he’s confident that your speech will come back, Sweets. I guess we better enjoy this while we can.” Devon chuckles.

I grin and shake my head at him. Always the jokester.

“Devon!” Tracey scolds before noticing my grin. When I reach for her hand, she takes it and squeezes. “Well,Ican’t wait for you to be able to talk, Sky. Devon needs a proper scolding.” She giggles, leaning back against him. He rests his chin on top of her head and wraps his arm around her waist affectionately.

I shrug and smile at her. The connection between them is so obvious now.How did I never see it before?I look at Chelsea and point at my coffee cup, wondering who is at the shop since she and Tracey are both here.

Chelsea smiles. “I trained Jenny to open this morning. She’s really committed to learning more at the shop. I still won’t let her touch the books or the bank deposits, but she can handle the rush. She wanted me to tell you that she’s glad you’re awake and she misses you at work.”

I smile and nod, tapping my chest.

Chelsea’s brows pull together. She takes a step forward and grabs my hand. “Skyler, I’m so sorry. I feel responsible for what happened to you. I love you like a second daughter, and this should haveneverhappened,” she sobs.

I shake my head, setting my coffee down to reach for her. She squeezes my hand and keeps talking.

“Dirk was right about the security not being monitored, but he was wrong about the cameras not recording. Theydorecord and the video is backed up to the cloud every night. I want you to know that he will NOT get away with this. The lobby and office videos have already been sent to the detective on the case. I didn’t watch them. I couldn’t…” She trails off, too upset to continue.

I cry, squeezing her hand. I want to tell her thank you. I want to tell her that none of this is her fault. I want to scream praises that she didn’t leave the shop completely without security, but I can’t. I try to talk, but when nothing comes out but a wheeze my chest tightens. I feel Devon on my other side.

“It’s okay, Sky. Breathe. We’ve got you. You’re safe,” Devon says.

Chelsea tries to step back but I tighten my grip on her hand, pulling her in. I pull my other hand from Devon’s, wrapping it around Chelsea’s neck and cry into her shoulder.

“Oh, Skyler. I didn’t mean to upset you, so,” she cries. “We’ll keep you safe, Hun. I promise. I’ll make this right. Please breathe. You’re okay.” She pulls back to look at me with tears streaming down her face. “What do you need? What can I do?”

I shake my head and put my hand on my chest, trying to catch my breath and calm down. I wanted to tell her thank you and instead, I’m making her feel worse. I look past her to Brady then back to Devon. I know panic must be written all over my face and they are the only ones who have ever been able to help me through it. Devon moves closer to hold me, but it’s Brady’s voice that pulls be back.

“Look. At. Me. Skyler,” he says, forcefully.

My eyes snap to him immediately.

“We’re right here, Beautiful.Allof us. Breathe withme,” he says, moving past Chelsea to put his hand on top of mine on my chest. I let go of Chelsea’s hand and raise mine to place it on his chest, feeling his heartbeat and steady breaths. “That’s it. Breathe with me. Stay with me.”

I close my eyes and focus on his voice. It’s soothing and commanding as it grounds me to safety. I match his breaths and calm down. The tightness in my chest releases and I let out a sharp sigh. I open my eyes to meet his and he smiles at me.

“That’s it, Beautiful.” He kisses my forehead and steps back, urging Chelsea forward.

She looks at me with love and starts to speak, “I…”

She’s cut off by Devon. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Chelsea. That was all because she couldn't tell you that herself.”

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