Page 110 of Misery and Ecstasy

They’ve been getting better at tolerating one another when I’m in the same room as them. But if my mother truly wants to change, if she wants to repair our relationship before it really is too late, she’s going to need to get used to having Draven around.

And being nice to him.

“Very.” When she looks away from him, I think she’s a lost cause. But as she looks at her feet, she adds, “Thank you, Draven.”

Maybe there is hope for them.

“Okay, here are a couple blankets.” As soon as Trudy lays them at the foot of my bed, Draven hands one to my mother. “Let’s get this IV up and running so you can be on your way.”

Ten minutes later, my anesthesiologist comes for me. He’s an extremely laid back yet boisterous guy. I’m sure he acts that way to try to alleviate any nerves his patients and their families have about the impending procedure.

“Good morning, good morning. You must be Michelangelo?”

It may work for some.

Like Justin, maybe.

But not for me.

“Wait, no…” He continues his bit even when he doesn’t get a favorable response from me. “You’re not a green, crime-fighting ninja.”

Apparently, it works on my mother who snickers at him.

But maybe he’s on to something, because seeing even an ounce of glee in her after such a tense morning tugs at my lips, too.

“Okay, so I’m Dr. Randall, your anesthesiologist. I will be in the OR with you during the entire procedure to make sure you’re getting everything you need to keep you nice and relaxed—and more importantly, asleep. Cool?”

“Cool.” Even though my internal demeanor is anything but.

“Does anyone have any final questions before I wheel her out of here?”

Dr. Randall looks around at the three of us, but none of us speaks up.

“All right, then.” The second the bed is in motion, my eyes grow wide, and my hands fly to the bars of the side rails. As if I didn’t know this was about to happen. As if I suddenly changed my mind, but he’s forcing me to go anyway.

“Good luck, honey.” My mom grips my ankle as Dr. Randall lines my bed up in the middle of the hallway. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

She begins to get choked up, turning away from me before I’m able to catch her breaking down.

Draven steps up to the side of my bed as Dr. Randall starts to pull it, not realizing he’s there. I cry out, thinking I won’t get to say goodbye to him, but Draven lunges forward, grabbing the doctor’s arm and stopping him.

Turning back to me, he leans over the head of my bed.

As tears threaten to fall from his golden-honey eyes, he runs his fingers through my hair. Clutching it gently in one fist, he lowers his lips to mine, devastating me with his possessive kiss.

My heart feels like it breaks when he pulls away. But with one glance and words I’ll hold on to for the rest of my life, he pieces it back together again.

“I love you, Kins. Forever.”

A tear hurries down my face as Dr. Randall begins to roll me away again. Before I get too far, I whisper to Draven.

“Forever.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

DRAVEN

It feels like my body has been suspended, frozen in time since the moment I watched Kins being wheeled down the hall to the OR.

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