Page 162 of Please Save Me

In all the years I’d known Sophia, I’d describe her as put together. Her hair was always neat, her nails done, and she always seemed to know exactly what to do. Right now, however, she looked just as rough as the rest of us.

Her platinum hair was pulled into a messy bun, and for the first time in our relationship, she had a dark circle under her eyes. The sweatshirt she had on was not only stained with milk or spit up, but I’m fairly certain it belonged to either Lucian or Sebastian, which left it to hug her figure rather than hang off her like she liked.

“Is she hungry again?” Sophia asked, her blue eyes pinning on the baby in my arms.

“When is she not?” I challenged as Sophia stepped in, revealing she was one step ahead of me.

In her hand was one of the strange breast-like bottles Mason insisted we’d need. I breathed a sigh of relief and extended a hand to take it, but Sophia shook her head.

“Let me take her.”

I hesitated a moment, feeling a little guilty. We’d pretty much segmented ourselves into very specific jobs. Heather and Tori took care of the twins andmade sure we all remembered to eat. Lucian had the unfortunate duty of being Mason’s medical power of attorney, and because of that, he was tasked with finding reasons not to pull the plug. Sebastian needed to focus on his recovery, and I was completely engrossed in Rosie. It was only right, seeing as I was the one who helped make her.

Sophia had become supportive of each of the individual tasks, and I didn’t envy her for that.

That’s why I’d been so reluctant to give her Rosie unless I needed to shower or use the bathroom. “You sure?”

“Mhm.” She motioned for me to hand her the baby. “She’s a sweet girl, and I need a cuddle break.”

Reluctantly, I handed her my daughter. Sophia settled onto the bed, resting her back against the headboard as she offered Rosemary the bottle. She latched on easily, her little hands wrapping around Sophia’s fingers as she greedily sucked down her milk.

“She looks so much like Mason,” Sophia said, unable to look away from her.

My lips rolled into a thin line as I crawled onto the bed, resting my head on Sophia’s lap as I nodded. My breath hitched as I fought the urge to sob for the millionth time this month. Somehow, Sophia managed to get a free hand and used it to play with my hair.

“Luce is at the hospital now, right?” The first of many tears broke through, stinging the raw skin on my cheeks as they rolled down. “How is she? Is thereanygood news?”

Sophia’s hand stilled as an oppressive silence filled the room.

“Do you know how, for a while, Mason’s fingers would twitch, or her heart rate would pick up when she heard our voices?” Sophia started.

For the first time in weeks, I felt hopeful. Those were all good things, which meant Mason could be sitting in the hospital now, talking to Lucian. Everything would be okay, and she’d come home and love on Rosie.

But, the way Sophia didn’t continue slowly drained that hope.

“Soph?” I prompted, hoping she’d just gotten lost in feeding Rosemary.

I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell by the way she inhaled that she was on the precipice of tears.

“She’s not doing that anymore.” Sophia started. “And Lucian talked to her doctors this morning, and they’re saying–” She choked, causing her speech to stop. “–they don’t think she’s ever going to wake up.”

The air around me froze, jolting me into a sitting position just so I could look at Sophia better. “No, Mason’s stubborn. This ain’t enough to end her.”

“Cameron.” She whimpered my name as fat tears rolled off her face and onto Rosemary’s bottle. “I know this is hard, sudden, and strange. But Lucian doesn’t want to prolong her suffering. And I agree.”

I shook my head, not at all liking what Sophia said. “No. Mason’s a celebrity. She has money, and her case is in the media. Someone has to be figuring something out. She’s not meant to die like this.”

Sophia’s tears fell faster as her shoulders shook so violently I feared she’d drop Rosie. She didn’t fight me as I took the baby back. Instead, she clung to me, her salty sadness saturating my shirt.

Rosie squirmed as I held her to my chest, desperately fighting to find some semblance of normalcy among all the heartache. My sobs mingled with Sophia, and we must have been way too damn loud as Heather cracked the door open, peering in for a moment before joining us on the bed.

“Give me my grandbaby,” Heather commanded.

And I didn’t fight. I loved my daughter, but I needed the comfort that could only be found in the arms of my lover. I handed Rosie to Heather, and I expected her to stay in the room, joining Sophia and me in this all-consuming sadness. Instead, she left just as quickly as she came.

I pulled Sophia so close that my body shook from the sheer strength I used to hold us together.

“This isn’tfair.” That was all I could manage.

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