Page 139 of Before You Can Blink
Penny gently eased her husband away from Daisy, pulling him into her arms as he continued to fall apart.
Taking my hand, Daisy turned to our family to offer a final farewell. “Merry Christmas, my loves.”
And with that, we headed out the door. It was time for Daisy to get her life back.
It didn’t matter that it was the middle of the night; as soon as I saw Dr. Pierce walk through the sliding glass doors into the surgical waiting room, I was on my feet, my heart in my throat.
The doctor removed his surgical cap before he fixed me with a giant smile. “Everything went perfectly.”
All the air rushed from my lungs, and I placed a hand to my chest as I breathed out, “Thank God.”
“We’ll keep a close eye on her for a few days, make sure the function of the new kidney is good and her body’s not showing any signs of rejection, but I’m optimistic she’ll be home by New Year’s.”
I reached out to shake his hand. “Thank you. For everything you’ve done for Daisy.”
“My pleasure. It’s been a long time coming.”
I huffed out a wry laugh. “Too long.”
“She’s in post-op now, but if you can wait here a little while longer, I’ll instruct a nurse to bring you back once they’ve moved her to the ICU.”
I almost snorted because while some folks took up bingo in retirement, I’d taken up waiting in hospitals. I was practically a professional at this point.
But nothing could bring me down tonight because finally—fucking finally—there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Daisy was going to be okay.
Chapter 34
Jett
Age 71
June
MainStreetwascrowdedwith folks packed in practically shoulder to shoulder with the summer solstice event in full swing.
It was strange looking around at the many faces, missing the ones who had passed on and clocking all the new ones that had taken their place. Life kept moving on, and a new generation was now leading the charge.
The only thing that never seemed to change was Rust Canyon’s rustic charm.
I chuckled to myself, thinking back to a time when being stuck in this small town had threatened to suffocate me. Now, it brought only comfort.
There was no doubt my change in attitude could be traced back to a singular person.
And staring at her now, I couldn’t help but smile as she patiently loaded ice cream cups with as many toppings as the long line of children at her station requested. Not a day went by that I didn’t express my extremegratitude to the man upstairs that her kidney transplant had been a complete success, and she was back to being an active member of the community.
Watching from a distance only satisfied me for so long. The need to touch her grew overwhelming, and I shoved off the light pole I leaned against and navigated a path to where she worked.
With a wave of my hand as I drew nearer, I caught Rose’s eye. “Care if I steal my girl away for a dance?”
At the sound of my voice, my bride’s head whipped up, cheeks pinkening like she was a teenage girl instead of a woman in her mid-seventies. And damn if it didn’t give me a thrill knowing I could still make her blush after nearly fifty years.
“Jett,” Daisy’s voice came out breathless.
“Come on.” I extended a hand, curling my fingers as I beckoned her.
Shaking her head, she gestured around the busy station. “I can’t leave Rose with all of this.”
