Page 72 of While You're There
Jake nodded in understanding. “Okay. So you do still have a limit. Good to know.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
“Sir?” A nurse he didn’t recognize interrupted them. He turned away from Jake to give her his full attention. “Sir, the ultrasound technician is back, and they’re ready now. Your wife is asking for you.”
Rhett blinked in slow motion as the words cut into his severed heart.His wife.He didn’t bother correcting her. He was wearing a wedding ring after all. And it would take too long to try and explain that his actual wife was currently somewhere else in this hospital, waiting on their mutual friend to whisk her away from this nightmare he had created for them all.
“I’ll be right there,” he replied to the nurse before turning back to Jake.
“Bro…” he croaked out, his voice cracking as he came face-to-face with everything he didn’t want to do. How was he supposed to send Tori away, walk back to Chandler’s hospital room, and sit back idly as someone confirmed the death of his child?
“I’d do anything for you, Rhett. I’ve got you for anything you need.”
He didn’t need Jake’s assurances to know that. They had been best friends for twenty years. They were brothers for life. But hearing Jake say it out loud was still a small comfort as he felt the vise grip of anxiety start to squeeze.
“Tori is…”
“She’ll be okay. I’ll make sure she’s okay,” Jake promised.
“She has a doctor’s appointment on Monday,” he murmured, not letting his mind linger on the realization that Tori would most likely be going to her first egg retrieval appointment alone.
“I’ll keep her close for the next few days or for however long this takes.”
He nodded, defeated. It was all he could do.
“Fuck. I’ve gotta find Tori… I’ve gotta go…”
“I’ll go wait by the elevators. Send her my way when you’re done.”
“Thanks, bro. Thanks for coming for her. Thanks for… thanks for everything.”
Jake nodded once before turning around and walking away.
Rhett stalked down the hall he’d seen Tori walk down a few minutes ago. She was either in the restroom, or… He spotted her through the glass door panel of a room marked Family Lounge.
“Hey, V?” he asked as he pushed through the door, not wanting to startle her as he approached from behind.
She turned around slowly, revealing her tear-stained cheeks and bloodshot eyes. He was once again hit with the gut feeling that they weren’t going to survive this. He let the lounge door slam behind him as he wrapped her in his arms. “I’m so sorry, V,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
His own tears started up again, the moisture falling down his face before he even had a chance to wipe it away. How anyone had any tears left to shed tonight was beyond him. But they all seemed to keep finding reserves.
“The ultrasound tech is back, so I have to go now. Jake is down by the elevators, waiting for you.”
She nodded against his shirt but held him tighter, like she wasn’t planning on releasing him anytime soon. A loud sob escaped her but was muffled by her mouth pressed up against his chest.
Please don’t cry, beautiful. Don’t break down. Don’t break me. Don’t let us break.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” she confessed through another sniffle.
Rhett stilled, then instinctively tightened his hold. They were clinging to each other with such ferocity he wouldn’t be surprised if they both had bruises tomorrow. What did she mean by that? This couldn’t be their breaking point. They had come too far. They had fought too hard to get here. He wouldn’t let her give up on him now.
“What can’t you do?” he asked hesitantly, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.
“I don’t think I can walk away. I can’t leave you here like this,” she sobbed.
His heart broke all over again. Her tears weren’t for herself. She wasn’t thinking about cutting her losses or trying to get out of their marriage. Her tears were all for him. His beautiful, amazing, selfless wife was only worried about him in that moment.
“Well, aren’t we a pair? I don’t know if I can make you leave.” He worked his hand into her hair and possessively gripped the back of her neck. She let him hold her. She let him feel her devotion. He couldn’t even begin to process any of the emotions churning in his own gut. But if he could focus on Tori, if he could just be here for her now…
