Page 122 of No Way Home
“It’s like…” Sophie bounced Willow when she fussed. “It’s like he knows Sage is gone. But how could that be? We’ve been socareful not to say anything in front of him.” She glanced over at Magnolia. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“Maybe,” Magnolia said quietly. “The subconscious is still active. Patients in comas can sometimes detect changes in their environment—voices, touches, even the lack of someone’s presence. He may not know in words, but he might feel it.”
“Excuseme?” came a shrill voice from down the hall. “No, I will not leave!”
We all turned around, trying to listen.
“Ma’am,” another woman said, trying to quiet her. “This is the ICU. You are disrupting the patients.” Oh, that was the nurse who let people onto the floor to visit their loved ones. “I’ll have to ask you to leave if you’re not immediate family.”
“Iamimmediate family!”
At that, Griffin straightened. He leaned forward, ear inclined toward the conversation.
Sophie snickered. “Finally, somebody to liven things up around here. I don’t know who she is, but I say we get them to let her in. Maybe she’ll be able to wake James up.”
Griffin waved for her to be quiet.
“I’ve told you I’m married to his brother at least ten times.” The woman sounded highly offended. “Where I grew up, that meansimmediatefamily. Or do you need me to draw you a diagram of how family trees work?”
“Oh dang.” I chuckled. “I like her.”
Magnolia giggled. “Me too.”
The nurse spoke in hushed tones, probably trying to get her to follow suit. But it was no use.
The woman huffed. “I’m sorry if you’re a raging misogynist and can’t comprehend that some women don’t change their names when they get married—but you need to come into the twenty-first century, lady!”
“Aw snap,” Sophie said. “She’s about to get security called on her.”
Griffin, laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking, pulled outhis phone. Then he breathed out a curse word. “Hold on. Be right back.” He jogged across the room and down the hall.
I scratched my forehead. “What the?”
Sophie’s mouth fell open. “Did Griffin get married and nobody told us?”
“There he is!” the woman yelled, her relief echoing off the walls. “That’s my husband. GriffinDupree. Just like I said.”
Magnolia, Sophie, and I looked at each other, speechless.
Like she’d done an emotional one-eighty, Griffin’swifetittered, “Hey, you. Oh, you look tired. Still handsome though. Can you believe that nurse harassed me like I was a terrorist?” Then, she shouted, “I was treated better by TSA!”
I strode across the room, Magnolia and Sophie right behind me. When we came into the hall, we stopped dead.
Griff had his arms around a very tall, very gorgeous redhead. They were face-to-face, whispering happily. She nipped the end of his nose with hers. Her gigantic suitcase—pale pink with bright pink bows—stood next to them, the handle ratcheted all the way up.
“Oh, babe.” Griff groaned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here already. My phone died. I packed in such a hurry, I didn’t bring my charger.”
“It’s okay. I got an earlier flight,” she said happily. “I brought your charger. Hold on.”
Magnolia giggled. “Well, this explains?—”
“Why he didn’t kill me.” I finished.
My sister-in-law, apparently, dug through her purse, tongue poking out, neither of them noticing us yet. “Oh, and I brought your ring.” She slipped a titanium band over his ring finger.
“Thanks.” He clenched and unclenched his fist like it felt normal now that his wedding ring was back in place.
I blinked, still wrapping my head around what I wasseeing. “That sucker actually got married,” I whispered. “Without telling us.”
