“Doctor, she thinks I blame her for our daughter’s death. Are you telling me I might lose her before I get a chance to tell her that isn’t true?”
“I’m telling you she’s in a very fragile state and the next couple of days are critical. She needs to rest and remain calm. Her head injury is still a factor in her recovery. The fact that she’s confused about what year it is tells us the concussion isn’t better. I’ve sent her for another MRI scan, so we can take a look. The infection in her back from the glass is of grave concern.”
“Tell us the truth, Doctor. Is she going to pull through this?” Greg asked.
Neither of them really wanted to hear the answer. She couldn’t die like this. Not with all this mess just hanging out there unresolved. From the moment Dylan had seen her again at Brian’s house, all he’d wanted was another chance, start where they left off and build a future together. How could he do that if he lost her before he even had the chance to say he was sorry?
“We’re doing everything we can for her. She’ll be back from the MRI scan in a half hour. Why don’t you both go home and get some rest?” Shrugging, he added, “I know it’s a futile attempt to make you leave. You aren’t going anywhere until Jessie is back on her feet again. I wish I could tell you that will be soon.”
“Thanks, Doc. We appreciate everything you’re doing. Really,” Dylan added. He took his seat in the waiting room next to Greg and sat back with a sigh.
The sun sank lower in the sky, darkening to night. Time passed unnoticed.
Greg’s deep voice broke the silence. “She thought she’d just had Hope. She thought you’d come to see her.” Greg took a second. “I can’t get over that.”
Dylan’s thoughts ran much the same way. He hated that she’d finally woken up only to find herself in her worst nightmare, their daughter gone and him knowing the truth. The weight of it dragged his spirits down even more. She’d carried the burden of losing their daughter alone, thinking he didn’t want her. His mother told her that . . . more than once. After he left her without a word, she believed it, because he hadn’t done a good enough job of telling or showing her that could never be true.
Well, he’d spend the rest of his life proving to her that he loved her more than anything in this world.
He thought of Will and his throat tightened. He loved that little boy more than life itself. He couldn’t imagine keeping something as monumental as a child from him. He swore when Will grew up, he’d never treat him so inhumanely. If he didn’t like one of Will’s girlfriends, he’d be objective and not interfere unless absolutely necessary. He’d never undermine one of his relationships the way his mother had done to him. He’d never harm another person the way his mother hurt Jessie. She’d practically destroyed her. He couldn’t forgive his mother for what she’d done.
“I’ve never seen someone in so much pain. Then, she realized I knew, and she apologized to me. God. She apologized. I didn’t get a chance to explain, or tell her I’d finally heard the truth from my mother. I didn’t get a chance to tell her she had nothing to be sorry about, that I’m the one who’s sorry. I wanted to tell her how much I love her, and how grateful I am to her for saving Will. I didn’t get to explain how I got Will. And now I might not get the chance, and it’s all because of my own mother. All she had to do was call and tell me Jessie was pregnant. I’d have been there for her, or had her come to me. I’d have taken care of her. I’d have seen my daughter.”
Greg put a hand on his shoulder and offered what comfort he could. It wasn’t nearly enough. Dylan had been dealt one blow after another. He was a man in love with a woman who had endured more hardship than one person should ever have in their life.
“She’ll make it through this. She’s tough. She pulled herself through losing Hope. She’ll drag herself out of this,” Greg tried to reassure him.
“She shouldn’t have to. Again, my mother caused all of this. She was supposed to watch Will. She wasn’t paying attention, and he ran into the street. Her fault. Again.”
“Not that I want to defend anything your mother has done, but that could happen to anyone. Kids are fast.”
“Exactly why you have to watch them every second.” Dylan refused to give in or allow an ounce of sympathy to rise up for his mother. As far as he was concerned, this was her fault. If he lost Jessie forever, he didn’t know what he’d do. A crushing force enveloped his heart at just the thought of losing her. If he thought he’d loved her eight years ago, and it had been so frightening he’d had to run away, it didn’t compare to the love he felt for her now.