Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
“Here. Finest vending machine coffee known to man.” Knox extended a cup her way in the waiting room.
“Thanks.” She held the lukewarm coffee with both palms and eyed the dark liquid.
“When was the last time you ate or slept?” He crossed his arms, clearly gearing up to lecture her.
She couldn’t believe it’d already been two days since surgery. “I slept.”
“What? In the chair by his bed?”
“That counts.” She forced the paper cup to her mouth, but her stomach protested. Maybe she needed to eat first before the caffeine burned a hole in her esophagus. “How much sleep has the team gotten?”
“We’re rotating shifts. So, more than you.”
“Liam’s parents will be here soon, right?” She couldn’t believe she was going to face his mom and dad, and Liam wouldn’t be awake for the introductions. What in the world was she going to say to them?
He glanced at his wristwatch. “I’m picking them up at Heathrow in a few hours.”
“Have you met them before?” She set the coffee down and chewed on her lip. Maybe she’d at least shower before they showed up.
“No, none of us have, not that I know of. Liam’s never been much of a talker when it comes to his family. Well, aside from talking about his pops.” He placed a hand over her shoulder and cocked his head. “Liam will wake up. And he’s not going to lose his memory like your brother did.”
“At least Jake’s memories returned, but the idea that Liam could .
. .” She shifted her focus to the white floors.
No tiles to count for a distraction or a pattern to stare at.
“Talia’s research.” She snapped her head back up.
“Maria and Hans finished Elaina’s mom’s work—the memory loss test trials start soon,” she rushed out. “Maybe we can—”
“It’s not going to come to that. Liam’s memory is off the charts. If anyone can bounce back from an accident like this it’s him.”
“Someone launched a missile at him,” she whispered.
“And that someone got a bullet to the head,” he said in a deep voice and lowered his hand from her shoulder. “He won’t need any special drugs, okay? He’ll remember you. Maybe not the moments leading up to the RPG, but everything else before that.”
She found his warm brown eyes. “How can you be so confident?”
“Because he’s my brother. And I have zero intention of losing another one.”
She eyed the black band on his wrist, the reminder of the Teamguy they’d lost. Asher had decided the team should continue to wear the band and Knox had volunteered.
“I know he’s going to wake up,” she said as confidently as possible, “but what if he’s not able to participate in team ops? Bravo’s everything to him.”
“Until he wakes up all we’re doing is speculating and making ourselves crazy.” His attention focused on the elevator doors.
“Emily!”
She whipped around to find her brother and his new wife on approach.
“Jake. Alexa. What are you doing here?” She closed the space between them, allowing Jake to pull her into his arms, while another sob rattled loose from deep in her chest.
“My team called,” he said. “Alexa and I hopped on the first flight back.”
“They weren’t supposed to.” She hugged Alexa next. “You were on your honeymoon.”
“I’d bust their balls if they didn’t.” Alexa squeezed her tight.
“I can’t believe you were here working an op with my guys, and you didn’t tell me,” Jake said when Emily stepped out of Alexa’s embrace. “They said Liam got hurt. He’s in a coma?”
All she could do was nod.
“What’s his prognosis?” Jake blinked a few times, maybe recalling what had happened to him when his life had been in jeopardy two years ago.
She still couldn’t get the words out, and Knox must’ve noticed because he stepped forward and introduced himself to Jake and Alexa before sharing Liam’s condition.
“Mrs. Evans?”
Definitely not the way she wanted her brother to find out she and Liam were married.
Jake cocked his head, eying the nurse off to Emily’s side, then leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Did you lie to get visitation privileges?”
“No,” was all she said before facing the nurse. “Any news?”
“We should probably talk alone.” She angled her head toward the side hall as if there was some special room saved for delivering bad news.
Hell no.
“We can talk here.” She folded her arms, trying to stand strong. Channel her mother’s strength. Thank God Jake was there, though.
The nurse lifted a folder between them. “Do you know what Liam’s wishes are in regard to life support and using extraordinary measures to sustain life?”
Her limbs grew cold in the space of a heartbeat. The blood drained from her face. He wants me to let him go, so no, of course, he wouldn’t want . . . but . . .
“This is merely hospital policy and procedure,” she added, her voice calm.
She relaxed and let go of a breath. “So, he’s still okay?”
“His condition is the same as the last time you spoke with the doctor two hours ago.”
“Any expectations about—”
“Are you also family?” the nurse cut Jake off.
“I, um.” Jake lifted a shoulder and turned to Emily, a questioning look on his face. “I’m just the . . . brother-in-law,” he said, his words slowly leaving his mouth as if he were coming to terms with what he was saying.
“My boss can have his DNR papers faxed over from our office in New York,” Knox spoke up. “He doesn’t want to be on life support.”
His words weren’t a surprise, but they still hurt. Knives plunging in the chest and twisting—yeah, that kind of hurt. Any version of Liam never waking up was . . . damn it, she was going to be sick.
“One minute, please.” Knox motioned for Emily to follow him farther down the hall but everything was still spinning, and he must’ve sensed it because he reached for her elbow and offered her support as they walked.
“We signed papers when we joined Bravo. Jessica had wanted to know our wishes if something were ever to happen.”
“And his wish is to die?” She had to hear the confirmation, even though she already knew the answer.
“It’s not going to come to that. But you know Liam, he wouldn’t want to live hooked up to a machine. He’d want us to let him go.”
“Let me go.” Liam’s words spun around in her mind, making her dizzy, yet again.
“I need a minute.” She rushed to the nearest bathroom and dry-heaved into the toilet. There wasn’t anything in her stomach to throw up, but her abdomen convulsed and shook.
“You okay?” Alexa appeared behind her and helped her over to the sink to wash her face.
“No,” she whispered. “He made me promise I’d let him go if I ever had to, but how in the world can I keep that promise?”
“If you love him you will.”
Her breath hitched, and she patted at the newly fallen tears with a paper towel and attempted to pull herself together. Probably an impossible feat.
“So, husband, huh?” Alexa asked a few minutes later when they left the bathroom. “Why didn’t you tell us last week?”
“Because it was an accidental marriage.”
“How do you accidentally marry someone?” she asked with a touch of I-doubt-that in her tone.
Emily stopped walking and faced her. “Accident would imply it shouldn’t have happened, and I, uh, I’m happy it did. So, maybe it wasn’t an accident.” She eyed the nurse standing next to Jake. “You do absolutely everything in your power to prevent us from ever needing those DNR papers, okay?”
The nurse nodded. “Understood.” She patted her on the shoulder and left.
Jake folded his arms, and a smile tugged at his lips. “So, married, huh?”
“In other news, the owner and CEO of Weston Tech is under investigation for illegal business activities. Bribery, insider trading, and more. This comes as a surprise when it was only recently that Elliott Nelson of Blackburn Technologies was arrested for . . .” The reporter’s voice faded into the background, and Emily glanced Jessica’s way.
Jessica jerked a thumb toward Harper sitting off to her left. They’d all been taking turns in the waiting room—stealing moments alone with Liam. Luke was with him now.
Harper shrugged. “I may or may not have tipped the press off about that asshole,” she said with a smile. “Sometimes the media can be our friends.”
“Look at you fitting right in with us.” Wyatt chuckled.
Emily stood at the sight of Luke returning from Liam’s room. She wasn’t sure how much time they’d all get once Knox brought Liam’s family to the hospital.
“Mind if I go back there again?” she asked.
“I’ll walk with you,” Luke offered.
“Thanks.”
They started down the hall when Luke blurted, “I threatened to break Liam’s legs the day of the gala.”
“What? Why?” She stopped outside the doors leading to the ICU.
“I told him that if he broke your heart, well, I said I’d . . . you know.” He huffed as if angry at himself. “I shouldn’t have said that. He’s my brother, and I should’ve trusted he wouldn’t hurt you. I’m a father of a girl now, and I get a little protective of—”
“You were looking out for me. I appreciate that. Liam understood exactly where you were coming from.”
“You sure?” His brows snapped together. Real concern there.
“I am, but you can tell him when he wakes up.” She squeezed his arm then entered the ICU.
She’d barely had two minutes alone with Liam before hearing the unmistakable sound of high heels outside the room.
“There’s only one Mrs. Evans, and that’s me!” a woman snapped.
Emily placed Liam’s hand back on the bed. “That must be your mom,” she softly told Liam as if he could hear her.
Closing her eyes, she quickly ran through various approaches, much like in the courtroom, on how best to handle confronting his parents without Liam being awake.
She stood and brought her sweaty palms to her sides, then swiveled around when the curtains parted.
His mom’s tall, lithe body moved toward the bed, her black heels clicked across the floor with her gaze razor-sharp on Liam. “Liam!”
A man, obviously Liam’s dad, hung back. His gaze moved from his son to Emily. A hard set to his bearded jaw. Same expressive eyes as Liam.
“I’m Emily.” She approached him, giving Liam’s mom a moment alone. “And I didn’t lie to the doctors out there.”
“You’re married to my son?” His brows jetted together in surprise.
“Liam would never get married after what happened with . . . no, I don’t believe you.”
Emily turned at the sobering declaration from his mom.
She was American, but a touch of Aussie had moved through her tone. Her hair, the color of Chardonnay with streaks of caramel—just like her son’s—was somewhat disheveled. Tears cut lines down her cheeks as she held Liam’s hand between her palms, then leaned in to kiss his forehead.
A mother’s grief.
She wasn’t familiar from the perspective of a parent, but she knew what it was like to be the daughter. The sister. The friend.
And now she knew what it was like to worry as a wife.
“Well, it’s true.” Emily focused back on his father. “I’m sorry to tell you like this.”
“When? Why?” There were probably a dozen more questions he wanted to ask, and she honestly had no idea if she had the strength to answer any of them right now.
“Maybe I should leave you alone with your son.” She sidestepped him to leave, but his hand on the back of her arm stopped her.
“Are you really my son’s wife?” he asked.
“Yes,” she mouthed, her voice failing her. Without hesitation, she walked out of the ICU.
As she approached the waiting room, Emily saw Jessica, Luke, and Knox in the hall, talking to three men whose resemblance to Liam was unmistakable. She recognized Brandon immediately, and the way his eyes swept to her face, and his brows drew together, she realized he remembered her from D.C.
“Brandon.” She moved closer to Liam’s brothers as they stood like a wall of intimidation. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Brandon’s head lightly jerked back in surprise, and he eyed her as if she couldn’t be trusted. “Bad things, I’m sure.” He shook her hand.
“He cares about you.” She looked at his other two brothers flanking Brandon’s sides. “All of you.”
“And now he’s in a coma, and I didn’t even get to . . .” Brandon bowed his head and slipped his hands into his pants pockets. “He can’t die like this.”
“That’s not going to happen. He’s strong.” She needed to hear the words herself, too—a reminder not to give up hope. “There’s something he wants to talk about with you when he wakes up, in fact.”
“What is it? How do you know?” Brandon edged closer as if an eagerness snapped up his spine.
“I’m going to let him tell you because he will wake up.”
“Who are you to Liam?” one of the brothers asked. The youngest, maybe.
Her lips pinched tight for a brief moment. They were bound to find out the truth as soon as they went back to see Liam and spoke to their parents.
“I’m the woman who fell in love with him.”