Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
COLE
Needle, thread, and heartstrings
After a doctor briefly came in to check on Adele and signed off on everything Holly outlined, Holly was calmly typing information into a laptop and asking Adele about her allergies.
I was sitting beside the hospital bed, holding Adele’s hand.
She was gripping mine so hard, it felt as if she thought she might fall off a cliff if she let go.
“Everything’s in our system,” Holly was saying calmly. “I was just confirming.”
Adele licked her lips. “It’s the same system where I see my doctor in Anchorage, right?”
“Yep. We’re going to get you a dose of amiodarone to stabilize your heart rhythm and some lorazepam for the panic. Do you know if that helps when you’re having a panic attack?”
Adele nodded. Holly stepped over to wet a cloth in the sink and gently pressed it to Adele’s forehead, then rolled another damp cloth along the back of Adele’s neck.
“This should help bring you down,” Holly said softly, “but I still want to give you medication. You’ve had a lot of medical interventions. The cold compress might help ease the burst of panic, but we need to get you fully through this. Is there anyone you want me to call?”
“My sister,” Adele said.
“Okay. Who’s your sister?”
“It’s Dr. Rowan Jacks.”
“Oh! The cardiologist in Anchorage?” Holly’s brows hitched high.
“Uh-huh.”
“Is she your doctor?”
“No, but she’s my emergency contact.”
“Okay. Your sister’s awesome. She’s a work friend. Sometimes I cover shifts in Anchorage, and obviously we deal with her on cardiology cases. She’s good people.”
“She is,” Adele agreed.
“Do you want me to call her right now?” Holly asked.
Adele nodded. When her eyes lifted to mine, I wanted to scoop her up and hold her again, even though I was already there holding her hand and doing everything I could not to completely fall apart myself.
Haven was still in the room, and of course, Holly. We had an audience, but I didn’t care.
“She’s starting to calm down,” Holly said. “Are you okay with IVs?”
Adele nodded again. “I don’t love them, but who does?”
“This will get the medication into your system faster,” Holly explained.
After Holly stepped out and gestured for Haven to follow, I leaned in closer. “Adele, are you okay?”
“I’m going to be.” She paused and let out a shaky sigh. “I’m sorry. I started panicking because I knew I needed to come to the hospital, and I hate the hospital. You have no idea how much I hate the hospital.”
“I bet you do,” I said, clearing my throat around the knot forming there.
I’d seen and felt the scars on her chest. Intellectually, I knew what they meant.
But I hadn’t let myself absorb what they represented to her—how many surgeries, how many days and hours and more she’d spent in medical settings, how many times she had to surrender her control to a situation that snatched it from her.
She grew up with her life literally depending on the people around her.
“Holly will take good care of you,” I offered.
“I know. It’ll be okay. I might not have to go to Anchorage.”
“I think you’re going to be okay,” I said, as much for myself as her. “I love you, Adele.”
Her eyes lifted to mine, and for the first time today, I saw her actually take me in.
“I’m sorry for all of this,” she whispered.
Her apology nearly unraveled me. I could barely register it over the jackhammer pounding of my heart—the rush of joy, of love, of sheer relief.
“I love you,” I repeated. “You’re going to be fine.”
“I will.”
“Has this happened before?” I asked. “Since your surgeries?”
“It’s always a possibility, but—”
She didn’t get to finish before Holly stepped back into the room, wheeling in an IV stand, with Haven on her heels.
“I’ve got your help,” Holly said cheerfully. “You’re gonna be floating in a few minutes.”
Adele let out a little laugh, and the tension in my chest loosened a fraction.
Haven looked over at Adele. “Do you want me in here?”
She waved a hand weakly. “Of course, we might as well all be in here together. I think maybe you make Cole feel better.”
A laugh rustled in Haven’s throat as he sat beside me and curled a hand over my shoulder, his touch grounding me inside. “You got it, man. Anything to help Cole calm down, because if Cole’s calm, maybe you’ll be calm.”
“Oh, she’ll be calm soon,” Holly said.
Holly had inserted the IV so swiftly and efficiently, Adele hadn’t even noticed until she glanced down at her forearm. “Wow, you’re good.”
Holly waggled her brows. “I pride myself on it. I’m not officially a phlebotomist, but when people are at the ED, I don’t want them to have to worry about this hurting.”
“Thank you,” Adele whispered.
“All right,” Holly said. “Now, shall we call your sister?”