43. Gabriel #2
“Of course, he only gets coffee for the pretty girls.” Jessie chuckles, earning him a glare from Shane.
Jessie brushes him off and looks at the table that was set up and is now covered with food Morgan brought over for everyone. “Oh God, I’m starving, and that smells amazing. May I?” He turns to me, pointing at the food.
“Yeah, help yourself. It’s there for everyone.”
Julian walks over to me, rubbing his jaw as he looks down at my girl, probably still feeling the sting she imposed hours ago.
“I understand that I may not be very high on your list of likability at the moment, but I assure you, we truly did try our best to keep you all safe. We could not have seen this coming, although we should have. And for that, I am truly sorry.”
“I don’t blame you, Julian. And neither does she. She was simply emotional and needed to put the blame on someone. I’m sorry it was you,” I tell him genuinely because I know my girl, and I know deep down, she knows it wasn’t his fault. Just like it wasn’t mine.
He nods. “I called in a favor and had the best surgeon ready to work on Noah the moment he came in. He will pull through. If Dr. Willensteed cannot save him, then no one can.” He places his hand on my shoulder, giving a light squeeze. “But he will.”
He lets go of me and straightens, adjusting his cufflinks and clearing his throat.
This guy clearly isn’t used to showing any form of affection or support.
“I have some information for you and Miss Masters regarding Mr. Cordova, but it can wait until later in the week.” And with that, he heads back to his brothers.
Ronnie stirs beside me, her fingers flexing against my thigh until she blinks her swollen eyes at me. I brush the little hairs out of her face and lean in to kiss her forehead. “Hi, baby.”
“Anything?” she asks in a small, broken voice.
I try to smile, but it’s hard. “No, not yet. But it will be any minute now.”
Her eyes well up as she nods, face scrunching up as she tries to hold back her tears.
“Morgan brought you some clothes and shoes if you want to put them on.” I cup her cheek, brushing my thumb back and forth.
“Okay…” She sits up on the bed, then tries to stand on shaky legs.
I wrap my hand around her waist, supporting her. “Come on, I’ll help you.”
I bring her over to the bathroom with the bag Morgan had left here for her. I get her into a pair of leggings and put socks on her feet with a pair of slip-on shoes. When I grab for her bloodstained shirt, she rips the hem out of my hands.
“No, please… it makes me feel close to him… please don’t take it away from me…” She begins to cry, and I instantly feel bad for making her tear up once more.
“Okay, baby. I won’t take it. You can keep it.
” I wrap my arms around her shoulders, cradling the back of her head.
“It’s okay, Vixen. He’s going to be okay.
I know it doesn’t seem like it, but this is good news.
If something had gone wrong… we would have heard by now. ” It’s what I keep telling myself.
“I know… it’s just hard… it’s hard to wait around without worrying.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
“I didn’t say it back…” she whispers against me.
“Say what back?”
“That I loved him… The last thing he said to me was that he loved me, and I didn’t say it back… What if he dies thinking that I don’t…” She whimpers into my chest, soaking my shirt with her tears.
I release her and hold both sides of her head, kissing her crown, her forehead, her cheeks, and then her lips. “He’s not going to die. And Noah knows more than anything just how much you love him. Don’t ever doubt that.”
She lets out a shaky breath, then nods, letting me know she’s ready to go back out there. I take her hand and open the bathroom door. When we exit the small enclosure, everyone in the room is standing, and a man in scrubs stands near the door.
I can immediately tell this is Dr. Willensteed, the man we’ve been waiting on. Ronnie’s hand tightens around mine, a small tremor in it as we wait for him to speak, to tell us something.
His face is stoic, void of any emotions, and I can’t tell if this is good or bad. My own hands begin to shake and become clammy. But then my breath catches when a smile spreads over his lips and he nods.
“The surgery was a success. Mr. Adler is now in recovery.”
“Oh God!” Ronnie exclaims, throwing herself into my arms as she loses control over her emotions once more. Everyone is reacting pretty much the same, with cries and words of relief. And finally, fucking finally, I feel like I can breathe again.
“Now,” Dr. Willensteed raises his hands to gain our attention. “Recovery will not be easy, and we will need to keep him under observation for at least a week, if not more. His small bowel was hit as well as one of the blood vessels, but thanks to your quick actions, we were able to save his life.”
None of that felt quick, but I understand what he means.
In our heads it seemed like hours before help arrived.
But when Agent Callahan came by earlier, after reviewing the security footage, he said it took exactly two minutes and thirty-eight seconds for the paramedics to arrive from the moment Noah was stabbed.
Since they were already on the scene and only waiting for either the power to come back on or the fire in the stairwell to be contained.
Apparently, whoever was watching the live feed immediately called it in when they noticed Victor in the penthouse.
They planned a worst-case scenario and sent the paramedics as well.
And thank fucking God they did, because from the sound of it, Noah wouldn’t still be with us if we had waited a minute longer.
“I’ll leave you all to digest the good news together. And I’ll be back shortly to explain everything in detail to you both, as well as what his recovery will look like.” He nods toward Julian and Shane, who go to follow him out.
“Wait!” Ronnie stops him and he turns. “Can we… can we see him?”
Dr. Willensteed smiles warmly at her. “Shortly, yes. His room is being prepared as we speak. A nurse will come get you when you may see him.”
“Thank you,” she says quietly as he leaves with the two men. Shane, most likely wanting to know what this means for Noah’s career.
Ronnie throws herself at me once more, one arm around my neck, her other hand cupping my cheek as she captures my lips with hers. Every raw emotion in her body flows from hers to mine. She pulls back, pressing her forehead to mine, nose touching, eyes closed as we breathe each other in.
“He’s okay,” she whispers with relief.
“He’s okay.”