Chapter 11
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound of the machine going off in a steady rhythm entered Faith’s consciousness. She was floating in a peaceful state, her limbs heavy and her mind full of cobwebs.
“Faith?” a familiar young voice asked. “Are you awake?”
She tried to drag her eyelids open, but they felt glued shut. She tried to speak, but the only sound that came out was a soft moan.
“She’s waking up, Dad!”
“It’s okay, love. Take your time.”
Faith smiled. Hunter. He was here. She wanted to reach out to him but wasn’t sure how. The beeping of the machine faded, and both voices vanished.
A sharp pain in Faith’s side made her wince.
“Good morning, Faith,” a pleasant voice said.
Her eyes flew open, and Faith blinked at the harsh light.
“I’m sorry about that,” the same pleasant voice said. “I was just checking your wound. It appears to be a little angrier than I hoped, so I zapped it with a healing spell. It already looks better.”
“What…” Faith cleared her throat. “What wound?”
“You had internal bleeding. We had to repair your spleen. But don’t worry, you’re going to be just fine as long as you take it easy for the next few weeks.”
Faith blinked rapidly, trying to focus, and finally the pleasant face of Healer Gerry Whipple came into view. “Internal bleeding?”
“It happens more often than people realize from the seatbelt when there’s an impact like that. Thankfully you were in the office when you passed out. We were able to get you into surgery right away.”
The door opened and Zoey let out a cry. “Dad, Faith’s awake!” The teenager ran over to Faith and grabbed her hand, holding it in both of hers. “You scared me.”
“I scared you?” Faith asked, still trying to make sense of the scene around her. She remembered being in the car. The van that almost hit them. And then losing control and slamming right into a tree. Zoey had been bleeding. “You scared me. You were bleeding.”
“I’m fine,” Zoey said, moving her bangs so that Faith could see that she didn’t even have a bandage. “It was just a minor cut. See, it’s already almost healed.”
“It was superficial, and all we had to do was monitor her for a concussion,” Healer Whipple said. “Zoey actually walked away from that accident with barely a scratch. You on the other hand… Well, you certainly know how to steal the show, so to speak.”
“Faith?” Hunter’s deep voice called from the doorway.
Her eyes met his, and instantly hers started to well with tears.
Healer Whipple took a step back. “I’ll give you three a moment or two, and then I’ll be back to answer any questions you might have.”
“Thank you, Healer Whipple,” Hunter said. His face was unshaven, and he looked like he’d slept in his clothes.
“It’s my pleasure. I’m very pleased that Faith’s awake and that her vitals are right where they should be. I just want to keep an eye on that wound a bit longer. Then we’ll talk next steps.”
“What does that mean?” Faith asked, trying to push herself up into a sitting position, but the pain in her side made her wince, and she decided to stay put.
“Just what your recovery is going to look like over the next few weeks,” the healer said, then she walked out, closing the door softly behind her.
“I’m sorry, Faith,” Zoey said, her tone earnest.
“What? Why are you sorry?” Faith asked her stepdaughter.
Hunter arrived at the other side of Faith’s bed and silently took her other hand. Warmth spread through her, grateful to have her husband and Zoey there by her side.
“I was being a pain in the ass, and all you were trying to do was ask me some questions. If I hadn’t been so…” Zoey made an unpleasant face. “I dunno, defensive, I guess, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
“You are not responsible for my driving,” Faith said, remembering all too well now the van that had nearly hit them head on. “This is my fault.” Or was it? It seemed to Faith that the three of them had stepped into a cycle of some very bad luck. Maybe they needed to get her sisters to sage them.
“I know that, but…” She grimaced. “You know what I’ve been thinking about?”
“What’s that?” Faith asked, squeezing her hand a little tighter just to feel that connection.
Zoey squeezed back and then sat on the edge of the bed. “How could we both have missed seeing that van until it was right in front of us? It seemed like it just appeared out of nowhere.”
“I should have been more careful. I should have…” Faith shook her head. “I don’t know.” She looked over at Hunter. “The car is totaled.”
“I know,” he said.
“I’m sorry.”
Hunter frowned at her. “I don’t care about the car. I care about you two. All that matters is that you’re safe.”
“I know, but—”
“We have insurance, Faith. I’m not worried about the car.”
“Okay.” She knew he was right, and she wasn’t at all sure why she was so fixated on the car. The insurance money would kick in and they’d replace it. She just felt so… unsettled, like she needed to do something. “We should get the car towed.”
“We already did,” Hunter said.
“Two days ago,” Zoey added.
“Two days! I’ve been unconscious for two days?” Faith did push herself up then, ignoring the pain in her side. “What about the triplets? Where are they? Who’s watching them?”
“They’re with Lincoln and Clair. They’re fine, though they really want to see their mommy,” Hunter said. “So it’s good you’re awake. I’ll have Lincoln bring them by this afternoon.”
Faith closed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. Her limbs felt weighted down, and all she wanted to do was slip back into unconsciousness. And then wake up when the current nightmare was over. No more accidents. No more curses. No more destruction.
She just wanted life to go back to peaceful days at the spa and chaotic nights and weekends with her girls and Hunter. Was that too much to ask?
“We’re going to let you nap,” Hunter said softly. “We’ll be right here when you wake up, okay?”
“Okay,” Faith said sleepily. “Love you both.”
“Love you, too,” Zoey said, her voice sounding far away. “Heal quickly. We all want you home.”
Faith nodded and let the darkness take her.