crazy on you like Mom.”
He gave her a smile in return, once again struck by how much she resembled her sister when she smiled. “That’s good to know. I don’t think I could handle another round this soon.”
“I’ll bet,” she laughed. “She means well most of the time, but she has no idea how to go about communicating with people. She is so caught up in what people think about her that it has taken over her life. I just know she is as miserable most of the time as she makes all of us. Poor Daddy, I’m so proud of him for finally sticking up for Ella today. He used to be kind of like Mom, but I think he has gotten burned out from all of the social climbing. He’d love nothing better than to be left alone in his workshop to putter around.”
Declan really looked at her for probably the first time, seeing a lot beneath the surface. “It must be pretty tough on you with Ella gone from home.”
Crystal sighed, and then looked down at her hand for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I was pretty jealous at first,” she admitted. “I was trapped in a marriage that was mostly miserable and I had completely bowed to the pressure of trying to be the perfect daughter. When Ella moved out and seemed to be doing so well, it finally hit me that instead of being jealous of her for finally getting a life of her own, I should take control of my own. I’m not saying it happened overnight, but I’m trying. I may end up in divorce court before it’s over, which of course means that Mom will never speak to me again, but I’ve got to live my life.” Her voice caught on a sob when she added, “Ella showed me that.”
He could feel a lump in his own throat as he thought of the woman he loved lying in surgery. That woman meant so much to the people around her. He had tried to fight it. He had railed against it, denied it, and just downright lied to himself—and her—but if he was honest, he was a goner from their meeting at Suzy’s house. When she had ended up sitting next to him at dinner, he had been hooked. She was so obviously ill at ease that he had felt all of his protective instincts kick in. When Nick had flirted with her to put her at ease, he had wanted to kick his ass. That night had begun a cycle for him. He had started seeking her out almost every day, first making it look accidental and later, as their conversations had gotten easier and increased in frequency, he had begun bringing her things like her favorite coffee or candy. Hell, he didn’t even know when the habit had started. He just knew she had become the focal point of his day. His Ellie deserved so much better than someone as fucked up as him, but if she would give him a chance, he would spend the rest of his life trying to become a man worthy of a woman like her.
Mac gave him a nudge when Julie walked back in the room. He jumped to his feet, trying not to look as nervous as he felt. Ella’s parents also walked toward their group hoping for some news. He couldn’t tell anything from Julie’s expression. When she gave him a brief smile before she started talking, he felt like sagging to the floor in relief. “Ella is out of surgery,” she began, “and she’s stable right now. They are confident that they found the source of the bleeding and repaired as much as they could. She will probably still need another surgery when she is stronger, but the goal today was to stop the internal bleeding.”
“When can we see her?” Ella’s mother demanded.
“She’s going to be out for hours now. It will probably be tomorrow. I would advise you all to go home and get some sleep tonight. She’s going to need you all during her recovery so you need to be strong for her.”
Declan knew there was no way in hell he was leaving the hospital until he saw her again. He was relieved when her parents seemed to be taking Julie’s advice and gathering their things. Her father walked over and gave him a piece of paper with his cell phone number on it and asked if he would call if there was any change and assured him they would be back first thing in the morning. Crystal also gave him a wave and he was pretty certain that both she and her father were leaving the hospital before her mother could inflict further damage. He walked back over to their friends. “You guys should go home for the night, too. Beth, I know Ella would be pissed off at me and Nick if we let you sit in these hard chairs all night.”
Beth clearly didn’t want to leave, but Nick was ignoring her protests and steering her toward the door. “Princess, I promise we will come back bright and early tomorrow and they will call us if anything changes. Your feet are swollen and don’t forget the doctor said you needed to keep them up as much as possible.” They were still arguing as Nick ushered her gently out of the door.
He convinced Claire and Jason to go next, knowing that they had a baby at home who needed them tonight.
After their departure, Suzy raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t even think about it. I’m not pregnant and we don’t have a kid at home waiting for us. I’m staying right here and Gray has even offered to make a Starbucks run so we won’t have to drink this hospital crap.”
“Same here,” Ava added, while Mac and Brant nodded in agreement.
True to his word, Gray took everyone’s orders and went down the street to pick up coffee. Brant went with him to help him carry it all back. Suzy leaned forward after they left and said, “Man, Ella’s mother is a stone, cold bitch. I’m still pissed at Gray for not letting me tell her off.”
Declan now knew why Gray looked so happy to be going to Starbucks to juggle coffee cups. He would probably go to the one in another state just to buy a little time away from his wife. “She’s a little . . . difficult.”
Even Ava looked at him with disbelief. “Difficult? Yeah, that’s putting it mildly. This is a whole new you, brother. I can’t believe how serious you are about this woman. I’m surprised and strangely impressed.”
“How about inspired?” Mac muttered under his breath. Declan was pretty sure that either Ava hadn’t heard his reply or chose to ignore it.
When Gray and Brant made it back with the coffee, everyone settled back in their seats and talked comfortably while CNN played on the television beside them. When Julie came back in, Declan was surprised to see it was after midnight. He had to wonder if he had dozed off at some point.
Julie stopped beside his seat. “Are Ella’s parents still here?” When he shook his head, she looked relieved. “I can sneak you back for a few minutes. She’s still asleep, but you can see her.”
Eagerly, he jumped to his feet and gave her a smile of gratitude. “Thanks, Julie, I really appreciate it.” He followed her down another corridor into the ICU wing.
“She’ll be here for a few days until she’s moved to a regular room. It’s what we call the penthouse of the hospital,” she joked.
The first thing that struck him when he walked into the room was how small Ella looked in the bed. She looked childlike and he felt every protective instinct in him come roaring to the surface. He would lay his life down to spare her from what she was going through now.
How could someone do this to her and then drive off and leave her there? What if another car had struck her before someone could help? Not only had they hurt her, they had left her lying in the fucking road like she was worthless. That was what haunted him the most. His sweet Ellie, hurt and him not knowing for hours. What if he never had the chance to tell her how he felt? What if she had died thinking he wanted nothing from her but sex? If he had manned up and came home on time, things might have been different. In the back of his mind, he knew how things would have played out. He would have broken it off with her, been at home licking his wounds, and miserable as hell without her. Wouldn’t it be worth it though if it would have saved her from where she was at now?
The door clicked as Julie walked back out and he gazed down at the woman he loved. Tears tracked down his cheeks and his vision blurred. He felt no shame at his loss of control. After finally letting himself love someone, he could accept that in order to be strong, you had to open yourself up to being vulnerable. Ella was his strength and his weakness. She was all things to him and he would never stop trying to be all things to her. He dropped in the chair next to her and took her hand before laying his head on the bed beside her. He kissed her palm and felt peace at the steady pulse beneath his fingertips.
Ella blinked several times trying to clear her vision. She felt like she was trying to see through a thin film over her eyes. After several attempts, the room started to come into focus and confused her even more. Where was she? This wasn’t her apartment and it wasn’t Declan’s. She looked down and saw the dark head resting against her arm. It took some effort as her limbs felt so heavy, but finally she was able to lift her hand and stroke Declan’s hair. It was always so soft, almost like a baby’s. He groaned under her touch, starting to stir. She studied her hand against his head with an almost detached curiosity. Why was there a tube taped there? Her thought process was so slow that it was hard to form any kind of rational thought.
Declan groaned at the weight of her hand against him and suddenly bolted upright. When he saw her
