CHAPTER 39
ETHAN paced back and forth outside Rachel’s hospital room. Other members of his family had gathered in the hallway, and they all looked at him with deep concern in their eyes.
Sam and Garrett leaned against the wall closest to the door while Marlene and Frank stood against the opposite wall. Marlene’s eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. Rusty stood a few feet away, hands shoved into her pockets. She looked uncomfortable, but her usual belligerent scowl was absent.
“How long does it take?” Ethan spit out as he glanced at the closed door again. “Why won’t they let me inside?”
His mom laid a hand on his arm and squeezed reassuringly. “They need to get her settled in without all of us looming over them. Especially you. You probably scare the nurses half to death.”
Ethan spun around and paced back down the hall. He was going to go crazy. After hours in the emergency room, Rachel had finally been transported to a private room. She’d only woken up intermittently, and she’d seemed confused and shaky the few times she was conscious.
Her arm was set and casted, her other wounds and scrapes tended to. The doctor assured him she’d make a full recovery. But Ethan needed to see her. He was going to go out of his mind.
The door opened, and they all converged on the nurse as she left the room. She held up a hand with a pained expression.
“She’s resting comfortably now. I gave her something for pain. Try not to overexcite her. If you could limit the number of visitors she has at one time, that would help.”
Ethan swallowed and nodded. He didn’t care who beyond himself got in as long as he got to see his wife. He pushed by the nurse and ducked into the room.
His chest tightened when he got his first look at Rachel lying on the bed. Her casted arm was placed carefully over her waist, and she was huddled in the sheets like she was still trying to protect herself.
A bruise darkened her cheek, and Ethan closed his eyes to the murderous rage that billowed over him.
As he crept closer, he noticed the dark shadows under her eyes. Her lashes rested on her cheeks, giving her already fragile appearance an even more delicate air. The nurse had cleaned her hair, and now it was brushed soft over the pillow and lay around her face in waves.
The flimsy hospital gown did little to modestly cover her, and he vowed at the first opportunity he’d get her something more comfortable to wear.
He reached out to touch her, but his hand shook so badly he pulled it back in an effort to control the tide of emotion soaring through his body.
She’d been through so much. Had he lost her? Had he finally lost her? She’d survived insurmountable odds, not once but twice, and yet the look in her eyes when she’d discovered the truth about their marriage had seemed to break her when nothing else had.
He bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead. The baby-fine hairs at her temple felt like silk under his mouth. Her skin was so soft, so satiny. He inhaled her scent and held it there, just wanting to savor the fact that she was okay. She was alive.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I need you to believe that, baby. I need you to believe that above all else.”
“Ethan.”
Ethan glanced up to see Garrett standing a few feet away, his expression pained. Sam was just behind him.
“Look, man, I know there’s a lot I obviously don’t know about your situation. I’m not butting into your business.”
Ethan stared dully at Garrett, waiting for the hammer to fall.
“She loves you. There’s no doubt in my mind she loves you. She’s always loved you. What happened last night . . . it pulled the rug out from under her. But she loves you. Hold on to that, okay? Things will be okay. You have to believe that.”
Ethan let out a long breath. “Thanks, Garrett. After the accusations I made...”
Garrett moved closer and gripped Ethan’s shoulder. “It’s forgotten.”
Ethan grabbed his older brother in a bear hug and held on for all he was worth. Garrett squeezed back and then pounded him painfully on the back.
“Okay, girls, enough,” Sam said in a quiet voice. “Mom and Dad are outside like two mother hens. They’ll want to peek in on Rachel, and Garrett and I need to talk to you, Ethan.”
Ethan glanced up sharply at Sam. “Talk about what?”
“Let me call Mom in to watch over Rachel. I don’t want her left alone.”
Ethan didn’t like the concern in Sam’s voice. It went beyond worry over Rachel’s condition. He nodded and waited tensely as Sam ducked out of the room.
Seconds later he returned, and then Marlene stuck her head in the door and shot her sons a worried look. Then her gaze rested on Rachel, and tears filled her eyes.
“My baby,” she whispered.
Frank came in behind her and placed both hands comfortingly on her shoulders.
Marlene put a fist to her mouth. “I just had to see her. I won’t stay, but I had to see that she was okay.”
Sam touched her arm. “She will be, Ma. She will be. Garrett and I need to talk to Ethan. Can you and Dad stay with her for a minute?”
“Of course,” Frank said gruffly. “You boys go do what you need to do. Marlene and I will call you if she wakes up.”
As Ethan headed to the door with his brothers, his mom walked over and hugged him close. “We’ll stay as long as you need us, son. If you need anything, you let me know, okay?”
Ethan kissed her on the cheek. “I will, Ma. Don’t worry.”