Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
The nurses worked quickly while I sang, prepping Lily’s small arm and sliding the IV needle home with practiced efficiency. Lily winced, her fingers tightening around mine, but she didn’t pull away or start thrashing again. I kept singing, the melody wrapping around us like a protective shield.
“Good job,” the nurse said softly to Lily when the IV was secured. “You’re very brave.”
The doctor moved in next, injecting something into the IV port. “This will help with the pain,” he explained, his voice gentler now. “If you feel sleepy, just doze off. When you wake up, it will all be over.”
I continued singing, watching as Lily’s breathing gradually slowed. The desperate edge left her expression, her features softening as the medication began to take effect. Her eyelids grew heavy, though she fought against their weight, determined to keep watching me.
As Lily grew sleepy, her grip on my hand relaxed slightly. The doctor nodded to his team and moved to the side of her injured shoulder.
“Keep singing,” he instructed me quietly. “This will only take a moment.”
I picked up the melody again, watching Lily’s face rather than what the doctor was doing. Her eyes had grown unfocused with medication, but they still tracked my movements. When the doctor manipulated her shoulder, her face tensed momentarily before relaxing again. A small click reached my ears, and the doctor stepped back with a satisfied nod.
“All done,” he said. “The shoulder’s back in place. We’ll need to keep her arm immobilized to prevent it from dislocating again, but the immediate issue is resolved.”
Lily’s lips curved into a drowsy smile. “Doesn’t hurt anymore,” she mumbled.
“You did good, Lily. I’m so proud of you.” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. I started to pull my hand away, thinking she would want her mother now the crisis had passed.
Lily’s fingers tightened around mine with surprising strength. “You won’t go anywhere?” she asked, her voice slurring slightly from the medication.
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away, kid,” I promised, the words coming without thought.
Satisfied with my answer, Lily’s eyelids fluttered closed. Her breathing deepened into the even rhythm of sleep, though her hand remained firmly wrapped around my fingers. I stayed kneeling beside her, unwilling to break the connection even though my leg had begun to cramp from the position and my other foot had gone numb a bit ago. The medical staff moved around us, adjusting monitors and checking vitals.
Eventually, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder and looked up to find Eliza standing beside me. Tears glistened in her eyes, but they weren’t the desperate, broken tears from earlier. Gratitude and trust shone in her expression and my chest tighten in response.
“Thank you.” Her whispered words were filled with emotion.
I nodded, unable to form a proper response. The truth was, I didn’t understand my own actions any better than she did. Something about Lily had gotten under my skin from the first night in her hospital room when she’d been so scared and upset, and now I couldn’t imagine walking away from her. Or her mother. And that was the real problem because her mother didn’t know me. I didn’t know her. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw Eliza.
As if reading my thoughts, Lily stirred slightly in her sleep, her small fingers squeezing mine once more before relaxing. I knew with absolute certainty I was exactly where I needed to be. Wild horses be damned.
Chapter Six
Eliza
I couldn’t stop pacing the small curtained area around Lily’s stretcher, my body moving on autopilot while my mind raced in circles. The beeping of the heart monitor created a steady rhythm that should have been reassuring but only reminded me how fragile she was. Lily lay so still, her small chest rising and falling with each breath, her newly immobilized shoulder strapped firmly against her body. The pink cast on her other arm stood out against the white hospital sheets. Too many injuries. Too many hospital visits. And now they thought I caused them all, even though she hadn’t hurt herself in my presence this time.
Cash hadn’t moved from his position beside Lily’s bed, his large hand gently covering hers. He looked out of place in the sterile environment, his tattooed skin and leather cut stark against the clinical white and pale blue of the hospital room, yet he radiated a steady calmness I found myself clinging to. The nurses who came to check Lily’s vitals worked around him without comment, perhaps seeing his determination to keep his promise to my daughter.
“They hurt her,” I whispered, more to myself than to Cash. “They took her to protect her from me, and they hurt her instead. Yet, I’m the bad guy in this story.”
Cash looked up, his gaze meeting mine. “You’re not.”
I rubbed my hands over my face, feeling the grit of dried tears on my skin. My hair had fallen from its ponytail hours ago, and I knew I must look as wrecked as I felt. But appearances were the least of my concerns as the doctor approached with his tablet in hand.