Female. His daughter.
Something squeezed his heart and he struggled to breathe.
After a beat, Lachlan gripped the arm of his chair with his free hand and croaked, "Can I see Cat?"
The doctor answered, "Soon. Dr. Campbell is still finishing up the post-op checks. I just wanted to give you an update."
Sylvia murmured, "Thanks, Layla."
The doctor left with a sympathetic nod, and Sylvia squeezed his hand again. "Out of all my children, Catherine is the most stubborn and determined. If anyone can pull through this, it's her."
He somehow found the strength to nod.
The silence in the room, with none of the siblings arguing, only reinforced how serious the entire situation was.
He leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and wished for it to all be over, with him and Cat lazing in bed, them both protecting Cat's lower belly with their hands, as if the action could guard their daughter against any danger.
Someone else eventually entered the room, but he didn't have the strength to open his eyes until he heard Sarah say, "Lachlan?"
His eyelids flew open, and he found his sister's gaze. At the sad, loving look there, he nearly started crying.
Then she walked closer, leaned over, and hugged him close.
Even though their childhood had been him always holding Sarah and soothing her tears, for the first time in their lives, their roles were reversed.
Silent tears streamed down his cheeks as he held his sister close. Not because he'd given up on Cat, but rather his sister's presence was comforting and broke through any walls he'd constructed.
They'd once been a team, and now he needed her again.
She murmured words he didn't hear. After a little while, she released him, and he barely noticed everyone else had left them alone.
Sarah sat down next to him, took his hand, squeezed, and they said no more.
And yet, her silent comfort helped more than anything.
Eventually, a nurse came to fetch him to go to Cat. He numbly made his legs work until he sat next to her bed, held her hand against his cheek, and listened to the steady beeping of the heart monitor.
There was so much he wanted to say to her, yet he couldn't bring himself to treat her as if she were dying. The doctors thought her prognosis was good, but not guaranteed.
So he merely sent his love and wishes at her, reveling in her cool touch, and gently placed a hand over the small swell of her belly.
All Lachlan had to offer was strength for his mate and daughter.
He only hoped it was enough.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Little by little, an awareness of pain shot through Cat as she heard voices coming from somewhere. Two masculine ones, if she heard right.
But she didn't have the strength to do more than lay there and try to make out what they were saying.
As she did so, the weak voice of her dragon filled her mind. I want to wake up.
But it will hurt.
Still, we should wake up.
The voices started to become more defined, and one of them was more familiar to her than the other—Lachlan.
All she remembered was a loud noise before the constant pain and male voices.
If she wanted to find out what had happened, she needed to open her eyes.
Not to mention she desperately wanted to see Lachlan, have him kiss her, and borrow some of his strength to help fight the aches and pains that became sharper with each passing second.
And she couldn't bloody do any of that if she didn't open her eyes.
Never in her life had her eyelids seemed so heavy, as if they were made of stone rather than small bits of flesh.
Then she made out Lachlan's question, "And the bairn?"
Her wee one. If she was in this much pain, how was her bairn?
Had she lost it?
If so, Lachlan would need her as much as she'd need him.
She pushed aside the rush of sadness and thought only of her mate and bairn, which was enough to give her a wee bit more strength, and her eyelids fluttered open. She didn't hear whatever the reply was to Lachlan's question because instead, he rushed to her and gently touched her cheek. "Cat? Are you awake?"
All she could manage was a groan.
Dr. Campbell appeared on her other side and said, "I'm going to give you a quick examination, Cat. Don't try to talk yet, aye? Blink once if you can do that to answer my questions."
Even though it took concentration, she managed it.
The doctor nodded. "Aye, we'll keep one blink for yes and two for no."
However, as the doctor went through poking and asking questions, Cat couldn't tear her gaze away from Lachlan.
Smudges under his eyes and the bristle on his face told her he hadn't slept or even bothered to shave for a while.
Just how long had she been unconscious?
Dr. Campbell finally finished and stated, "I think Cat's out of the worst of it. As for the bairn, you need to take it easy for at least the next month, maybe two, or risk a miscarriage. The fact you weren't far along is probably what saved her, but we still need to be cautious." He glanced at Lachlan and then back to Cat. "As much as I wish I could give you more definitive answers, there's always a little uncertainty when it comes to medicine. Eat, sleep, and rest is my best recommendation." He moved toward the door. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes with a nurse. If you can't stay awake that long, that's fine, Cat. Rest when you need it."
As soon as they were alone, Lachlan sat in the chair next to her bed, brought her fingers to his lips, kissed them, and murmured, "I love you."
The heartbreak in his words, as if he'd thought she would die, did something to both woman and beast. "I love you too. Now, tell me what happened." He frowned, but she quickly added before he could deny her, "I won't be able to sleep until I hear it."
It was probably one of the only lies she'd ever said to him since she could barely stay awake, but she needed to hear what had put her in hospital and risked their bairn.
He sighed, turned her hand to kiss her palm, and replied, "One of the tour group visitors was bought off by the dragon hunters. And aye, the DDA was supposed to have completed thorough background checks. From what I can tell, heads are rolling as we speak."
A flash of memory floated through her mind. "The person in the toilet."
Lachlan nodded. "The bastard was killed instantly, although experts think he accidentally triggered the bomb early. And given the location in the building, far from the main art space or any of the offices, they think it was meant to scare rather than kill. Although it was close to a supply closet, which only made the fire worse in the end."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Did someone die? Besides the terrorist?"
"No, but one of the rescue team ended up losing a leg. He had to have his rescue partner cut it off, or he'd have been trapped and died."
Sadness at the unnamed person threatened to make her cry. She knew everyone on Lochguard, which meant she knew the male. And even if it were one of the visiting Protectors here to help, some of whom were also fire rescue trained, it wouldn't be any less awful.
She could ask who, but Cat didn't think she couldn't quite handle knowing their identity just yet. When she was stronger, she'd handle the grief.
But for now, she needed to remain calm and strong and manage her stress levels to help keep their bairn safe.