Jesus. To go through something like that as a kid.
“Thanks to the ER doctor, I was rushed into surgery just in time to save my life. The surgeons were able to fix the obstruction.”
“For good?” he asked, praying she didn’t suffer any lingering complications.
“Yes.”
He sensed a “but” coming.
“After surgery, though, my heart rate continued to drop and I was in critical condition. My parents were in the waiting room when they heard ‘Code Blue Room 327’ and knew it was me. They rushed to the room, and my dad insisted the medical staff let him inside. He screamed at me so loud to keep fighting that my mom later told me every nurse on the floor had gravitated toward the window of the room.”
Maverick knew the story ended well. Kennedy sat beside him healthy and strong, her hair smelling like strawberries and her skin glowing from being outside, but he didn’t want to hear any more. He didn’t want to be reminded of his own cries, coaching Nicole to fight harder, to hang on a little longer. To stay with him because life meant more with her in it.
“I had been flatlining for almost a minute when the ER doctor, Dr. Hawkins, rushed into the room and told me I wasn’t fighting hard enough and that I had to live because I had great things to accomplish. Then everything got quiet for a second and my dad begged the doctor not to call it. Another second later, the beeping on the portable monitor started again and Dr. Hawkins said, ‘we have a pulse.’ In that moment, I opened my eyes and gave everyone a thumbs-up.”
Maverick swallowed the thick lump in his throat, and without thinking too hard about it, he squeezed Kennedy’s hand. A silent acknowledgment that he was happy she’d survived.
Then, because he had to do something to mask this deluge of gratitude, he said, “I’m glad you fought back, otherwise who would have bugged the crap out of me in college?”
“Ha! I think it’s the other way around.” She spared him a quick glance. “I can’t believe I told you all that. Not many people know the entire reason I became an ER doctor.”
“I’m a good listener.”
She pfftted.
“It’s amazing you remembered all that detail.” If that were true, then maybe Nicole had heard the last words he’d spoken to her. He hoped so. Unlike Kennedy, Nicole didn’t have a chance of coming back.
“Yeah. It was like an out-of-body experience.”
“Did you see a white light?”
She laughed. “No, nothing like that. It was more like an…awareness. A feeling that I wasn’t alone and that there was a ton of optimism and love in the room, and those strong feelings are what brought me back. The sad thing is that I survived, but afterward, my parents’ marriage didn’t.”
Her phone dinged. She looked at the screen and smiled. “This is Hugo.” She showed Maverick a picture of a boy with a deck of cards fanned out in his hand, between his fingers.
“The kid’s got some dexterity.”
“He does. He’s also super smart and very special to me.”
Unmistakable affection resonated in her voice. “How do you two know each other?”
“We met in the ER. He’s also had to deal with a heart issue. His, though, is chronic.”
“I’m sorry.” The tear he’d wiped away—was it for Hugo? “He looks healthy now.”
“He is.” She stood. Stretched her arms over her head. Her T-shirt shifted, revealing a thin patch of smooth, pale skin above the waistband of her jeans. “Want to grab lunch?” she asked, pulling his gaze back up where it belonged.
He had a list a mile long of things to do around the ranch and yet found himself saying, “Sure, but I should make it quick.”
“I’m happy with anything.”
They strode toward the inn. “Really? You’ll eat a plate of hot wings with me?”
“Ugh. No.” She looked at him with wide eyes. “Wait. You remember that?”
“That you don’t eat anything off a bone? Yeah.” Their junior year of college, they’d been assigned to the same study group, and on more than one occasion they’d met at the local pub. Kennedy couldn’t stomach eating any kind of meat that came attached to a bone.
“I can do boneless,” she offered helpfully. This more amenable Kennedy must be due to hunger.
“Actually, I know just the place.”
He took her around the inn to the back door of the kitchen. “Hey, Mom,” he said, gesturing for Kennedy to enter first.
“Hello! What a nice surprise.” Maverick knew his mom would enjoy seeing Kennedy again and showing her more gratitude for her treatment of Nova.
“Hi, Mrs. Owens.”
“Please call me Mary Rose.” She wiped her hands on her apron. Freshly baked cookies were plated on the counter—an afternoon treat for guests that they served with homemade lemonade.
“It smells delicious in here,” Kennedy said.
“Thank you. Can I give you two some lunch? Have a seat.”
Maverick pulled out a chair at the table for Kennedy. Her long lashes swept down over the tops of her cheeks in thanks as she sat. “It’s not too much trouble?” she whispered to him.
He shook his head at the same time his mom said, “Not at all. I love feeding my children and their friends.”
Kennedy raised her eyebrows at him. He shrugged. They could call a temporary truce for the benefit of his mom.
“So, Kennedy, are you married? Have a boyfriend?”
“Mom,” he groaned. Man, he kept underestimating his family and their endless interest in Kennedy.
“I’m just curious.” She put two plates and a large bowl of cold pasta salad on the table.
“I’m single,” Kennedy said easily enough. “And happily so.”
“Oh?” Mom said.
“The last boyfriend I had turned out to be… I don’t even have the right words. Not who I thought he was, that’s for sure. We were together when he met and fell in love with my sister.”
His mom’s hand went to her chest. “You’re kidding.”
Kennedy shook her head. “No. They’re planning to get married next year.”
“That’s awful.” His mom placed sliced apples, homemade rolls, cloth napkins, and silverware on the table.
“Thank you for saying that.” Kennedy spooned some pasta onto her plate. “My mom and sister don’t understand how weird it is.”