The door opened, and Taylor blinked in surprise at seeing two people on the floor. Leo immediately said their names so she’d know who she was looking at.
“Um . . . is there a reason you’re on the floor?” she asked, shifting Kevin in her arms.
Leo didn’t answer, simply helped Cassidy stand, then got to his own feet next to her. He grabbed a tissue from the box on the table next to the chairs where they’d been sitting and wiped her face gently. Cassidy still had two black eyes, and her face was sore from the punches she’d received, but all things considered, she felt as if she’d come out of the entire situation relatively unscathed.
Taylor approached, and Leo took Cassidy’s hand as her friend studied her.
Finally, she said, “I didn’t know what was going on that day. But I was pissed at you for upsetting Mario. He was beside himself. He couldn’t believe you’d left him. Then, once I realized what you’d done, I felt so guilty about being upset for even a second. You were protecting us. All of us, not just your son. You left the safe room so fast, we didn’t have time to even talk about what was going on.”
“I’d just spoken to my mom and dad,” Cassidy said. “He told me Lloyd knew where I was. I knew it was him,” Cassidy admitted quietly.
Taylor nodded. “I’ve never seen anything braver in my life. I’m in awe of you. And I can never thank you enough for protecting my son.”
Cassidy felt the tears welling up again and forced them back. She’d cried enough. Besides, she already had so much snot in her sinuses it hurt. “I’m not brave. I didn’t do anything to try to get away. I didn’t do anything to help when Leo and the others came to save me.”
Taylor shook her head. “Being brave isn’t always about making grand gestures or going all kung fu on someone. It’s living each day with dignity and treating others with kindness and respect. Walking out of Silverstone Towing, straight into the hands of a killer, was as brave as anything I’ve ever seen. You knew what you were walking into, and yet you did it anyway. Anything that happened after that doesn’t negate your gesture.”
“She’s right,” Leo said, kissing her temple.
“Of course I am,” Taylor replied with a small smile.
“You ready to go up?” Leo asked Taylor, changing the subject.
Cassidy felt a little better after talking to her friend. She knew she needed to talk to Molly and Skylar as well before she’d completely relax, but she had more hope now that maybe they wouldn’t blame her for what had happened to Smoke.
Talking to Molly scared the shit out of her, but she wouldn’t push her for anything until Smoke got better. And he would get better. She had to believe that.
“Yes,” Taylor answered Leo. “I know he’s gonna wake up soon. He has to.”
Cassidy agreed. She wasn’t sure how much more Molly could take. She was hanging on by a thread, and it was only a matter of time before she snapped or one of the other guys forced her to step away for the safety of her unborn child. And Cassidy honestly didn’t know what would happen if they tried to do that.
The three of them took the elevator up to Smoke’s floor and nodded at the nurse sitting at the station. She frowned but didn’t stop them. The fact that there were already more people in Smoke’s room than was allowed wasn’t lost on Cassidy, but Leo acted as if he didn’t care in the least, and she supposed he didn’t.
When they opened the door, the first person Cassidy saw was Molly. She was sitting by Smoke’s bedside, his hand in hers. She had dark circles under her eyes and was obviously exhausted. Her hair hadn’t been washed in days, and she was still wearing the same clothes she’d had on yesterday.
Even though Bull had come to relieve Eagle, both men were still in the room. Taylor went over to greet Molly and gave her a side hug, because Molly wasn’t willing to let go of Smoke’s hand long enough to stand and hug her friend. Cassidy stood back, letting the men greet each other.
The conversation in the room was subdued. Gramps asked Molly if she’d eaten anything recently, and she merely shrugged. Taylor talked about Kevin for a bit, and Cassidy saw Molly’s free hand go to her belly, as if to caress the child in her womb.
The whole scene was simply sad. It felt awkward, and she wished for the hundredth time that things had turned out differently at that airfield.
Skylar arrived about ten minutes later, immediately going to Bull’s side. He kissed her briefly, then they stood against the wall with her back to his chest.
The room had gone silent, everyone lost in their thoughts and upset that Smoke hadn’t so much as stirred since he’d gotten out of surgery.
Then Kevin began to fuss. At first, he just made little grunting noises, but within seconds, as if a switch had been flicked, he went from letting his discomfort be known in quiet, subtle ways to full-out wailing.
His cries echoed off the hospital room walls. The little boy had a set of lungs on him, and Taylor and Eagle were doing everything they could to comfort and quiet him.
But Molly’s voice from across the room made everyone freeze.
“Bring him here,” she requested.
Everyone looked at her in surprise. Ever since she’d learned Smoke had been injured, she’d seemed rather meek and introspective. But now, she sounded almost forceful.
Without questioning her, Taylor carried her screaming son closer to her friend. Molly sat forward on the chair and lifted Smoke’s hand. She held it to her cheek. “Hear that, Mark?”
He didn’t answer.
Cassidy pressed her lips together in distress. Had Molly lost it? What was she doing?
“Put him down here, please,” Molly said, pointing to the bed in front of her.
Once again, Taylor did as she requested, placing her very unhappy son on the bed beside Smoke.
“It’s not our baby . . . but she’s gonna need you when she cries,” Molly said to Smoke as she leaned closer. “I want you to come back to us. We need you. Who’s gonna kiss her boo-boos when she gets hurt? Who’s gonna protect her from bullies? Who’s gonna teach her how to climb trees and how to defend herself against overzealous boys? You’ve been asleep long enough—it’s time to come back to us.”
Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath.
Molly turned her head and looked at Taylor with tear-filled eyes. “He squeezed my hand when Kevin began to cry,” she explained.
The baby was still crying, squirming in earnest, waving his hands in the air in distress. Cassidy wanted to go to him, comfort him, but she stayed frozen next to Leo.
Then a miracle happened. The monitor attached to Smoke’s chest began to beep faster—and his eyes flickered open.
It was just for a second, but they all saw it. The doctors had started to wean him off the drugs keeping him in a coma, but he shouldn’t have been able to wake up yet.
Cassidy saw Bull slip out of the room, probably to get a nurse, but everyone else simply stared at their friend on the bed.
“Right. He’s a bit loud, isn’t he?” Molly said lightly, glancing up at Taylor. She offered a tired smile.
Eagle moved to her side and picked up his son. He cradled him close and held out his hand to Taylor. “We’ll just go feed him. He gets a little cranky when he’s hungry,” he said dryly.