“
Hi.” Sarah says and lifts her hand to wiggle her fingers. She’s grinning, the goofy grin of a woman on some serious painkillers. “Aww, you came to see me.”
I can’t move yet. I’m paralyzed with overwhelming relief and love and fear.
“They said you were shot.”
“Well, I was grazed, really,” Sarah says with a giggle. “It’s just a flesh wound.”
“Whatever, Monty Python."
I’m left with the woman of my dreams. And she’s whole and healthy and she’s going to be okay.
“Hi there, handsome,” she says with that goofy smile.
“Hi.” I sit on the bed at her hip and drag my fingers down her flawless cheek. “You just took about ten years off my life.”
“It’s only a flesh wound,” she says again in that horrible British accent, making me smile at her.
“God, baby,” I inhale deeply and bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. “God, if it had been two inches to the right—”
“I know,” she assures me and plunges her fingers in my hair, holding on tight. “I know. But it wasn’t. And I’m okay.”
She shifts on the bed and hisses in pain.
“But it burns like a mother ducker.”
I pull back and grin. “Ducker?”
“Auto correct of the mouth. I have to have it turned on because I have a five-year-old.” She smirks. “You’re hot.”
“You’re drunk.”
“Really good drugs for this flesh wound.”
“Your British accent is horrible.”
“There’s no need to insult me,” she says with a frown. “I’ve been shot for godsake. You’re supposed to baby me and pamper me and bend to my will.”
“I’ve been bending to your will since day one.”
“As if.” She rolls her eyes, then closes them and moans softly.
“Do you need more medicine?”
“Nah.” She smiles, but her eyes are still closed. “I’m just sleepy.”
“Sweetheart, I need you to stay awake for a minute, okay?”
“Okay.” But she doesn’t open her eyes.
I lean in and kiss her forehead, her cheek, her lips. “Wake up, baby.”
“Okay,” she repeats and forces her eyes open. “There you are.”
“Here I am.” I swallow and look at her perfect lips, then into her amazing eyes. Why have I been such a stubborn ass? Why couldn’t I admit before how much I love her? God, I almost lost her. “I love you, Sarah.”
“Wow. These drugs are good. I just dreamed that you said you love me.”
I grin again and kiss her cheek. “I did. I love you so much. For those few moments that I thought I might lose you…it was agony, Sarah. I didn’t want another minute to go by without telling you that I love you because I realize how short life can be, and we shouldn’t waste it.”
“This is a very serious conversation for someone on hard narcotics,” she says, but she cups my face in her hands and looks deeply into my eyes. “But I love you too, handsome. I love you so much that it hurts, and let me tell you, that’s a lot.”
“It sounds like a lot,” I reply and lean my forehead on hers. “Don’t ever scare me like this again.”
“Scared me too,” she admits softly. “I just found you.”
“You’re stuck with me, baby.”
“Good. I love you, too. Both of you.”
“Both of us?”
“There are two of you right now.” She giggles softly. “And I think I’m going to pass out.”
“Go ahead. I have you, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere.
”
”