Johnny (Connelly Cousins #2) (16 page)

Johnny nodded. He had no trouble believing that. Stacey had drawn him in from the first moment he saw her, like a moth to flame.

“I was her roommate, so I guess I knew her better than most. I knew that the one thing that terrified her more than anything else was not being able to live the life she wanted. Stacey’s father, you see, suffered for years because his wife wouldn’t let him go. Stacey watched him waste away to nothing, and swore she would never live that way.”

Lina took a deep breath. Her voice was shaky when she spoke. “Stacey never should have been on the road that night. We had finals coming up and we were going to barricade ourselves in the library to study, away from our apartment where the phone was always ringing or someone was dropping by.”

“Anyway, it was really stormy that night. Stace loved thunderstorms. She used to scare me half to death the way she would stand outside, letting the rain soak into her skin, practically daring the lightning to strike her. She said it made her feel alive, connected with the universe. I thought she was crazy, but I loved her like a sister. I still do.”

“We’d camped out in front of the huge windows in the library, a compromise, so that Stacey could watch the storm while we studied. My head was buried in the books, but she was hypnotized by the storm, drawn by its power. I can still remember the look on her face as she watched the trees bend against the fierce winds and pounding rain - awe. I swear her eyes flashed right along with every bolt of lightning; I saw the goosebumps on her skin as the thunder rumbled through her.”

That was harder for him to imagine. Johnny could only see the raw fear and stark terror he witnessed; feel the way she had clung to him. His heart broke all over again.

“During one of the flashes, she claimed she saw something on the far side of the quad. It was raining so hard that it was impossible to tell exactly what had happened, but she said it looked like some kind of accident. I looked, but I couldn’t see anything. Stacey was insistent, though, and told me to call campus security. By the time I’d hung up, she was gone.” Moisture began to pool in Lina’s eyes.

“A couple of minutes later, I heard the sirens and saw flashing lights. I waited for Stacey to come back, thinking that she would know what was happening out there, but she didn’t. And then after a while, more students made their way to the windows, talking in muted tones as they watched the scene with morbid curiosity. And I knew, here,” Lina touched her heart, “something bad had happened.”

Tears were running freely down her face now, and her words were punctuated with little hitches. “By the time I got to the hospital, she was already in emergency surgery. There was an hysterical woman in the waiting room. Apparently she’d hit a pothole and blown a tire. Stacey was helping her change the tire, and another car hit the same hole and came hydroplaning right toward them. Stacey must have seen it coming; she pushed the other woman out of the way, but Stacey didn’t make it in time. She was crushed between the two cars.”

The silence was deafening. The pain in his chest was suffocating as his mind created the images conjured by Lina’s words.

“By the time I got to the hospital, she was in emergency surgery, so I waited. I was there when her mom arrived. They moved her to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. They would only allow immediate family in to see her, so I lied and said that I was her sister. Her mom went along with it; I don’t think she wanted to face it alone.”

“When they finally let us see her...,” Lina wiped her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know what I expected, but there were all of these machines hissing and beeping. There were tubes and IV’s going into both arms, her nose, her mouth. The nurse said she was in a medically induced coma, and a machine was breathing for her.”

“I asked if she would be okay, and the nurse said the next few hours were critical. She explained that her lower ribs had been broken, and her spine had been badly bruised. Both legs had been crushed. The doctors did everything they could, but there was a very real possibility she wouldn’t make it through the night, and if she did, might never walk again. We had to prepare ourselves for that.”

“I couldn’t help it. I cried. I bawled my eyes out, right there in front of her. And all I could think of was,
she wouldn’t want this
. I said so, and her mother went ballistic. She slapped me, hard, and told me to get out.”

“All kinds of machines started going crazy then, and a team of nurses and doctors swarmed in, ordering us to leave. They pulled her through, obviously, but once she regained consciousness, her mother had her moved to another facility closer to Denver, and I didn’t see her again until last week.”

“I never stopped calling, but Stacey refused to speak with me, or with anyone else for that matter. I learned much later that she started writing to ease the boredom, saying that the drugs she was on gave her some pretty vivid dreams. Plus I think it helped her, giving her something to focus on through all of the surgeries she’d had to endure. Isn’t it just like Stacey to become the queen of romance novels?” She gave a small smile and wiped at her nose with a tissue. “She never did do anything half-way.”

“I couldn’t believe it when she actually picked up the phone a couple of weeks ago. It was something I’d been praying for. And when she agreed to come for a visit, well, I just can’t tell you how happy I was!  But as far as she’s come, Johnny, she hasn’t given up hope of walking again. If there’s even a slight chance of a full recovery, she’ll do whatever she can to take it. She wouldn’t be Stacey, otherwise.”

Lina looked at him, her eyes so sad. “The problem is that most of the procedures are risky, which is why they don’t do them here.”

Johnny felt like someone had filled his body with cement. What was he supposed to do?  Lina had given him great insight into Stacey’s life, and provided the history of events that explained so much. But while he might understand the situation a bit more now, it made no difference in how he felt about her.

He hadn’t known the “before” Stacey. The accident had been horrific, but it made her into the woman she was now. The woman who made sweet, passionate love to him for hours on end. The woman who held onto him throughout the night.

The woman who needed him.

There was no doubt about it. He loved her, exactly as she was
right now
, and every fiber of his being was screaming for him to go into the city and drag her out before she did something risky, regardless of the consequences.

He felt a slight twinge of guilt. Was he being selfish? Was he thinking only of himself, and not Stacey? If she was here, if she had agreed to this, then it was obviously what she wanted, right?

Johnny stood quietly and headed for the door.  

“Johnny?” Lina called to him, her voice worried. Kyle was suddenly behind her, placing both hands on her shoulders.

“Let him go, baby.”

Johnny closed the door softly behind him. He had a serious decision to make.

* * *

“E
verything looks good, so the procedure’s a go. How are you holding up?” Dr. Hamilton checked Stacey’s vitals again, nodding her approval.

“As well as can be expected, I guess.”

“It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious, Stacey. I can prescribe a mild sedative to take the edge off.”

“That might not be such a bad idea.”

The doctor cast a sideways glance at her while she placed two fingers across her wrist, taking her pulse. “Having second thoughts?”

“No,” Stacey lied.

“You know there’s no such thing as a one hundred percent guarantee in this business, Stacey, but this is the most promising procedure I’ve seen for this type of injury.”

“I know. I’ve been waiting years for a chance like this.”

“Good. We’ve moved up the procedure to this afternoon, by the way.”

“So soon?” Stacey couldn’t help the slight panic in her voice. She’d assumed she’d have more time to get herself in the proper mental state. Yes, she’d committed to doing this, but inside she was scared. What if it didn’t work?  What if she came out worse than when she went in? 

And what if she didn’t make it?  One of the benefits of being wealthy enough to have a staff of accountants, lawyers, and estate handlers meant that all of her affairs were in order. But it wasn’t the money that worried her the most. Had she told Lina how much she loved her, or how much her support had meant to her over the years?  Did Johnny know that he had given her the best two days of her life?

“Is that a problem?” Dr. Hamilton’s voice broke into Stacey’s panicked internal musings.

Get a grip
,
Mallory.
Stacey took a deep breath to steel herself. This wasn’t fear she was feeling. It was the adrenaline rush that came with doing something risky, something exciting. It had been so long, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like. Stacey tried to embrace that thought and hold on to it with both hands.

“No. I just thought I’d have more time to, you know, prepare myself.”

“Trust me, Stacey, you are ready for this. Besides, Dr. Oknoshi will be leaving us sooner than expected, and you really want him in on this one.” Elena Hamilton brushed the hair away from Stacey’s face in a rare show of compassion. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call anyone?  It might be nice to have someone with you while you wait.”

Stacey’s courage faltered once again. As much as she might like that, she couldn’t think of a single person who wouldn’t question her decision. She’d done enough of that on her own. Ultimately, it was her decision; she would face it alone and let the chips fall where they may. She’d deal with everyone else afterward.

Assuming there was an afterward.

Her voice was strong and clear when she spoke. “No, thanks, I’m good.”

Dr. Hamilton patted her hand. “I’ll send the nurse in with the sedative. Try to relax, Stacey.”

That was easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one who’d agreed to be a human guinea pig. While she waited, she pulled out her laptop and made some notes about her surroundings for future reference – the sounds, the smells, the feel of the bleached sheets. Maybe one of her characters would end up in a hospital room someday.

An hour later, the calming agent was circulating through her system, and the tension and uncertainty faded, melting away a little more with each breath. Everything would be fine. It had to be.  

Exhaustion and a lack of sleep finally caught up to her and she closed her eyes. This was the calm before the storm, and she needed her strength. Even if everything went as hoped, she would have a hard road ahead of her.

Stacey drifted off, dreaming of the expression on Johnny’s face when she
walked
up to his door and told him how she really felt about him...

L
ina was tucked comfortably between Kyle’s legs, her back to his chest, as they munched on snacks and watched television, though she wasn’t really paying attention to the movie. She couldn’t stop thinking about Stacey. First thing in the morning they were heading back to McKinnon, with or without her brother. He was so damn pig-headed sometimes. What was there to think about? He and Stacey were meant for each other. That was the important thing.

Unable to wait, she’d driven down to the hospital with Kyle that morning while Johnny had been doing his soul-searching. No one would tell her anything, throwing out terms like ‘HIPAA compliance’ and ‘patient confidentiality’ or some crap like that. Wasn’t it more important that Stacey not face something like this alone?  What the hell was wrong with these people?

Thank God for her husband. The nurses at McKinnon were no less susceptible to Kyle’s charm than any other female. With a flash of his sexy smile and icy blue eyes, he’d managed to discover that Stacey was undergoing a series of tests and was scheduled for surgery in two days.

They weren’t able to see her because of the limited visiting hours and tight scheduling, and were told to return in the morning.

The glowing red digits on the nightstand clock glared at her. Just a few more hours till morning, and Lina would be there waiting the minute visiting hours began. Stacey should have someone with her. No one should go through something like that alone. Lina could only imagine how terrifying waiting for something like that was.

Lina’s cell phone went off, breaking into the monotonous hum of the heating and air conditioning unit and the murmur of dialogue from the movie. Kyle picked it up from the nightstand and handed it to her. The caller id was withheld.

“Hello?” Lina answered briskly. If this was another telemarketer she was going to give him a choice piece of her mind.

“Celina McCullough?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“My name is Elena Hamilton. I’m one of Stacey Mallory’s neurosurgeons.” She paused for a moment, allowing that to sink in.

“Oh, God.” Lina went stiff all over, suddenly feeling like she was going to throw up. Johnny looked up sharply from where he sat in the corner, unmoving, staring out the window. Lina vaguely felt Kyle’s arms circling around her.

“Ms. Mallory had surgery this afternoon. She left instructions to call this number if things did not go as well as hoped.”

“Oh, God,” Lina repeated, her stomach roiling. “Is she all right?” The pause on the other end of the line was far too long.

“Stacey is in a coma. She’s unresponsive. We are hoping that she’ll come out of it, but I wanted to call you, in case you might be able to come here.”

The words didn’t make sense. “No, you must be mistaken,” Lina said slowly. “Stacey’s not scheduled for surgery until the day after tomorrow.” That was what that nurse had told Kyle. Day after tomorrow. Not today.

Another pause. “I’m not sure how you were able to obtain that information, but Stacey’s procedure was moved up to this afternoon. I don’t know who you are, Ms. McCullough, but you are the only one Stacey asked us to contact. She can use all the support she can get right now.”

“I’m on my way.” Lina disconnected and jumped off of the bed, scrambling for a pair of jeans. Maybe if she kept moving, she wouldn’t throw up.