One too Many

Chapter 51

Dominic

The first sign that she was coming back to us was the slight flutter of her eyelashes against pale cheeks. After four days of watching her lie motionless in the cardiac ICU, that tiny movement hit me like a lightning bolt straight to the chest.

"Samara?" I leaned forward in the uncomfortable hospital chair I'd practically lived in since the surgery, my hand finding hers among the maze of IV lines and monitoring wires. "Darling, can you hear me?"

Her fingers twitched in mine, and then those beautiful eyes opened slowly, unfocused and confused but undeniably aware. The ventilator prevented her from speaking, but the way she squeezed my hand told me everything I needed to know.

She was back.

"Don't try to talk," I said quickly, seeing the panic flicker across her features as she became aware of the tube down her throat. "You're in the hospital. You had surgery. Everything went perfectly, you have a new heart, and it's working beautifully."

The relief in her eyes was profound, followed quickly by questions I could read as clearly as if she'd spoken them aloud. Where were the others? How long had she been unconscious? What about Johan? Who's heart is this?

"Everyone's fine," I assured her, reaching for the call button to alert the nurses. "Ian's getting coffee, the twins are arguing with your doctors about visiting hour restrictions, and Asher's probably reorganizing your medical chart by now. Johan's with Paul and Adam, he's been asking for his mommy every day."

Her eyes filled with tears at that, and I carefully wiped them away with my thumb.

"Elias is dead," I added quietly, watching her face for any reaction. "He can't hurt you anymore. Can't hurt any of us."

The tension I hadn't even realized she was carrying seemed to leave her body at those words. For the first time in years, she was truly safe.

Elena appeared in the doorway with her usual efficiency, but I could see the genuine relief on her face as she took in the sight of her conscious patient.

"Welcome back," she said warmly, moving to check the monitors. "You gave us quite a scare there for a while. But your new heart is performing beautifully, better than we dared hope, Sam."

I squeezed Samara's hand gently. "I'm going to get the others. They've been going crazy waiting for you to wake up."

Her eyes widened slightly, and I could see her trying to shake her head around the ventilator.

"Hey, it's okay," I soothed. "One at a time. I promise we won't overwhelm you."

The next hour was controlled chaos as Elena and her team worked to gradually remove the more intrusive equipment. When they finally removed the ventilator, Samara's first word was a hoarse whisper:

"Johan?"

"He's on his way up," I promised, my chest tight with emotion. "Paul's bringing him now."

"Everyone else?" she managed, her voice barely audible.

"Chomping at the bit to see you," I replied with a smile. "But Elena's making them wait until you're more stable."

The door opened cautiously, and Ian's head appeared, his eyes immediately finding mine before shifting to Samara. The relief that washed over his face was so profound I had to look away for a moment.

"Baby girl," he breathed, crossing the room in two strides to take her other hand. "God, we thought... when your heart stopped during surgery..."

"I'm okay," she whispered, though her voice was rough from the intubation. "New heart working?"