When he woke up . . .

If he woke up . . .

No. She shook her head to clear it. Thinking that way wouldn’t help anyone. She had to stay positive. If not for her, then for Nick. With the few exceptions when Harper had corralled him into a chair, Nick had been pacing the room nonstop. The panic and fear in his eyes the few times he’d glanced her way had caused the ache in Allie’s chest to tighten to an excruciating level. It was clear his emotions, and quite possibly his sobriety, were hanging in the balance. Seeing Allie break down would only test his tenuous hold. The last thing she wanted to do was make this any harder on him.

So instead of lingering on photos that conjured memories so happy they were sad, Allie turned her attention back to the manila envelope. She reached inside to retrieve his wallet, but when she did, her fingers encountered something else: his wedding ring. She held the platinum band up, and for the first time realized there was an inscription. She hadn’t noticed the words when she’d slipped the band on his finger. The barn had been lit in dim candlelight, and her gaze had been focused on the man she loved, not his ring. But in a hospital waiting room, under harsh fluorescent light, the words etched inside were impossible to miss.

Hers Forever 1/17/15

It was too much. Allie clutched the ring in her hand and held it to her chest. Hudson was her love, her life. She couldn’t imagine a world without him in it. Tears fell in heavy streams down her cheeks and her body shook with sobs.

“Mrs. Chase?” Allie looked up to find a woman in pale blue hospital scrubs standing just inside the door. Her delicate features were drawn with exhaustion. “I’m Doctor Katz. Why don’t we find some place private where we can talk?”

Chapter Twenty-nine

Hudson woke, and his first instinct was to sit up. Shit, not a good fucking idea. His side let out a scream that hit him with a shot of pain so intense, he had to draw in a shallow breath. Because anything deeper was going to feel like a nail gun between the ribs.

Gun . . . Julian . . . Allie . . .

What had that fucker done to her? He fought the urge to go full throttle out of . . . where the hell was he? The place had about as much warmth as a meat locker and looked like a cross between a flower shop and a funeral home. Christ, was he dead? No, the pain shooting through his whole body was a reminder that he was very much alive. His head and chest ached and his lids were heavy, but he was alive. So fucking alive.

He needed to get to his wife.

Instead of making another attempt to sit up, Hudson turned his head. The face of an angel rested on the hospital grade blanket, her blond hair fanned out, her lips slightly parted. His gaze shifted to a delicate hand encompassing his, and his fingers squeezed with what little strength he had.

“Allie . . .” he rasped. His throat felt raw.

She lifted her head and blinked. “Hudson . . .” As awareness seeped in, tears brimmed her eyes. “Oh, thank God.”

“Where am I?”

“Northwestern. You’re in the ICU.”

“How long have I been out of it?”

“A day.” She started to pull away, but his grip tightened.

“No. Stay.” His hoarse voice sounded louder than he’d have thought possible.

“Shh, it’s okay.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. But I need to let them know you’re awake. They’ll want to check your vitals, and from the looks of it, you could use another dose of morphine. “

“No, don’t. I want to be lucid for this. Tell me what happened.”

“How much do you remember?” she asked.

“I remember seeing the two of you through the window.” The image of Julian with his hands all over his wife caused an ache in Hudson’s chest worse than anything he’d felt since he came to. “And I remember struggling for the gun. After that, it’s a blank.”

“The gun went off between you.” She paused for a beat, and Hudson knew she was fighting to control her emotions. It killed him to think about what she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours. If the situation had been reversed, he would have gone out of his mind.

“Did they arrest Julian?” Hudson winced as a sharp pain stabbed him, then receded.

“He’s dead.” The color drained from Allie’s face. “You were bleeding to death on the floor and he was making me leave you there. If I hadn’t stopped him . . .” Her voice trailed off, but then she cleared her throat. When she spoke again, it was with an unquestionable resolve. “I’d do it again if it meant saving your life.”

He reached for her. “Come here.” Allie leaned down, and with a shaky hand he pulled her closer. “You’re so brave. You amaze me,” he said, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. “Thank you.” The sense of relief he felt over Julian being out of the picture was short-lived as reality bombarded him from every direction.

“Fuck,” he said. “What about Nick? Did they find out about him? The video?” He made a move to get out of bed. “Where’s my phone?”

“Oh no, you don’t.” Allie pressed a gentle hand against his shoulder. “No moving. Doctor’s orders.”

“Fine.” Hudson lowered his head. As if he was going anywhere hooked up to miles of tubing and a goddamn catheter anyway. “Now answer me.”

“Your phone is with me.” Before he could speak, she added, “And you don’t need it. Darren is taking care of everything at the office. As for Nick.” She lowered her voice. “Max arrived shortly after I called 911. I don’t know the details, nor do I think we should discuss it here, but he assured me the threat no longer exists.”

“Have the police been here?”

“Detective Green came by yesterday. She took my statement and I gave her the recording.”

“You got him to admit what he did?”

Allie nodded. “Everything. From the sound of it, wrapping up the case is just a matter of a few formalities now. Although I believe you still have some explaining to do.”

“Explaining? I was fucking shot, what’s there to explain?”

“Not to the detective, to your brother. He’s rather pissed.”

Hudson lifted a brow. “And why’s that?”

“In the chaos he may have heard me blurt out that I was your next of kin.”

“Is that so?

The smile she’d been fighting curved her lips. “Mmmhmm. And he may be a little pissed there wasn’t a bachelor party.”

“Shit.” Hudson rubbed the stubble on his chin. No doubt Nick would have tried to recreate the Playboy club right in the middle of Hudson’s penthouse. Yeah, not a chance in hell.

“He’s out in the waiting room with Harper. Neither of them would go home.”

A vague memory flashed through Hudson’s mind, and he shot her an amused look. “Was I hallucinating on painkillers or did you pull the do-you-know-who-I-am card?”

She blushed. “I did, shamelessly. But there was no way they were keeping me out of that recovery room, no matter how scary that nurse was.”

He laughed, then winced as his chest erupted in pain.

Allie frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call for meds?”

“Not yet. I’m not ready to go back to sleep. But water would be good. My throat feels like fire.”

“That’s from the intubation. They said it would feel better in a couple days.” Allie poured water into a plastic cup and held the bent straw to his lips.

“What about the rest of me?”

“A few weeks. And before you say another word, it will be spent resting.”

“With you as my nurse?”

“If you promise to behave.”

“Not a fucking chance.”

She grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“I love you.”