Prologue 4

Three days later, Sam walked over to Sarah’s room, carrying a cup of coffee. He knew that Annie was there, since he’d seen her arrive at the hospital around six that morning. He assumed that she’d come straight from her job – I wonder where she waitresses, anyway? And really, how to ask without sounding like a creepy stalker? – since she’d been wearing her uniform and sensible shoes, and she’d been a harried, hurrying mess. He was sure that she hated being away from Sarah for hours and hours on end. He was also sure that if she was away, then it was because she had no choice whatsoever in the matter.

Sam approached Sarah’s room quietly, wondering if maybe Annie was asleep. But he should have known better: she barely slept, he knew that. Mac had told him so, but Sam would have figured it out on his own – her beautiful eyes had purplish-blue circles under them, and the fine lines around her mouth and eyes had seemed to deepen and double in number over the past three days.

Idly, he wondered how old Annie was. He’d seen Sarah’s medical records of course, and so he knew that she was twenty-six and that Noah was her twin. Beyond that, he had no real idea about Annie… though he knew that she was a single mother. He’d found that out when he’d gently asked if he should get a nurse to call Sarah’s Dad.

“He’s out of our lives,” Annie had responded, showing a flash of anger. “Been out since my kids were eighteen.”

“No contact then?” Sam had said. “No reason at all to have him here?”

“None.” The word had a finality to it. “Thank you for asking though, doctor.”

So… she’d taken care of two young adults, which, in itself probably wouldn’t be all that challenging, really. After all, an eighteen year old wasn’t like an eighteen month old, or a child who needed to be shuttled to and from school, or who needed to be taken care of at home when sick. Eighteen was a functional, independent, young adult.

Except when that young adult was severely autistic.

Sam had talked to Jax a bit, since the man was practically camped out next to Sarah’s bed, day in and day out. Annie had to come and go, but Jax owned his own business – which turned out to be Dangerous Curves, that horrific dive bar frequented by criminal-types that sent so many patients Sam’s way – and he seemed to have pretty much thrown it at his staff and told them to deal with whatever.

Jax had told Sam that Sarah had practically raised her brother, and that Annie had struggled hard to pay the bills on a diner waitress’ salary. Noah was often at the hospital too, and Sam’s natural protective instincts had risen as he’d watched Jax with Noah. The older man was rough and tough and exactly the kind of guy that made Sam good and nervous normally, since he’d have laid significant amounts of money that Jax Hamill was into some pretty shady shit… but he was amazing with Noah. Truly gentle and kind, and he was endlessly good to Annie too. That warmed Sam, made him look at Jax with new eyes, and made him very grateful that Annie had the man in her corner.

God knows, she needed it.

Sarah wasn’t waking up. She also wasn’t showing any signs of waking up anytime soon. Maybe never.

Sam reached the room, paused outside. Sure enough, Annie was there with Jax and Noah. Jax was sleeping for once, and that didn’t surprise Sam even a little bit – Mac had told him that Jax was beside himself with anger and worry, and hadn’t slept more than an hour since Sarah had been attacked.

Noah was absorbed in a book of some kind, and he looked like he was a million miles away. Annie, though… Annie was nowhere but where she was. She was in that small, white, private room that Jax was paying for out of his own pocket, in it body and heart and soul. She was sitting and staring at her daughter, just sitting and staring and holding Sarah’s limp hand, and Sam knew that if Sarah could be reached by the force of a fiercely loving stare, then the young woman would open her eyes right now.

Sam entered the room slowly, not wanting to startle the woman from her reverie. “Annie?”

Despite his care, she still jumped a bit, swung her whole body around in the chair. “Oh! Oh… Doctor Innis.”

“Sam.”

“Sam,” she repeated wanly, and rubbed her eyes a bit. “Hello.”

“Doctor Sam!” Noah chirped, and they both looked at him. “Will Sarah wake up today, Doctor Sam?”