hospital lab. When we stepped into the lab's waiting area, I saw Nathan Winters sitting on a chair with Sawyer Hamilton, Violet’s husband, nearby.
As soon as he noticed me, Nathan straightened. “Gabriel’s fine, Nora. I have a message for you.”
“What’s that?” I asked, trepidation sliding through me.
“Gabriel wanted me to make sure you knew he loved you.” Nathan, with his almost black curls and rich blue eyes, looked so earnest when he spoke that a peculiar ache thumped in my heart. He was typically lighthearted and carefree and always quick with a joke. Just now, though, he was somber as he watched me. The next thing I knew, Sawyer stood and grabbed a box of tissues off the table and all but shoved a few into my hands.
Violet curled her arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “Gabriel’s going to be okay. I just called over to the nurses’ station. They said it shouldn’t be long before he’s cleared for visitors.”
I sniffled and blew my nose. “Why is it taking so long? Did something go wrong?”
Violet shook her head quickly. “No, no. They said he’s doing well. I’m sure it won’t be long.”
I sat down in one of the chairs, slowly glancing amongst them and offering, “I’m sorry. I’m not usually such a mess.”
“No need to apologize,” Sawyer said with an easy shrug.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps coming down the inner hallway behind Violet’s desk reached me. I glanced over to see their young son making his way down the hallway, dragging his fingertips on the wall.
“All done, Mama,” he called. “I washed my hands!” He held up his small hands as he entered the waiting area, looking curiously at me and then his parents, a twitch of worry appearing between his brows.
Their son, Alec, probably had no idea why I was sitting in the waiting room crying. Violet knelt beside him, lifting her hand and giving her son a high five. My heart squeezed, almost painfully. Sawyer and Violet were another one of those couples—in love and happy. Every happy couple made me think of Gabriel. I only hoped I hadn’t screwed things up too much with him.
“Good job, buddy.” When Alec looked back toward me, Violet added, “Nora’s okay. Do you remember Gabriel?”
Alec peered over at me, replying, “She’s not Gabriel.”
I laughed and dabbed at my nose again. “No, I’m not Gabriel. Remember me? I’m Nora. I think I saw you last time at the grocery store.”
“She works out at that cool building,” Sawyer offered as Alec walked away from his mother over toward his father. Sawyer scooped him onto his lap.
“The octagon!” Alec announced.
“That’s the one,” I offered with a smile.
Sawyer stood when Alec wiggled on his lap. He crossed to Violet’s side as he lowered his son to the floor and held his hand. He leaned down to press a kiss to her temple before he glanced at Nathan and then me. “I’m sure you could use a few minutes to get caught up.” Looking back toward Violet, he added, “I’ll wait for you outside. Good to see you, Nora.”
As soon as Sawyer and Alec had disappeared down the hallway, Nathan looked toward me and asked, “Would you like an update?”
It occurred to me then that he probably hadn’t wanted to explain everything that happened in front of a child who would likely have tons of questions.
Violet paused beside me. “I’m closing down for the evening, so you two can chat away. Nobody will be stopping by. I’ll hear the phone ring when the nursing station calls. I promise.”
She squeezed my shoulder lightly before spinning away and circling behind the desk again. She began tapping away on a laptop while Nathan explained what happened. “Long story short, we responded to a mayday call for a boat taking on water. After we got the majority of the passengers to safety, we had to pull closer because two passengers hadn’t made it to the lifeboat. That’s when Gabriel dived in to help a woman struggling to reach the throw ring. Some debris struck his leg and cut him.”
I absorbed the information and took a breath. “How bad is the cut?”
“He’s got a pretty big gash. The EMTs told me they were worried about cleaning it. Then he was freezing after being in the water. It was a series of events that went from not that bad to bordering on hypothermia. But he’s fine. I promise. He was really worried about talking to you. I didn’t want to