of hope in the darkness. Tessa was a fighter. Not bold and in-your-face, like Melody, but with a deep, quiet strength. She possessed an inner core of iron-clad resolve. She would make it.
"Gabe?" He turned in response to Melody's shaky inquiry. Fresh tears shimmered in her solemn blue eyes and clung to her blond lashes. "Your turn. But be prepared. She drifts in and out, but she's not fully conscious." Mel swallowed hard. "She looks awful."
He drew the trembling woman into a hug. "That's to be expected after what she's been through."
Steeling himself, Gabe gathered his courage in both hands. He stalked down the corridor and pushed open the door to Tessa's room with the same resolute purpose as when he'd followed her over the ship's rail. Either he was walking out of here with her, or he wasn't leaving.
In spite of Melody's warning, he took one glance at her and dropped into the chair beside her bed, his knees wobbly, his chest tight and aching. God, she looked like someone had beaten her nearly to death. Her auburn lashes fanned over pale cheeks whiter than the pillowcase. Deep purple shadows smudged her closed eyes, and tiny, ruptured blue veins traced under the swollen, frail skin of her eyelids. Blood had seeped through gauze bandages wrapped around her torn wrists. IV tubes had been stabbed into her badly bruised right arm, clear liquid dripping into her veins from a bottle overhead. Mottled bruises ringed the tender skin at her neck where a faint pulse throbbed in her throat. A heart monitor beside the bed beeped in the same slow rhythm.
Fragile and broken, against formidable odds she clung stubbornly to life. Her even, persistent pulse gave him hope, gave him strength.
"Hey, Houdini." He leaned forward, his voice unsteady. "You're taking this power nap to extremes. How about if you wake up and I'll get you a nice cup of Earl Gray tea? I'll even bring it in your Elvis mug." He grasped her limp hand in his, caressing her silky, cool skin. Too cool. "Tessa? Can you hear me?"
She didn't respond.
"Come on, sweetheart. Come back to me."
Not a breath of sound, not a whisper of movement.
"I'm here for you. Everything is going to be all right." He continued speaking quietly and stroking her hand.
All too soon, a young blond nurse slipped inside the room. "Time's up."
He stood and walked to the doorway where she waited. "I'm not going anywhere. There's no harm in letting me stay."
The nurse, whose name tag read Hailey Matthews, frowned. "If you don't cooperate, I'll have to call security. You seem like a nice guy. I know you don't want to cause a scene and upset your friend."
"Look, I understand you have rules and all, but I'm not leaving." He held her gaze, his own steady and determined. "I owe this woman my life. In more ways than one. I won't do anything to endanger her care or get in your way, but I will not leave her."
Ms. Matthews hesitated. She studied his face for several tense heartbeats, then nodded. "All right. As long as you're quiet and don't obstruct us in any way. And if she flatlines, you get out immediately and let the team do their work."
"You got it." She left and he returned to Tessa's bedside.
He talked for nearly an hour, pleading, cajoling and downright threatening dire consequences if she didn't wake up. She stirred and whimpered a few times, but didn't open her eyes. Wanting to howl, he tipped his head back, swallowing his anguish.
Finally, he took a deep shuddering breath and gripped her hand more tightly. "No way, baby! I am not gonna let you go. I won't sit here this time, helpless and mute. I've never told anyone about this, but…"
Desperation drove the words out of him. "You wanted to know about my nightmares? This is it. My worst nightmare come true." He stopped to clear the thickness from his throat before continuing. "One summer morning when I was five, I got up, and my mom told me we were taking a trip. I'd never been anywhere except around the block, so I was thrilled. I ran and got my red backpack, and she packed my things."
He took another fortifying breath. "I remember that day so vividly. The clear blue of the sky, the bright sunshine, the birds singing in the trees. Mom was real quiet. I stopped to pet Mrs. Mendoza's black Lab and asked if I could have a