Touch by Touch (Riggins Brothers #4) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,83

her.” I don’t ask for permission.

He nods. “One at a time.”

I look at Aurora, and her eyes are soft. She looks over at Grant and then back to me. “Please tell her I love her,” she says through her fresh tears.

“When we get her settled into a room, we can do two visitors at a time,” the doctor adds, having sensed our dilemma.

“A-Are you sure?” I ask Aurora. I feel like a dick. She’s her sister, but I can’t breathe without Aspen.

“I’m sure. I’ll see her when they get her into a room.”

I wrap my arms around Aurora and hold her close. “I love her, sis. I love her so fucking much.”

“I know you do,” she says when I release her. “Go. She needs you.”

Grant steps up behind her and wraps her in his embrace, and I know she understands. The bond they share is much like the one I share with Aspen. In fact, I’m sure if I was in her shoes, I’d let her go first also. I love my brothers, but Aspen, she’s my everything.

Our footsteps echo off the walls as I follow the doctor. The noises around me fade away, and I feel as though I’m walking through a tunnel. I don’t know what to expect when I see Aspen. I don’t know how I’m going to react. I just know she needs me. I know if I can just touch her, if I can tell her how much I love her, she’ll come back to me.

The doctor stops just outside of a room with a closed door. “A nurse will be in to check on both of you in a minute.” The doctor pats my shoulder and walks away.

Taking a deep breath, I grip the handle, turn, and push. I keep my eyes on the floor as I close the door and make my way to the side of her bed. Lifting my gaze, I take in my love. My knees feel weak, which has me gripping the rails of her bed to remain standing.

She has a tube down her throat and IVs in her arms. Her face is pale with smudges of black, and the smell of smoke is overwhelming. I don’t attempt to stop the tears as they fall from my eyes. “Baby,” I whisper.

“Just checking her vitals,” a nurse says softly, entering the room.

I grab the chair next to the wall and move it close to the bed before falling into it. Carefully, I pick up Aspen’s hand to hold it in mine, my thumb softly tracing her knuckles. “Can I clean her up?” I ask when I bring her hand to my lips for a kiss.

“Sure, I’ll grab some supplies. We can have the nursing staff do that when she’s admitted upstairs,” she offers.

“No.” I shake my head. “I want to do it.”

Her eyes soften. “I’m sorry, we don’t allow that. However, I promise to take good care of her.”

The door closes softly behind her, and I place my attention back on Aspen. “Aspen.” My voice breaks. I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her palm. “I don’t know if you can hear me right now, but if you can, I need you to listen. Can you do that, baby?” I pause, swallowing hard. “I need you. I need you to fight this. I need to tell you how much I love you. I need to see those pretty hazel eyes when I tell you that I plan to love the fuck out of you for the rest of our lives. I want to marry you and have babies with you. I want to watch our babies have babies. With. You,” I emphasize. Resting my forehead against the mattress, I keep her hand held in mine as my tears fall freely.

“Please, God,” I whisper. “Please don’t take her from me.”

The door opens again, and I wipe at my cheeks with the sleeve of my sweatshirt. “She’s been assigned a room,” the nurse, who was just in here checking her vitals, informs me. “She’s going to be on the third floor, room 3098.”

“Are you moving her now?”

“Yes. If you want to inform your family and head up that way. There’s a large waiting room just across the hall from her room.” She smiles softly.

“Thank you.” Standing, I lean over the bed and place my lips against her forehead. “I love you. They’re taking you to a new room. I’ll meet you up there.” I don’t know if she can hear