“How is she sitting?”

“I’ve got her laid out on the front bench.” The car was a little larger than normal, with big windows so that people would be able to view us at one of the scheduled stops.

“Prop her up and bend her knees some. We want her heart to work as little as possible.”

“Got it.” Yanking my light jacket off I tucked it under her head and then lifted her feet; scooting them back so her knees were bent.

“Good. We’re not far from the hospital.” Jameson told me.

“What else should I do?” I found Selene’s hand and squeezed it. Her palms were clammy and she was still so pale I worried she would die right before my eyes at any minute.

“You’ve done all you can at this point.” There was a muffled sound as Jameson spoke to someone in his car. “Mark, take the next turn. The authorities have cleared that one-way road for us.”

“Tell them thank you.” I said the words automatically. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate their help, but that my worry had stopped my brain. The only thing that mattered was getting Selene taken care of, and quickly.

“Please hang in there.” I brushed the hair out of her face. “You’re going to be fine. You’re too tough to let something like this get you down. Okay?”

“Fine.” Her voice was so weak I could barely make out the word, but I knew what she meant. She’d be fine. Selene was always fine.

God, please let her be okay.

ELEVEN

THE WAITING ROOM was bright and cheerful. Flowers sat on every table, surrounded by magazines about home decorating and health and fitness. Paintings of beautiful places lined the walls in an attempt to take away the worry of those left feeling helpless.

I wanted to rip every painting off the wall and stomp on them until they were unrecognizable.

Helpless was not a place I liked to be. I’d rather have been in the operating room passing scalpels than pacing back and forth between a painting of an Irish cliff and the image of a waterfall.

Max was watching me from his seat with a worried look, and that irritated me too.

“What?” I growled the word, stopping midstride to stare at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m worried about you.” He held a cup of hot tea in a white foam cup.

“Don’t worry about me. Worry about Selene.” I shook my head. “She’s the one whose heart is literally in the hands of strangers right now.”

“I checked, Cath. These doctors know what they are doing.” His words were quiet, soft, as if speaking to a person on the edge.

“I know.” I threw myself into a chair. “It’s just really frightening.”

“I can’t imagine how scary it would have been.” He reached out and squeezed my hand.

“It was.” Tears formed in my eyes and I sniffed. “I’ve never been that scared before. Not even with . . .” I couldn’t finish that sentence. With Dad there had been no fear, just pain and overwhelming grief. By the time we knew he had been thrown from his horse, he was already gone. It had been instantaneous.

“I get it.” Max kept hold of my hand. He might be the sibling that hid from our family the most, but he was still my big brother. And my big brothers were always there for me. In fact, we’d had to have Mother call Alex and tell him not to come home.

Excruciating hours passed as we waited. Mark had brought us dinner at one point, but neither of us ate much. When Tabitha, Selene’s secretary, showed up to help¸ it took all of my willpower not to burst into tears. I was relieved to have help with everything that had to be seen to, but at the same time, it was so very wrong to see someone else handling Selene’s clipboard.

When the doctor came out to speak to me, I could barely contain myself. I needed to know what was happening, how she would be—when she would be out.

“We’ve been able to clear the blockages and are closing up now. She did really well through the surgery and I think she will make a full recovery.” The doctor smiled at me. “I know you’ve been worried, but you did the best thing for her by bringing her here. She has a pretty long road to recovery though. This was a major surgery and she will need time off.”

“Of course. I’ll see to it that she wants for nothing.” I nodded my head.

“She will need to drastically cut back on her stress levels. I’m willing to bet that she is a workaholic.”

“We’ll make sure she’s not overdoing it.” Tabitha spoke up from beside me.

I turned to look at her, surprised that she had said anything. Selene would never have interjected during a conversation that didn’t directly relate to her. Then again, Tabitha was much closer to my age and not as formal. Knowing that she had worked closely with Selene for two years now kept me from becoming angry. She was probably just as worried as I was about Selene. I should have asked how she was handling the news, not just worrying about myself and my friend. Tabitha had just been called on to fill some very big shoes.

“You’re absolutely correct, Doctor. Selene works in her sleep. But we’ll find a way to keep her calm and in a place where she can heal.” I held my hand out to shake. “Thank you so much for your great care. I can’t begin to explain how much I appreciate all of your time and hard work. Selene is like family to me.”

“I’m happy to help, and even happier to be able to report good news.” He shook my hand and smiled warmly. “The worst part is over. Now you just need to keep her in bed so she can heal.”