Beyond Promise by Karice Bolton

was sometime after midnight. Aaron had
taken Brandy home, and Tori had somehow wrangled Mason away from
Ayden’s bedside. Ayden’s parents had left shortly thereafter,
leaving me alone with Ayden and my thoughts.
    I’d fallen asleep twice and was currently
staring at my phone. I didn’t even have it on. I stood up and
stretched, looking out the window. Our room overlooked the
emergency room entrance so several times an hour an ambulance would
pull through the circle, and I’d wonder who was on the stretcher, a
husband, wife, daughter, best friend? I turned around and walked
over to Ayden’s bed. He looked exactly how he had since he moved to
this room, his body still, breathing controlled by something other
than him, and a tangle of cords leaving his body.
    I ran my finger along his cheek, picking up
the tickle of his whiskers from not shaving yesterday.
    “Not everyone can pull off the unshaven look
in a hospital gown, you know?” I whispered. “But you look extremely
sexy.”
    I glanced out in the hall and saw nurses
chatting at their station. Every so often soft laughter would
erupt, and they’d look around nervously as if laughter was
regulated, and maybe on this floor it was.
    My gaze fell back to Ayden, and I moved my
hand along his chest, skirting the sensors and cords until I found
his hand. I squeezed it and bent over the railing of his bed.
    “I love you so much Ayden Rhodes. If you
could do us the biggest favor when you wake up, please remember
me—remember us. I’ll be forever in your debt.” I continued holding
his hand and rested my head on his chest. It was a most
uncomfortable position with the railing poking my ribs, and my neck
craned so that I wouldn’t run into the tubes from his breathing
machine. I needed to feel the Ayden I remembered, the hard, muscled
man I’d fallen in love with, who was now fighting for his life.
    I didn’t even let the weight of my head
fully rest on his chest. I was so afraid I’d break him.
    Imagine that.
    Afraid I’d break Ayden Rhodes.
    I stood back up, trying to lessen the sharp
ache in my neck, as I watched him. Exactly what he would hate for
me to do. Standing and staring at him like he was a zoo exhibit. No
wonder he didn’t want to wake up. He was afraid he’d blink open to
a room full of eyes staring back at him.
    “If there wasn’t a nurses’ station outside
the door, you can’t even imagine what I’d do to you.”
    Still nothing, not even a twitch.
    The weight of not knowing crawled up my body
in a huge upwelling of exhaustion. I glanced at the skinny recliner
in the corner of the room and decided to haul it over to Ayden’s
bed. Sliding my hand from his, I walked over to the bulky chair and
began to tug on it. Not realizing it was on wheels, I tumbled
backwards onto the metal chair I’d been sitting on. My eyes landed
on Ayden, and I chuckled amazed that even with him in a coma, I was
worried he’d catch me falling on my ass. I stood up and moved the
metal chair out of the way and glided the recliner next to his bed
and unfolded the blanket that rested over the back.
    “Everything okay in here?” a nurse asked,
poking her head in.
    “Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t realize I’d
caused such a commotion. I tripped over a chair.”
    She nodded and smiled, leaving me to shake
out the flimsy blanket. The room felt warm, but I was freezing as I
scooted myself into the vinyl chair.
    Pulling up the blanket to my chin, I snaked
my hand underneath and over to Ayden’s and grabbed hold tightly and
fell asleep.
    It wasn’t until my elbow was on fire, and my
entire arm had gone numb that I woke up in a panic. I’d forgotten
where I was and attempted to move my arm, but I couldn’t. My arm
zipped past the stage of being asleep and was working its way
toward a tingly death. The low light of morning shone through the
window, and I was shocked I’d slept this long. I quickly turned to
look at Ayden, and he looked exactly as I’d left him.
    Asleep.
    It