helplessly.
âLiv,â Shock said softly, âwhy donât we go now?â
Why? Maybe if she stayed hereâif she ignored the call from the hospital altogetherâshe could make herself believe it wasnât true. That Julia wasnât really â¦
Tears welled in her eyes again and rolled down her cheeks. A sob clutched her throat and escaped.
âOh, God, Liv.â
Shock swept her into his arms and this time she welcomed him. Her arms wrapped around his big solid body and she let him pull her tight to him, then melted against him.
âShock, I â¦â Her tears flowed freely now.
Shockâs lips brushed the top of her head in a kiss. âWhat is it, sweetheart?â
âI donât want my sister to die.â
âI know, sweetheart. Neither do I. And weâll do everything we can to stop that from happening.â
* * *
Shock took Livâs hand and helped her from the town car. A driver had picked them up from the house and got them to the airport in twenty minutes. Now the private jet heâd arranged was waiting for them.
Liv sank into the cream-colored leather seat and Shock sat across from her. Soon they were in the air.
Shock watched her. In the hustle of getting here, they hadnât really spoken. He hadnât wanted to push her to talk.
âLiv, thatâs why you needed the money? To help your sister?â
She bit her lip and nodded.
âWhy didnât you tell me your sister was sick and thatâs what the money was for?â
She looked blankly at her hands folded in her lap, and her eyes were wet. âI donât know. I guess I ⦠didnât want to beg for my sisterâs life.â
âAh, Liv.â
Then she shook her head, her fingers gripping the armrests of her seat. âI also didnât want you to pity me. Iâve always valued your opinion of me and I guess that didnât change even after we lost touch. And if Iâm being completely honest I think ⦠I guess I wanted to know if youâd actually lend it to me ⦠just because I asked. I didnât want to have to prove that what I needed it for was worthy.â
âYou wanted to know if I trusted you.â
She nodded. âAt least, that you trusted my judgment.â
He leaned back in his seat. âYou know, I actually thought you were borrowing it for that guy I saw you with. You never denied it.â
She pursed her lips. âBut you lent it to me anyway.â
âOf course I did. And now I know what it was really for.â He reached out and took her hand, then enveloped it in his own. âLiv, Iâm so sorry about your sister.â
She just nodded and held his hand tighter. âYou know, I just canât believe I might lose her.â
She looked so fragile sitting there, her eyes shimmering.
She drew a deep breath. âI still remember when I was about four years old and Mom got Julia a teddy bear. It was brown with a plaid bow around its neck and she called it Mac.â She smiled tremulously. âAnd it was so soft and cuddly. I picked it up and hugged it and I fell in love with it. I didnât want to let it go. Julia and I shared a room and she let me sleep with it that first night. In the morning I didnât want to give it up. Instead of being upset, when she saw how much I loved it, she told Mom that she wanted me to have it.â She stared at her hands, her lip quivering. âEven at eight years old, she took care of me. And as we grew up, she always looked out for me like that. Thatâs whyââher eyes met hisââIâll do anything I can to save her.â
He leaned in and held her close. âI know, sweetheart. And Iâll help you in any way I can.â
* * *
Liv wasnât prepared for the sight of her sister, hooked up to monitors and machines, her face so pale she looked like a ghost. Liv hurried to the bed and rested her hand on
C. J. Cherryh
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