Hunt’s chair was right beside Ava’s bed, close enough that he could hold her hand and angled so that he had a clear view of her face. He was watching for the signs her doctor had mentioned, like eyelids fluttering, fingers twitching, any shift in breathing patterns, any body movement at all. The X-rays had revealed a slight fracture in her sternum, which would raise other issues as she began to heal, but those were possibilities, not certainties, and Hunter Knox had survived a war because of possibilities, so he wasn’t giving up on a total healing.

It was nearing 7:00 p.m., and even though Ava’s room was quiet except for the continuing beep of the heart monitor and the intermittent sound the blood pressure cuff made as it inflated to take a reading, he could hear activity beyond the door.

He’d been talking to her for hours, because he remembered hearing voices and people talking after he’d been hospitalized, even before he’d been awake enough to respond. He wanted her to know that wherever she was, she wasn’t alone.

Suddenly, something crashed to the floor out in the hall, and he saw her flinch. He jumped to his feet and moved closer.

“Hey, darlin’, it’s me, Hunt. I know you heard that, so I know you can hear me. I love you so much, Ava. I need you. Please come back to me.”

Silence.

He reached for her hand, then gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.

“Can you feel that? You don’t have to answer…just squeeze my fingers so I’ll know you heard me.”

Nothing.

He groaned and then sat down, ignoring the lump in his throat. Then he dropped his head and closed his eyes.

Don’t you do this, God. Don’t do this to her. Don’t do this to us. I’m begging you. Please…give her back.

Then there was a soft knock at the door behind him.

“Come in,” he said, and got up, thinking it might be her parents. When he realized it was his family, the lump in his throat turned to tears. “Come in,” he said again, and when Birdie walked up and hugged him, he held her like he’d never let her go.

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” Birdie said, and it made him smile, remembering that he’d walked in on them at their mother’s bedside.

Emma hugged him, then Gordon shook his hand. Junior gave him a quick hug and a pat on the back. Ray did the same, then they all glanced toward Ava’s bed.

“How’s she doing?” Emma asked.

“Vitals are good. She’s reacting to sound. It’s just a matter of her deciding to wake up,” Hunt said.