“This must be Georgie. Probably with Lois’s help,” Mercedes says.

“Let’s just go to sleep. I’ll ask Lois to remove everything tomorrow.”

“No, don’t. We’ll take them to Theron. It’ll be nice for him to wake up to a cheery room.”

“That’s a good idea.” Neither of us mentions that he may not wake up at all.

We undress each other, and I brush the petals off the bed before we slide in side by side, husband and wife, and sleep. Mercedes curls into me, pressing her belly against my side. It’s not how I expected to spend my first night with my wife in my bed, but this is our reality.

We’re alive. Unhurt, mostly. Theron wasn’t so lucky. So I close my eyes with a thank you on my lips as I tug her close and ask the gods who have been so cruel until now to grant me one wish. To let my brother wake up and walk out of that hospital himself. And when he does, I promise to take him back. To forgive and finally forget all that’s come to pass. To thank him. To try to understand him.

25

Mercedes

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Judge cups my face, his eyes searching mine.

“Yes.” I wrap my arms around his waist and give him a light squeeze.

He still doesn’t look convinced, but enough time has passed, and I’ve grown tired of being separated from him far too often these last few weeks. Our marriage didn’t come with the honeymoon we’d hoped for, and when Judge hasn’t been at the hospital with Theron, he’s catching up on work.

It’s clear he still carries guilt over what happened. The lingering tensions between the two brothers before Theron almost died certainly doesn’t help. And while I thought I’d be the last person ever feeling indebted to Theron in any way, I can’t deny the truth. He hurt me. He terrified me. But he also gave me the greatest gift anyone ever has. In a split-second decision, he undoubtedly saved Judge’s life, as well as that of our babies. If it wasn’t for Theron, I could have been spending my honeymoon at my husband’s grave, mourning his loss rather than planning our future together.

It's an admission that rocks me to my core. And admittedly, I still feel a rush of fear every time he leaves the house. Or if he doesn’t come home exactly on time. If he takes too long to text me back. I know these things will get better in time, but right now, I can’t help it. I want to be near him. I need to be near him. I can’t be at ease unless I feel his presence beside me.