He's alive. Finn's alive.
Charli repeated it in her mind—a desperate attempt at self-soothing. She wiped the tears that hadn't seemed to stop since she got the news five days and almost three thousand miles ago.
The sterile scent of the hospital stung her nose. She placed her hand on her growing belly.
"Your papa is going to be okay." She hoped it wasn't a lie.
She rested her palm on Finn's limp and clammy hand. His silver wedding ring was safely tucked away with his personal effects. This was the first time she'd seen him without it since the twenty-year-old version of himself vowed to love her and cherish her until death did they part. Thick white gauze had been wrapped around his head. Superficial wounds peppered the side of his dark, handsome face.
Could he hear her through the fog of the coma? Wait and see. That was what the doctor had said.
"Come back to me," she choked out.
"He will. My Finn is a fighter," Claire, Finn's mother, said, wrapping her arm around Charli.
When did she walk in? Charli tore her eyes away from the only man she'd ever loved.
Claire's warm brown gaze met hers with sympathy and shared pain. The woman's midnight complexion was a complete contrast to her own fair skin. But Claire was the closest thing Charli had ever had to a mother.
"I can't lose him, Mom."
Claire pulled her closer. Charli rested her head against Claire's heart, the side of the uncomfortable hospital chair cutting into her ribs.
"Finn has a lot to live for. He's got to meet his child. Not to mention, my son would never let anything get in the way of finding his way back to you, Charli." Claire's voice shook, as if speaking the words would will it into being.
"I don't think I can do this without him," Charli confessed as she sat up.
"No matter what happens, you're still our daughter. We'll be here for you," Zeke, Finn's father, said as he came into the room.
He opened his arms to her, a rare display of vulnerability and affection. She got to her feet and walked into his embrace on shaky legs. He patted her back with his big palm as she released a sob.
"There. There," he said awkwardly. Zeke was a man of few words and even fewer emotions. Much like his son.
"Why don't you go get some coffee and a hot meal? A walk will do you some good," Claire suggested.
When was the last time I ate? Charli turned towards Finn's unconscious body. Her stomach churned with anxiety. "I don't want to leave him."
Claire stood, taking her hand and ushering her to the door. "You have to take care of yourself too, Charli, or you'll be no good to him when he does wake up. Besides, it isn't just you you have to think about. You're carrying my grandbaby." Claire pressed her hand gently to Charli's small, fifteen-week baby bump.
Charli nodded. "Yeah, okay. Call me if anything changes. I'll have my phone."
"Of course." Claire's eyes flashed with sympathy.
Charli put one leaden foot in front of the other. The tug to her heart to go back to the room was strong. But her mother-in-law was right. She needed to stay strong for her baby, and for Finn.
Walking through the large hallways in a daze, Charli found her way easily enough to the cafeteria. The smell of grilled meat permeated the dining area. Her stomach grumbled in response. After grabbing a simple sandwich and a juice, she paid before numbly walking towards the seating area. Charli made herself sit at an empty table and dig in. She didn't taste her food, rather devoured it quickly in hopes of nourishing her body and getting back to Finn. The phone rang in her pocket, and she jumped. Heart racing, she pulled out her cell.
Mason.
Oh.
Her heart sank. Not Claire with news on Finn.
She clicked accept and answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, Charli. I just wanted to let you know we've got everything covered as long as you need. Turns out that temp help Bently, Andre, and Mikel offered? It's not so temporary at all. It's here for as long as you need it. Jasmine even said she'd wait tables. I guess what I mean to say is, you guys focus on everything going on with Finn and take care of yourselves. We got your back here at The Shipwreck," Mason said, his voice full of sympathy.
"Thank you, Mason." Tears welled in her eyes again. Stupid pregnancy hormones turned her into a water fountain. "I can't tell you how much that means to us."
"How is he?"
She swallowed. "Still waiting for him to wake up. But the swelling on his brain has gone down and the surgery was successful. The doctors are hopeful."
Mason was silent a moment, as if struggling for the right words to make her feel just a little better. But there was no such magic. "You guys are in our thoughts. The whole town is putting together a fundraiser so that the Reeds will have a cushion when you get home."
"Mason—" Her phone beeped with an incoming call. She pulled her cell away from her ear. Claire's name flashed on the screen. Oh god! "I have to go."
She didn't bother waiting for his response. She switched the call over and got to her feet, stumbling out of the cafeteria and towards her husband's room.
"Is he . . ." She couldn't finish the sentence. Hope and dread sparred for dominance in her chest, halting her voice.
"He's awake!" Claire said.
Awake. A surge of emotion flit in her belly. Charli ran like her life depended on it. Nerves swirled and knotted, twisting her up. Her pulse raced, ringing in her ears. For the first time since receiving the fateful news that her husband had been in an accident, hope bloomed within her.
Tears blurred her eyes once again as she burst into the room. A doctor and a nurse blocked her view. Zeke held Claire off to her right, love and gratitude pouring out of them as they stared towards the hospital bed.
"How did I get here?" Finn's deep voice rumbled through her, making her knees wobble. She covered her mouth and moved closer, needing to see his face.
Finn's dark eyes searched the room, unfocused.
"Baby?" She stepped forward, unable to wait any longer to touch him. She reached out her hand, her fingers grazing his warm cheek. "You're okay." Her voice cracked.
She leaned in to kiss him, but he turned his head away.
"What the hell?" Finn asked. His eyes roamed over her, his confusion edging on panicked.
"Major Reed, do you know who this is?" the doctor asked.
"Of course, he knows me," Charli snapped. The notion that her husband of thirteen years could forget her was absurd.
His beard had grown in over the past several days of being unconscious, hiding his sharp jaw. Stitches marred his warm, brown skin. She searched Finn's dark eyes, her usual source of peace, and the floor fell out from under her. "Finn?"
His brows knit together in concentration before relaxing. "Oh, yeah. You're Bently's friend, Charlotte, right?"
"What?" The room started to spin. Blood rushed to her ears. No. No. No. This isn't real. Finn's still in a coma, and I've drifted off into this nightmare. Wake up!
"How old are you, Finn?" the doctor asked.
Finn turned to him. "I'm seventeen, obviously."
Claire gasped. Finn focused on his parents. "Mom, Dad, what happened? Why am I here?"
"You don't remember Charli? Your wife?" Zeke asked.
Finn's gaze snapped to hers. "Is this a joke?"
The doctor stepped forward. "Major Reed, you've been in an accident. The truck you were riding in was hit and you've sustained a few injuries which include—"
Finn shook his head. "What? Why do you keep calling me Major? You've got the wrong guy. I'm a senior at Shattered Cove High School. I haven't enlisted yet. I'm still in the JROTC."
A senior in high school? Panic clawed her chest as her body trembled in shock. Charli sucked in air through her chattering teeth.
Claire stepped forward and placed her hand on his. "Sweetheart, we're in Washington State."
Finn's gaze darted from face to face. His brows drew together, panic flashing in his eyes. "How old do you think I am?" His voice trembled.
"Thirty-three."
He swallowed.
The doctor shone his flashlight over his pupils. "Amnesia can be common with head injuries like this. Your memories may come back to you in time." He continued explaining tests they would run and listing Finn's other less serious injuries. But all Charli could do was stare back at the man she'd given her heart to when she was sixteen. Her husband, who looked at her as if she were a complete stranger.
She placed her hand over her belly growing a child they'd made in love. His panicked gaze followed her movement. His eyes widened.
His body trembled and he shook his head. "No. This isn't real!"
"I need you to try to calm down, Major Reed," the nurse said.
Finn struggled to sit up, pulling at wires. "No, this isn't—I'm not—"
"Pull yourself together, soldier!" the doctor ordered.
"Finn, sweetheart, just breathe." Claire came to his side.
"Maybe it's best if you wait outside."
Charli had no idea the nurse was talking to her until she tapped her shoulder. "But he's my husband."
The red-haired nurse looked at her with sympathy. "This is a lot for him to take in at the moment. Just give him some time," she said, leading Charli out of the room.
Charli leaned against the wall in the hallway, refusing to go farther. She collapsed to the cold, hard ground, pulling her knees as close to her chest as she could get them. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking into the grey leggings she wore.
Finn had forgotten sixteen years of his life. He'd forgotten her. He'd promised she'd never have to be alone. He'd sworn after his last deployment his service obligation would be up, and they'd raise a family. He'd made so many vows, and now he'd forgotten every single one.
Pain sliced through her heart as overwhelming grief shook her body in a violent sob. Flashes of moments shared, the life they'd built, gone in an instant.
All that was left was the unknown. For the first time since she'd married Finn, she felt alone. Stranded. Lost in a sea of shattered promises.
Will he remember me?
Would he come back to her?
Or was this the end of their fairy tale?
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