Gathering her in his arms, he kissed her mouth before whispering, “Go to sleep.”

She held his gaze. “You won’t leave?”

He shook his head, knowing what she meant. “I’m not going anywhere till you wake up.”

Her jaw clenched as she held back her sob, and he placed a kiss to her nose once more. When he pulled back, running his thumb along her lips, he knew more than ever that he was in infinitely more trouble than he could ever comprehend. This girl had him. Entirely.

“Vaughn,” she whispered, and everything stopped as her eyes searched his.

Please don’t say it. Please.

“I’m so fucking scared.”

Relief flooded him as he leaned his head on hers. “I am too, babe.”

While he knew she was talking about Rodney, and he was worried for that too, he was mainly talking about them. Because she scared him to the point that he wanted to run. He didn’t even want to chance it. He should just end it. Keep his heart intact as well as his pride because she would ruin him, completely. He knew that. But as he held her, the soft smell of her perfume intoxicating him as his lips trailed along her temple while she fell asleep, he knew he wouldn’t go anywhere.

He couldn’t.

As Brie sat there, one hand in Vaughn’s, her other in Rodney’s, her heart was in her throat while she waited. It had been three hours since they had stopped the medication keeping Rodney asleep, and everyone was extremely optimistic. But she wouldn’t be okay until she heard his voice and saw his eyes. Chewing her lip, she felt her heart pounding as she watched her baby brother. The steady rhythm of his heart with its new pacemaker filled the room as her breathing was in rhythm with Vaughn’s.

She prayed so damn hard to God and to her mother that this was the fix. Apparently, there had been a malfunction with the original pacemaker that had been installed. The defective equipment meant they couldn’t get a good read, and then it failed. But what could have killed him didn’t. Because of that, Dr. Miller really felt the new pacemaker was the key, and that things would be great. They just needed him to wake. She needed him to wake. Keeping her eye on the clock between staring at him, she begged time to pause. She didn’t want Vaughn to leave yet, but they were almost out of time.

She wanted him to see Rodney. She wanted Rodney to wake with both of them there. A team. They were a fucking team, and her heart couldn’t take it. She couldn’t believe that he had told Elli about NateWay or that he had flown in just to sleep in a chair with her, holding her through the early morning hours. She felt so safe in his arms. So protected, and she wouldn’t have been half as calm as she was if it weren’t for him.

“I should have brought some vodka. This is stressful.”

A grin pulled at her lips as she glanced back at him. She was still sitting in his lap, which was a little ridiculous, but he wouldn’t let her move. His arm was around her waist, his hand in hers, and it was right. They were right. “It’s a little early.”

He scoffed. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

Leaning her head to his, she closed her eyes. “When do you need to leave?”

“That doesn’t matter. Just relax.”

“It does.”

“It doesn’t. I’m here until I can’t be, so shut it.”

Her lips quirked. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

“I said, shut up, woman,” he said before tipping her chin up and capturing her mouth with this own. Closing her eyes, she clung to him as their lips moved together in a caress she craved. When they parted, he nuzzled his nose with hers. “I don’t want to leave.”

She ran her finger along his bottom lip. “But the legendary Vaughn Johansson doesn’t miss a game.”

His eyes turned playful as he shook his head. “This is true. I gotta play up to my name.”

“Yes, can’t let the many whores down.”

He smiled wryly. “I’m only worried about my main one,” he said with a wink, and she smacked him playfully as he nibbled on her neck. “You won’t hate me?”

“You just called me your main whore. I already hate you,” she teased, and he laughed against her neck.

“Shut it.”

She shook her head. “Not at all. You came when I really needed you. As long as this guy wakes up, I’m good. Well, until something else happens.”

A small laugh came from their lips as they turned to look back to Rodney. He was still sleeping, his chest rising and falling normally, which made her feel so much better. Leaning against Vaughn, she sucked in a deep breath as he cuddled her close. Soon, he was asleep. She knew he needed the sleep, so did she, but she couldn’t. She had to watch Rodney. Another hour passed, and when her butt started to vibrate with an alarm, Vaughn shook awake, digging into his pocket and pulling his phone out.

“Fuck,” he groaned, leaning his head into the back of her head as he switched off the alarm. “I gotta go.”

Her heart sank. “Oh.”

“B?” She whipped her head up, and Rodney’s eyes were fluttering open as he squeezed her hand. “B?”

She stood up quickly, almost falling on top of him as she cried, “Rodney, I’m here. Hey, buddy. Hi! Ah!”

Coming around the bed, Vaughn took Rodney’s other hand. “Hey, bud, how’re you feeling?”

Rodney blinked a few more times and then looked at both of them. “Tired. Am I alive?”

Brie cried out as she nodded. “You are.”

“Is my ticker okay?”

“It is.”

Looking between them, he nodded. “Okay, I’m going back to sleep.”

But Brie had already hit the nurse’s button, and soon the room was full of doctors and nurses. Standing beside Rodney, she held his hand and tried to stay out of the way as the doctors moved around him, checking him out, and the nurses poked and prodded him. When she felt a hand on her ass, she turned back to see Vaughn wave awkwardly.

“I gotta go,” he said, pointing to the door.

Kissing the back of Rodney’s hand, she said, “I’ll be right back.”

Rodney was pissed he was being messed with but nodded as she set his hand down and went to Vaughn, wrapping her arms around his middle tightly. With her face in his chest, she said, “I can’t express how much it means to me that you were here.”