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  “I figured, what was the point, right? Not only had I killed my baby but that there would be no more.” Izzie started crying in earnest at the reminder of her loss.

  “Stop right there. You did not kill your baby. You were not responsible for what happened. Not at all.” Andi kept her voice firm, needing Izzie to believe the truth. “Remember that awful man who kidnapped us? He is a murderer. Plain and simple.”

  When Izzie started to shake her head, Andi stopped the motion with a firm hand on her cheek. “Yes, he is. He passed out those pills, knowing what they would do. Everyone trusted him. It is not our fault. None of it is. Do you think that I don’t wish I would have at least put up a little bit of a fight before I walked onto that shuttle? I strapped myself into that seat, Izzie. I watched everything happen and was too scared to do anything. Brandy and I both got sick when we realized what we had allowed to happen.”

  When Izzie opened her eyes again and looked at Andi with what Andi could only dare to dream was hope, Andi reaffirmed her earlier words. “We all have regrets. Let the guilt go. It isn’t your fault. Nobody blames you for what happened.”

  “What about Nixon?” Izzie rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear them.

  “That big strapping warrior is losing his mind because he doesn’t know how to get you to understand what I have been trying to tell you today.” Andi waited a moment and was surprised when Izzie gave her a soft, sad smile.

  “He is pretty big, isn’t he?” Izzie gave a small laugh when Andi agreed.

  “You are aware that we basically had to kick him out of here, right?”

  “I can remember hearing his voice talking to me, but I didn’t listen to him,” Izzie admitted.

  “Well, first things first. No more meds to make you sleep, okay? If you want to get better, you need to be awake to do it.” Waiting for Izzie to nod, Andi was happy when Izzie moved on the pillow.

  “I also want you to talk to your husband. He has been out of his mind the last few weeks worrying about you.” Andi decided she might as well not pull any punches since she was on a roll.

  “I just don’t know what to say to him,” Izzie said softly. Rubbing her nose with one hand, she shook her head slowly.

  “Nixon just needs you to talk to him. From what I can tell, he hasn’t had a chance to grieve. Hopefully that is something you can do together while we get you healthy.”

  “I never even thought about it that way. Is he taking care of himself?” Izzie went from depressed to concern for her warrior faster than Andi could blink.

  Andi shrugged her shoulders and answered honestly. “I didn’t meet him before this whole mess so I can’t tell if he is or not. I just know that last couple of times he has been here he’s been looking worn-out and pretty shaggy.” Cocking her eyebrow at Izzie, she asked, “Does he normally have a really shaggy beard and aversion to bathing?”

  Izzie gasped and laughed a little, covering her mouth. “Oh my god, no. That man is usually so anal retentive he’s getting onto me for not picking up things. I’m pretty sure he showers twice a day.”

  “Well then I would say that he needs an intervention…and his wife back.” Both women nodded at the same time as if they had just completed a huddle on the football field. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I have to be. I miss Nixon,” Izzie admitted. “Sleeping was just taking me away from here for a short amount of time. No dreams. Nothing. I just felt peace. I can’t do that anymore. If there is a chance that I can have a family with the man I love, then I have to try, right?” As Izzie spoke, her voice sounded stronger and stronger.

  “Right. Let’s get you a wheelchair and to a regen bed so we can figure out what we are working with. Okay?” Standing up, Andi rubbed her hands together, anxious to get this new beginning started as soon as possible.

  “Okay, let’s do this.” Izzie smiled and for the first time she looked like the fighter that Andi was sure she was.

  Chapter Eight

  After Izzie had been shuffled to the regen bed with some help from both Tamin and Rodin, the men took time to study the readouts. Izzie barely had enough strength from weeks of being bedridden to sit up. Andi helped her manage as well as she could with some pillows propped behind her.

  “How long will it take for them to tell?” Izzie whispered to Andi for what seemed like the millionth time.

  “I don’t know, Izzie. Just give them a few more minutes and if they don’t say anything, then I’ll interrupt them.” Andi tried to calm Izzie. The bride sitting on the bed was slowly starting to wilt in front of her eyes. The determination and hope Andi had seen thirty minutes ago was now looking more along the lines of desolation and despair.

  “Tamin? Can you tell us what the report says?” Andi spoke in a sugary-sweet voice that made Tamin look up almost immediately. Once she had his attention, she jerked her head to Izzie and mouthed, “She’s freaking out.”

  “Sorry for the wait, Isabel. Rodin is just rechecking the data and then we can go over the findings with you.” Tamin walked to the exam bed where the women were waiting. “How are you feeling? Any nausea or lightheadedness?”

  “No, I just feel really weak. When I first started moving, I felt a little sick to my stomach but that’s getting better the longer I sit up.” Izzie looked at Andi. “Like I’m recovering from a wicked case of the flu.”

  Andi explained, “Your muscles haven’t been used in a while. I’m sure that any movement is producing some soreness since it’s been so long since they’ve had a workout.” Looking up at Tamin, she cautioned him, “She needs to be helped anytime that she gets out of bed. Even small trips like the restroom. Until she regains some stability in her legs, she’ll be a fall risk. We should probably schedule some exercises for her to get her strength back as well.”

  Tamin placed a hand on her shoulder, the palm feeling extremely hot even through the sweater Andi was wearing. “I agree. Nixon should be arriving soon and he will want to be involved in her care.”

  Andi noticed that Izzie immediately sat up a little straighter. As she tossed some glances to and from the door, she asked in an excited voice, “How soon will he be here?”

  “Considering that it was hard to get him to leave in the first place, I am expecting him to come charging through those doors any moment. Especially since I left him a message that you were up and asking for him,” Rodin stated as he walked to them.

  “What did my results say? Tell me. Please,” Izzie practically begged Rodin.

  “Well—” Rodin started when they all heard a loud bang in the front of the medical center.

  “Izzie! Where are you? Izzie!” The shouts were frantic as footsteps rushed up the hall, checking each doorway.

  “Calm down, Nixon. We are in here,” Tamin hollered, winking at Izzie who had started to push her hair back from her face and straighten her robe.

  Rushing into the room was a well-put-together warrior who Andi barely recognized as the grieving husband from before. In the place of a shaggy beard were clean-shaven cheeks and a strong jaw. Hair that looked freshly washed and combed graced his head and his uniform looked newly pressed. Andi jumped off the bed just moments before she would have been pushed aside as Nixon basically covered Izzie in a full-body hug.

  As Izzie and Nixon embraced, Tamin and Rodin both bracketed Andi’s body, one taking her hand and the other putting his arm around her shoulders. Watching the couple, Andi let out a sigh of happiness.

  “He must love her dearly,” Tamin whispered to Andi.

  “He does. I could tell when he wouldn’t leave her… Even when she told him to go, he stayed by her side.” Andi felt her eyes prick, a sign she might cry. She blinked quickly, trying to hold it in.

  “I would not have left you either,” Rodin said clearly but softly from her right side, emphasizing his statement with a squeeze on her shoulder that moved her body closer to his.

  “Should we give them a few moments alone?” Andi said softly, not wanting to be a voyeur but definitely fee