"We'll be right behind you, honey," Rick said, attempting to close my door.
"Don't let him die. I love him," I mumbled as the darkness finally dragged me in for good.
***
I was awakened by a hand gently smoothing my hair back. Bright light flooded the space around me and I marveled at the absence of rain. I tried to focus, but my eyes were heavy and I drifted back to sleep. I could hear voices, but I was too tired to make out their words.
The next few days passed in a drug-induced sleep as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I wanted to ask about Mason, but I couldn't manage to stay awake longer than a few minutes at a time.
Finally, on the third day, I was able to open my eyes long enough to hold a conversation. The room I was in had an antiseptic smell, but I welcomed its presence.
"Sweetie," my mom said, leaning over me.
"Mason?" I croaked.
"Oh, sweetie, we've been so worried. Rick, she's awake," my mom said over her shoulder.
"Mason?" I asked again as Rick crowded my bed on the other side.
Rick's face was telling a story I didn’t want to hear.
"Mason?" I asked, clawing at the oxygen tube in my nose so I could sit up.
My mom’s hands stopped me, gently pushing me back down.
"He's in recovery sweetie. They say you saved his life," she said as tears coursed down her cheeks.
"What aren't you telling me?" I demanded, looking at Rick.
"They couldn't save his leg," Rick said, holding back his own tears.
All fight left me as I sank back against my pillows with tears streaming down my cheeks.
"Honey, he's going to be okay," my mom said, trying to reassure me.
"No, he won't be, Mom, the mountains are his life and he needs his leg. All of it was for nothing," I said, pounding the bed with my hand.
"Kimmie, you're wrong. You saved his life. You're a hero," Rick said, holding my hand lightly in his.
"But I didn't save his leg," I said, choking on a sob.
"But you saved him. The rest we can deal with," he said, smoothing my hair back like my mom had.
"Honey, you walked three miles with pneumonia, a sprained ankle and countless other ailments. I'm so proud of you," my mom added.
I smiled slightly through my tears. "Mason said it would turn into pneumonia," I said before sliding back into the welcome arms of slumber.
Chapter 15
The next few days passed in slow motion as my body recovered from its trauma. I slept more than I ever had before, and my doctors told me that it was the best medicine I could get. The antibiotics helped and soon they were able to remove the oxygen tube, confident my lungs were well on the road to recovery. My ankle and finger would take longer, but they were now wrapped properly.
When I was awake enough to hold a conversation, Rick filled me in on what Mason and I had missed in our absence. I found out Alyssa was hiding out in the boathouse all along, but she was still at the camp since her dad went on a drinking binge before she was picked up. The judge was so upset, he obviously reversed his decision.
"She's really worried about you guys and feels bad about what happened," Rick told me.
"Tell her it's all good," I said, stealing Mason's line. "Who's running the camp right now, anyway?"
"Louise and a couple of friends we have in the area. They plan on remaining there until camp ends so I can be here for you and Mason."
"When can I see Mason?" I asked.
"They want to wait until your pneumonia is completely gone. That way Mason won't be at risk.
I nodded, understanding the reasoning. "How is he?"
"Not bad. He's concerned about you," Rick answered evasively.
"That's not what I mean. How is he?"
"He's suffering from depression over his leg. He's putting on a brave front, but I can tell he's taking it hard."
I nodded, fighting tears. "I wish I could be with him," I mumbled, swiping a tear off my cheek.
"I know, honey, but we want you to get better too," Mom said, entering the room.
"I'm practically back to normal," I whined.
"Yes, well, 'practically' and 'actually' being back to normal are two separate things," she said, smoothing out my blanket.
Sensing an argument, Rick left the room, claiming he was going to check on Mason.
***
By the end of my second week in the hospital, I was done with their excuses. I asked to see Mason every opportunity I got, but Mom kept telling me it could be detrimental to my recovery.
"I want to see him now," I told her as she tried to derail my request once again.
"Kim, you heard the doctor. Your lungs need a chance to recover without risking another infection," she said, sighing heavily at my repeated request.
"I also heard him say I'd be ready for release tomorrow, so there's no reason I can't see Mason. Why are you keeping him from me?" I said, finally seeing through her ploy.
She looked at me critically for a minute before answering. "Do you know you wouldn't leave until you knew they were on their way to rescue Mason? You woke long enough to tell Rick they had to save Mason because you loved him."
I shook my head no. "That day was such a blur, I don't remember much of anything," I admitted. "But what does that have to do with anything?" I added, puzzled.
"I felt you needed a few days to sort out your feelings," she said, fluffing out the pillow behind my head.
"What do you mean, sort out my feelings?" I asked, dragging out my words.
"It just seems a little wishy-washy to be spouting out words of love with someone you hardly know."
"Well, that seems rich coming from you," I said quietly, looking her in the eye.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, avoiding my eyes as she sat on the edge of the chair.
"I think you know exactly what I mean. Not all of us feel the need to hold everything in. Not all of us feel it's right to deny others the truth. Is that why you didn't tell dad about me?" I asked.
She sighed and sat back in the chair. "I'm not sure how I felt about your dad. When I found out I was pregnant with you, we were both still bound and determined to keep our relationship casual. We were both in college and didn't want anything to encroach on our studies. We had fun hanging out together, and he definitely was the funniest person I had ever dated, but I didn’t know if it was love. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I was scared to tell him. He was starting his senior year and had big plans. I was terrified he'd turn his back on me, but I was more terrified he wouldn't. From the moment I found out you were in my belly, I felt you were mine. I know it sounds selfish, and if I could go back in time, I'd tell him, even if it meant I had to share you," she said, swiping at a stray tear.
"Would it have been so bad sharing me?" I asked.
"At the time, it seemed impossible, especially once I held you. You were so tiny and perfect that I couldn't imagine entrusting your safety with someone else. I wanted to protect you."
"And you wanted me to yourself," I said, feeling slightly nauseous.
"Yes, I wanted you to myself. Now, after all that, I'm afraid I finally have lost you to Rick," she said, choking back a sob.
I wanted to argue with her, but her words rang true. Somewhere in my subconscious, I had already decided that I wasn't ready to leave my new life. College was due to start in less than a month, but my dream school no longer held my heart. My heart was somewhere in this hospital.