Four hours later, I was passed out against Mack's shoulder when his cell rang. My brain registered the noise and I was pulled quickly from sleep.

"Yeah," he answered quietly. He listened for several minutes before responding. "I have her here with me. We'll be there in a minute." He slid his phone back in his pocket and looked at me. "He's in recovery. It was touch and go, but he pulled through. They have him in a sedated coma. He has a stent in his skull to relieve swelling. The doctor told his parents he came to before surgery and demanded to see you. His mom wants you up there if you think you can handle it."

I was up and walking out of the emergency room before he finished, my heart pounding a hundred miles an hour. "What floor? I'm not waiting for you to waddle behind me."

Snickers came from several of the guys. "I've got her," Molly said.

"Second floor."

The elevator took so long I almost turned to the stairs. I'd do anything to get to him. Brack asked for me and I had to see him alive with my own eyes. I didn't care if he was out cold. I just had to see him. The ding ding and opening doors of the elevator happened two seconds before I took the stairs. I pressed my finger repeatedly against the number two button and the doors still didn't close. Fucking machine needed updating. They should have an emergency high speed or something. No one else but Molly got on thankfully. A few, very long seconds later, the doors opened on the second floor. Several nurses dressed in scrubs stood behind a desk to our right.

"I'm Olivia Stradmore. I need to see Brack Jacobs."

One stepped around the desk. "Follow me, Miss Stradmore. His father left orders that you're to go straight back."

She pushed a large metal wall button and the huge double doors slid open. She walked to a door with a big glass window beside it. I looked in and saw someone lying on a bed. Wires and tubes came out of every limb. White bandages covered their entire head. I sucked in a breath. It should have registered sooner that this was Brack. My head spun and I almost went to my knees. Shakily, I walked the last two feet and entered the room.

"You must be Olivia. I haven't seen you since you were a child," a man said as he stepped slightly in front of me.

"Let her in, Frank," a woman said from behind him. "She's white as a ghost and needs a chair or the poor thing will pass out."

I think I fell down the rabbit hole. I knew this man. Had heard his name come out of my father's mouth for years. It was rarely anything good.

"Umm, Senator Jacobs. I, umm, I'm sorry, I had no idea." Pieces of the puzzle fell into place. My father not caring that Brack looked like a beach bum. Brack totally not intimidated by my father. The damn man lived a life similar to mine and never let on.

Brack's father was from Arizona and held one of the few Democratic seats in the state. My father disliked Democrats with a passion. They'd served on several subcommittees together and I knew he respected Senator Jacobs. Brack Jacobs. The connection never occurred to me.

"Here," Senator Jacobs said as he guided me to the chair beside Brack's bed. "We'll give you a few minutes alone. The doctor said they would bring Brack out of the coma in a few days depending on how he's doing. He also said they have no idea what he can hear and not hear at this point. He was very insistent to see you, though."

I was attempting to process everything. I turned to Brack. My Brack. The man lying on the bed looked nothing like him. No shaggy hair; I knew they'd shaved it. A ventilator tube came out of his mouth. His pasty white skin showed no evidence of a tan. I looked down at his hand resting on the bed with an IV line attached. I was almost afraid to touch him. Slowly, I lowered my fingers to his. He was warm. Tears obscured my vision, the need to burst into tears overwhelming.

"He needs you, dear," his mother said quietly.

I hadn't really looked at her until now. She had Brack's wavy sun-streaked hair. Both her eyes were blue. Her husband's green. That had me giving her a slight smile. "Thank you for allowing me to see him."

"Take care of our son while we step out for a moment," she said with a smile.

I turned my attention back to Brack. I would think about Senator and Mrs. Jacobs later. Right now, I needed to hold onto him. I stared at his face and squeezed his fingers just a bit. A few moments later, I looked around the room and realized everyone had left. Senator Jacobs stood outside the window facing away. I stood slightly and lowered the rail of the bed. I was careful with the wires attached to Brack's chest feeding information to monitors. I gently lowered my head and placed my ear against his chest where his heart was. I didn't put a lot of pressure on him, which was probably silly. I just remembered the defibrillator shocking him when he had no heartbeat. I relaxed when I heard the thump, thump, thump that no machine could duplicate.

He smelled of antiseptic. I breathed in deeply and got a faint whiff of Brackmusky, sexy, man scent. I inhaled again. I knew he wasn't out of the woods. I also knew if I stayed by his side he couldn't leave me.

He promised and one thing I knew about Brack, he kept his promises. My fingers tightened a bit more on his and I prayed like I had never done before.