Page 47 of Rising Star

“How is she holding up?” she asked the nurse.

“Your sister is a fighter.” Mara addressed both of us. “We’ll continue to monitor Ms. Prescott closely. Don’t hesitate if you have questions. I’ll give you two some time before I come back to check on her in a little while.”

The door closed behind her, and Emily pivoted to face me.

“Sam, you look like hell,” she said, the corner of her lips lifting up. But the expression in her eyes betrayed her worries.

“Yeah, well, I have no idea what I’m doing. Beside her, I can’t seem to stop talking. Filling the silence and masking the beeping of the machines. I’m a mess.”

“Even if she can’t speak, Maddie knows you’re here. I know how hard it must be for you,” she said, squeezing my arm. “Hold on, okay? Keep talking to her.”

I inhaled, averted my eyes for a beat, and returned my attention to her. “Last night…after everyone left…we made the choice to be together. To give this relationship a try. To not hide from our feelings any longer.” I let the words settle in. “Ems, I love her. And I never told her. For the longest time, I was being a chickenshit, keeping her at a distance, convincing myself she was better off without me. And now I’m afraid I’ll never get a chance to tell her how much she means to me.”

The tears I swallowed felt like tiny needles when they ran down the fragile, raw lining of my throat.

Emily’s arms wrapped around my shoulders this time, and I held her there. In the simple gesture, we brought each other comfort. Strength to go through the reality that was hitting us. In this instant, she reminded me so much of her younger sister, her heart bleeding for those she loved. Like Madison, I could recognize the strength emanating from her, and for a moment, I wished it would rub off on me. One thing was clear, the Prescott sisters were angels on this earth. And I was thankful for their presence in my life.

“And you, how are you holding up?” I asked once we broke apart.

She sighed. “Inside, I’m freaking out. But the doctor in me is trying to see the situation from a medical perspective. I’ve never faced this kind of challenge before.” We both remained silent for a long while, watching Madison through the glass door. “I spoke to my parents. They’re arriving tomorrow.”

“Ask Riley for June’s contact. She’ll make things happen if any of you miss anything. She always does.”

Emily returned her attention to me. “Sam, you’re one of the good ones. Maddie is lucky to have you in her life. For the longest time, I feared she wouldn’t find her place in this world. She never had a lot of friends growing up, always preferring to be on her own. Unable to let people fully in. Then she started traveling, looking for something she thought she couldn’t find here. A purpose. She’s the best person I know, and my gut tells me everything she’s been searching for was right under her nose the entire time.”

I raked my fingers through my hair, unable to avert my eyes from the pallid figure on the bed.

“Thanks to you and your children, she’s thriving. I haven’t seen her this happy in…forever. She has never seemed as at ease anywhere than around you guys. I’m thankful to you for all of it. We’ve been through a lot together, and I’m happy she’s loved the way she should be. Even more with the current turn of events.”

A fresh batch of tears welled in my eyes. “Ems, be honest with me. I know how strong she is, but do you think she will fight back? Or if she makes it through, do you think this,” I pointed to the monitors, “will change her forever?”

“Maddie went through some hard times when we were little. If she survived those years, I have no doubt she can survive this ordeal. She’s a fighter. Always has been. Or she wouldn’t be here.”

My attention drifted to her, and I tried to read between the lines to intuit the words she didn’t speak out loud. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes dimmed, and an expression I could not decipher filled Emily’s eyes. “If she hasn’t told you yet, it means she’s not ready. The time will come. I have no doubt. And, to be honest with you, I would prefer it’s she who tells you.”

I nodded. “Should I worry? She once said she’d been neglected when she was a little girl.”

“Sam, give her some time. It’s hard for her to open up about her struggles. She’ll do so when she’s ready. But don’t worry. The past will never come back to mess with her.”

I cast my eyes on Madison and watched each wave of the ECG to make sure she was alive and with me.

My eyeballs burned. The tears and exhaustion had taken their toll on my body and mind in the last few hours.

“Sam, you should get some sleep,” Emily said after her while. “I can take over. I’m used to staying alert and awake all night. And Mara is a good friend of mine. I’ll be the first to know if anything changes. I won’t leave her side, I promise.”

“What if she wakes up while I’m gone?”

She shook her head. “She won’t. The medication will keep her sedated and on the ventilator until she shows signs of healing. If there’s any change, I’ll call you. Your kids need you. Your little girls may be scared. They need their daddy.”

“Yes. I talked to them earlier. Explained as much as I could.” My voice cracked. “I have no idea how to face them without being able to answer all their questions because I lack the answers.”

“Be honest. That’s what matters. Right now, all we can do is pray. And hope for the best.”

I hung my head low before moving to my feet to hug her one last time.

“I’ll be here first thing in the morning,” I said.