“I understand.” I looked to Talon. “This is my—” My what? My friend? That would be insulting. My boyfriend? We weren’t in high school. My lover? “Talon Steel.”

Nico turned and regarded Talon for a moment before holding out his hand.

“Nico Kostas.” He shook Talon’s hand and then raked his fingers through his coal-black hair.

“What happened?” I asked.

Nico shook his head. “It’s all a blur. We were driving down Stetler Road after dinner. It was quiet, and all of a sudden out of nowhere, a truck plowed into our lane and hit us head on. The other driver wasn’t injured at all, like me. I don’t understand what could have happened with the airbag. I…” He squeezed his eyes shut, and a tear emerged.

“It’s not your fault,” I said, hoping I was speaking the truth.

He opened his eyes. “I’m glad you’re here. I can’t stay any longer. I have to catch a flight back to Des Moines, and I’m already running late.”

“You mean you aren’t staying?” Did he care so little about my mother?

“I wish I could. But I can’t get out of this. Brooke will understand.”

Maybe Brooke would, but I sure as hell didn’t. “Fine. Have a good flight.” I took a seat.

Talon sat down beside me as Nico left the waiting area.

“Nice guy, huh?” I said to Talon.

“Maybe he does have somewhere to be,” Talon said, “although…”

“Although what?”

Talon pursed his lips. “He seemed beside himself with worry and concern when we got here, and now all of a sudden he takes off?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” I said. “But I don’t have time to worry about her boyfriend being an ass. I need to find out about my mother.”

“She’s been in surgery for a while. Someone is bound to know something soon.” Talon smiled.

God, his smile. He smiled more now. When I first met him several months ago, getting a smile out of him had been like pulling teeth out one by one.

Talon stood. “I’m going to find something to drink around here. Do you want anything?”

I wasn’t thirsty, but I did need to go to the bathroom. “No, but could you stay here a minute in case someone comes out with any news? I need to use the restroom.”

He sat back down. “Sure.”

I kissed the top of his head and headed out to find the bathroom. As I turned the corner into a different hallway, I stopped.

At the end of the hallway stood Nico, talking to— Was it Larry? I squinted. It was a long hallway, but damned if it didn’t look like my boss, Larry Wade. What the hell was he doing here?

The man who looked like Larry turned, met my gaze, and then pulled Nico around the corner. I walked swiftly and then began running, but by the time I reached the end of the hallway, the two men had vanished.

Had it been Larry? Had it even been Nico? My senses weren’t functioning all that well. My knees buckled. What was going on?

I leaned against the wall and breathed deeply. When I finally made sense of my environment, I turned and found a ladies’ room.

A few minutes later, I walked back to the waiting area. Talon still sat, leafing through a sports magazine.

“Any news?”

He shook his head.

I sat down next to him and fidgeted.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing. I just thought I saw…” What? My mom’s boyfriend talking to my sleazy boss? So what?

“Saw what?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.” I couldn’t deal with what I’d seen and what the implications might be. Right now, I had to deal with my mother.

“Will you be okay for a few minutes? I’m going to go and find that drink. You want anything?”

I shook my head.

He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of Coke and sat down. He put his arm around me, and I snuggled into his shoulder.

And waited.

About an hour later, a woman in scrubs approached us. “Ms. Roberts?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Dr. Rosenblum, your mother’s orthopedic surgeon. Her trauma surgeon, Dr. Melvin, is still in surgery with her.”

“Is she all right?”

“She’s holding her own. She’s a strong lady.”

“What’s going on, then?”

“She has a shattered knee and a severely bruised pelvis. She’s lucky she didn’t break her pelvis. That’s a six month recovery. She also has several fractured ribs. I’ve repaired the knee as best I can, but she may require a knee replacement if my repairs don’t take. But right now, her bones are the least of our concerns. She had some internal bleeding. Dr. Melvin is finishing those repairs now. He’ll be out to see you when he’s done.”

“Was he able to stop the bleeding?”

“Yes, we think so. He’ll be able to tell you more when he comes out.”

“Then that’s good, right?”

She pursed her lips. Her head didn’t move. No nod. No shake. “Yes, for the internal bleeding, but Ms. Roberts, your mother is in a coma. She may have a brain injury.”

“What?”

“We’ll have a neurologist do a thorough evaluation once she’s stable.”

“Once she’s stable? Do it now, for God’s sake.”

Talon tugged at my hand. “Jade—”

I pulled my hand away. “No, Talon.” I regarded the doctor. “Do it now. Do everything you have to do.”

“Ms. Roberts, please believe me. We’re doing everything we can right now.” Her eyes spoke the truth.

“Does my mother have a chance?” I asked.

She smiled. “From what I’ve seen, I think she has a good chance. But Dr. Melvin— Oh, here he is now.”

A large man in scrubs walked up to us. He held out his hand to me. “Ms. Roberts?”

I nodded.

“Jim Melvin. Your mother is stable for now. She’s being transferred to the ICU for the rest of the night. We’ll reevaluate in the morning.”

I gulped. I should be asking questions, but none came to the surface.

“She’ll get the best care here,” Dr. Rosenblum said soothingly. “I can’t tell you not to worry, but at least get some sleep.”