Before he moves to my other breast, he looks at me and gently murmurs “Beautiful,” before flattening his tongue across my nipple. I take this opportunity to undo his belt buckle and start unbuttoning his jeans. Since he’s sitting on the couch, I can’t make any attempt to remove them, but he gets the idea. His hand finds the button on my jeans as he motions for me to stand. When we are both standing, I take his waistband in my hands and slide his pants down his hips, where they pool at his feet. He quickly steps out of them and stands before me in nothing but his boxer briefs. I can’t help but stare at this amazing man—strong and sexy as hell, he holds my gaze as he moves closer to me to slide my own jeans off. Now we’re standing next to the couch in just our underwear. He looks at me like I'm prey, moving closer to me as he takes my mouth again. This afternoon was our time to connect and make love; this right here, right now, is about all the sexual tension and raw lust we have for each other. We're both having trouble keeping control of ourselves as he hauls me up. My legs immediately wrap around his waist, and my arms go around his neck.
His hand slides in between us as he starts to rub my clit through my panties. He then moves them to the side, so he can slip a finger inside my very wet pussy. He growls in frustration then rips the narrow band of my thong and yanks them to the floor. I realize in this moment that I have lost any bit of control I had of the situation, and I’m perfectly fine with that.
Max quickly backs me up against the side of the couch as he turns me around. I'm bent over the arm of the couch as he runs his hands down my back until he reaches the mounds of my ass, squeezing them before lowering himself between my legs.
“So sexy, always so wet for me.”
His mouth attaches to me as he sucks and licks until I’m panting and close to orgasm. Before I can reach my climax, he stops, bites each side of my ass and stands to remove his boxer briefs with a little chuckle as I turn to glare at him for stopping. He pulls me up so we are chest to back and enters me slowly as he kisses my neck, pulling my mouth to him, devouring it. He feels so damn good as he moves slowly in and out of me. He releases my mouth, pushing me forward so that my hands are on the couch cushion and grabs my hips.
“I’m not going to be gentle, Bren.”
“I don’t want you to be.”
He pulls almost all the way out then slams into me. He doesn’t stop there—it’s almost like an animal has taken him over as slams into me, quickly bringing me to the brink and then blissfully shoving me over. My insides squeeze him so tight that he quickly follows me over the edge, pressing me into the arm of the couch. We're both spent as he lies over me, kissing the back of my neck before he pulls out of me. The loss of his heat, of his body filling mine, feels like a loss. My body starts to straighten as he takes my hand, pulling me onto his lap.
Kissing my neck, he whispers in my ear, “I love you, beautiful.”
“I love you too. I’m so glad you came back. Don’t leave me again.”
“I don’t plan on it. You’re stuck with me.”
Silence soon takes over as we sit there, holding each other. Reality starts to set in. I quickly get up and head to the bathroom. “I need a shower. Do you want to join me?”
“Sounds good to me,” he says, taking my hand. He pulls me into the bathroom, where we shower before he takes me again. After we finish showering a second time, we crawl into bed. I set the alarm for way too early then curl into his side, with my head resting on his chest. His arm wraps around me, holding me so tight it’s like he wants to make sure I can’t get away.
Six comes way too fast. The mood is heavy as we dress and make our way around, gathering everything I’ll need for my short hospital stay. Max reluctantly makes himself a cup of coffee, feeling bad that I can’t have any. I take my pill to help with my nerves. Once we get everything together, we walk out the door.
The drive was too short and left me feeling like it was over before it even started. Max quickly parked the car and ran around to my side, opening the door for me as he takes hold of my hand. Once he's helped me out of the car, he gently pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me.
“I love you, babe. Everything will be fine. I know it,” he says as he gently kisses the top of my head. He takes my hand in his once again and grabs my bag out of the back seat.
“I love you too, Max. Thank you for being here with me.”
“Nowhere I would rather be.” He smiles at me as we enter the hospital.
My mom and dad are standing in the lobby area as we walk through the door. I go to get registered and checked-in, and when I'm finished, Kat, James, and Steph are waiting with my parents.
“You all didn’t need to be here this early. You could have come after the surgery, when I’m in a room.”
“Bren, we wanted to be here before to let you know you have our support.” Kat wraps her arms around me tightly and whispers, “We love you. You got this.”
“Thanks, Kat. I appreciate it.”
I don’t even have time to take a seat before my name is being called by the nurse from yesterday’s appointment.
“Bren, only one person can come back with you right now for pre-op. Once we take you back, everyone will be able to gather in the surgical waiting room for any news and updates. Who would you like to come with you?”
I glance back and forth between Max and my mom. Luckily for me, she sees the turmoil in my eyes and speaks out. “Max, why don’t you go back with her now?” She turns to me with loving eyes and says, “We’ll see you after the surgery, once you’re all settled in your room.”
I mouth a thank-you to her as I take my man’s hand. “Thank you, Tina. I will take good care of your daughter,” he says as he hugs her. I make my way around the circle of family I have here to support me, giving each one a hug.
My grip on Max’s hand is tight as we walk down the hall to my pre-op room, and I’m starting to feel a bit off balance from the Valium. He wraps his arm around me, bringing me tight against his side. I’m shown into a room, given a gown, some silly-looking socks with tread on the bottom, and asked to change. I undress under the close watch of Max and notice his eyes getting a heated look.
“Not now, big guy.” He laughs as I hand him my clothes to put in the bag, slipping into the most unflattering hospital gown I’ve ever seen. I settle into the bed, and Max is right there, holding my hand, standing next to me just like he promised he would.
Cathy, the nurse comes back in with a tray full of supplies to do my IV. Max tightens his grip, letting me know he is still there as I cringe at the sight of the needle.
“How are you doing this morning? Did you take the Valium before you left?”
“I'm doing okay. Just a little nervous, and yes, I did take the Valium. I'm starting to feel a little off from it, but I think I would be a whole lot more freaked out without it.”
She writes something down and starts asking more questions. “Have you had anything to eat or drink in the last twelve hours?”
“Just a sip of water, with the pill.”
“All right, looks like we're all set then. I'm going to take your vitals and get your IV started. Once I receive word that the OR is ready for you, I'll put medicine into the IV, and it'll start to make you sleepy. At that point we'll be taking you down to the OR, and Max will have to go to the waiting room.” Looking at Max, she says, “Make sure to take all of her belongings with you, then you can go get her family and bring them with you to the waiting room. Do either of you have any questions?”
“I think I am good. What about you, Max?”
“I’m all set.”
Cathy takes my vitals and gets the IV line run on the first try, which was a massive relief. After carefully taping the line to the back of my hand and checking the drip on the machine, she gives us a few moments of privacy. “I’ll be back shortly.”
My dread has been notching up steadily while she was working and I’m nearly desperate to have this over with. Max can clearly see I’m starting to lose my g
rip.
“Everything will be okay. I know it will, babe. As soon as you wake up, I will be right there by your side. I love you the most.” He kisses me on the lips lightly.
“Ha, I’ll give it to you this time, but next time it won’t be so easy.”
We’re sitting in the room laughing when Cathy comes back in with a syringe in her hand. “We’re ready for you in the OR. Are you ready?”
“I think so.” I look over to Max, still holding my hand as the medicine is inserted into my IV. Within seconds I start to feel sleepy. Max gently leans over me, kissing each eyelid, then each cheek, and ending with a soul-crushing kiss to my lips. “I love you. See you on the other side.” He smiles at me, and I try to smile back, but I’m drifting off fast.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Max
With everything that has gone on recently, seeing Bren in the hospital bed and having to leave her there was one of the hardest things I've had to do. I watch as she’s wheeled down the hallway to the OR and out of my sight, lost in my own thoughts and fears. I stand there for a few minutes before I snap out of it, then hurry to gather Bren’s bag and clothes before going to get everyone else and bring them to the surgical waiting area.
“Hey, everyone, Bren just went back to the OR. We can head to the surgical waiting area now. Dr. Gerrard said surgery should take a little over an hour, and then they take her to a recovery room. At that point, someone will come let us know how everything went and when we can see her.”
Everyone rises from their seats, and James hands me a coffee from his shop. “I ran to get everyone some good coffee; I figured we could all use it.”
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it.”
Silently, we walk to the waiting room and wait for what seems like forever. An hour passes, then two, and I start to worry. I also see the worry etched on the faces of everyone else in the room as the minutes pass by. At the two-and-a-half-hour mark, Dr. Gerrard comes into the room, still in his scrubs. “Hey, everyone, sorry to keep you waiting for so long. We encountered excessive bleeding during the procedure, and it took a bit of time to get it stopped. Everything else went well, though, and we gave Bren a bag of blood just to make sure she’s topped off. She’s now in the recovery room and is slowly starting to come out of anesthesia. I can let two of you back at a time to the recovery room.”
“Do you know if you were able to remove it all and if it has spread any?” her mom speaks up.
“I think we got it all, but the lab will have to confirm that I got clean margins. I still want to do a few treatments, though, just to make completely sure that there are no cancerous cells left behind. When I see Bren in two weeks for her post-op appointment, we will make plans for chemo treatments.”
“Thank you, Dr. Gerrard.” I shake his hand then Tina and I follow him to see Bren.
We walk into the room as Cathy is hovering over her, checking her IV connections and vitals. Bren is starting to move, and I notice her eyes flutter open for a few seconds before they close again. Cathy smiles at us and then takes a step back. We both approach Bren, one on either side, each taking a hand.
“Everything is looking good. She’ll take a little while to fully wake up since she was under for longer than expected today. Be patient, she’ll come around. If you need anything from me, just push that red button and I’ll come right in,” she says as she walks out of the room. The silence is overwhelming.
“She looks so peaceful right now. I hope she doesn’t have much pain,” Tina says to me.
“I hope she doesn’t have much pain, either. I just want her to wake up so I know she’s really okay.”
“She will. She likes her beauty rest.”
“I do,” Bren croaks out.
“There she is. How are you feeling, beautiful?”
“Not sure. Drink, please.”
Her mom retrieves the little hospital cup that Cathy left for Bren, putting the straw to her lips. “Just a few sips, just enough to wet your mouth.”
I lean over and plant a kiss on her forehead then her knuckles and each fingertip. “Love you.”
“More,” is all she is able to get out.
“Don’t talk, babe, you need to just lay there and rest while your body wakes up. Are you in any pain?”
“Not really.”
“I’m going to go get the nurse and let her know you’re awake. I’ll be right back.”
“Love you.”
“Love you.” Tina leans over, placing a kiss to Bren’s temple, then leaves in search of Cathy.
“Hey there, sunshine. I missed you. You took a little longer than they expected, had me a little worried.”
“Why, what happened?”
“The doctor said that you had a little problem with hemorrhaging and it took some time to get it under control. They had to give you a bag of blood to make up for the loss, but everything else went well.”
“Was anything damaged?”
“He didn’t say, just that everything else went well. We’ll make sure to ask, though.”
Tina and Cathy come back into the room. “How are you feeling?” Cathy asks.
“Okay. My throat hurts a little bit, and I can feel the pain some, but it’s not too bad.”
“There was a tube in your throat, that’s why your throat is hurting. Just take some small sips of water for now. We don’t want you getting sick by putting too much in your tummy right now. In a little bit I will bring you some crackers to eat to make sure you can hold it down. Once you can do that, we’ll be able to get you up to your room. Dr. Gerrard marked that you will be here two days with the possibility of a third if you’re still weak from the blood loss. Did Max tell you about what happened?”
“Yes, he did. Was anything damaged that I need to know about?”
“Nothing is noted in your file, but the hemorrhage came from the abdominal wall and not any reproductive organs. You apparently were a bit anemic, and it caused the blood to flow more rapidly rather than clotting like we would like to see.”
“Thank you, Cathy, for the information, I know Bren was worried and is still worried about eventually being able to have a child,” Tina says.
“Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be back in a bit to give you some crackers, and we hope within the next thirty to forty minutes we’ll have you on your way to your room.”
“I’m going to go give everyone an update and let James and Kat know that they can leave with Steph. I know they want to see you, but I’m sure that little lady is starting to get cranky being stuck in a hospital waiting room.”
“That’s fine, Mom, tell them I love them, and I’ll see them later.” With a kiss to Bren’s temple, she leaves again.
As promised, Cathy comes back with some crackers, and Bren nibbles at them, even though her throat is raw and hurts. By the time Tina returns, they’re prepping Bren to be moved to her room. This time I leave her mom to go with her as they move her up to her room, and I go back to the waiting room to get her dad.
“Hey, they’re moving Bren to her room now. We can go on up to meet her. Tina is staying with her while they move her.”
“Sit,” he says, and the look on his face tells me he isn’t very happy. I take a seat across from him and look him in the eyes.
“I know my daughter and wife have accepted you back with open arms, but I am a bit more cautious. I don’t like what you’ve done to her—not once, but twice now, you left her hanging in the wind. I’m keeping an eye on you, and I really hope that you can prove me wrong by not screwing up again. That’s my little girl in there, going through the hardest time of her life, and she doesn’t need you making it worse.”
“Yes, sir. I understand where you’re coming from, and I’m not proud of myself. I was a coward when it came to dealing with this cancer. Not to mention scared to death when I caused her to end up in the hospital. I thought it was best for me to leave her alone, but I was wrong. I assure you that the threat against me is gone and dealt with. No one should be hunting me
or anyone I know down again. I promise you, I won’t leave Bren ever again. I love her too much to lose her forever.”
“That’s what I want to hear, but I’m still watching you. Don’t screw up. I like you, Max, I always have, but I love my daughter more. She comes first, and I don’t care what kind of training you have, I’ll kick your ass if you ever hurt her again. Do you understand?”
“More than you know. I already got Jackson’s famous right hook for this last stunt, and I was surprised he didn’t do worse damage. I deserved more than what he gave me. Speaking of Jackson, I need to call him. He is probably waiting for my call to let him know about Bren. I want you to know I plan on being by Bren’s side every step of the way with this and for as long as she wants me, I’m here for her.”
“Like I said, you still need to prove yourself to me, but I’m glad you came back. She needs you, and she loves you.”
“I love her too. More than I thought was possible.”
“Call Jackson and I’ll go on up to her room; what room number is she in?”
“205. Let her know I’ll be right there after I call Jackson.”
“Will do.” And he leaves to find his daughter.
I walk to the entrance of the hospital to make my call so I have enough service to get through. With only two rings he picks up. “What took so long to call? Is Bren okay?”
“Hi to you, too. Bren is fine; she’s going to her room now. The surgery took a little longer than expected because she started to hemorrhage. Other than that, everything else went well. She’s out of recovery and doing well. I just wanted to give you a quick call with an update. I really need to get back in there and up to Bren.”
“Thanks for calling, I’ve been worried all morning. Glad she made it through surgery all right. Keep me updated and let me know if you need anything. Mike is on his way back to Portland with your SUV. He’ll be stopping by for a key then I asked him to take guard at the hospital for the night hours.”
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