Losing Game: A Winning Ace Novel (Book 2)

by Tracie Delaney

  Still she sat waiting. A couple of times, she wandered into the hallway, but every time she tried to stop someone, they waved her away and rushed off to the next emergency.

  The police questioned her, but she couldn’t tell them anything other than that the car had been out of control and the driver hadn’t stopped. She couldn’t even recall the colour or the make of the vehicle.

  She rocked backwards and forwards as the police took notes and assured her they were doing everything they could to find the culprit. Tally couldn’t have cared less. She only had room to think about Cash. Her fragile mind couldn’t cope with anything else.

  She didn’t know how long she waited, but as she began to drift into a fitful sleep, a warm hand on her shoulder made her start, and her eyes flew open. A young man wearing Harry Potter-style glasses and blue scrubs with streaks of red across the front was standing in front of her.

  “Miss McKenzie, I’m Dr Girard.” His face had the weary, resigned expression of an accident-and-emergency doctor too used to carnage and death.

  A sob caught in her throat. “Is he…?”

  “He’s alive. His leg is broken in three places, and his right hand was crushed when the car ran over him. But these are minor in comparison to his head injury.” He gazed at her solemnly. “When his head hit the windshield, the blood vessels at the front of his brain ruptured, meaning the cavity between the skull and the brain filled with blood. You’re lucky the ambulance brought him here, because we have one of the best neurosurgeons in Paris. He’s managed to stabilise Mr Gallagher for now, and has removed part of the outer skull to allow the blood to drain away. This will help relieve the pressure, but the next twenty-four hours are critical.”

  “Oh God.” She clapped a hand over her mouth and forced back a scream. Please, let me wake up from this nightmare. But she couldn’t wake up, because this was real. She wasn’t asleep—and this wasn’t a nightmare.

  “Can I call someone for you?”

  Tally shook her head. “I need to see him.”

  “Of course.”

  She followed Dr Girard out of the waiting room. They walked in silence. After a couple of minutes, the doctor pushed open a door and waved for her to go in.

  When her eyes fell on Cash, a sharp pain in her chest sucked all the air from her lungs. She’d imagined being greeted by a bloodied, broken body. But the reality was much worse. His head was swathed in white gauze, and there were so many tubes sticking out of him that he looked more like a machine than a warm human being who loved her, had proposed to her, and had kissed her.

  And bought her flowers.

  She shuffled over to the bed, almost falling into a nearby chair. Cash’s right hand was in plaster, but his left was free. She covered it with her own. His hand was warm—the warmth of someone very much alive. She lifted it, placing his palm against her cheek the way Cash had, many times, of his own accord.

  “Please don’t leave me,” she begged, rubbing his hand against her face. It didn’t feel the same as when Cash did it. “I waited ten years for you. And I’ll wait another ten, twenty, if it means you’ll come back to me. But we’ve got too much to do. I haven’t had enough time…”

  Her voice broke on a sob, and it was only then she realised they weren’t alone. In the corner, a nurse was making notes on a chart.

  “Will he live?” Tally said as another wave of fear gripped her stomach.

  The nurse glanced up and smiled kindly. “He’s young, and he’s strong.”

  “But will he live?” she said again, her body trembling, the idea of a life without Cash making her head swim and her heart splinter.

  The nurse put the chart to one side. “I wish I could give you a straight answer. We got to him quickly, which is positive, but…” She shrugged. “All we can do is wait.”

  Tally rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Will he be the same if he survives?”

  “We won’t know anything until he wakes up.”

  She blew out a shaky breath. “But in your experience. Please, I have to know.”

  The nurse hesitated. It was clear she was struggling with the right thing to say. “He’s suffered a severe head trauma. Injuries like this do have side effects, even when the patient survives the initial incident.” She rose from her chair, crossed the room, and rested a comforting hand on Tally’s shoulder. “But youth is on his side.”

  Tally nodded. “I need to tell his mum.” She began to cry, her shoulders shaking with the effort of desperately trying to hold it all together.

  “Can I call her for you?”

  “No. I’ll do it. I just need to think of the right thing to say.” She bent forward, rested her head against his hand, and closed her eyes. Rachael would be devastated. And Rupe. And what about Brad, Jamie, Em, Pete? Oh God, it was all too much. She didn’t have the right words.

  Her head snapped up. Shit. She’d fallen asleep. How long had she been out? Her eyes sought Cash’s face. He was still sleeping. Was sleeping the right word when someone was being drugged to stay that way? The whooshing noise from the ventilator providing air to his lungs stole her attention. She was beginning to hate the sound.

  “Hey, ace,” she said, kissing his cheek.

  She glanced across the room. A new nurse sat in the corner, and she smiled warmly at Tally.

  “How is he?” Tally said.

  “No change. He’s stable but still critical. Perhaps you would like to get a drink? Something to eat?”

  Tally rubbed sleep from her eyes. “I need to call his mum,” she said, digging her phone out of her bag. “I should have done it last night. Why didn’t I do it last night?” She covered her face with her hands as more tears began to fall. “I can’t handle this.”

  She found herself enclosed in a warm embrace. “You’ve had an enormous shock,” the nurse said. “It’s understandable.”

  Tally let herself wallow in the moment of comfort before she pulled away. She reached into her bag for a tissue and blew her nose. “Thank you,” she said, her voice hoarse from all the crying she’d done.

  She slipped into the hallway and frowned at her phone. No signal. She headed for the hospital entrance. As she stepped outside, she shivered despite the heat of the day. Tally spotted a small garden with a couple of wooden benches, each one inscribed with a name and two dates—a memorial to people, like Cash, who’d been brought to hospital but had never left.

  Her chest heaved, and she bit down on her lip, the coppery taste of blood spilling onto her tongue. She had no idea how to begin this conversation. What she should say first? It was all moot, of course, because it didn’t matter what she said. The news was going to tear Rachael apart.

  40

  “Tally, my darling. How is the holiday going? Anything to tell me?”

  Rachael’s voice held a tinge of excitement, clearly signposting the proposal. Despite all the mental preparation, Tally couldn’t force the words. No matter what she did, they wouldn’t come. A sob broke from her throat.

  “Tally.” Rachael’s voice was harder now, full of concern. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s Cash,” she finally managed to force out. “He’s… he’s… oh, Rachael, he’s in hospital. Please come.”

  “Hospital?” Rachael said, her voice sharp and shrill. “What hospital? What’s happened?”

  “In P-Paris.” Tally sobbed harder, trying desperately to keep it together yet failing miserably. “He got hit by a car. We’re at the American Hospital in Paris.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Without another word, Rachael hung up, and relief hit Tally hard. She’d be able to share the burden and the pain. His mum was on her way, and Tally wouldn’t have to manage alone any longer.

  She hurried back inside, unable to bear the thought of something happening to Cash while she wasn’t there, but when she opened the door to the ICU, nothing had changed. The nurse stood up as she walked inside.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’
t even know your name.”

  “Evelyn,” the nurse replied.

  Tally nodded. “His mum is coming. She’s in Belfast. I don’t know how long that will take her. How long do you think it will take her to get here?” She was rambling, but Evelyn didn’t react to her incoherence.

  “Why don’t you go and get something to eat and drink?”

  Tally shook her head. “How long have we been here?”

  “Since about ten thirty last night.”

  She glanced at the large clock on the wall. “Eleven hours.” She frowned. “Is that all? It feels like longer.”

  Time seemed meaningless as she sat and stared. She lost track of how long ago she’d made the phone call, but when the door opened and she lifted her head to see Cash’s mum standing in the doorway, she swallowed back a sob and threw herself into Rachael’s outstretched arms.

  “Shush, darling. I’m here.” Rachael clutched her hand, and they walked over to Cash’s bedside. Tears filled Rachael’s eyes. Her face was pale and wan. She took a deep, shuddering breath and gently caressed his face.

  “My son is strong. The strongest person I know. He won’t let this beat him.” She turned to Evelyn. “Can I speak to the doctor?”

  “Of course.”

  Five minutes later, the neurosurgeon arrived, and Rachael stepped outside to speak with him. Tally didn’t know whether to follow her or stay put. She decided on the latter. Better to let Rachael handle this side of things. It was easy to see where Cash’s strength came from.

  “Cash,” she said, closing her fingers around his. “Your mum’s here. Don’t give up. She can’t lose you. Not now.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Neither can I.”

  When Rachael returned, she pulled up another chair and sat next to Tally.

  “What did the doctor say?” Tally asked.

  “Not much other than he’s stable, but it’s a waiting game. There is nothing to be done while he’s in the medically induced coma. We have to wait and see.”

  Tally choked back a sob. “I can’t lose him.”

  Rachael held Tally’s hand in a firm grip. “You are not going to lose him. We are not going to lose him. I refuse to let my son go. I missed thirteen years of his life. I will not miss another second.”

  Rachael’s gaze fell on the large diamond on Tally’s left hand, and a smile spread across her face. Her expression was out of place yet also fit perfectly. “He did it,” she said, her eyes bright with happiness. “And you said yes.”

  Tally nodded as she twiddled the ring around her finger. It felt heavy and unfamiliar. “It was the most romantic proposal. He was buying flowers when he… when he…”

  Natalia McKenzie, I love you more than I ever thought possible. You’re my light, my life, my heart and soul. My everything. Will you marry me?

  Fresh tears fell, and Tally pushed her chair backwards, the resultant screech zipping through her. “Won’t be a minute,” she mumbled, stumbling into the hall. She was losing it. Her chest was hollow, her skin numb, and she could barely see through her tears as she staggered into the bathroom. She pressed her hands against the wall and forced herself to take slow, ragged breaths.

  Leaning her forehead against the cool mirror, she closed her eyes. Get a grip. She’d be no use to Cash if she continued this downward spiral. He’d always been the strong one, and now he needed her to be strong for him. It wasn’t fair to put all this on Rachael. She’d barely recovered from a long illness herself, and who knew what stress like this could do to her long-term recovery.

  Rupe!

  His name slammed into her, and she gulped air through lungs that burned with every breath. She needed Rupe. Oh God, she hadn’t even called him. What was wrong with her? Surely, a normal person would want their loved ones around them at a time like this to offer strength and support, to spread the burden, and yet, it had taken her hours before she’d even called Cash’s mother. To think he could have died, and Rachael wouldn’t have been there.

  Tally lurched towards the bathroom door as the room began to spin. She raised a shaky hand to her clammy face as a wave of nausea washed over her. Her legs buckled, and she sank to the floor.

  41

  Tally came around to find a woman with dark hair and worried eyes crouched over her. She tried to sit up, but the woman placed her hand gently on her shoulder.

  “No, chérie. Don’t try to get up. Did you hit your head when you fell?”

  Tally touched the back of her head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. What happened?”

  “You fainted. I tried to catch you, but I wasn’t quick enough.”

  Tally tried once again to sit up, and this time, the stranger helped her.

  “I have to go. My fiancé needs me.”

  “Let’s get you checked out first.”

  “No, really,” Tally said, struggling to her feet. “I’m okay.”

  “You don’t look okay. Come on. It will only take a minute.”

  Tally weaved as she came to a full standing position. Reluctantly, she nodded, and leaning her weight on the woman, they walked to the nurses’ station. Behind the desk sat the nurse who’d been caring for Cash the night before. She probably worked the evening shift.

  “It’s you,” Tally stupidly said. Jesus, maybe she had taken a blow to the head when she fainted.

  “It’s me—I’m Marie,” the nurse said with a smile. “What’s happened to you?”

  The kind stranger who’d found Tally briefly explained what had happened.

  Marie made Tally sit down and carried out a few tests. After checking her blood pressure and taking her pulse, Marie passed her a glass of water. “When did you last eat something?”

  “Last night.”

  She nodded as though that explained everything. Digging around in her desk drawer, Marie produced a nutty bar. “Eat,” she said, handing it over. “And finish all that water.”

  “I have to get back to Cash. He needs me.”

  “He needs you to be well,” Marie said. “You’re no use to anyone if you get sick. Now eat. Then you can go.”

  Tally crammed down the nut bar. It tasted like sawdust, but her stomach settled after she’d finished it.

  “Come on,” Marie said. “It’s time for me to relieve Evelyn anyway. Let’s go and see how your man is doing.”

  When Tally pushed the door to Cash’s hospital room open, Rachael jumped to her feet, her face holding so much worry that fresh guilt slammed into Tally.

  “Where have you been? What happened?” Rachael said, smoothing dishevelled hair from Tally’s face.

  “She fainted,” Marie explained. “It’s likely the stress and shock catching up with her. I’ve checked her over, and she’s fine, but she needs to eat.” She gave Tally a hard stare before she and Evelyn began to exchange notes.

  Tally sank into the chair by Cash’s bed and resumed holding his hand.

  “Fainted? Oh, Tally.”

  “I’m all right.” Fresh realisation about Rupe washed over her. “I haven’t called Rupe.”

  “I called him,” Rachael said. “Right after you called me. He should be here sometime tonight.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Tally said. Somehow, Rupe would make everything all right.

  He arrived a little after ten that evening, bringing with him a life force Tally desperately needed to recharge hers. She barrelled into his chest. Almost immediately, her strength returned, as though he had regenerated her depleted batteries.

  “It’s okay, Tal,” he said, his arms strong and comforting around her. He kissed Rachael on the cheek. “How is he? Any change?”

  Rachael shook her head. “No, but the swelling in his brain has stopped growing, which they seem pleased about, and the doctor is going to start withdrawing the coma medication at midnight.”

  “And then what?”

  Rachael shrugged. “We wait. And pray.”

  Rupe switched his attention to Tally. “What the fuck happened, Tal?”

  She met his gaze. Rupe’s fa
ce was pinched, and dark circles she’d never seen before gave his eyes a sunken look.

  “He was crossing the road. The car came out of nowhere. It all happened so fast…”

  “Have they found him? The driver?”

  “Not that I know of. I don’t care about that, Rupe. Right now, I only care about Cash.”

  “Of course. Sorry.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, folding herself into his arms once more.

  “For as long as you need me,” Rupe said, rubbing her back with soothing circles. “I expected Em to be here.”

  Tally shook her head against his chest then pulled away. “I told her not to come. Or Pete. There’s nothing they can do, and it’s two more people for me to think about.”

  Rupe gave her an understanding nod as silence descended over the hospital room, broken only by the noise of the ventilator and the scratch of Marie’s pen as she made notes every half an hour on Cash’s vital signs. At midnight, when the doctor removed the IV line administering the drugs that kept Cash sedated, Tally didn’t even dare to blink in case she missed a twitching eye, a muscle spasm, or the jerk of a finger. But as the hours passed and nothing changed, she began to lose hope.

  “I need a minute,” she said, scrabbling out of the chair. She almost ran from the room, and when she burst through the hospital doors to the outside, she took huge gulps of air. A sudden dizzy spell hit her, and she shoved her head between her legs.

  “Not again,” she muttered as wave after wave of nausea flooded her stomach, and she broke out into a cold sweat. Tally breathed slowly in and out, and after a minute, the sickly feeling disappeared. She stood upright.

  “He’s going to pull through.”

  Tally glanced over her shoulder. Rupe had joined her, his face more serious than she’d ever seen.