Emersyn couldn't remember ever being more scared in her life. Zeke was wheeled back before she arrived, so she was left alone with nothing but her fears to keep her company. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and searched her browser for anything that could cause randomly going unconscious for an extended period of time. The results were horrifying, ranging from anemia to aneurysm. Tears burned her eyes as she closed out of her browser and tried to call Kiel again. It went straight to voicemail. Not knowing who else to call or what else to do, she called Doris.

"Hello?" the old woman said, and her cheery voice just made Emersyn feel worse. "Emersyn, sweet pea, how lovely to hear from you."

"Doris," she said as she cut the old woman off mid-greeting. "I'm at the hospital. Zeke... he just collapsed. I don't... I don't know what's wrong. He's in the back, and he wouldn't wake up. And I'm totally freaking out right now. Kiel won't answer the phone. I think it's still on airplane mode. What do I do?"

She said all of this so fast that it was a wonder the old woman caught any of it at all. "Emersyn, honey," Doris said, her voice calm but concerned. "Take some deep breaths. In and out. Everything is going to be okay. Now, where is your uncle? You said his phone is on airplane mode?"

Emersyn nodded her head, even though the old woman couldn't see her. "Yes. He went to visit his parents in Spokane this morning. And I'm pretty sure he forgot to take his phone off airplane mode, because when I call him, it just goes straight to voicemail." She sucked in a quaking breath, watching the movement of everyone around her. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. People who walked by her looked blurry as they shuffled around. She felt like she wasn't even in her own body. A tear slid down her cheek, and she tried to do what Doris said. She tried to breathe in and out. But she felt like someone had ripped her lungs out of her body. And how do you breathe with no lungs?

"Okay, baby," Doris said, pulling Emersyn out of her head for a moment. "I'm going to call Gabe, and we're going to head down to the hospital to be with you. You call me if you hear anything else, okay? Or if you hear from Kiel." She nodded her head again, inhaling another breath. "Good job. Keep breathing. We'll be there as soon as we can."

She wiped a tear from her eye and opened her mouth to respond. But just as she did, she saw a woman with long dark hair rush into the hospital, her eyes searching around frantically. Emersyn felt her stomach drop as her mom locked eyes with her, and before she even had a chance to respond to Doris, she pressed the hangup button and jumped to her feet to greet her mom. She had no idea what Makayla was doing there. It wasn't like she had asked her to come to the hospital. But she couldn't deny that she was happy to see her. At least she had someone there with her. Someone to help calm her. To maybe take her mind off the worst possible outcome. Even if that someone was her mother.

"Emersyn," her mom called as she rushed over and placed her hands firmly on her daughter's shoulders. Emersyn stiffened at the touch, not expecting it. "What happened? What's going on?"

"I don't know," she replied, still shaking and feeling more tired than she'd ever felt in her life. "He looked kind of sick all day. Like when he came down for breakfast, I noticed he was really pale. And I don't think he ate anything. Something was just off about him all day, and then he just collapsed out of nowhere. And he wouldn't wake up." Retelling the story was like reliving it again, and she shuddered at the thought. It was like a scene out of one of her worst nightmares.

"I don't understand," her mom said, a confused expression on her face. "You guys had breakfast together?"

"That's what you got out of that?" Emersyn snapped, feeling mildly annoyed. Her mom fell silent, but the unasked question lingered in the air between them. "Oh my goodness. Okay, yes. Zeke and I are a thing. He stayed over last night because Kiel went out of town. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Her mom frowned and shook her head, releasing her hands from Emersyn's shoulders. "No. I'm sorry. You're right." And even though she had nothing else to say on the subject, Emersyn could tell she was being sincere. "And no word from Kiel yet?"

"No," Emersyn said, wiping at her eyes again. She couldn't cry anymore. Not now. Not in front of her mother. A woman who was still practically a stranger to her, even though they'd lived together for four years. "I haven't heard from him. He's not answering his phone. I think it's still on airplane mode, but I'm so scared. I don't know what I'm going to do if he doesn't call me. He's always there, you know? Always."

Her mom winced, and she knew she'd struck a nerve, even if she hadn't meant to. But her mom didn't say anything about it. "Em, I'm sure Kiel is okay. You're probably right. He probably just forgot to turn his phone back on or something. But I'm sure he'll get back to you as soon as he can, okay?"

She nodded her head, hoping she was right. They were at the hospital together for an hour before Doris and Gabe came rushing in, running straight to her. Doris threw her arms around Emersyn, pulling her into a tight bear hug that nearly squeezed all the existing air out of her lungs. Makayla stood up, an awkward smile that looked more like a wince tugging at her lips. Doris said some soothing words Emersyn barely heard, and it wasn't until she pulled away that she finally noticed the woman standing beside her.

Her eyes grew wide with surprise, and Emersyn could tell that Doris knew exactly who she was. "Makayla?" she gasped, her mouth hanging open. Her mom nodded her head sheepishly, and it was clear she didn't know what to say. "Oh my word. It's been such a long time. You look wonderful, baby."

Makayla blinked a few times too many, but smiled nonetheless. "Thank you, Doris. You don't look like you've aged a day." Doris waved her hand dismissively, and her mom's smile grew into one that was less awkward and more genuine. "And don't tell me this young man is Gabriel? I haven't seen him since he was a teenager."

Doris beamed with pride. "He's the pastor now, if you can believe it."

Emersyn expected her mom to be happy about this news, but the fresh glow in her eyes dimmed a bit at Doris's words. And she knew it was because her dad had been working on becoming the new church pastor before he'd died. He'd been studying in college to follow in his own father's footsteps, and he was beginning to take over preaching on Sundays. The plan had been for his dad to retire and him to carry on the torch, so to speak. Two generations of Collins men, spreading the word of God in their small town on Whidbey Island. And then the fire happened. After that, everything changed.

"Congratulations," her mom finally said, the small grin returning to her face.

"Thank you, ma'am," Gabriel replied with a polite smile. Then he turned to me, his eyes swimming with concern, and said, "Have you heard anything yet?"

Emersyn shook her head. "No. Not from the doctors or Kiel. I keep trying to reach him, but—" Her voice fell silent as her phone began buzzing in her pocket. Pulse quickening, she pulled it out and saw Kiel's face fill her phone screen. Relief washed through her as she pressed the green answer button. "Kiel," she cried, and she was surprised at how quickly the tears began to flow. It was like knowing he was there, on the other end of the line, was just what she needed to release everything she'd been holding in since the moment she got to the hospital.

"I just got your messages," he said, and she could barely hear him. Wherever he was, it was very busy and loud. "I just booked an emergency flight back to Seattle. So I'll be home in a couple hours. Have you heard anything yet? Is he okay?"

"I don't know," she sobbed, turning away from the three people who were with her at the moment so they wouldn't see her cry. "I don't know anything. He was sick looking this morning, and then he just passed out and wouldn't wake back up. I'm so scared."

"I'm on my way, honey," he said, and her heart swelled with love and gratitude for him. "Just stay calm, okay? I'm going to be unavailable for a while, but I swear I'll turn my phone on as soon as I can. Text me if you hear any news at all, okay?" She nodded, and even though he couldn't see her, she knew he understood. "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too," she sniffled, and the line disconnected. She took a deep breath, trying to soothe her anxieties, and turned around to find everyone was watching her expectantly. Immediately the tears ceased as she cleared her throat and said, "He's on his way back. Said he'll be home in a few hours."

"That's great news, honey," Doris said, a sympathetic smile on her lips. Emersyn wanted to return the smile, but she just didn't have it in her. It had already been over an hour since they'd arrived at the hospital, and she hadn't received any news at all. For all she knew, Zeke could be lying brain dead in a hospital bed somewhere. The thought made her want to throw up, and she plopped down in one of the gray waiting room seats, too afraid of what the doctors might tell her to stand any longer.

Gabe suggested they pray for Zeke, and she agreed. But really she was just going through the motions. Holding their hands and bowing her head, eyes open rather than closed because every time she closed her eyes she saw Zeke collapse all over again. She so desperately needed to cry, but it was always so hard for her to cry in front of people. Doris kept telling her to take deep breaths, and she assumed it was because she looked like she wasn't breathing. And the truth was that she wasn't breathing. She couldn't. Her chest was too tight, and there was little air left in her lungs.

Another two hours went by without any news. Doris suggested they go to the church to start a prayer chain, and Gabe liked the sound of that plan. But Emersyn absolutely refused to leave before she received news. So Doris and Gabe left the hospital in the hopes of getting their small church community together to pray for this young man who had somehow managed to become one of them in such a small period of time. Emersyn waved weakly at them as they walked out of the hospital doors, nodding her head at their promises that they would be back soon.

She kept checking her phone, hoping for a text that Kiel had landed back in Seattle and would be on his way shortly. But her phone never buzzed, and she didn't want to call him again. He knew what was going on, and she didn't want to call him and get him all worked up when she didn't have any news herself. After all, she knew he cared about Zeke just as much as she did. He'd become part of their family. A member she couldn't imagine losing. And she thought back to her grandma's painting Hello, Goodbye, and how it wasn't too long ago that she wondered if she was in between hello and goodbye with Zeke. Coming or going. Back then the idea of saying goodbye to him was almost a given. He'd made it clear to her he wasn't planning on staying long. But now she couldn't imagine ever saying goodbye to him. Just the thought made her feel like someone had ripped her heart out and stomped all over it, leaving nothing behind but some pieces of destroyed muscle tissue and a hole in her chest.

"Are you hungry?" Makayla asked, forcing Emersyn out of her dark thoughts and back into the present. She blinked a couple times and looked up at her mom, surprised she was still there. "Just... when was the last time you ate anything?"

She thought back to earlier in the afternoon. It was around noon when she'd gone and picked up the sandwiches, and Zeke had collapsed not too long after that. She pulled her phone out of pocket to check the time. Six o'clock. She hadn't eaten anything in hours. "I haven't eaten since lunch," she replied to her mom's question. "Just a sandwich. Nothing too special."

Makayla nodded. "Okay. Well, are you hungry? I can run to the cafeteria. Grab you something to eat if you want?"

Was she hungry? She honestly couldn't tell. Her whole body just felt numb. Like she'd had every ounce of spirit sucked out of her. She frowned and shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm fine." Her mom was watching her carefully, and Emersyn shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I just... don't know why they won't tell me anything. Where is he? It's been hours, and no one has come out here to give us an update." The worst possible thoughts were dancing around in her head like the most horrific little ballet, and she wished she could push them away. "Do you think... I mean, you don't think he's...?"

She couldn't even say the word out loud. Didn't dare. Her eyes were glued to her mom's, waiting for an answer to her unanswerable question. Makayla moved her hand like she was going to reach out and touch her, then thought better of it and pulled back, placing her hand in her lap uselessly. "I don't think so. They probably just don't know anything yet. But Emersyn, I'm sure he's fine." But she didn't sound sure, and Emersyn could hear the hesitation in her voice. She looked away, staring down at the dark gray luxury vinyl tile, and remembered the last time she'd been in this same hospital. The night her grandpa died. A shudder ran through her, and she wished she could turn her mind off for just a few minutes.

"Emersyn!" a voice called out, and it felt like someone had just defibrillated her heart and brought her back to life. Her head jerked up, and she saw a frantic looking Kiel running to her, his arms already open. She jumped to her feet and ran to him, throwing her arms around him as he wrapped his around her. And every emotion she'd been holding in all day released with one loving squeeze. Tears flowed hard and fast out of her eyes, and her sobs scraped out of her, making it impossible for her to breathe. "Shh," he said, rubbing her back gently. "Sweetheart, it's okay." But it wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. And she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Have you heard anything?" he whispered, and she could hear the stress in his voice. The struggle to keep it together. She understood that struggle well, as she'd been dealing with it all day.

"No," she replied, rubbing her puffy eyes as he pulled away. "Not a damn thing. I'm so scared, Kiel. I... I...."

Kiel nodded, and she knew he was the only person who truly understood what she was feeling. He let out a heavy sigh, and she could tell it had been a long day for him too. His blond hair was standing straight up, as if he'd run his fingers through it a thousand times. He sucked in a deep breath, then looked up and took in his surroundings for the first time. The hospital waiting room was filled with strangers, all waiting for answers from doctors who seemed to be too busy to give out updates. But then his eyes fell on the one person in that building who was not a stranger but might as well have been. She forgot that he didn't know her mom was in town. She hadn't thought to mention it on the phone. She'd been too focused on what happened to Zeke to tell Kiel about what was going on with her mom. Whatever was going on with her mom. She still didn't know.

Makayla stood up like a guest at a wedding and gave Kiel a shy smile he didn't return. And for the first time in her life, she realized she wasn't the only one harboring some bitterness toward the woman. It was clear by the expression on his face that he was also carrying around some resentment. They'd been friends before. Best friends. And she'd abandoned everyone after Cader died. Not just her, but her grandparents and Kiel as well. Her family. Everyone who had ever loved her.

"Hey," she said quietly, and Emersyn thought she looked twenty years younger in that moment. Like a nervous teenager again.

"Makayla," he said in surprise, and she could tell he was fighting the resentful feelings he had toward her. Probably for Emersyn's sake. He knew how stressed she was, and she imagined he didn't want to make it worse by starting something with her mom in a hospital room full of strangers. "What are you doing here?"

Good question. Emersyn was hoping to find out for herself soon. After she got a status update. Damn doctors. "I'm just here visiting Em."

Kiel was speechless, but obviously it was not the time or place to deal with whatever he had against her mother. It had been fifteen years since Makayla had been back to the island, and there was no way she was just there visiting for the weekend. She hadn't told Kiel about the letter she'd mailed to her mom. It wasn't like she really expected her mom to reply. She had kind of started to write that whole relationship off. Until she showed up on her doorstep. Hard to believe that was less than 24 hours ago.

"How you holding up, kiddo?" he asked Emersyn, his soft blue eyes falling back to her. She shrugged her shoulders, but her lips were starting to quiver again. Kiel gave her a sympathetic smile and pulled her into another hug. "I know. I'm sure he's fine though. Probably caught some flu that just hit him really hard. Boy needs to learn his own limits. Don't cry, sweetie. He's a tough one. He'll be okay."

But he was worried too, and she could tell he wasn't sure he even believed his own words. What flu made someone so sick that they went unconscious and didn't wake back up? Especially someone as young as Zeke? A wave of nausea crashed through her, and she was just about to excuse herself to get a sip of water when the hospital doors leading to the ER opened and a nurse stepped out. She was wearing dark blue scrubs and her long messy hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Emersyn Collins?" she called out. Emersyn gasped at the sound of her name, and she knew she was finally going to get the update she so desperately craved.

"That's me," she replied, raising her hand like a kid in class.

The nurse, whose name was apparently Olivia according to the tag on her scrubs, smiled at her and said, "Hello, Emersyn. We have a patient who has been asking for you. Would you please come with me?"

She nodded her head and followed the nurse into the back where the exams rooms were. Her heart was racing in her chest. Surely, if he had asked for her, then that meant he was conscious, right? Yes, that had to be what that meant. She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but she couldn't. Not until she saw him. Not until she spoke with him and could see he was okay once and for all. The nurse led her to a room that was open but was being shielded by a mint green curtain. And she remembered the day she'd first met Zeke, when she'd been visiting her family's gravestone. How she'd felt there was a cable connecting her to the place where her loved ones rested. And she felt that again now. But this time it was connecting her to the man she loved, who she knew was waiting for her just behind the curtain. She closed her eyes, sucked in a breath, and entered his room.

Chapter Thirty-Three

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