Page 151 of Wasted

The orderly on the other side of her stretcher looked at Cillian, his eyes signaling he was ready to act.

Cillian held up a hand to keep him back. If they made the wrong move, Warren could grab Victoria.

“Sydney needs you, Warren.” Victoria’s words grew even weaker. “Do the right thing. God will forgive you if you’re sorry for what you’ve done. So will I.”

Inches behind Warren, Cillian grabbed his arms, pulling them behind the kid’s back as Victoria’s hand fell away.

The punk didn’t fight Cillian. He kept staring at Victoria, whose beautiful eyes had shut again as her arm hung limp.

Two police officers appeared behind Cillian and reached for Warren.

Cillian gladly transferred the kid and went to the incredible woman who had rallied just enough to stop the bad guy from getting away. He gently lifted her arm to rest on the stretcher again. “A little help here!”

The nurses and other staff, distracted by the police pulling Warren away to cuff him, snapped to attention and returned their focus to Victoria.

The stretcher moved, and Cillian started to follow. But a hand grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.

“They’ve got this.”

Cillian turned to see Hank standing next to him and Robert a few feet away, watching his sister get carted off.

“Well, them and God. She’s safe in His hands.”

Cillian swallowed. It was going to take some getting used to. This trusting God thing. But it was like Victoria had said, he couldn’t really do anything right on his own. He’d gotten the killer’s identity wrong and put Victoria in harm’s way through his stubborn belief that he knew best. About time he let someone much wiser take the lead.

God, show me how to stop pushing everyone around to get my way. Help me to do things Your way instead.

He would need all the supernatural help he could get with that. Because now, more than ever before, he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with Victoria Weston. To love her forever.

But actually…this was different. He felt the change deep in his heart.

He finally loved her enough to let her choose. And whatever she chose, to love him or not, he would keep on loving her to the end of his days.

Chapter

Forty

Funny how a shift in perspective changed everything. Leaving Victoria in God’s hands and leaving the choice of their future up to Him and Victoria unexpectedly made Cillian feel lighter.

For the first time in months—years, actually—his brain didn’t need to work on plotting how he was going to force her father to let her go. And how he was going to charm her into leaving Chicago to spend her life with him.

Cillian stood at the edge of the emergency department waiting room where the open space met the wide corridor. He could see better from there, keeping watch for a doctor or nurse who might have an update about Victoria.

But the lightness, the restfulness that seemed to emanate from his soul stayed throughout the long hours of waiting after the nurses had reported Victoria would need emergency surgery. Instead of his usual restlessness and need to do something, take some action, he wasn’t anxious as the Weston siblings arrived at the hospital to wait the long hours together with intermittent hushed tones and silence. When Torin, Hank, and Spring took turns praying out loud, Cillian grew even calmer, their prayers soothing the anxiety about Victoria’s condition.

Cillian had never waited so well in his life.

Victoria would laugh if she could see him now.

“I can be patient.”

What a cute look she’d given him when he’d said that. And when she’d quipped, “That would be the first time.”

He’d responded by saying maybe it was worth waiting for, meaning she was worth waiting for.

No maybe about it.

Movement in the hallway caught his attention. Could be another false alarm. He’d gotten his hopes up every time one of the nurses or doctors passed by.