Page 177 of Broken Saint

“Luca says?—”

“His hand moved,” I finish for him before we take off toward the elevators.

“Anything else?” West barks into his cell. “Fuck. This is the slowest fucking elevator in the world.”

We stand there watching the floors count down. But he’s right. It’s not fast enough.

We need to be there.

We both promised him that we’d be there when he wakes up.

I press my hand to my stomach as acid burns up my throat.

If I’m not there, then…

“Fuck this. I’m taking the stairs. You coming?”

I glance behind him to the door that hides the stairs.

I’ll never make it.

I’ll die halfway up.

“I can’t, West. He’s on flo?—"

“I’ll meet you up there. We’ll be there, El. We’ll fucking be there.”

He’s gone in a flash, and it’s his sudden absence that breaks my resolve.

“Oh, sweetheart. This is good news. He’s coming back to you.”

Mom’s arm wraps around me and she holds me tight as the seconds tick by slower than ever.

It feels like a week passes by the time the doors slide open and a small group of people spill out.

“Come on. Your man needs you.”

I rush inside and slam my hand down on the button.

My entire body trembles with a mixture of hope, fear, and anticipation.

The doctors and nurses have explained what to expect when he comes around. He’s probably going to be confused and disorientated, and he may only wake for seconds at a time. But I don’t care. He’ll be waking up—that’s all that matters.

Come back to me, Colt.

I need you.

The elevator dings, announcing our arrival, and the moment the doors part, I rush out, colliding with West for the second time in ten minutes.

“Shit, Ella,” he cries, barely catching himself and stopping us from tumbling to the ground.

He’s hot and sweaty and his chest is heaving from his run up the stairs, but he’s here.

Hand in hand, we race to Colt’s room.

My head is full of hopeful images of him opening his eyes, of being able to tell him that I love him and know that he can hear me.

“He’s going to be okay,” West says. I have no idea if he’s reassuring him or me, but I appreciate the words nonetheless.