Frosted Midnight: A Christmas Novella (9 page)

“Count back from a hundred,” the anesthesiologist said kindly.

I was nervous. I’d never had surgery before. Austin, my mom, my sisters, and Emma had come with me to the hospital. They gave me the encouragement and support I needed. I could do this. Because of them I had the strength and courage I needed to survive. Because of them, their love for me, I would survive. They were my miracles.  

“Ninety-nine. Ninety-eight. Ninety-seven…”

I heard beeping. People were shouting. After a time the noises went quiet and I saw a white light at the end of a long tunnel. It beckoned and I started walking toward it. With each step the tunnel lit up. Hands reached out to touch me. I felt like I should be scared, but I was filled with love, so much love that I started to cry. The emotions filled me to overflowing and I longed for more. When I reached the end of the tunnel, people stood there waiting. Somehow I knew them. One elderly woman reached out and embraced me.

“Welcome home, Willow dear.”

I pulled away. “Hi. Thank you for being here,” I said, looking into her soft eyes.

She smiled and wrapped
her arm around my shoulders. Others patted my arms and touched my hands. I glanced back the way I’d come and stopped.

“I’m not ready,” I told her, hoping she’d understand.

She removed her arm. “Go back then, dear. We’ll be here when the time is right.”

I opened my eyes. I was in a small room. My family surrounded my bed. Their expressions were downcast and sad.

“Hey,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Why the long faces?”

It seemed that their countenances changed as one, and they spoke together too—all different things so I couldn’t understand what any of them were saying.

Finally Austin took Emma from my mom’s arms and brought her over to me. “Hey, baby girl,” I whispered. She smiled and reached out for me. “Can I hold her?”

“In a minute. The doctor needs to check and make sure you’re—” his voice broke. He coughed and continued, “Everything is okay.”

“Okay,” I said.

The doctor came in and ran her tests. When she was finished we all looked at her expectantly. She smiled. “Good news.” At those two words I felt the room sigh with collective relief. She smiled bigger. “Willow isn’t completely out of the woods, so to speak. I believe I got all the cancer and it looks like her motor functions are working properly. So…”

Austin, my mom and my sister’s clapped. Even Emma clapped.

The doctor continued, “She’ll need a round of chemotherapy, just to make sure it’s all gone. She’ll also need a lot of physical therapy.” She cleared her throat. “We did almost lose her.”

I remembered the
bright light, the lady with white hair. I knew the doctor was talking about that moment and my heart started to beat rapidly.

The machines I was hooked up to reacted with beeping noises.

“You all right?” the doctor asked, checking my pulse.

I nodded. “Yes, just glad to be here.”

“Good.” She turned to my family. “She needs rest—a lot of rest. It’s going to be up to each of you to make sure she gets it. Understand?”

They all agreed.

“Excellent.” She walked to the door. “I’ll be back later to check on you.”

“Thank you, doctor,” I said, wiping at my tears. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done. It means a lot.”

“You’re very welcome.”

When she was gone, my mom and sisters
kissed and hugged me and left too. Emma and Austin stayed behind.

Austin
sat on the bed and laid Emma on my chest.

I stared into his handsome face. Admired his thick dark hair. I thought of his cowboy hat, the one he wore every day when we spent our summer together. “What
ever happened to that ratty old cowboy your hat? The one you always wore when we first met.”

Austin looked surprised and a little uncomfortable. He rubbed the back of his neck.

“What?” I tried to shrug, but it hurt too much.

Austin
stood. “Laura gave me that hat while we were dating.” He smiled remembering. “She said I was sexy in it.”

“She was right,” I said softly
, understanding his discomfort.

“
When I left you that day, after our summer together, I knew I needed to figure out my feelings for you and that meant the hat had to go.” He glanced out the window.

“You threw it away?” I asked, horrified.

“No.” He faced me, stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “The hat is one of the two things that I kept to remind me of her.”

“Well I’m glad to know you still have it.”
And I meant it. He’d been through so much.

Austin came and kneeled beside me. Emma cooed. It was obvious she was just as smitten with him as I was.

“You’re okay,” he said, caressing my head.

“Yes.” I leaned into his hand.

“You realize what this means, don’t you?”

“No, what?” I asked, allowing myself to smile.
I hoped it meant Emma, him and I would be together for a very long time.

“You’re stuck with me. You’re going to have to grow old with me.”

“I like the sound of that.” I took Emma’s tiny hand between my fingers.

Austin
leaned down and kissed me lightly on the mouth. “I love you, Willow Merrick.”

“I love you, too.”

The End

AFTERWORD

Thank you so much for reading Frosted Midnight: A Novella. I hope you enjoyed getting to know Willow and Austin. Individually these two characters had lives filled with a lot of trials and pain. Together they are able to give and receive a lot of love.

If you enjoyed Frosted Midnight: A Novella, please do me a favor. Go back and leave an honest review. It only takes a couple of minutes but helps me out a great deal.

Sincerely,

Breena Wilde

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Breena
Wilde has been writing for years. She's the international bestselling author of the BLURRED LINES series. She's sold more than five hundred thousand books under another name in the last year. Breena loves to write about love, loss, and the strength of the human spirit. If you'd like to know more about her, you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or her Blog:
www.breenawilde.blogspot.com
.

FROSTED MIDNIGHT
is proud to be a part of
The 12 NA's of Christmas. 12 New Adult Novellas. 12 Bestselling Authors.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Breena
Wilde would love to hear from you. Contact her at:

Email:
[email protected]
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Twitter: @BreenaWilde

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Blog:
http://www.breenawilde.blogspot.com