Chapter 42

Jake waited patiently for Serena to wake, the process slow as the hours pressed on. He squeezed her hand gently to let her know he was there. It was no easy task, watching the friend he grew up with and the woman he fell in love with at the end of a life cut too short. But there could be no regret in being with her, in giving her his all.

"I gave Courtney the hope chest today. She loved it."

She smiled weakly in response. "Take me out to the garden, Jake."

He shook his head. "It's too chilly for you tonight, darlin'."

"Please," she pleaded. "Take me out to our spot."

Concern and grief shredded his gut when it hit him why she was asking. She was ready. He couldn't deny her anything, not when they'd been kids, and not now. So he rose and turned off her heart monitor with a click. Time stood still when he removed the oxygen tube from her face and hung it on the green tank beside the bed. He pulled out the IV the way the nurse showed him and removed the tape with shaking hands.