“The twins calmed her down.” The defense slipped past his lips easily, naturally. He already had enough guilt about Jason to last him a lifetime. He didn’t need something else.
“Oh, I know! One of the nurses monitored a lot of what happened in the room before the head nurse kicked you out.” She took a breath. “The thing is, Jason didn’t die this morning. They waited to call Tory so she’d have time to get some rest. He died a few minutes after your visit.”
“What?” Grief swamped him. “They turned off his life support that soon?”
“That’s just it. They didn’t have to turn off his life support. He died on his own.”
He might not be a brilliant man, but Chance knew that would be much easier on Tory. “He died right after we left?”
“Doctors know so little about head injuries and comas that they don’t know what a person sees or hears, but one of them told me privately that your visit was a blessing. Sometimes people don’t die because they worry about who’ll care for their loved ones when they’re gone. Your going into the room with Tory, bringing the babies, was almost like telling Jason that Tory had someone to take care of her.”
He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck again, not sure what to say.
“You gave him the peace he needed to move on.”
He hung up the phone feeling marginally better. Tory returned two hours later, so pale and bent that he wondered how she could support herself to walk. He hustled over to her, helped her to the sofa.
“Jason’s parents called my mom.”
She pressed her lips together as tears filled her eyes. “So you know.”
“Yes.”
He tried to pull her into his embrace, but she shrugged out of his hold. “How are the kids?”
“The kids are fine. Actually, they’re with Mom.”
Tory nodded as tears streamed down her face. Unable to bear seeing her like this, he caught her by the shoulders and forced her to face him. “I am so sorry.”
Her tears turned to painful sobs. “He was so young. So smart. So everything.”
Knowing she was remembering the boy she’d fallen in love with, Chance swallowed hard. “I’m sure he was.”
“And funny. Nobody could make me laugh the way he could.” She rose and paced away from the sofa. “And strong. I told you that I believe he’d somehow taken the brunt of that accident so that I’d be saved.”
Chance swallowed again. Her pain was so intense it shimmered through the room. Hoping to comfort her, he said, “The doctors told my mom he passed away on his own.”
She nodded.
He took a breath, “They also told her that Jason actually died a few minutes after our visit.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded again in confirmation.
Relieved, he went on. “They said that sometimes people hang on because they worry about who’ll care for their loved ones. They think our visit with the twins was almost like telling Jason you had someone to take care of you.”
She sniffed a small laugh.
“So he could move on. He stayed until he knew you were going to be okay.”
“He would do that.”
Encouraged, Chance rose. “Yes. He would. Because he loved you and wanted you to be okay after he died.”
She said nothing.
“He just wants you to be okay.”
She turned suddenly. “He wants me to be okay? I think it’s you who wants me to be okay.”
He drew in a quick breath. “Of course, I do, but that doesn’t mean—”
She paced away from him. “I know you and everybody else think I should be grateful that his suffering is ended.” Her voice broke. “But I’m not. I’m so sad I honest to God feel that my heart is breaking.”
He took a step toward her. “Tory—”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t. Please. All this,” she said, motioning around the great room. “Is very confusing right now. I should be grieving the man I adored. For ten years, he was the love of my life. And when he needed me the most I was here.”
“You had to make a living.”
“I was making a life.” Her voice broke again. “Prematurely. Now, I need to grieve.”
“And we’ll give you all the space and time you need.”
She shook her head furiously. “No! Don’t you get it? I can’t stay here. It only reminds me that while he was slipping away, I was too.” She caught his gaze. “To you.”