My Texas Sweetheart (book one) by Pauliena Acheson Page A

all.” She puts a hand on Lily’s arm, trying to give her a reassuring smile, then rushes to the back.
    “She has to be okay. I can’t lose my daughter!” Lily cries.
    Brad and I get up and start to pace. Everyone looks ready to break down. Why did this have to happen to her? I can’t lose Maggie. She’s the light of my life, the reason I get up every day and smile, the most selfless person I have ever met. She is beautiful on the outside, as well as on the inside. Please, God, take care of her and bring her back to us. We need her…I need her “Dad, Jase, please sit down. Your pacing isn’t helping,” Creed says gently.
    I know that he’s right , but I can’t just sit here. I look at them. “I’m going to call Amy and let her know what’s happening.”
    Gabe jumps up. “I should call Kara, too. She’d want to know.”
    Gabe and I make our way outside . Amy answers on the first ring, “Hey, Jase. What’s up?” I can’t say anything. Oh, god, I don’t know if I can do this. Amy and Maggie are like sisters. “Jase? What’s wrong?” Amy asks, her voice breaking.
    “It’s Maggie, Amy. I need you to get to the hospital. Can you do me a favor and call my house and let them know, please?” I can hear Amy sobbing into the phone, then the phone goes dead.
    Gabe is just finishing his call when I turn back to him . “Kara’s on her way,” he says.
    “Amy is, too,” I say, as we head back inside.
    Ten minutes later , Kara rushes into Gabe’s arms, sobbing. In the short time she’s known Maggie, she’s fallen in love with her. It’s so quiet, but you can hear Lily’s and Kara’s quiet sobs. We all keep looking at the Emergency Room doors, willing them to open and Maggie’s doctor to come out and tell us that she’s okay.
    Amy and my parents walk through the door. Lily gets up and hugs Amy. She’s like a daughter to this family. My mom walks over to me, wrapping her arms around me. “It’ll be okay,” she whispers. “Maggie is a strong girl.” It makes me want to cry. I know she is, but is she strong enough to make it through this? When she finds out she was raped, will it break her?
    Lily draws back from Amy , then looks at the rest of us. “We need to pray. Will you all join me?” We all stand up, clasp hands, and bow our heads in silent prayer.
    Just then, the doors open and a doctor walks into the room, a grim look on his face. “OH, MY GOD…MAGGIE!” her Dad cries out.
    I close my eyes , trying to hold back my tears. I lost the only girl I ever really cared about. I want to find Christian and kill him for taking her away. I open my eyes. The doctor is shaking his head. “Your daughter’s alive. She has cuts, bruises, and a broken arm. However, her brain is swelling. We put her into an induced coma to see if it’ll go down by itself. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to go in and relieve the pressure. Even with surgery, there’s a good possibility that there will be brain damage. She might even become brain dead. I need to go over that possibility with you. If that happens, she’ll need to be on life support and you will have to decide whether you want her to live that way, or whether you want to let her go. We’re hopeful that the swelling will go down. The next 24 hours will be touch-and-go. After that time, we should know what the outcome will be. It’s up to her body now. Please understand that if she does wake up, there’s a good possibility that she won’t remember any of you.
    “We also discovered that she was raped. We gave her some medication in case he wasn’t wearing a condom, did some tests, and called the police. They should be here soon.
    “All we can do now is wait. Once she’s in her room and settled, you can see her…just for a few minutes. Right now, she needs rest.” 
    He shakes Brad ’s hand, puts a hand on Lily’s shoulder, and walks back through the doors. Just hearing him say all that makes me want to first, cry my eyes out and, second, beat the