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Tobias reaches out and pats his mother’s hand. “You should go get some sleep. Dad will be back any minute.”
A frown creases Lore’s forehead. “We aren’t that bad, are we?”
“Mom, you don’t fight…” Tobias begins, “… but I can tell it’s difficult for you both to be in the same room. Go, get some sleep.” His eyes shift to me. “Take her to the motel, will you?”
Lore hesitates, her gaze flickering between her son and me. It’s clear she wants nothing more than to stay by Tobias’ side, but exhaustion is etched into the lines of her face, betraying her need for sleep.
“Mom, it’s okay,” Tobias interjects, his voice warm and reassuring. “I’ll be fine. You need to take care of yourself too.”
“Come on,” I say softly, holding out a hand toward Lore. “Just a couple of hours. We’ll be back before you know it.”
After a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, she finally nods, her fingers slipping into mine with a sigh of resignation. As we walk away, I glance back at Tobias, his face pale and drawn, surrounded by the sterile walls of the hospital room. His hand touches the patch over his eye, and I wonder how he feels about losing it and his hair.
“Thank you,” Lore whispers, her voice barely audible above the din of my thoughts. “For coming back. For everything.”
“Always,” I replied, my voice soft but resolute.
We make our way to the waiting room, where Kade stands by the window, his tall frame silhouetted against the dim glow of lights outside, his hair is tousled and covering half of his face. He must have sensed our approach as he turns his gaze toward us, sweeping his hair out of his eyes.
“Want me to go sit with him?”
“No, I think he needs a little space.”
Lore shakes her head, her brow furrowing. “Not too much space. He needs to come to terms with losing his eye, but he also needs to realize how lucky he is. I don’t want him spending too much time in his own head. Give him an hour, then go on in.”
“Will do.” Kade pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and holds it up. “Put your number in my phone in case anything happens.”
Lore nods and takes it off him. With a few taps, she hands it back.
Kade looks down at his phone and smiles. “Tobias’ Badass Mother? I like it.”
Lore smiles, the first real one I’ve seen since I arrived. “Figured you could use a little humor right now.”
Kade grins. “Night shifts are the worst.”
Lore looks at me. “You know he could go home.”
“No,” replies Kade. “One of us will always be here. We owe Tobias that much.”
Lore stifles a yawn. “Thank you.”
“Take her home, Dirt. She’s beat.”
Tugging on her hand, I pull her from the waiting room to the elevator and out of the hospital.
“Did you drive?”
Lore shakes her head. “No, I walked today. I was hoping you’d come and get me.”
Her words warm my heart. “Come and meet my baby.”
With my arm around Lore, I guide her to my Harley.
“Here she is,” I announce, even though there’s not another motorcycle parked anywhere near us.
“Wow, she sure is beautiful.” Lore circles the motorcycle, her fingers hovering over the glossy white details, never quite touching them. “Is this a fifty-eight?”
“Sure is.” I move closer to the bike and climb on. “Need a lift?”
