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Liem and I shared a grim look when we entered the automatic doors, silently sharing the memory of the last time we had been here. Dad’s medical situation this summer had been unique, and we’d all joked that it was fitting for him to not do things by the book—even his medical emergencies. I had to constantly remind myself that the important part was that he made it out alive and was already on his way to being well, even if learning to live with one leg had not been part of his life plan. Especially for this part of his life that he’d previously viewed as a semi-retirement full of fishing, beaches, and socializing. All things he hadn’t done at all since the surgery.
I took a deep breath and approached the harried nurse behind the counter, internally cataloging facts on the way.
The fluorescent lights are annoying.
I smell like a swamp.
Liem smells like a swamp.
It’s okay to show up to the hospital mud-splattered and smelling like a bayou.
We reached the counter, and I planted a placid smile on my face. “Hello, we’re here for Bree Faust.”
The nurse didn’t even bother glancing up, and after a prolonged period without any response, Liem gave it a shot.
“Good evening, Miss…?” He leaned forward to read her name badge before finishing, “Gladys. Well. That’s a lovely name.” He tucked the only side of hair behind his ear as she glanced up with a wary expression.
She didn’t need to worry. Liem was all sincerity, which she seemed to surmise after 2.5 seconds of eye contact with him and graced him with a tiny smile.
As an adult my brother’s ultra-approachable-but-also-a-bad-boy vibes had proven to be irresistible to… basically everyone. And not just sexual attraction, either. Liem made friends instantly and kept them effortlessly. I was much more of a “two co-workers I texted outside of work, one childhood friend, and immediate family” type of socializer.
I cleared my throat, and the nurse’s eyes snapped to mine. “Bree Faust?” I asked again.
“Are you family?” she asked, that tiny smile dissolving.
“No. We–oh.” Liem started to respond before inhaling sharply, interrupting himself.
Alarmed, I followed his gaze beyond the counter to where a—and I had no qualms admitting this—beautiful man stood in front of the “Authorized Access Only” automatic doors. They shut behind him with a whoosh, rustling his damp, chin-length dirty-blond hair.
This had to be him—Liem’s Dezi/Bree’s Cody.
I heard Gladys trying to regain our—well, Liem's—attention, but from where she sat behind the desk, she couldn’t see Cody, so it probably seemed like we’d walked up, demanded information, and then abruptly tuned her out.
Which, to be fair, was rude.
I smiled at her apologetically and answered her question. “No, we’re not family.”
“Well then, I can’t give you her information,” she replied, frustration bleeding into her tone.
“Cher, they’re with me,” Cody cut in, his appearance catching Gladys off guard while his unexpected Cajun accent did the same to me. “Cher” had sounded like “Shaa.”
Gladys blushed, eyes zipping between Liem and Cody before settling down to Cody’s hand where he loosely held a muddy purple rain boot with a long slash cut clear down the side. “Oh dear,” she said, pursing her lips. “Would you like a bag for that, hun?”
“That’d be just the thing, Cher,” Cody replied, repeating the endearment as he smiled kindly.
Gladys immediately disappeared from behind the counter, and Cody extended a hand to me. “Well, hello there. You must be Liem’s brother. I’m Cody. It’s nice to meet you.”
I narrowed my eyes as we shook hands, trying to decide what to ask first. Where his accent had gone—because he definitely didn’t have it anymore—or if he preferred to be called Cody or Dezi.
I asked neither.
“How is Bree? What happened?” Even to my own ears, I sounded demanding, but it rolled right off Cody, who ran a hand through his hair, flinging water droplets onto his shoulders as he smiled coyly.
“Our girl is fine. She’s back getting an X-ray now. As for what happened, I’m not even sure yet. You might just want to ask her. I know I will be.” The congenial mask dropped as he muttered the last bit, a deep furrow on his sun-kissed brow.
I let out a breath of relief, glad to hear it firsthand but still more than ready to lay eyes on her.
“Oh, thank God, LL. Are those the clothes?” Cody gestured to the bag over Liem’s shoulder. “I may be from Louisiana, but swamp-ass is not the look I want to rock.”
