The nurse pursed her lips. “I can’t let you in until he’s back from surgery,” she said carefully. The girls’ shoulders dropped. “But I can bring you back two at a time once he’s settled. How about you all get some coffee downstairs in the cafeteria? It will likely be a long night.”
“Thank you,” Cleo breathed. “Can I leave my number with you?”
While they exchanged contact information, I looked toward Lennox. She stood off to the side, chewing nervously on her thumbnail. All the light I was used to seeing in her eyes was gone, replaced by an unfocused and glassy look as people moved around her.
I wanted to go to her, to let her know it would be okay, but I couldn’t tell her that. I didn’t know what the future looked like or if he’d come out of surgery at all. There was no fucking crystal ball, either.
“You alright, man?” Lincoln asked, nudging my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “Good as we can be, ya know?”
Lincoln nodded. “I get it.”
Cleo turned and began ushering everyone toward the elevator. Lennox was the last to move. Lincoln and I fell into step behind everyone as she wrapped her arm around her mom, holding her tightly when the doors closed.
I shiftedin the shitty waiting room chair, pulling my hat down over my eyes to block the disgustingly bright light overhead. It was around five in the morning. Lincoln and I had been out here for a couple of hours while the girls took turns sitting in Doug’s room once he’d gotten out of surgery and settled in. Ruby hadn’t left his side since the nurse called them back. Not that I blamed her one bit. It was the only thing that’d seemed to knock her out of the state of shock she’d been in since leaving the ranch.
Thankfully, everything had gone smoothly with no complications—doc’s words, not mine—and Doug would make a full recovery. There’d been a blood clot blocking one of his arteries, and they’d been able to go in and remove it without much fuss. Though, they did say they wanted to keep him in the hospital for at least a few days.
When I’d gotten the word, I’d sent a message to our work chat, updating them on Doug’s condition and letting them know we’d all be out today. They all gave their best wishes and toldme they’d take care of the ranch in our absence. I wasn’t worried about them. We’d built a damn good crew, and I trusted them to get their shit done.
No, I was worried about Lennox. I was torn between staying and trying to be there for her, I was probably the last person in the world she’d want hanging around. I should head home so the family could be together and focus on Doug.
Just a few more hours of sleep, I told myself,and then you can go home.
I was sure Lincoln would stay, which was fine. He was family now. The team and I could handle just about everything we needed to on our own. The only concern I had was the branding coming up. Our spring calving season yielded one of the largest herd additions we’d seen in a few years. We would need all hands on deck to get everything done on time. Hell, I might need to hire a couple more hands depending on how things went here, but that was a problem for future Bishop to figure out.
I heard the shuffling of feet before someone plopped down beside me. I was about to peek out from under the brim of my hat, already annoyed I was awake, but then I smelled her.
The soft scent of honey and vanilla filled the air, invading my senses. I’d recognize it anywhere. It was fucking imprinted in my memory. Sometimes, I swore I could still smell it on my pillow at night, like it was haunting me.
Today, though, I savored it.
My muscles relaxed as I settled back into my spot. Neither of us spoke as Lennox shifted, causing our knees to brush. I expected her to jerk away, but she didn’t. If anything, she leaned into me.
I don’t know how long we stayed like that, quietly searching for comfort in a place that offered none. I was almost asleep when she whispered, “I want to go home.”
I tilted my hat up to get a good look at her. Her blonde hair,loosely curled earlier, was now piled on top of her head in a crudely secured bun. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, though there were still dark smudges near her eyes, like she hadn’t been able to get it all off. I’d never seen her look so tired, so distraught. There was no fight left in her. She was just sitting there, vulnerable. Exposed. Raw in every sense of the word.
Seeing her that way made my chest ache. I wanted to take her in my arms and make it better. Not that I even knew how or what to do—I’d never been the type people turned to for that kinda stuff, but she made me wish I was.
“You wanna leave?” I asked, my voice rough from exhaustion.
Lennox nodded her head, keeping her focus straight ahead. “I can’t…” she began, but her voice broke. “It sounds horrible, but I can’t see him like this. I’ve been staring at the man in bed for hours, but he doesn’t look like my dad. That guy looks frail and sick, and all it does is remind me how quickly he can be taken away from me. I mean, he was laughing and joking less than twelve hours ago, and now we’re here?—”
Tears began rolling down her face, and I let instinct take over. I sat up straighter and pulled her close. Or I tried to. One of those stupid armrests was between us, but thankfully, I could lift it out of the way. She leaned into me, letting me take on the full weight of her body.
“What’re you doing?” she asked, looking up with red-rimmed eyes.
“I dunno,” I said honestly. “You were crying. Felt like I should do something.”
Her laugh was hollow, but I took it as a good sign. “Is this a pity hug?”
“Do you want it to be?” The last thing I felt toward her was pity, especially now, but this was new territory for us. There’d never been a moment I could think of when she and I had ever hugged.
Lennox was quiet for a moment. “It probably should be, right?”
“Probably,” I agreed.
