Forget that my brother might die.
“What?”I say, my tone irritated.
I don’t mean to be short with her.None of this is her fault.
“I… Vinnie’s taking me home.He has to get home for a meeting, and Raven is staying.I just wanted you to know.”
I look down at the floor.“Okay.Thank you for telling me.”
She caresses my arm tentatively.I can’t help, even given the current situation, but be aroused at her touch.
“We all had ice cream,” she says.
Ice cream?Who cares.My brother is dying, and my family went for ice cream.
“My mom’s back,” I say.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Are you… Are you okay?”she asks.
Her beautiful dark eyes are full of concern.What I wouldn’t give to take her in my arms and reassure her.
But I can’t.
I can’t let myself feel anything right now.Only concern for Eagle.I have to get my brother through this.Nothing else matters.Not even Daniela.
“What do you think?”I ask.“My brother could die.”
“I know,” she says.“I just want to make sure…”
“Make sure what, Daniela?”I huff.“Make sure I’m not reeling from this?Make sure that despite my father still being in here and my brother now fighting for his life, I’m somehow miraculously okay?”
She bites on her lip, says nothing.
“Newsflash.I’mnotokay.I’m not evenslightlyokay.”I open the door to the bathroom and go in.
I half expect her to follow me, but this is the men’s room.
She doesn’t.
Of course she doesn’t.I’m being an asshole.
None of this is her fault.It’s allmyfault.
Before I take care of business, I open the door to the bathroom again to tell her I’m sorry.
But she’s gone.
Fuck.
I return to the bathroom, take a quick piss, and wash my hands.
As I’m walking down the hallway back toward Eagle’s room, I turn.
I head to the other end of the hallway toward the elevators.
Maybe I just need some air.Need to clear my head.Plus I don’t want to interrupt my mother’s time with her favorite son.
