Page 27 of Dark Truth

“What are you doing here?” I asked, as I led them away from his door.

“I heard what happened and came to find out if you needed anything. We came to find out, that is,” Trent amended when Mason and Kevin looked at him with twin glares.

“I know a couple of people who work here, Emily, and they told me that you were here with a friend. I knew it must be Dylan, and I hope you don’t mind. We were just trying to be supportive.” Mason came to me and gave me a hug.

“Of course, you know some of the staff here,” I mumbled as I buried my head in his shoulder, tears suddenly in my eyes. His wife had been a patient at one point in time, as she fought her battle with cancer. It would make sense that he might know some of the staff here. “I’m so glad you are all here.”

“Don’t cry, little sister. We’ll make this better. Somehow.” Kevin patted my back, and I turned to hug him.

“Thank you just being here is wonderful of you all.” I moved on to Trent. He was always so awkward when he first hugged you, but then, he would settle into it and gave off such comforting vibes. They all did, really.

“Just tell us what to do, Emily. How can we help?” Trent pulled away, tilted my face up, and gave me a brotherly kiss on the forehead.

Now that was new. I blinked at him and smiled with a watery smile. “This, this is awesome. Really.”

I let my head fall to his shoulder and hugged him tight. I’d thought I’d never have a hug from him again, but at last, he’d thawed.

“Tell me what’s going on. Us, tell us.” Trent had been given yet another glare by my other brothers, and I laughed at them all.

“Come to the family waiting area, and I’ll explain it all.”

Kevin stopped at the coffee stand in the large waiting area and brought us all a cup of standard, awful, hospital coffee. We all drank it anyway, as I began to explain what was wrong.

“So this could happen again?” Trent asked after I’d given him the rundown of Dylan’s condition.

“It could, as he progresses through the stages of MS. He’s teetering on the edge of second stage now, but his doctors are trying to prevent him from going over. Right now, he’ll have tremors, problems with memory, maybe even urinary dysfunction, muscle pain and weakness. That might be all he ever experiences. There’s no cure, that we know.”

“I’ll get one of my assistants researching around the globe, Emily; don’t you worry,” Trent interrupted, but then went quiet, his eyes intent on mine.

“Thank you. Thank you for being here, really. All of you.”

Mason, always the joker, was quiet now. I knew he was thinking of Laura, and I took his hand. “You of all people will know what this is like. Thank you for being so brave.”

“What? It’s not brave at all.” He brushed off the compliment but squeezed my hand. It was brave, to face coming into a place like the one where Laura had fought for her life and might have to fight for it again one day.

“Why don’t you go home and get some rest, Emily? We’ll stay here with Dylan until you come back.”

“What?” I asked and turned to Kevin. “Don’t you all have things to do, stuff to take care of?”

“That’s what we have employees for, sis. We’re here for you, as long as you need us.” Kevin patted my hair and kissed my cheek.

I stared at them all, and for the first time in my life, I felt like my brothers really loved me. Tears burst from my eyes, and I sobbed an ugly sound that was actually happy. Kind of.

“Oh, Emily, honey, we’re so sorry we’ve been such horrible brothers to you.” Trent moved to the couch I was on with Kevin and took me in his arms.

It might not be the most perfect time for a family reunion, but it was the right time. I had been so busy pretending that everything would be fine, that I’d almost convinced myself that I believed it. With them there, reality hit, and I took the comfort they offered me.

“Don’t you worry, Emily, we’ll make sure he recovers, one way or another,” Mason volunteered when my sobs had tapered off, and I could focus again.

Trent handed me a handkerchief, and I mopped my face dry and sniffled until I’d recovered myself.

“Trust you to still use handkerchiefs,” I joked as I reached for a box of tissues at the table beside me. I cleared up any remaining tears and threw the tissues away.

“Go home. Have a shower and rest. I know it won’t be easy, but you have to stay strong. We’ll get you both through this.”

“Alright. I don’t want to, but I know you’re right.”

“I’ll call my driver. He’s waiting for you,” Trent said and moved away to make the call.