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Layne and Simon drew back to wait with Adam, but Gabriel got in her father’s face. “Fuck that,” he said. “They can all come. We’ve been waiting all day—”
“He’s not alone,” said her father. “For right now, family only.”
That shut them up.
He’s not alone. Her father’s voice was full of foreboding. What did that mean? What had happened?
Hunter stepped back. His face was a little pale. “It’s okay,” he said. “Text me. It’s okay. I can wait.” When they hesitated, he gave Gabriel a shove. “Go!”
They went.
Hannah stood there for a minute, then moved to follow them.
Her father caught her arm. “You need to go home,” he said. Then he looked past her, at the others. “You all need to go home.”
“What’s going on?” said Adam.
Hannah couldn’t figure out the note in her father’s voice, but it wasn’t good. “What happened?” she whispered. “Is he dying?”
“No,” he said. “Physically, he’ll be fine.”
Physically.
She jerked free of his hold. “What happened? What aren’t you saying?” He wasn’t responding, and it took everything she had not to hit him. “What did you do?” she demanded. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything, Hannah.” He sounded tired. Exasperated. Weary. It wasn’t a tone she was used to hearing from him. “There are laws here. Procedures I have to follow. This has nothing to do with me.”
The elevator dinged, and David Forrest walked out. Apparently Layne thought she’d get more information from her father than Hannah had hope of getting from her own, because she rushed forward, full of questions. “Dad? Is he okay? What happened?”
Layne’s father put his arm across her shoulders and squeezed. “He’ll be fine. I’ll tell you on the way home.” He looked at Hunter. “Have you called your mother? I can drive you home.”
Hunter had looked pale a minute ago, but now he looked positively sick. “No. Why do I need to call my mother?”
“Would someone please say what’s going on?” said Adam.
Mr. Forrest glanced at him, then at Hunter. His expression was grave. “Given the events of the past two days, and considering his brothers are under eighteen, the county has stepped in.”
Now Hannah felt sick. The county couldn’t do this. They couldn’t.
“No,” she said. “Can you stop them?”
“They have a court order. The Merrick house is unlivable and Michael is in the hospital. I can’t stop them. It’s temporary, but—”
“No,” said Hunter. His voice was shaking now. “They can’t.”
“Wait,” said Layne, her voice breathy. “Wait—you’re saying—”
“I’m saying that Michael Merrick is losing custody of his brothers.”
o;Nah,” said Gabriel. “Chris gets buried in his own thoughts sometimes. Leave him alone.”
He’s scared, thought Hannah. She knew guys like that, other firefighters who would lash out in anger when they were really scared shitless. But she didn’t want to say it, not in front of his brothers.
“I’ll go,” she said. “Make sure he doesn’t kill someone between here and wherever he’s going.”
No one stopped her, so she walked out of the cafeteria and into the main hallway. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, the hospital was crowded with visitors and staff, but she caught sight of Chris’s angry form pushing through the double doors to the outside.
She hustled to catch him, expecting him to keep walking, but he dropped onto the painted bench just outside the doors and stared at the sky.
