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He and Thoreau were…what? Family by marriage, yes—Younger was married to Thoreau’s brother Hugo—but Wyatt couldn’t really call them friends. Not with Fiona between them.
So instead of even trying, you proposed and she flew away and left you with nothing. Good call.
“Wyatt?” She said his name, her hand reaching for his again. “There’s something I think we should talk about.”
“That’ll have to wait,” Rory said as he stepped into the room. Wyatt gave him a ferocious scowl—Fiona never had to wait—but then Brenna and a group of flustered nursing assistants followed him in with a large wheelchair. “Yeah, that’s right, you cranky bastard—these glorious angels are going to get you ready to visit Noah, so Fiona and I need to wait outside.”
“Of course it’ll wait,” Fiona said brightly. “You need to see your brother, and he needs you too.”
Ignoring his prickle of unease, Wyatt smiled at her and then gave Rory a nod of gratitude.
His brother grinned. “Be a good boy for the nurses and maybe we do some racing down the hall later.”
Wyatt had enough energy left to flip him off as he and Fiona left the room. But twenty minutes of humiliation, bare-ass fondling and catheter attaching later, and he was ready to pass out again.
This fucking sucked.
Brenna gave him a stern look as she arranged his IV bag on the chair’s pole. “You will keep that mask on at all times, and you won’t be able to get too close to your brother’s bed. The risk of infection is still an issue for both of you.”
He nodded.
“He’s been sleeping more than anything else, which is a good thing, since he’s in a lot of pain. You should be sleeping, too, but apparently you have a lot of pull around here, so we’re going down the hall for a visit.”
Wyatt gave her an apologetic look and she squeezed his shoulder. “I know. You need to see him breathing with your own eyes. We all understand that. But keep it short for now. Just for a few more days, okay?”
He nodded again and then the nurses scattered as Brenna wheeled him into the hall, where Rory and Fiona stood waiting.
Rory pumped a fist in the air. “Freedom!”
“Not now, Braveheart,” Fiona shushed him, but she was smiling at Wyatt, moving closer to push his now-sweaty hair off his forehead. “Did he give you any trouble, Brenna?”
The nurse grinned. “I think we all saw more of his behind then he wanted us to, but otherwise he was a perfect gentleman.”
“I leave you alone in a room full of pretty women for a few minutes…” Fiona said teasingly.
“And we’re walking,” Rory said as Brenna pushed Wyatt’s chair down the hall.
Wyatt closed his eyes. It was too bright in the hallway and he was tired.
Noah. Then sleep.
What did Fiona want to talk about?
“Speaking of Brady, I’m thinking of applying for a job with our giant redhead and his zillionaire fiancé,” Rory said over Wyatt’s head.
“Were we speaking of Brady?” Fiona asked, sounding amused. “And why would you want to work with them?”
“Why not me? So far, he and Tanaka have hired your best friend’s husband and our cousin Matthew.”
“And Jen’s man, Trick,” Fiona added. “And your brother James has done some work for them too.”
“When he’s in town,” Rory agreed. “They don’t even have business cards and no one in the family is entirely sure what they do, but they’ve already built a small army. I’m starting to feel left out.”
Wyatt could explain to Rory what they all did for Tanaka if he were allowed to speak. He tried to convey that with a sarcastically hooked eyebrow, but no one was looking at him at the moment.
“I’m thinking me, Wyatt and Noah could quit our madcap but clearly dangerous life of first response and get into the spy-hacking-security-matchmaking game, or whatever it is they’re doing over there. I’m sure my first aid experience would come in handy at some point, and I used to wear a disguise in high school, so I have that going for me.”
Wyatt didn’t want to work for Tanaka. And Rory had been the team mascot—a tiger doing gymnastic handsprings on the football field. See Rory Roar!
“And Ken is loaded,” Rory continued. “So we’d definitely get paid. He probably gives great dental plan, too.”
Wyatt leaned forward, wheezing as he tried not to laugh.
Brenna put her hand on his shoulder and brought him back to an upright position. “As interesting as this is, let’s not tickle his funny bone too much right now,” she warned. “He wouldn’t enjoy another coughing spell in the middle of the hallway.”
No. No, he wouldn’t enjoy that at all.
“Shit,” Rory swore. “I’m sorry. I joke when I’m stressed. What did you call it, Fiona?”
“Your coping mechanism,” Fiona answered. When Wyatt reached for her hand, she squeezed his fingers gently. “Does he need something for the pain?”
