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I sit on the floor in this damn waiting room, bawling like a baby in Sydney’s arms. I have never been so scared in all my life; not even when my parents died. I knew we had each other and Aunt Nora then, now all Luke has is me.
I quickly pull myself together and get to my feet, pulling Sydney up with me. I don’t know what I’d do if she weren’t here. I am about to tell her just that when I catch a glimpse of something that nearly shakes me to my core. There, out at the reception desk stands Ben. He is gesturing wildly and the woman at the desk is trying to calm him.
Finally, he looks toward where the woman is pointing and our eyes lock. My emotions are at war inside me. Part of me wants to grab him in a fierce bear hug and weather this storm together. The other part of me wants to beat his ass to a bloody pulp. Sydney follows my stare and places her hand on my arm. Her touch grounds me and I look at her and smile.
“Looks like you are about to meet the infamous Ben,” I say, my voice wavering.
Ben walks into the room and stands in front of me, hands shoved in his pockets, staring at his boots. He is only an inch shorter than me, but he is broader of chest and shoulder. We have the same black hair and dark eyes but his skin in much paler. That’s what comes from working in an office like a pussy instead of out in the sun, I tell myself.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask him.
Ben looks at me, surprised, and I notice for the first time that he’s got the beginnings of a good shiner. “He’s my brother too, you know,” he says.
“No, I mean, how did you know to be here?” I try again.
Ben looks at me a long minute before answering. “I ran into him at the bar,” he starts.
I point at his eye. “Did he give you that?”
“Yeah.”
I can’t help but smile. “Good,” I say.
“Jesus Christ Cole, Luke is in there fighting for his life and you want to start with me too?” Ben whines.
“The way I see it, he wouldn’t be in here ‘fighting for his life’ if it weren’t for you and your bullshit lawsuit,” I say, getting heated now. “What the fuck happened?”
“I tried to talk to him but you know what he’s like when he’s drunk. He hauled off and clocked me, the little shit. He took off and I tried to go after him and get his keys but he knocked me on my ass and beat me to the truck. I followed him to make sure he was ok but he was all over the road and the next thing I know, he loses control and his truck is rolling. I tried to get to him but I couldn’t get him out. Jesus Cole, if you could see his truck-” Ben stops, clearly upset by the memory.
I take a deep breath and instinct drives me into ‘big brother’ mode. I wrap my arms around Ben and clap him on the back. “Well it’s a good thing you were following him. Who knows how long he’d have laid out there before someone found him,” I hear myself say.
Ben wipes at his face and looks over my shoulder. I turn to see Sydney standing quietly by, watching our interaction. I reach my hand out to her and she takes it, coming to stand against my side.
“Ben, this is Sydney,” I say. “Sydney, this is my little brother Ben.”
Ben holds out his hand and Sydney takes it, giving him a firm shake. Then she surprises us both by pulling him into a hug. Once the shock wears off, he looks genuinely thankful for the gesture. Again, I find myself awed at her instincts and actions. She seems to know just what we need and gladly gives it.
“Why don’t I go get us all something to drink and let you two talk for a minute?” she says. Adding, “But only if you promise not to fight. You have a lot to work out but here is not the time or the place, we need to be focused on Luke right now. Got it?”
I can’t help but smile at her toughness and nod my head. “Yes ma’am,” I say and Ben echoes.
Once alone in the room, Ben shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot. I almost laugh at how absurd it looks for such a big dude to be so cagey. I sigh and take a seat.
“Little brother, I think it’s past time we had a good long talk.”
Chapter Thirteen: Sydney
I leave the two Parker boys alone, hoping that I won’t come back to body parts and security guards. Seeing Cole so torn up has me feeling powerless. I wish there was something I could do for him. I know sex takes his mind off of his troubles, but it’s not like we can just fuck in the waiting room. Not to mention, I wouldn’t mind finding other ways to connect with him.
Don’t get me wrong, I will ride that cock as often as I can, but our entire relationship can’t be based on it. Too bad.
I begin to realize that the thought of going back to Chicago isn’t as appealing as I would have thought. Yes, I am successful there. Yes, I have friends there. Yes, I make really good money there. But there is one thing that Chicago cannot offer me: Cole Parker. I know there is no way he would leave his ranch, even if he does love me. I also realize that I would never ask him to. Montana is where he belongs. The fields are in his blood. What the fuck am I going to do?
First things first, I need to get coffee. After that, we see what happens with Luke and deal with Ben’s lawsuit. Hmmm. We. It’s been a while since I’ve thought of myself as part of a ‘we.’ I like it. I just hope Cole feels the same.
As I come back to the room with a tray full of horrible hospital coffee, the doctor enters behind me. Both Cole and Ben shoot to their feet, holding their collective breath.
“Luke is out of surgery. He has some severe bruising on his lungs and his liver but no artery damage to either organ. We had to put pins in his left forearm and a rod in his left tibia. We have stabilized the spinal fracture and will have to monitor the swelling around his spinal cord before we can know what, if any, effects the fracture will have. For now, he is still in critical but stable condition. If he does ok for the next twenty-four hours, his chances of survival and recovery will more than double.”
