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“They’ll be okay, bebé. You just wait and see. And we’re all here to help the both of you as much as we can, okay? You’ve got a bigass family at your beck and call, and there’s absolutely nothing you need to worry about except keeping your pretty face tear-free for when they wake up. You don’t want to scare them away with your blotchy tomato face, do you?”
I chuckled wetly against her stomach. It took me another few minutes to calm myself enough that I could move away from the safety and comfort her arms offered.
I looked up at her, my eyes burning from all that crying, and she gave me a soft smile. Grabbing the huge handbag she carried everywhere, she pulled out some Kleenex before grabbing my chin and wiping my face like a mom wiped her toddler’s.
“All that pretty makeup ruined,” she murmured, and I rolled my eyes, silently thanking her for lightening up the situation. She kissed my forehead before moving away and throwing the wipes in the trash can under the bed. She pulled out a bottle of water and a fucking sandwich from her bag and handed me the water bottle.
I wondered what all she kept in that bag as I drank the water, surprised at how thirsty I’d been. When I was done, I wiped my mouth and handed the bottle back to her as I asked, “Is there no end to that bag?”
I took the sandwich she held out for me. I didn’t dare decline it, even though I wasn’t really hungry, because I liked being able to hear things. Mama D gave me her trademark mom look as she rummaged through her bag, and I chuckled softly.
“Mama D…how did you get in here?” I asked, only now realizing that she wouldn’t have been allowed in here since she wasn’t a member of Charlie’s family.
She gave me a wicked grin as she walked over to me, abandoning her handbag quest for the moment. “Why, you’re not the only one who can lie, Charlie’s fiancé.”
I flushed as she continued speaking. “I mean, I could’ve lied, but I didn’t really have to. Have you forgotten who I am? Everyone knows me around here, and they’d expected me to show up. I would have been here with them regardless of the fact that I know them already.”
Damn, how could I have forgotten that? I was so close to the situation that I’d missed the most obvious thing. It had been a hate crime against a person from the queer community. Of course Mama D was here.
“The good news is Jo knows exactly who those men are, and they aren’t afraid to tell the police, even if they are their stepbrothers. And thankfully, Officer Whitby is handling our case, and I trust that he’ll have those bastards under lock and key soon,” Mama D told me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d been worried those men might try to hurt Jo again, but I was glad it was being taken care of. Now, if I could just make Charlie’s brother realize that he was being an ungrateful asshole…
“Mama D, I need your help.”
“Anything, sweetie. Tell me what you need.”
21
Brady
LeavingMamaDtolook over Charlie, I found a quiet nook at the end of the corridor and dialed the number I’d googled for Del Pharmaceuticals.
“Del Pharmaceuticals, this is Lara. How may I help you?” a woman answered, and I took a deep breath.
“Hello, can I speak to Mr. Lawrence De Luca, please?”
“Do you have an appointment, sir?”
Since when did we start needing to make appointments for phone calls? “No, I don’t. But he’ll want to talk to me. Tell him it’s about his elder sibling.”
“Can I get your name, please?” Once I’d told her, she told me to wait, and I listened to the hold music for a few minutes before the woman’s voice returned. “I’m patching you through now.”
“Hello, Lawrence?”
“Speaking. You’re the man my brother isdating.” It was a statement, and I didn’t miss the emphasis on the word dating. I rolled my eyes, glad no one was around because I had a feeling I’d be ripping a new one to this asshole before the call ended.
“I’m the man yoursiblingis dating, yes,” I corrected him. He made a scoffing sound that said it didn’t matter. But it did.
“My assistant said you wanted to talk about my brother?” he prompted and I knew purposefully misgendered Charlie this time.
I shook my head in disgust, not willing to let him get away with it. “I can’t believe you’re the same man Charlie talks about with so much love. They told me stories of how much you meant to them, how they’d taken care of you when you were kids because your mom was gone and your father was too busy working. They sung me the lullaby they used to sing for you when you were sick. They were so fucking heartbroken after what you said to them in your last call, and I couldn’t imagine how they could still love you. I still don’t understand, honestly. But Charlie isn’t me. They’re so much kinder, and they love you, no matter what kind of asshole you are. I’m only calling you because I thought you should know, though I doubt you’d give a fuck.” I dragged in a deep breath, speaking before he had a chance to cut in.
“Your sibling was attacked two days ago becausejust like you,some other assholes had a problem with them just trying to live their life in peace and wanting to be true to themselves. They’re in the hospital right now and…” I swallowed to keep the emotions from choking me and continued, “I know they’d be happy to see you when they wake up. They’ve been so sad for the past few weeks because they missed you, hating themselves for it even though it was allyourfault. I want them to be happy again, so if you could, please try to be the brother they remember you to be. Don’t you miss them? From everything Charlie has told me about you two, I know they pretty much raised you by themselves. Was it really so easy for you to throw them out of your life after everything they did for you? Are you really that selfish, Law?” I used the nickname Charlie used for him, just so he’d remember exactly who I was talking about. Charlie might’ve changed their name and realized the pronouns they wanted to use, but they were the same person who’d raised this man, and he needed to see that.
I stopped speaking when I realized I was starting to ramble. Maybe calling him had been a bad idea. What was I even doing here? I should be back in Charlie’s room, waiting for them to wake up, not out here away from them. I started to pull the phone away, intending to end the call, when Lawrence spoke up, his voice low. “Is he—Are they going to be okay?” It was the slip, the correction that made me put the phone back to my ear and answer him.
“They have a concussion, a broken arm, some bruised ribs, a fracture in their right leg.” I shook my head, trying to keep my tears at bay. If I got my hands on those assholes, I’d tear them apart for what they did to Charlie. I wish I’d been there with them. None of this would’ve happened if I had.
“Oh god. I was angry with him—them, for leaving me alone here, and then when Charlie told me everything, I just…lashed out. I didn’t even really think about it all that much. Did h—they really spend all these years hiding it from us? From me?”
