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“Mrs. Hawthorne, I’m Hunter, Roman’s-”
“I know who you are,” Victoria bit out as she glared at Roman. “You’re one of his little playthings,” she said as she glanced briefly at Hunter. Her eyes went back to Roman. “You and your perversions,” she said with a shake of her head.
Her open hatred actually helped Roman snap out of his funk and he tightened his hold on Hunter’s hand as he moved in front of him and pushed past Victoria without a word. She let out an outraged gasp and he could hear her venting her anger on the poor nurse as he walked into the room just behind the nurse’s station.
He’d expected to see his father hooked up to all sorts of machines but there was surprisingly very little going on around him. There were just the basics – machines tracking his vitals and an IV. It wasn’t a good sign.
Walt Hawthorne had never been a big man but seeing him lying in the hospital bed, his pale, wrinkled skin drawn tight over his bones made him seem small and old. Which made sense since Walt was in his early seventies but since it had been so long since Roman had seen him, he only had the image of a fit, well-groomed man who spent most of his days on the golf course to go off of. A twinge of pity twisted in Roman’s gut but he ignored it.
His father’s eyes were open and staring at some point on the window so Roman slowly walked around the bed until his father noticed him. It seemed to take him several seconds to recognize Roman. The sound of his name being whispered and the small smile that spread across his father’s gaunt face had Roman tightening his hand around Hunter’s. He felt Hunter’s other hand come to rest on his back between his shoulders but there was no pressure for him to move forward.
“Roman,” his father said again and then he lifted his hand just a little bit. Bile spread in Roman’s mouth at the gesture and while he moved closer to the bed, he didn’t reach for his father’s hand and he didn’t sit in the chair next to the bed.
“Gray’s on his way,” Roman said quietly. “He said you wanted to see me.”
His father’s eyes shifted to Hunter but Roman didn’t introduce them. No way he wanted Hunter linked to this man in any way.
“I should have done more, Roman,” his father said feebly. “I promised her…” Roman stiffened but didn’t say anything because he knew exactly who his father was talking about. “She was everything to me.”
“If that were true, old man, she wouldn’t be six feet under.”
His father’s eyes closed and Roman felt absolutely nothing when a single tear escaped.
“I couldn’t…I would have lost everything. It was all Victoria’s.”
Roman’s rage went to a whole new level at that. “Money? You let her die so you wouldn’t lose your bank account?”
“Victoria’s father would have ruined me if I left her. But after my sweet Libby…afterwards I told Victoria I needed to bring you home.”
“And she just agreed to that?” Roman said sarcastically.
“I…I threatened to expose our marriage for what it was. I told her I would claim you as my son.”
Roman felt like he was going to be sick. “So she agreed to let me stay with you.”
His father nodded weakly. “As long as I agreed not to tell anyone who you were.”
“And to treat me like shit, right?” Roman snapped.
Another tear slipped down his father’s face as he shook his head. “There was no other way…”
“There were a hundred other ways, Walt,” Roman sneered. “Hell, I would have had a better chance at a fucking childhood if you’d let them put me in foster care.”
“Libby-”
“Don’t you dare spout some bullshit about doing what you did because of my mother. My mother never would have wanted that for me!”
“Roman, I swear on my life, I loved you.”
At that, Roman released Hunter’s hand and strode forward until his face was practically in his father’s. “You don’t know the first thing about love, old man. I hope you rot in hell.”
His father let out a whimper but Roman just shoved away from the bed and strode out of the room. He ignored whatever parting shot Victoria aimed at him as he rushed past her and he barely noticed Hunter’s fingers closing around his hand. From somewhere behind him he heard the steady, loud signal of a heart monitor and then the corresponding flurry of overhead calls on the PA system. Several nurses and doctors rushed past him towards his father’s room but he didn’t look back.
* * *
“Have you seen him?” Hunter asked Gray as he put his hand on Gray’s arm in a silent gesture of comfort. Gray was standing in one corner of the large living room, Luke by his side. As solemn as the wake was, Hunter couldn’t help but notice how separate Gray kept himself from his mother as she held court near the long table covered in fancy appetizers.
Gray looked around the room. “No,” he said. “We’ll help you look,” Gray added as he motioned towards the large marble staircase near the entryway to the house.
