AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The ICU is on the third floor,” she said, but made no move to get out of the car.
Jackson’s stomach ached, low in his gut, and he reached for her hand to give it a squeeze. “Okay. Do you want to go find your brothers?”
Carly nodded. “There’s a waiting room up there. I remember from when my dad…” She trailed off, then shook her head. “Anyway. That’s where my brothers are.”
She clutched his hand, unmoving, and Jackson held it tight, staying just as still.
“You just let me know when you’re ready.”
Carly’s eyes flashed over his, bright with tears.
“Thank you.”
* * *
Guilt floodedevery part of Carly’s body, taking special care to stop for an extended stay in her chest as Jackson ushered her through the automatic doors leading into Memorial Hospital Center. She’d been here a handful of times—once to get the stitches in her finger, then again five years ago when her father had died—and it looked and smelled exactly as she remembered it.
Like a pleasant cover-up for very bad things.
“Looks like the elevators are down here.” Jackson pointed toward a long, gleamingly tiled hallway with his right hand, his left still firmly twined around hers. For some strange reason, an image of his brother-in-law’s boat popped into her head. She and Jackson had never used the anchor the day they went fishing, but it had been comforting to know it had been there, just in case.
She needed it now.
Wordlessly, they got on the elevator, and the ride to the third floor took both forever and not long enough. The doors trundled open, and Carly forced her feet to move to the nurse’s station in front of her.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for Francesca di Matisse,” she told the scrubs-clad nurse behind the desk. The woman gave one efficient nod, but her eyes softened as they fell on Carly’s.
“She just went for her MRI. Are you family?”
“I’m her daughter.”
Her only daughter. The one who picked a fight with her just this morning. The one whose last words to her were full of anger.
Please, God, don’t let that be the last thing I ever say to her, Carly begged silently.
“Dr. Moreland can give you an update when your mother’s MRI is done, but it shouldn’t be too long. There’s a waiting room at the end of the hall. I’m sure you’ll see some familiar faces in there.” The nurse paused to smile, and Carly’s heart lurched at the thought of seeing her brothers.
“Thank you.”
She auto-piloted over the industrially clean linoleum, and Jackson stayed right beside her as they followed the corridor to the end and rounded the corner to the waiting room. The space hadn’t changed in five years, right down to the outdated magazines on the tastefully simple end tables, and Carly fought the wave of nausea that washed over her at the sight of the faded green carpet and nondescript watercolors on the walls. Her brothers all sat in various states of discomfort, eyes fixed on the muted TV mounted to the wall, until they saw her standing in the doorway.
“Carly!” Her oldest brother, Vince, was closest, and he had her in a bear hug before she’d even crossed the threshold. “It’s good to see you,cucciola.” Nine years her senior, Vince’s dark hair was shot through with threads of silver. Carly held him tight, sending her muffled greeting into his shoulder.
“Hey, Vin.” She squeezed him, letting him kiss both her cheeks before repeating the greeting with her middle brother, Frankie. “I got here as fast as I could.”
Dominic rose from his seat, folding her into an embrace, and Carly had to fight the urge not to cry. Of all her brothers, she was closest to Dominic, and she’d only seen that look on his face one other time.
And that was when their father had died.
“You just missed Daniela by ten minutes,” he said, kissing both of her cheeks. “The baby was getting cranky, and she had to run to pick up the boys from the neighbor’s anyway. But I’m glad you’re here.”
Something unspoken hung in Dominic’s words, and he hugged her too hard, too long. The mention of her sister-in-law and nephews made Carly’s heart lift, only to tighten and ache harder as she thought of the matriarch who held them all together. She unwound her arms to look her brother in the eye, just in time to see him catch sight of Jackson standing in the doorway. Dominic’s brows sailed upward in surprise, but he said nothing.
“Dom, this is Jackson Carter. Jackson, these are my brothers. Dominic, Frankie and Vince. Jackson’s a friend of mine from Pine Mountain. He didn’t want me to drive alone.”
Dom’s brow popped even higher, and he extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for getting her home safely.”
“No problem at all.” Jackson went the requisite rounds with handshakes and how-do-you-dos for all three of her brothers, taking their assessing stares in stride.
