Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Leif
Anger rolled off me in waves, and I did my best to rein it in. Yelling at anybody in my path wasn’t going to help anything. But it was all I could do not to see red and find this damn Landon person and beat the shit out of him. Violence had already come into her life. I wasn’t going to add to it.
I fisted my hands at my side and took in a deep breath.
“She’s fine, son. She’s okay.”
We sat in the waiting room in the hospital, something that we had done countless times when I was a kid, through various things with my aunts and uncles and parents. You would think I would be used to this by now, since we basically had our own Montgomery wing, and yet nothing felt right.
“I should be back there,” I whispered.
My dad squeezed my shoulder and I let out a breath. “You will be. You know how it is, HIPAA restrictions and all that. As soon as you are able, I know you will be back there.”
I looked at my dad, his big beard always comforted me. My dad had been through hell and back, a lot of it having to do with me. But he’d always been there for me—just like he had always been there for my siblings and my mom.
Sierra, not my birth mom. I tried not to think about my birth mom, but it was hard not to these days when my so-called stepdad/birth-mom’s-boyfriend was back in the picture. Not that I was going to tell my dad about that. No, adding that on top of everything else wouldn’t help anyone.
“I want to be there now. I want to know what’s going on.”
“You will know soon.” My dad turned and I followed his gaze. “Good, here’s your mom and Luke.”
I stood up, practically scrambling to Luke.
May had met us at the hospital, Luke in tow, when we had heard about the incident at the university. I wanted to rush behind the nurse’s counter and find Brooke, but I wasn’t family and wasn’t on her emergency contact list. Apparently, nobody was. That was going to have to change soon.
But May had left shortly after dropping off Luke, the right side of her face swollen from a badly needed root canal that popped up out of nowhere.
Nick, of all people, had driven her to the dentist under protest. She hadn’t wanted to go, had wanted to stay there with Luke to wait to hear more about Brooke, but we had all pushed her into leaving.
That meant Luke was with us in the waiting room, and I was thankful that my parents had come. Any one of my siblings, cousins, or numerous other family members would be here. But I hadn’t wanted to overwhelm Brooke, considering she hadn’t even officially met my family.
We had been dating for a few weeks now, and it seemed odd that I hadn’t had her and Luke over for family dinner. Then again, Luke didn’t even know we were dating. He just thought I was Brooke’s friend.
Things were going to change after this. As soon as I made sure she was okay, she would have to realize how important she was to me.
I hadn’t even realized the words rang true until they were practically spewing out of me. I only held it in because Luke was in front of me now, and I went to my knees, holding my arms out. Luke ran to me and nearly strangled me as he hugged me tightly.
“Is Mommy okay?”
I stood up, set Luke on my hip, and pushed his hair back from his face.
“She’s going to be just fine.” I hoped I was not lying. But if it was bad, she would’ve told me. She would’ve sent somebody out to tell me.
I hated not knowing. I hated not being her emergency contact. Because she was all alone back there, and here I was, holding Luke, and I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t good at this. I wasn’t a dad.
That thought made my mouth go dry.
I would do anything for her and Luke. I just had to figure out what all that meant.
The fact that this was coming at me all at once nearly took the words from me, and it was hard for me to speak.
Because I hadn’t been prepared for this.
I hadn’t been prepared for her or Luke. I wasn’t sure what the hell I was supposed to be doing.
“Luke enjoyed our little walk, and now he promised to go play with the puzzles in the back with me.”
I looked up at my mom, and she smiled at me. There was such kindness in her gaze, even with worry. It reminded me of the first time she had been in the hospital when she had been hurt when I was a kid. But she was okay now, strong.
Brooke was just as strong. I had to remember that.
“I like puzzles,” Luke said shyly as he looked over at Sierra.
She smiled at him, and I knew that Luke was a goner.
My mom had that way with kids. After all, I had fallen for her just like my dad had.
I wanted her in my life, even before I knew that my dad wanted her, too.
I was forever grateful that Sierra was my mom.
That she had stood up and said her vows to my dad, holding my hand and making me promises as well.
That had been so long ago, yet I could still remember that day, the tears running down her face as she had promised to be the best mom she could be for me. And then she had cried again when the adoption papers had come through, and she was my mom in truth.
Luke looked over at her with that same knowledge, that same love.
“Let’s go play puzzles while Leif and Austin go see what we can do about seeing your mom.”
Luke buried his face into my neck, sighing. “I want my mommy to be okay.”
My heart clutched, and I rubbed my hand on his back.
“I want her to be okay, too.” I pressed my lips together, knowing that probably was the best thing to say.
“And she will be okay. We will figure out when we can see her, and then we will take her home. Then you and I get to have the fun job of ensuring that she’s all tucked in and comfortable. What do you say?”
“And then we can all sleep in Mommy’s bed and make sure she is safe?”
I did my best not to look at my parents as they met each other’s gazes, holding back a laugh.
“We can make that happen.” I kissed the top of Luke’s head, then set him down as he went off to the children’s area with my mom.
My dad gestured towards the nurse’s station, but before I could go and harass them, albeit nicely, a woman in scrubs walked out and looked over at me.
“Leif Montgomery?”
My heart did double-time, and I swallowed hard. “That’s me. Is it Brooke? Can I see her?”
She held up a hand, looking very serious. The floor fell out from beneath my feet, and I swayed. My dad squeezed my shoulder tight. He grounded me as always, and I swallowed hard.
“Just tell me.”
The woman smiled, looking slightly tired. “She’ll see you now, and she can tell you how she’s doing.”
I didn’t know what to make of that, but maybe it was in the rules that because I wasn’t Brooke’s emergency contact, I wasn’t allowed to know anything about how she was doing.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but it didn’t matter in the end.
All that mattered was that Brooke would be fine, Luke and I would definitely talk her into resting, and make sure that she was safe and wrapped in bubble wrap.
And that I could find this Landon and beat the crap out of him.
My dad gave me a tight nod, squeezed my shoulder again, and then let go to walk over to where my mom and Luke were playing. I was glad for it. They would keep Luke occupied while I talked with Brooke.
I hated the fact that she was alone. But she wouldn’t be for long. Damn it.
The doctor gestured towards a curtained-off room, and I nodded in thanks as I saw Brooke lying there, my body nearly failing me.
She looked so small, so fragile. Brooke never looked small.
She always looked as if she could take on the world and did so every day.
She was brilliant, a freaking doctor. She was an actual nuclear physicist who could take over the world.
But she looked so fragile I was afraid that a stiff breeze could break her.
A bruise marred the side of her jaw, and at the narrowing of her gaze, I had a feeling she knew exactly where my thoughts were. She wouldn’t want me to think she was fragile.
But I was so pissed off I couldn’t even breathe. I wanted to shout and scream and make sure that she was okay. But that wasn’t helpful.
Vengeance, my anger, it didn’t matter what I was feeling.
“Brooke? Are you okay?” I blurted, my voice coming out with a growl. The nurse walking by gave me a look. I sucked in a breath and exhaled through my nose, telling myself to calm down.
“May said you had Luke.” She held up her phone. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to take care of him. Just…you know, thank you.”
I moved to her and reached out to touch her hand. She didn’t flinch, didn’t move away, but I saw the bruising on her throat, the cut on her forehead, on her lip. And I wanted to scream. But that wouldn’t help.
I closed my eyes, counted to five, and opened them as I leaned forward. Her hair was pushed back from her face. She just looked so frail, and I hated that. I wasn’t going to let myself think that. Not when she needed me to be strong. And yet it was all I could do not to growl.
“Luke is with my parents in the waiting room. He’s fine. Worried about you, and he wants to see you.”
Her eyes widened, her mouth parting. “He’s with your parents? He’s just alone with your parents.”
My brows raised. “Lake is out of town, May is having oral surgery, and my parents have raised four kids. I trust them with my life.”
“I don’t know them.” She closed her eyes and cursed.
“I’m sorry. I’ve met your mother, she was lovely.
Even though I didn’t know she was your mother at the time, and it was only for a few minutes.
I just can’t believe they’re putting everything aside to watch my son.
I need to get out of here, need to go and see him. ”
“You will. As soon as you tell me what’s going on.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Leif. You’re not my husband.”
My eyes widened and that rage came right back. “Oh, so we’re going to do this right now?”
“Do what?” she snapped.