Chapter 3
3
KINGSTON
I t’s funny how time can move in a blink of an eye or drag on in its infinite existence as if it took every ounce of your life along the way.
That’s how I felt as I sat in the doctor’s office, for yet another consultation, going over everything that needed to happen.
Once Eddie and Samantha had dried their tears and sucked in breaths, we had gone into Latte on the Rocks, the café in our building. We had sat down so that way they could get some tea, and frankly I just needed the coffee. It probably wasn’t the best idea to have caffeine when I was still on a high from a tattoo, and the crash of what had just happened, but we needed to sit and talk.
And then plans had been made .
I had donated bone marrow before, so I remembered the initial pain, and all the discussions—but it had been a while.
Even though we had already done all the testing before to ensure it was a perfect match, we did it again. And so between blood tests and a physical exam, I was finally ready.
And now it was a couple of weeks later and I sat in a hospital room, my hands on my knees since I still wore my normal clothes and hadn’t yet been put into a gown.
Samantha and Eddie were in another part of the hospital and thankfully they wouldn’t be in the same room as me for this. No, somebody would just be using a very large fucking needle to withdraw liquid marrow from both sides of the back of my pelvic bone. It didn’t matter that eventually I would be given anesthesia, and I wouldn’t feel any pain during the donation. I would still know that there was a needle scraping inside of me and digging out liquid marrow.
Honestly, for a man who had tattoos, I was still afraid of needles. At least large ones that went down to the bone that is. In a world where my friends routinely got hurt or were sick, I felt as if maybe a slight fear of needles wasn’t such a terrible thing to be worried about.
And so now I sat on the edge of the hospital bed, as my mother looked through my bag ensuring I had everything in case I needed to stay overnight. The doctor didn’t think I would and felt I would be able to go home that evening and sleep in my own bed—however uncomfortable—but it didn’t matter to my mother. Because sometimes you had to stay overnight, so she wanted to make sure I had everything. I was an adult, but Holland Montgomery always made sure that her kids were well taken care of.
She had pulled her hair back from her face with two little clips on the side, and the curls just made her look far younger than she was. Of course, my mom had always just been Mom to me. Just like my dad Ethan, and my other dad Lincoln, were just Dad.
I hadn’t grown up in the most conventional of homes and yet to some, it was beyond such. And although my childhood hadn’t been the same as many others, I had been loved, cared for, and felt as if nothing had really been different than most of my friends.
While some people only had two parents, or one, or were parents of divorce and had two separate families, I happened to have two dads and one mom. My cousins Sebastian, Aria, Gus, and Dara all had the same situation with Aunt Maya and her two husbands. My dad just happened to be the Montgomery, and my brothers Logan and Oliver and I had three parents. It worked for us. Of course, that did mean I had an additional human being to hover over me like my dad Lincoln was doing right now.
“You had a bad reaction last time you were under anesthesia, so are you sure they’re going to let you go home today?” he asked, and I sighed, running my hands over my face.
I only needed one person with me because someone had to drive me home. I didn’t want both of my brothers and all three of my parents, nor my cousins hanging around. But of course, Kane and Phoebe were in the waiting room along with Logan and Oliver, while all three of my parents were in the room with me, hovering.
I didn’t have time to be nervous or worried about what would happen or even if this would work because damn it, this had to work.
All I could do was try to reassure them which helped me in the long run. Who knew?
I just had to make sure they understood I would be fine, and everything would work out in the end, and reassure them that I wasn’t stressed out over what was about to happen.
And I knew that they were somewhat doing this on purpose because my three parents were the most self-assured and confident people I knew. After all, living in an open poly relationship where not only did my dads love my mom, but they also loved each other? That wasn’t for the weak of heart. They had survived the worst, been through terror, and I was so damn grateful they were my parents.
Only I really wanted to get this day over with.
“I’ve been under anesthesia more than once because of my job and was fine then,” I countered.
“I don’t think mentioning the whole being blown up and stabbed and shot at thing is really going to help us now,” my other dad Ethan said, as he studied some of the photos on the wall. “Why do they show so many blood vessels and random things on the walls? Shouldn’t they show you something a little more soothing before any kind of procedure?”
“I’m sure they’ll have a soothing landscape watercolor for him later,” my mom said dryly. “I’m pretty sure they only put these up so people can learn a few things since our education system is seriously lacking.”
I pressed my lips together, holding back a smile. “You do realize that I’m a grown man and don’t need all three of you in here hovering?” My parents merely glared at me, and I held up both hands. “You know what, that’s fine. Everything is going to be fine.”
Lincoln pulled up his phone again. “Okay, common side effects of marrow donation are around two days in and it’s back and hip pain, fatigue, even throat pain, muscle pain, insomnia. ”
“Don’t forget headaches, dizzy, and loss of appetite,” Ethan added.
“Some people can recover in two days or a week, other times it can take a whole month or a year,” Mom put in.
“Did you guys memorize that one website?” I asked.
“We looked at multiple websites,” my mom said, before she moved forward and cupped my cheeks. “It scared me so much when you were sick the first time, but you were going to help your friend, and I love you with all of my heart. You care about so many people, my Kingston. And I’m honored to be your mother.” She leaned forward and kissed the tip of my nose.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and reached up to grip her wrists and squeezed. “I’ll be okay. Eddie needs me.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
“We all tested to see if we were a match the first time,” Ethan said as he cleared his throat. “And we would all do this, but you’re doing it for a second time. And I so love you for it.”
“I’ll be okay, you guys,” I whispered, and she then she kissed my forehead, and let me go before each of my dads hugged me tight.
As soon as they moved back, the nurses came in, and then it was time to prepare.
The procedure was very similar to the first, with no pain, just an uncomfortable sensation. And this time I didn’t react to the anesthesia adversely, so I was able to go home after they checked my vitals, and they waited for any reaction.
I wouldn’t hear from Samantha or Eddie for a bit, and that was fine. We needed to make sure that Eddie’s body didn’t reject the donation, and everything was grafted the way that it should.
It had worked before, and it would again.
And while I knew that having already donated twice in my life was a rarity, if I somehow matched again to someone else, or if Eddie needed a third, I would do it. Although I knew I probably needed to recover.
They could take what they needed, just to keep him safe.
I was strong enough—I had to be.
By the time I got home, the family hadn’t left me alone.
Instead, the parents were cooking in the kitchen, making sure that I had plenty of things to heat up. The fact that they had made sure that the pans they put in the freezer weren’t too heavy so I wouldn’t have to lift anything was ridiculous, but caring .
They understood me. And they were damn good at it.
“So your ass hurt?” Oliver, my youngest brother, asked. It didn’t matter that we were all in our twenties and I was approaching thirty, Oliver was still my baby brother.
Emphasis on baby .
“Really? That’s where you’re going with this?”
“I know, it’s all about your hips. Wasn’t there that old song about your hips not lying or something?” he asked.
“I cannot believe you just called it an old song,” Mom called from the kitchen, and I held back a chuckle. Laughing too hard didn’t feel quite great.
While everything was still numb, and I didn’t have too much discomfort, it was going to hit me soon. I was tired, and while I liked having my family here—including Kane and Phoebe here—I really just wanted some peace and quiet.
“You guys don’t need to stay all day. I promise I’m okay.”
“One of us is going to stay with you all night. Just in case. We’re here for you, and you’re just going to have to deal with it,” Mom said firmly. I smiled and settled deeper into the couch.
I lay back and watched my family eat as the nausea had hit me, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the anesthesia, or the donation itself. So I did my best to get comfortable with some saltines and ginger ale.
Kane and Phoebe—who had arrived for dinner—left first, and I knew they did because they wanted to set the tone, and then my parents finally left, leaving just my brothers.
When they flipped a coin, I wasn’t quite sure if it was who wanted to stay with me, or who wanted to leave, but then Oliver was the only one left, and he pulled out his book and settled in the chair in front of the TV.
“Are you just going to read all night in the chair in your clothes and not do anything else?”
“I figured I’d go take your bed later and sleep since you’re going to be out here.”
“You’re so giving,” I said dryly, while Oliver winked in reply. We looked just alike, dark hair, blue eyes, with that strong jaw that came from both of my fathers.
At the moment Oliver was still in school, and I knew he was figuring out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He was completing his gen eds, and finding his path, and that’s what I liked about our family. There was no pressure to figure out what you wanted to be when you grew up, when you were only sixteen or seventeen. You had time to make it work. The fact that Oliver could ace all of his exams and his gen eds meant that he had many paths he could choose. He just needed to do it. And we Montgomerys would be his net in case he wanted to fly and didn’t make it the first round.
I had gotten lucky by finding what I wanted. I had thought about joining the military, maybe even trying for the Air Force Academy, but in the end, I had gone for business, with a few other specialties. We had worked for other security companies, ones that had ended up not being a great fit for us. Mostly because a few of the guys had been former mercenaries, and that hadn’t been the path we wanted. Our Uncle Border had built a company from scratch, and so we had relied on him to help determine our paths, and I would be forever grateful we were never alone in any of this.
I loved my job, even the danger that came with it. I liked the adrenaline.
I just hated failing.
There was a soft rap at the door, and I rolled my eyes.
“Will you make sure that whichever family member is there knows that I’m fine and I’ll see them tomorrow?”
Oliver grunted and went to answer the door. I didn’t even bother looking at the camera considering I had some of the best security out there. Oliver would deal with it and had already looked at the screen.
When he winked over his shoulder at me, I was confused as to who it could be on the other side of that door. “Well, hello there,” Oliver said, as he drawled out the words, and leaned against the doorway. He did that pose we had all seen once in a movie, and I knew for a fact that Oliver practiced in the mirror.
Who the hell was on the other side of that door?
“Oh, you’re Logan, right?” a very familiar, very sultry voice asked, and I sat up too quickly, letting out a harsh groan.
The pain came out of nowhere because I was an idiot for moving like I had, so I couldn’t even relish the fact that she had gotten the wrong brother’s name.
“I’m actually Oliver. Come on in.”
“Oh, I just wanted to drop this off.”
“No, you should totally come in,” he said. And as the stars finally faded from my vision, I looked up to see Claire standing there, a tin container in hand, and worry on her face.
She was so fucking beautiful.
And that was something I needed to stop thinking.
“Are you in pain? Oh my God, are you hurting?” she asked, and I shook my head.
“No, I just sat up too fast. I’m glad my brother let you in.”
“Well, since I see you’re in good hands, I’m going to head over to the bedroom. You know, just to read or something. Have a good night.” And then Oliver grabbed his book and ran away.
Very subtle, my little brother.
“Hi,” Claire said, and I swallowed hard again.
“Hi.”
I just stared at her face, those beautiful cheekbones, those long lashes, and I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to say.
Claire was in my house. The person that had been avoiding me for weeks, months, was in my house.
And I was sitting here on the couch, with my ginger ale and crackers, not feeling like the normal guy I should be.
“Thanks for coming. I didn’t even know you knew I’d been in the hospital.” I paused, realizing she hadn’t said anything about that. “Unless you’re just here for something else?”
She shook her head, then held out the tin awkwardly. “I’m here with cookies. A peace offering.”
I frowned again, trying to keep up. I was still a little off, it seemed. “A peace offering for what, Claire?”
Her face fell, as did her arms. So she set the tin down on the coffee table and let out a deep breath. “I’ve been really off since the attack. I’ve been mean to you. And I don’t know why. Well, I sort of do, but that’s fine. I heard what you did, and I just want to say that’s amazing. You’re pretty amazing. ”
I shook my head, uncomfortable for a completely different reason now. “Anyone would do it. I’m not amazing for doing the right thing.”
She moved forward then, a frown etched on our features. I didn’t like seeing her frown. I wanted to make her smile.
“It’s more than that. Not everyone does something so unselfish, not everyone can. You are trying to save someone’s life, something you do all the time, and you don’t even realize it. So I’m just here to say I’m sorry. I should have been here before…before you donated bone marrow and saved someone with cancer. I should have said thank you for helping me that day, and I’m sorry that I’ve been out of it. I’m trying to get back to being myself. I’m trying to be better. So I just wanted to come here and let you know that I won’t be mean anymore. And I won’t ignore your calls.”
I really felt like I was missing something here, but I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. “Just like that. You won’t tell me why?” I asked.
“Just know it’s really me. It’s not you.” She winced. “I know that’s trite.”
“I’m not even sure I know what trite means,” I said with a laugh.
She smiled then, and it felt as if I had once again won the lottery. Or maybe just finally won something. “Are you really okay though? Does it hurt? ”
“It’s going to in a bit. I’m still a little dozed out from the anesthesia. And they did a nerve blocking thing, I think? I’m not really making up good words right now.”
“Do you want me to go?”
“Stay,” I blurted, not even realizing I was saying it until the word was already out.
“You want me to stay? Isn’t your brother here? Or is someone supposed to be in the room with you the whole night?”
“No, I can take care of myself, I just want you to…stay. Let’s watch a movie. Do something. And not talk about bone marrow or the fact that I just want these saltines and ginger ale.”
She studied my face then, and I had to wonder what she was going to say, what she could say in that moment. But she set down her bag and finally sat down on the couch.
She was close to me, but it didn’t feel close enough, so since I was just sitting there, I rearranged myself so that way I was leaning against the back of the couch, close enough to her.
And without any words, because I wasn’t sure there were any words to say, we turned on a movie—I wasn’t even quite sure what was happening on the screen—and I was able to eat a cookie. And as I fell asleep on the couch, with my head on her shoulder, I finally relaxed for the first time in far too long .
And it felt good.
And later, when I was in that half-dozed sleep and the movie was over, it felt as if her hands were in my hair.
But that couldn’t be right. And that wasn’t her whispering goodnight.
Instead, I just fell asleep, feeling content, as if I could save the world, and do anything.
Because Claire had come to me.
Finally.
Only I hadn’t realized I had been waiting all this time.