22
Little less scary
Transfixed, Rafferty stared as she moved through the doorway, an orderly behind her, pushing her — he sucked in a breath — in a wheelchair. The white bandage wrapped around her head contrasted starkly against her auburn hair. And fuck, she wore a neck brace.
“Mom! You’re back!” Olivia called out and jumped from the bed, Amelia right behind. Preston joined his sisters, the trio crowding their mom and the orderly.
It was the grimace of pain across her face that ripped him from his stupor of seeing her injured and in a fucking wheelchair , spurring him into action. “Give your mom some space,” he ordered, clearing a path to her bed.
The orderly leaned down and activated the brakes. “Let’s get you up,” the man said.
“I’ve got her.” He scooped Brandy-Lyn into his arms and placed her on the bed, drawing the light blanket over her legs — seeing her limbs exposed by the dreadful hospital gown bothered him tremendously — while supporting her back with his other hand. “Upright or flat?”
“Huh?”
His eyes flicked to hers. “The bed.”
“Oh.” Brandy-Lyn blinked. “Upright.”
He looked at the orderly, and the man jumped at it, pressing the button on the attached control pendant. Once semi-upright, Rafferty removed his hand, adjusting a pillow to support her head as she slumped back. “That good?”
“Yes.” She grabbed his wrist. “Why—” She cleared her throat. “Why are you here?”
Before he could respond, the doctor entered.
“Ms. Powers, I have good news. Based on the MRI, there doesn’t appear to be any serious issues or abnormalities, which is a comforting sign.
However, because you lost consciousness, we want to keep you overnight.
It is a mere precaution. We’ll monitor you for any changes, just to be sure there are no delayed symptoms or complications. ”
“Not staying here, doctor. I want— need — to go home.” Her eyes flicked to the side. “My children.”
He shook his head. “I don’t recommend that. It’s important that we ensure you’re stable.”
“We’ll be fine,” Preston said.
“Yeah,” Amelia added. “Please listen to the doctor.”
“It’s just one night, Mom,” Olivia noted.
Brandy-Lyn frowned. And winced.
Rafferty hated seeing her in pain. She didn’t need the added worry about her children. And it was for the best that she stayed overnight for observation. Just in case something unforeseen happened as the doctor mentioned. “I’ll stay with them.”
“There you go.” The doctor smiled. “The nurse will be in shortly to give you something stronger for the headache and settle you for the night. If you feel any new symptoms, such as increased pain, dizziness, or confusion, please let us know immediately.”
She pushed up on her hands. “But—”
Placing his hands on her shoulders, Rafferty nudged her back down. “You’re staying, Red.”
“Fine,” she huffed, closing her eyes.
“Good decision. I’ll be back in the morning to discharge you,” the doctor said walking out.
“You never answered my question,” Brandy-Lyn grumbled. “Why are you here?”
“I called him,” Amelia stated.
Mother and daughter locked gazes. “Why?” Brandy-Lyn asked.
“Because I knew he’d come.” Amelia lifted her chin. “And I was scared,” she admitted.
Brandy-Lyn turned her eyes on him and grabbed his hand. “Thank you,” she whispered, those mesmerizing eyes liquid with tears.
“Anytime.”
*
Rafferty grabbed hold of the sheet, and he and Preston tucked it around the cushions on one end of the sectional.
“You can take my bed,” Preston offered again.
Rafferty viewed the overstuffed couch, a far cry from the floor of a hut in the Amazon jungle. “I’m good here.”
Olivia stood at the back of the couch, hugging a pillow close to her chest. “Thanks for” — her throat bobbed as she swallowed — “what you did with Mom. And for staying tonight.” Her voice came out watery, and those pretty blues she shared with her siblings swam with tears.
His own eyes smarted, and his nose burned with emotion. “It’s an honor to be here, Olivia. The fact that you trust me enough …” He trailed off, biting back the rest of his words … when my own brother won’t let me near his kids or even enter his house.
Olivia’s brows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t we trust you?”
The question took Rafferty by surprise. Just as Brandy-Lyn’s capitulation on his offer to keep an eye on her kids tonight had floored him.
But Olivia rushed on before he could formulate a response. “You came , Rafferty. You came when we needed you.” She dropped the pillow in the corner where the two parts of the couch connected, spun about, and rushed up the stairs.
Rafferty stared after her with unsettling bewilderment. His interactions with Brandy-Lyn’s kids were … effortless. They’d showed no sign of fear or suspicion or aversion or the guarded wariness he saw in his own nieces and nephews.
Just plain acceptance.
Now trust.
It floored him.
He dropped his chin to his chest, expelling the air from his lungs.
Light glinted off the horseshoe amulet dangling from the leather cord.
A gift from the family who had burrowed beneath his defenses and found the sliver of decency still left in him.
He closed a fist around the silver pendant, that fragment of morality warning him not to sully them with the darkness lurking within him.
“Um.” Preston cleared his throat, and Rafferty opened his fingers, the chunky metal dropping back to his chest.
He turned to the boy.
The boy who had trusted him , Rafferty “Trick” Lawson, murderer and drug addict, with his innermost fears tonight. What a privilege.
“I’m gonna go to bed, too.”
Throat clogged with emotion, Rafferty merely nodded, and watched Preston move across the room.
At the start of the short hallway leading to his bedroom, Preston stopped and looked back. “You made tonight a little bit less scary for us. Thanks, dude.”
*
A distant whoosh dragged Rafferty from his jumbled sleep, his senses flickering to life, but they were unusually sluggish as he tried to place the sound. He opened his eyes and peered into the dark. He wasn’t in his bedroom, the shadows all wrong, the ceiling too high.
And the glow of light did not belong.
The events from last night tumbled back in.
He pushed upright and found the source of light. An open fridge.
And Amelia.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he whispered.
She whipped around, eyes wide. “S-sorry. I tried to be quiet.”
“That’s okay. Wasn’t sleeping so well myself,” he admitted, dragging the blanket from his body. He swung his legs to the floor and got to his feet. Straightening his rumpled T-shirt, glad now he had remained dressed, he ambled across the floor. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Talk about what?”
“Whatever got you out of bed at” — he peered at the microwave — “ten to four in the morning.” Considering they had only arrived home a little after one, he wondered if she had gotten any sleep at all.
She gave a huge sigh and closed the fridge, plunging the area into darkness. Her breath caught, and he reached for her, pulling her closer. She dropped her head to his chest, low sobs tearing through her as she fisted the material of his T-shirt.
“It wasn’t your fault, darlin’,” he said, guiding her to the couch.
He gently nudged her down. “I know you’re feeling a lot right now, Mimi, but you need to take a breath and listen to me for a second.
Yeah?” He reached behind her and flicked on the lamp, bathing them in a soft, warm light, and sat on the coffee table in front of her.
Sniffling, Amelia wiped at her eyes. “Mom’s hurt , Raff. She’s in the hospital because of me . She’s gonna hate me. I know she will,” she wailed, burying her face in her hands. “I shouldn’t have swerved.”
His heart tore in two. Her self-blame was one he understood all too well. “Amelia, look at me.” He waited till she dropped her hands and lifted her eyes to his. “You didn’t hurt your mom on purpose. Accidents happen, Mimi-girl. You did what you thought was right in the moment.”
“But I could’ve just hit the brakes.”
“It’s hard to make perfect decisions in a split second. You saw an animal, and you made the choice to avoid it. That’s a normal human instinct, not recklessness.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“And my license? I only just got my provisional.” Her voice rose, panic overriding misery. “What if I lose it? What if I can’t drive anymore?” Her eyes widened. “What if Dad takes my car away?”
Rafferty reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“If that happens … it’s not the end of the world, Mimi.
But don’t jump to the worst-case scenario.
And if your dad is upset, it’ll be because he cares about you.
I doubt he’s gonna take away your car over this.
” He hoped he wasn’t selling her a load of crap.
“He’ll do it just out of spite,” she muttered. “Dad was mad when Livvie called because she woke up the baby.”
He took hold of her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. “Why don’t we put the accident and any possible what if’s away for now, and watch some ridiculous TV show until the sun comes up?”
She blinked. “Now?”
“Now. I’ll make us some hot chocolate while you select a show.”
Amelia gave him a wobbly smile. “That’ll be nice. And thanks, Raff. I … I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”
And he found himself repeating the same promise he gave Brandy-Lyn a few hours ago. “Anytime, darlin’. Anytime. And remember, this is one moment, not your whole life. Things will work out.”
Taking a deep breath, she replied, “Okay. I’ll try to remember that.”
“That’s my Mimi-girl,” he said, standing. He had hot chocolate to make.