Mom sighed deeply. All the excitement was tiring her out quickly and her pain was getting too intense. She was still trying to study our faces, so happy to see all of us safe, but her body was telling her she needed to rest.
“Dr. Andrews, I think mom needs some pain meds now. And she needs us to let her get some sleep, too,” I said watching her face. I felt mom wistfully wish she weren’t so weak because she didn’t want to sleep yet. “It’s okay, mom. We’ll be here when you wake up. Don’t worry. You just rest and keep healing.”
Dr. Andrews was adjusting the speed of mom’s I.V. drip. Evan was smoothing mom’s blankets, and Alik leaned down and whispered something in his mother’s ear. I looked away to give him is moment, but I knew exactly what he was saying to her. Alik may be the strong, silent type, but his emotions run almost as deep as mine. He was telling mom how much he loves her and how he will take care of everyone, just like she taught him. Then, and here’s where I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting into tears, then he told her how proud he was to be her son.
Evan was talking in hushed tones to Dr. Andrews—discussing mom’s current medicinal needs. That was his way of showing his love. He wanted to figure everything out for her. My sweet little brother, the problem solver.
Mom drifted off just when a knock came at the door. Evan opened the door to find Cole holding himself up against the door frame, panting. “What’d I miss?” he gasped.
I smiled up at Cole as he walked toward my sleeping mother and stood beside me. “She woke up, Cole, and she wore herself out from all the excitement. She’s sleeping now,” I studied the lines in my mother’s face still feeling love emanating from her.
“Darn it! I missed it!” he said sheepishly. “Did you profess your undying love for her, dad?” he winked over to his father who had been gazing with obvious affection at his patient.
“That’s enough out of you, Cole Andrews,” the doctor said, but blushed deeply.
“Let’s let the Winter family have a few moments alone,” he said, grabbing his son by the shoulders and directing him back to the door. “I’ll be in the ER if you need me,” Dr. Andrews called over his shoulder while Cole continued to protest gently. “And Cole will be back on the third floor waiting for you, Alik.”
The door closed behind them with a soft click. My brothers and I exchanged looks. We hadn’t discussed how much we had all been worried about mom not waking up, not getting better. Now that we saw mom’s condition change for the better, we all needed time to process our emotions. Some of us more than others.
“Thank God she woke up,” Evan said softly. My little brother was always good at stating the obvious.
Alik was sitting with his hands draped in his lap, fingers intertwined. Psychologically, one might say he was feeling helpless. I knew exactly how he felt. He cleared the emotions in his throat and said, “I talked with Theo about our need to come up with a plan. We’re vulnerable out in the open like this and Williams isn’t done with us.”
“Evan and I were just discussing the same thing this morning. We need to figure out a way to keep mom safe so she can finish recuperating. She’s been too fragile to go into hiding so far.” I found myself looking into Alik’s sky-blue eyes and comparing them to Creed’s. My brother’s eyes were always swimming with emotions right under the surface. The crystal blue was strikingly handsome against his darker skin. Creed’s eyes had a completely different feel. His were a darker blue and seemed cunning and mysterious. Both of them had wide-set, expressive eyes. And they both had annoyingly long eyelashes.
“…right, Meg?” my brothers were looking at me expectantly.
“Hum? What? I’m sorry, my mind was wandering,” I stammered.
“Keep up with us, Meggie. This is no time for day dreaming,” Alik gently scolded.
“I know. Must be a little sleep deprived.” Alik looked into my face and squinted slightly.
“No, there’s something else going on. What aren’t you telling us, Meg?” he asked with a scary amount of confidence.
“Nothing. I only know what you know,” I lied. Am I that obvious? Can’t I even think about a cute guy without my brothers giving me a hard time? It’s none of their business anyway.
Alik wasn’t going to let up that easily. “Meg, I can see it all over your face. Something has happened since I last saw you. Are you going to tell us, or do I have to beat it out of you?”
“For crying out loud, Alik! We have more important things to worry about, don’t you think? Enough with the inquisition!” Even to my ears, I sounded a little too squeaky.
“Well, it has been a while since we spared,” Evan said casually.
“Gotta keep up our skills,” Alik nodded in agreement, letting a wide grin spread across his face.
“We haven’t been able to spar because the only time the three of us are together these days is when we’re right here in mom’s hospital room,” I tried to sound logical, like Evan.