It wasn’t until he realized Wrecker would be staying with him that Toby stopped crying, but Tana hadn’t had that comfort, even with me holding her hand. She kept one of his blankets firmly grasped in her hand as we boarded the plane and then fell asleep ten minutes after take-off, her head buried in my neck and the blanket up around her nose.
The drive to the hospital was relatively easy, and as we got there, it hit me what we were walking into—sorrow and heartbreak of a scale I don’t think I’d ever encountered. Sure, I’d lost family members, but not ones with their lives ahead of them.
“Remy!” A familiar voice called, and I looked up to see my brother, Rett, walking toward me.
I was so shocked that I didn’t move until he was right in front of me, wrapping me up in a rib breaking hug.
“Good to see you, man,” I whispered, partly because of the emotions bombarding me and partly because of how tightly he was holding me.
“Came as soon as I heard. Family shouldn’t be alone during this, and I have a few days of leave, so I’m here to help.” Pulling back, he let me go as he reached for Tana and picked her up. “Sorry, petal. He’s a strong guy who could kick ass with one arm behind his back, so I’m banking that he’ll be just fine.”
The worried look he gave me over her shoulder made my heart sink into my colon. Fuck!
Before she could say anything, a voice squeaked our names, and I saw a puffy-eyed Hart racing toward us, his face crumbling as he got close to us.
Stepping into his path, I lifted him up and held him tightly, realizing now why my brother had done what he’d done—security and support in the form of a hug.
With his feet dangling off the ground, Hart sobbed into my shoulder.
“I love my brother,” he cried. “I love him.”
“I know, Bub, and Croix knows that, too.”
“W-w-what if I lose him? What i-i—” He lost the ability to talk with how hard he was crying, but I knew where he was headed with his questions and gave him the only answer I could.
“Think about Croix and how strong he is. Do you think there’s any way he won’t fight through this?”
Carrying Tana over so they could join our huddle, Rett added, “I’m telling you this as an older brother, bud—they’d have to cut my heart out to take away my ability to give Remy and Odette hell. It’s an older brother’s right, something we live for, so you can bet your ass he’ll fight this. You hear me?”
Hart lifted his head and stared at my brother, blinking like he was seeing things. “Rett?”
They’d met before, but obviously he’d been so set on getting to his sister that he hadn’t registered my brother being here until this moment.
“In the skin, my guy. Now, give your sister a hug, and let's go and check on Croix and the rest of the family. Do you have your phone on you?” Hart nodded. “Right, text them and ask if they’re hungry or thirsty. Our job’s going to be to look after them, that cool with you?”
Holy shit, this was what Marcus had been talking about. My job was to be the level-headed one for the family while they went through this, but everyone needed someone to keep them standing, and that’s what Rett was doing for all of us. Fuck, but I loved my brother.
Doing as Rett had suggested, Hart looped his arm around Tana’s neck. “Missed you, sissy. I’m so glad you’re here. I need you so bad.”
“I need you, too, Bub. Thank you for looking after them all until we got here.”
Pulling back, he looked at her, his chin trembling. “They’re a mess, Tana. I’ve never seen anything like this. Merrick and Pawpaw are always so strong, and Bryce broke down on the phone when they called him.”
Tana and Croix were close to their dad, Bryce, but they regarded Merrick equally as a father figure. I hadn’t really had a lot to do with Bryce over the years, but he loved his kids and visited them often, so I had no doubt this would hit him hard.
“I know,” she said softly, wiping his face with the palm of her hand. “I spoke to him after we landed. He’s getting a flight down but can’t get here until tomorrow.”
Clearing his throat, Hart nodded and jumped as his phone beeped.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, pulling it out of his pocket. “It’s new, and the vibration feels stronger than my old one.” Reading the screen, he looked over at Rett. “I’ve got what they want. Are we really okay to get it for them?”
Hooking his arm around Hart’s neck, Rett led him toward the cafeteria. “Absolutely. We’ll make sure they’re fed and caffeinated because people can’t function without the right balance of caffeine in their blood.”