So I turned to my man.
I found his ear with my lips. “Go to him.”
He shook his head and I pulled back slightly to look at him.
“Now’s not the time,” he told me.
“Now’s the perfect time,” I contradicted.
He dipped close. “Ally, baby, that’s done.”
“Part of it’s done. But the family part will never be done.”
Ren’s jaw got hard.
“Go to him,” I encouraged.
“Honey—”
I lifted a hand to his cheek. “You have a window of opportunity. It’s fucked up why you have it, but you have it. He feels this, what’s happening right now. He wants to come to you but he’s too stubborn. So you have to take this opportunity and go to him.”
“Babe—”
Urgently, I whispered, “Life’s too short.”
His beautiful eyes moved over my face. Then he nodded, leaned in for a quick kiss and straightened out of his seat.
I watched him walk to his uncle. Angela’s face lit up with hope and Dom led Sissy closer.
Five minutes later, Vito pulled Ren in for a back pounding hug.
I looked away, and as I did I caught Hank’s eyes.
He smiled at me.
My brother had a beautiful smile.
I smiled back.
It was small, but this time it wasn’t fake.
* * * * *
An hour later…
After Lavonne and Bear, friends of Jet’s and Nancy’s, showed with five pizzas that only Roam and Sniff touched (and also Tex, Dom and Smithie)…
After Sniff’s girlfriend showed (and she was cute and way into him as he was way into her), she got close to her boyfriend, stuck there and made me nearly smile (nearly) when I caught Shirleen staring at them. She caught me staring at her and she rolled her eyes…
After four of Roam’s girlfriends showed (yes, four), that he somehow corralled and got them out of there so if there was a drama, it didn’t happen close…
After there was a slightly elevated conversation between Stella, Hugo and Pong when they evidently learned I’d been stripping and were aggrieved Stella hadn’t shared that intel with them…
After all that, a man in scrubs and a white lab coat walked through the door.
“It’s been explained to me that you’re all here for Darius Tucker,” he announced. “Is there immediate family?”
“Me,” Dorothea chimed in, but her voice sounded croaky. So she cleared her throat as she walked his way, for once not longingly staring at Liam Clark, who for some reason she didn’t approach. Then again, Malia and Liam steered clear of her, too. Her throat cleared, she repeated more strongly, “Me. I’m his mother.”
Shirleen got up and moved in behind her sister.
And Ren’s hold on me got tighter when Malia, who was standing to the side with Liam, Indy, Lee, Jet and Eddie, broke free and edged near.
I held my breath.
“He made it through surgery,” the doctor told Dorothea, and I let out my breath. It caught again when he went on, “However, there was a great loss of blood and quite a bit of damage, including head trauma. He’s in critical care.”
I clenched my teeth when the doctor lifted a hand and curled it on Dorothea’s shoulder.
That was not a good sign.
His voice dropped quiet (another not good sign) when he went on.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Tucker. Although he survived surgery, we still have concerns. He’s not conscious, but it would be good if you didn’t delay visiting him.”
Definitely not a good sign.
I heard sobs (probably one of them Roxie; she cried all the time) and felt the vibe—already low—plummet, as everything leaked out at me and I collapsed into Ren’s side.
Dorothea nodded, her chin lifting to hold it together, her body stiff.
“Can I… can we…?” Malia started, her hand going out behind her toward Liam. She took two steps forward, her eyes on Dorothea. “Can Liam and I visit with him?”
Without delay, Dorothea raised her hand toward Malia.
Malia walked to her, took it and turned back to Liam. “Baby?”
Eyes never leaving his mother, probably knowing all eyes were on him, without hesitation, Liam moved to her.
A good kid.
Darius’s kid.
We all watched them follow the doctor.
For some reason I didn’t get and I didn’t try to process, I searched the room until I found Jane.
She was already looking at me.
