Forever Mine: Callaghan Brothers, Book 9(13)

“Aye,” he exhaled.

“Two visitors at a time, maximum of five minutes to start.”

He nodded again, glad it wouldn’t be more than that. He loved his family, but putting up a strong front was going to require more effort than he felt capable of maintaining for any extended period of time. No matter what, he was still the clan patriarch, and he was going to act accordingly.

Unsurprisingly, it was Jake and Taryn who came in first. Jake was a good lad, a natural born leader. Most people thought his firstborn, Kane, would have assumed that role, but Kane didn’t have the people skills that Jake had, relying on the brute force method to get things done. Jake was every bit as tough, but had a way of getting others to follow his lead without resorting to physical coercion (most of the time).

Taryn was Jake’s croie, a strong, spirited delight. He couldn’t have asked for a better women for his serious, intense son. And God bless the lass, despite her glassy eyes, she didn’t show an ounce of pity.

“How are you, Dad?” Jake asked as Taryn leaned over carefully to kiss his cheek.

“Like someone sawed through my chest and started stitching my arteries,” he deadpanned.

Taryn laughed. “Yeah, stupid question, huh. Better get used to it, though. I suspect you’ll be hearing that a lot.”

Too true. “How is the lass?”

“Riley was pretty shaken up, but she’s doing much better now that she knows you’re going to be okay. She has all the kids making you Get Well cards over at Maggie’s.”

He began to chuckle, then thought better of it when the pain in his chest shot from a five to an eight and a half. One of the nurses had warned him about that. No laughing, no coughing. They’d even given him a special pillow to hold over his chest when he felt the need to clear his throat.

“Who is watching the bar?” Jack asked, directing the question to Jake.

“Brian McCain and his dad. They’re having a ball.”

“They’re good men.” Brian McCain was the brother of Shane’s wife, Lacie. Brian had been captured and held prisoner for three years until Shane and the others mobilized and got him and the surviving remainder of his team out and brought them back home. Jack and Brian never talked about it, but he recognized the haunted look in the lad’s eyes sometimes. It was the same one he saw in the mirror sometimes. It was the kind of thing a man had to learn to live with, because it changed something inside of you.

“Yeah, they are. They send their best, and asked me to tell you not to worry. They’ve got everything under control.”

Jack felt better knowing that someone reliable was taking care of the bar. It bore Jake’s name now, but it was and always would be a special place to him.

Jake and Taryn said their see-you-laters, and Kane and Rebecca were the next to come in. Jack gazed up at his firstborn, looking larger than ever from his prone position. The boy had definitely inherited his grandfather’s bear-like stature, but of all of his children, Kane reminded him most of himself: serious, quiet, and intractable.

Kane silently took in everything while his wife, Rebecca, fluffed the pillows and checked the pitcher of ice water by his bedside. Jack knew he was sizing it all up. His eldest son was a man of few words, but everything was right there in his eyes, if one knew what to look for. Jack answered him with a look of his own. Kane blinked, and Jack knew the message had been received.

“Is there anything we can get for you, Dad?” Rebecca asked. Compassion radiated from her eyes as her gentle voice rolled over him, soothing. The woman had spent more than a decade working with humanitarian missions, foregoing her wealthy birthright to live and work in some of the poorest countries of the world. He’d never realized how much she sounded like Kathleen before, but with the echoes of his wife’s voice in his head, the similarity was uncanny.

Rebecca was yet another example of the perfection of croies. Jack couldn’t imagine any other woman who would complement Kane as well as she did. Just as Kathleen had complemented him.

“Some crossword puzzles,” he replied. “And my reading glasses. Apparently I’m going to be on my arse for a while.”

Rebecca smiled and told him she’d get right on it, then they, too, took their leave. They were followed by Ian and Lexi, Sean and Nicki, Shane and Lacie, and finally, Kieran and Faith. Each of his sons was so different, but he was proud of every one of them. They had all been fortunate in finding their wives, though Jack wouldn’t have been surprised if Kathleen had been nudging things along. He had no doubt she was up in Heaven, looking down on all of them even now, watching over them.

Michael and Maggie were the last to visit. “Aidan sends his best,” Maggie told him. “He wanted to come, but they’ll only allow immediate family in to see you.”

Aidan was not his son by blood, but he had become an integral part of the Callaghan family. Rebecca’s brother and best friend and business partner of Ian’s wife, Lexi, Aidan Harrison was a good man. “Thank him for me, lass.”

“I will. Are they treating you okay?” she asked, fluffing his pillow, then readjusting the covers around his feet. What was it with women and their incessant need to fluff and tuck?

“Aye, lass, they’re treating me fine.”

“Are you warm enough? Do you want another blanket? How about some ice chips?”

Maggie refused to look into his eyes, he noticed. Jack turned to Michael, who gave him a knowing look. It was then that realization dawned. Maggie was barely holding it together. She had an irrational fear of hospitals, and for her to be here at all was a testament to how much she cared for him.