Liability (Suncoast Society #33)(64)

Cole choked up. “Thank you, sir.”

“How involved you want to be with his care?”

“We will take care of him.”

Corbin’s gaze narrowed. “Even if he’s a vegetable?”

“We love him,” Kim tearfully whispered. “He’s alive. That’s all I care about. I want to take care of him.”

The man’s expression softened. He reached over and patted her shoulder. “Sorry. I know I’m an *.” He blew out a long breath. “Okay. You said they caught the little bastard that did this to him?”

“Yeah,” Cole said. “They did.”

“I bet it was that pest he dated from Nebraska. Last time I had dinner with Mase, he was telling me about the guy. I told him he should have blocked him a long time ago, but he didn’t want to be a dick about it.” He shook his head, disgust on his features. “My son being a nice guy nearly got him killed.”

“The cops will probably want to talk to you about that,” Tilly said.

“They give me five minutes with the little *, they won’t need to talk to me about anything.”

Cole now completely understood why Mason had talked about his father the way he did. And he liked the man. Cole had honestly been worried about a worst-case scenario of having to fight Mason’s parents to help care for him. At least one parent was on their side.

“You and me both,” Cole said.

“Hey, you two would look even worse in prison orange than me,” Tilly snarked from across the table.

Corbin glanced at her. “You into this stuff, too?”

Tilly now had her hands clasped on the table in front of her. “Not with them, no. I have plenty enough of my own confusion at home, thanks. But yes, we’re all…friends in common, as they say. Similar interests and relationship dynamics.”

Corbin stood, wincing. “I’m glad you two want to help him. I’ve got this damned arthritis and I’m lucky to get around on a good day. I was afraid you were going to be all thanks, but no thanks.”

Kim hugged the guy. “Please don’t take him from us,” she tearfully begged.

Cole wasn’t sure how to peel her off the man, but then Corbin hugged her back. “No, honey. Don’t worry. I can tell you care about him.” He finally let her go and grabbed a tissue from the box on the table. “Let’s get this over with. I want to see my boy.”





Cole left Kim in the waiting room with Landry and headed back with Corbin and Tilly. Corbin had hooked an arm through Tilly’s and Cole trailed behind, now seeing the man’s slow, pained gait compared to theirs.

When they reached the room, Cole stepped in close when Corbin actually rocked back on his heels at the sight of Mason in the bed.

“Motherf*cker,” the man muttered as Tilly tightened her grip and Cole prepared to help catch him if he passed out.

Cole couldn’t fault him. His stomach still churned in a bad way.

They got him into the chair on Mason’s right side and Cole moved to stand at the end of the bed while Tilly stood next to Corbin and explained things to him.

The man’s eyes filled with tears that spilled down his face. Cole spotted a box of tissues and grabbed them, passing them to Tilly for him after taking a couple of his own.

Corbin quietly sat there for a moment, apparently processing things, slowly nodding his head. “I know you told me out there it was bad, but… This is bad, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir,” Tilly said. “It’s bad. But he’s stable.”

“But it’s still bad.”

“Yeah. It’s still bad.”

Slowly nodding his head, Corbin reached out and touched Mason’s right hand, which lay on top of the covers. “He in any pain?”

“No, sir. He can’t feel anything right now. He’s completely sedated so his body can try to heal itself.”

“And his brain.”

It took her a moment to answer. “And his brain. Other than monitoring him, medicating him, keeping him hydrated, and keeping him comfortable, there isn’t much they can do for him right now but let his body heal. The type of skull fracture he has, there’s no surgery they can do or anything they can…fix. Everything they can fix, like his wrist, his internal injuries…that’s all they can do for him at this point. They’re talking about putting in a feeding tube sometime over the next few days so they can get him nutrition. For right now, they want to let some of the trauma to his body stabilize first. Especially in case they have to take him back into surgery.”

More slow nodding as Corbin apparently tried to process that. Cole realized he’d rested his own hand on one of Mason’s feet, which were encased in pressurized cuffs to help prevent blood clots, and he’d been stroking Mason’s toes where they peeked out at the end.

Corbin noticed, his gaze slowly rising to meet Cole’s. “Please close the door, son. So the three of us can talk.”

Cole reached behind him and slid the room’s door shut, nodding to the nurse, who was sitting just outside at the station between Mason’s room and the one next to it and working on a laptop.

Corbin’s gaze was still fixed on Cole’s when Cole turned back to him. “I wouldn’t blame you if you want to bail on him,” Corbin said, his voice choked. “This is a lot, and you’re not married to him. I mean…this is bad.”