Vulnerable [Suncoast Society] (Suncoast Society #29)(53)

Tilly glanced at him, murder in her eyes. “It wouldn’t stand long. Probably not even until Ed got here. Trust me.”

They reached the waiting room and he hadn’t even spotted Eva yet when from what felt like out of nowhere, Laurel blasted across the room and tackled him around the legs, nearly knocking him over. He scooped her up in his arm as she sobbed, her arms and legs tightly wrapped around him.

“Uncle Jesse, Aunt Tilly, Daddy’s in surgery.”

Then he saw Eva stand, her lips pressed together in a thin, hard line. At her feet, a plastic bag of what he recognized were clothes Leo had been wearing when he left the house.

Trying to soothe the little girl, he headed for Eva.

“That her?” Tilly whispered.

“Yeah.”

Tilly seemed to grow six inches in height and a hundred pounds in the intimidation department despite the Eeyores prancing across her flannel-clad ass and the pink Crocs on her feet. She swooped in, taking Eva’s hand.

“Eva? I’m Leo and Jesse’s friend, Tilly Cardinal-LaCroux. How is he doing?”

Eva looked caught off-guard, glancing between Tilly and Jesse. “He’s in surgery—”

“I’m a nurse. Can we go talk to the desk and get an update?”

“A nurse?”

“Yes.” Tilly started leading her toward a window, while with her other hand behind her, she waved at Jesse to stay put.

He awkwardly sat with the sobbing child still wrapped around him. All he wanted to do was cry and knew he couldn’t. Not right now, not with Laurel clinging to him.

He wrapped his arms around her, slowly rocking back and forth. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Aunt Tilly will help us.” He stroked her hair, closing his eyes. “She’s going to help us.”

“I tried to get Mommy to call you sooner. I wanted to call you and Mommy wouldn’t give me her phone because she kept calling people. I’m sorry, Uncle Jesse.”

Rage briefly replaced his grief. Then he swallowed hard, knowing exactly how Leo would want him to handle this. “It’s okay, baby. I’m sure she was scared and worried about Daddy, too. She was probably trying to call people.”

“Mommy called Aunt Ann, but she called Grandma. Then Grandma called Mommy and said she and Grandpa are coming.”

Terrific. Just what he needed. Well, he had an arsenal of his own, if Eva or her curmudgeon-o-matic family tried to give him any static.

He spotted a box of tissues on the end table next to where he was sitting and snagged a couple for Laurel, making her sit back enough he could look into her eyes.

Big mistake.

Leo’s blue eyes.

He nearly lost it right there as he helped her blow her nose. “We’ll get through this, sweetie. We don’t even know how bad Daddy is hurt.”

“I heard them say it’s bad.”

Why the f*ck had the woman brought her child to the hospital with her? More importantly, why had she not called him right away?

Why the hell had the cops called her and not him?

A few minutes later, Tilly and Eva returned. Tilly wore a grim expression, her lips pressed into a thin line. She knelt next to them and stroked Laurel’s hair.

He knew it was bad when Tilly hesitated before speaking.

“He’s still in surgery,” she finally said. “He’s currently stable, but he’s critical. He had internal injuries and a broken pelvis. There was some bleeding, and a drop in blood pressure, but they got him back and are still working on him. He’s probably going to be in surgery for a while longer. Then he’ll be in recovery until they’re sure they can move him to the surgical ICU.”

She looked into his eyes, and now she set her purse down, reached up, and with her free hand gently cupped the back of Jesse’s neck.

The way she used to when they played together.

He let her strength flow into him. “He’s a strong man with no other health issues,” she slowly said, staring into his eyes. “He’s going to want us all to be strong.” She flicked her eyes toward Laurel, who once again had her head buried against his shoulder, crying, then back to him, arching her eyebrows at him.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he silently mouthed.

“Good boy,” she silently mouthed back, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead. A gentle squeeze along the back of his neck, then she hauled herself to her feet just in time for Landry and Cris to hustle into the waiting room, Cris with a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Oh, bless you, my man,” she said, leaning in to kiss him as she snagged the bag from him. She disappeared into one of the unisex bathrooms.

Landry and Cris walked over to Jesse, glancing at Eva before sitting down across from him. “How is he?” Landry asked.

“Let Tilly tell you when she comes back out,” Jesse said, barely able to keep his voice from breaking. “Please.”

Landry nodded, slowly tipping his head toward Eva. Someone else might not have noticed it.

Jesse did, giving him a slow blink yes in reply.

Landry turned and leaned across the space, hand extended. “Landry LaCroux. Tilly’s husband.”

Eva seemed overwhelmed and Jesse didn’t blame her. She automatically took Landry’s hand. “Eva Cooke. I mean Banks.” A harsh laugh escaped her. “I guess I am still Cooke for now.”