Fall Back Skyward (Fall Back #1)(12)

Those words jolt a fierce emotion in me, reminding me that I’ve missed nine years of my girls’ lives.

“She sounds cool as shit,” I say.

“They. . .” he breaths through his mouth. “They both are. Cora reminds me so much of you.”

Before I can follow up on that comment, a nurse with a head full of short dark curls appears on the edge of my vision, dismantling my thoughts. She’s holding a syringe in one hand. A cold shiver slithers down my spine and sweat breaks out on my forehead. I f*cking hate syringes. After being poked and prodded when I was five, I developed a healthy abhorrence toward that shit.

She halts on the other side on the bed and my body relaxes, grateful for the distance between me and the needle. She starts working on the IV on Josh’s arm, oblivious of my current state. Her mouth moves but I can’t understand what she says. She raises her head to look at me.

“I’m nurse Peterson.” She points at the name badge on her chest.

“Sorry. I didn’t get what you said before. I’m Cole. Josh’s brother.”

Her cheeks flush. “Sorry—”

I raise my hand up to stop her. “No harm done. Just make the pain go away.” I point to Josh with my chin.

She nods.

When she is done, she straightens and adjusts the sheets around Josh.

“How long does it take before he needs another dose?”

She purses her lips. “Depends on the patient and how much pain he or she has.” She looks at my brother and smiles, then faces me. “Your brother is stubborn. We suggested a way for him to administer the drug himself but he refused.”

She laughs when Josh winks at her. “He’s a flirt this one.” She shakes her head, turns and leaves.

I’ve never seen anyone in the throes of pain like Josh had been a few minutes ago. Is this what Nor has been facing everyday for the past six years? Watching him, knowing the only thing that can help him is medication?

Christ. This shit is scary.

“It’s not so bad, you know.”

I gape at him. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Josh shrugs. “Some days are worse than others. I’m thankful I’ve gotten this far instead of those measly months the doctor predicted at first.” He settles back on the pillows and steeples his fingers on top of his stomach on the sheet. “Dude, I asked Nor to go out and choose the most f*cking beautiful coffin she can find. Something fit for this prince. She chose a badass coffin.” His eyes slip shut, a look of pure bliss on his face. The medication must have taken full effect.

I stare at him. Open my mouth and snap it shut. Open it again.

Did that shit just spout out of his mouth? I’m fighting f*cking hard not to bawl and he’s talking about coffins as if he is chatting about the goddamned tuxedo he’ll wear to a party.

Finally, I blink. This is typical Josh. I feel my laughter erupt from my gut and out of my mouth. It feels f*cking amazing to laugh after the past forty-eight hours.

His lids snap open and he starts laughing too.

My mind momentarily drifts to Nor and the words he told me before, unable to let them go. According to Josh, Nor didn’t love him as much as he loved her, yet, according to him, she has been living in the hospital, taking care of him.

I’m driving myself insane with these thoughts.

Cool air brushes the back of my neck alerting me that someone entered the room. I shift around and come face to face with Megs. Her face splits into a wide grin the moment our gazes lock.

“Hey.” She waves, striding toward me with her arms outstretched. Leaving my chair, I start toward her and meet her in the middle of the room.

Megs is beautiful. Five foot four, brown eyes, brown skin and a lot of curves. The white dress she’s wearing does nothing to hide them. She knows how to carry her height and body. She hasn’t changed much. Simon told me she’s going through a divorce. I have a feeling he kept tabs on her even after they broke up.

She eyes me up and down. “It’s good to see you, Cole,” she says while signing. Her movements are still stilted, but she’s gotten better at it since the last time I saw her.

My lips twitch. “I see you finally got the hang of ASL.”

She laughs. “Yes, I did. I see you got inked. Damn, you look scary. And hot.” Her gaze drifts to the bed then back to me. Her face soft and sad, her loss so clear on her face. She faces me again. “How is he?”

I shake my head. “Weak. I need to speak to the doc.”

Her gaze roams around the room, before turning back to me. “Nor?”

“She is at the chapel.”

Megs nods, and shifts on her feet, biting her bottom lip. “When did you arrive?”

“About an hour ago.” I rub my neck. I’m not good at small talk so I get right to the point. “Could you take Nor away from here at least for a few hours.”

She appraises me as she tugs the strap of her handbag over her shoulder, and nods, smiling softly. “Sure. Catch up later?”

“You bet.” I dig my phone out of my pocket. “I’ll give you my number, in case you need to call me.”

She nods, handing me her phone.

After exchanging our contacts, she turns to leave but stops and turns around to look at me. “It’s really good to see you. I hope we’ll have some time to catch up.”