Draw (Gentry Boys #1)(69)

“What the f*ck?” said Creed, wrinkling his nose.

Cord showed up with a Styrofoam tray loaded with scrambled eggs and bagels. Chase sniffed and pushed it away. “I’m not hungry anymore. Give it to King Kong.”

“I am hungry,” Creed acknowledged and prepared to dig in.

It was nice being with the three of them. It was like being part of a family. Bray and Millie stopped by around noon with some flowers and balloons. Chase asked Millie if she would like to give him a sponge bath. She smiled and politely declined.

Truly called and I was glad to hear from her. She said she convinced Ed, the sour manager of Cluck This, that I suffered from extreme premenstrual paranoia and was being medically treated.

She issued a throaty laugh. “He says you can come back to work whenever your hormonal imbalance is corrected.”

“You’re a peach,” I told her, smiling and glad to have found another friend.

I listened to my mother’s barking voicemail. She went on for a seeming eternity about daisies and issued a slew of reminders about how I needed to be at the restaurant by three pm tomorrow. I just shook my head, deciding not to call her back for the moment and marveling over how quickly I went from being scarcely thought of to an integral ingredient of her wedding festivities.

She wasn’t going to take it well when I told her I wasn’t coming. After all, I couldn’t expect Cord to leave his brother’s bedside for a day trip to Emblem. I didn’t want him to. I didn’t even want to go myself. It seemed more important to be here, for Cord and his brothers.

Cord found me sitting in the hospital lobby, absently staring into my phone.

“Hey, pretty,” he grinned and my stomach did a little somersault.

I jumped up and went straight into his arms. He smelled so good. He felt so good. I wanted to stay there forever. I didn’t want to revisit the tense conversation I’d had with Chase upstairs and the fears over what the coming days would bring. I just wanted to be with Cord and tell all the cruelties in the world to go f*ck themselves.

“Hey,” he rubbed my back. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I breathed him in, reveling in the mix of soap and aftershave, getting a little hot between my legs in the process.

Cord knew. He always knew. He held me closer so I could feel him hardening. “You want to get out of here for a little while?”

I kissed him. “Always.”

“Come on,” he pulled at me. “Let’s just go up real quick and see if the boys need anything before we go.”

I loved having his arm around me as we made our way back to Chase’s room. I hugged him around the waist and closed my eyes, thinking about the intoxicating feel of his broad, naked chest against mine.

Cord tensed suddenly, and then swore loudly. I opened my eyes and saw a flurry of medical staff rushing in and out of Chase’s room.

“Maybe something happened to the old man,” I said but the sinking feeling in my gut intensified when I noticed Creed standing outside the door with a sick expression.

Cord rushed over to him with me right behind. “What the hell happened?”

Creed could hardly talk. “Fever spiked and I heard one of the nurses comment that his heart rate is erratic.”

“Damn,” Cord moaned and tried to see into the room.

There were several doctors bent over Chase. One peeled back the bandages on his abdomen and they talked in low voices.

Larry of the Cats noticed us in the doorway and wagged a finger. “Told you all to get rid of the little lions,” he said sadly.

Cord collared a nurse as she exited Chase’s room. “Can you tell me what the hell’s going on with my brother?”

She gave him a sympathetic smile. She was likely used to being grabbed by agitated people all day long. “The doctor will be out in a few moments to brief you on Mr. Gentry’s condition.”

Creed slouched miserably against the wall while Cord stared silently at the floor. I couldn’t do a thing but watch helplessly.

Before long, Chase was being wheeled out of the room. He was lying flat with his eyes closed and his hand over his face. Cord started to go to him.

“Chasyn!” he called. Chase raised a hand and waved limply.

The news was grim. Chase was exhibiting signs of serious infection. The incision had broken and there was evidence of renewed internal bleeding.

The doctor hurried away amid promises to update us with any news. Then something happened which broke my heart. Cordero and Creedence Gentry sank to the floor together and cried.





CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR


CORD



Another day with another endless wait and the rage had returned. Underneath that was the skulking fear which had been with me since I was a kid. It wasn’t the dread of what kind of hurt might befall me. It was worse. It was the speechless terror of losing my brothers.

Saylor tried to keep me with her. She held me. She said things which meant to ease the pain. She reached out to Creed but he ignored her. I couldn’t explain to her that when Chase had been wheeled away he wasn’t a man. He was a terrified boy who was the mirror of my own self. For the first time Creed and I hadn’t been there when he really needed us. We’d failed him. We’d failed each other and the unbreakable bond which had ruled us since we knew our names. It wasn’t logical, but that’s how it seemed anyway.