Eli flushed as he looked down at the cute bunny patterned jammies he’d worn to bed. “Yeah. The hospital staff definitely isn’t ready for these.”
“Right, and Daddy is a possessive man. Now scoot. I expect to see you dressed when I get back.”
* * *
“Thanks, man. I’ll keep you in the loop and tell Sadie not to worry about anything.” Willem clicked on his blinker, then slowed as the entrance to the hospital loomed ahead of them. In the seat next to him, Eli was a nervous wreck as his daddy disconnected his call with his boss, Derek Hawkins. As usual, Willem had been right. The owner of Rawhide Ranch had told Willem they’d reschedule their meeting and that taking care of Eli was top priority. Family came first – always. However, that did little to ease the panic simmering low in Eli’s gut.
“Take a few deep breaths, boy.” Willem placed his hand over Eli’s knee, giving it a firm squeeze. “It won’t do anyone any good if you pass out in the truck before going into the hospital.”
“I know, Daddy.” He covered Willem’s fingers with his own, needing the contact as Daddy pulled into the parking lot for the emergency room. “I just…” He closed his eyes. “I’m scared.”
After shifting into park, Willem turned to face him. “Understandable. Come here.” He unbuckled Eli’s seatbelt and opened his arms.
Eli immediately scrambled across the bench seat and into his daddy’s arms. Burying his face against the side of Willem’s neck, he drew in a deep breath as his lover’s scent filled his nostrils. No matter how stressed he was, all it took was the familiar fragrance of Daddy’s cologne to soothe him.
“Remember, I’m here to help, boy.” Willem stroked his hand up and down Eli’s back. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”
“Yes, Daddy.” He pressed a kiss against the stubbly skin of Willem’s jaw. Neither man had taken the time to shower, let alone shave, before leaving home.
After a few minutes, Willem sighed and released him. “As much as I love holding you, boy, there are two kids in there…” he nodded toward the hospital. “…who are probably scared out of their minds and could use Uncle Eli’s comforting presence.”
Eli nodded, then drew back from Willem. “Got a hankie, Daddy?” He’d have asked for a tissue, but his daddy was old-fashioned enough to actually carry a white linen handkerchief.
“For my boy, always.” Willem leaned over on one hip and tugged out the requested square of material from his back pocket.
Taking it from Willem, Eli dabbed at his eyes, blew his nose, then peered at his reflection in the rear-view mirror. A quick fingering did little to tame his curls but did arrange them into some semblance of order. He was as put together as he could be, under the circumstances. His nephew and niece couldn’t care less about his appearance, but the small little gestures made him feel a bit more confident in his ability to take care of things until Reed was back up and on his feet.
“Ready?” Willem asked as he pocketed his keys.
“As I’ll ever be, Daddy.” He waited for Willem to slide out before following. He clung to his daddy’s arm as Willem steadied him on the icy pavement. Once he got his balance, Willem tucked his arm against his side and led him across the parking lot.
* * *
What he’d expected when he’d entered the E.R. was nothing like those shows on TV. There were no bustling orderlies running in or out of the waiting room, nor was there chaos galore. Instead, the waiting room was quiet other than the gurgle of water from a fountain along one wall and the gentle drone of a television turned to a children’s show. As his boy identified himself to the nurse at the registration desk, Willem spotted the kids. Both Raelynn and Jeremy had their uncle’s fiery curls and were wrapped in hospital blankets and sitting with a rather tired looking police officer. The huge black man with his head tipped back and eyes closed had a child curled against each side of him, their red heads resting against his chest while he held each with an arm. He touched Eli’s arm, then nodded toward the sleeping trio.
“I’m going to go sit with them, boy. Do what you need to for Reed.” He kept his voice low.
“Thanks.” Eli turned back to the nurse, who was talking on the phone.
When Willem approached and cleared his throat, the man opened his eyes. “Sorry, was resting my eyes for a bit. It’s been a helluva night.”
“I can imagine.” He sank down in the chair next to them. He kept his voice soft. “Thank you for staying with them until we could get here. We got here as fast as we could, but the weather is a bitch.”
“Yeah.” He looked down at the two red heads lying against his chest. “Officer LeRoy Brown.” He gave a half-assed smile. “And I absolutely hate Jim Croce.”
Willem chuckled. “I’ll refrain from breaking out in tune then.” He sobered. “Can you discuss what happened? The man on the phone didn’t offer Eli much other than the hospital and that it was bad.”
Officer Brown sobered. “And you are?”
Willem tugged his wallet out and showed the id to the man. “Willem Williams. I’m their uncle.” He gestured over to Eli. “He’s mine.”
Understanding filled the other man’s gaze as he spotted Eli, before he returned his attention to Willem. “There was an accident on I-90 North due to horrible visibility and road conditions. Because of the weather, we can only assume that Mr. Atheron didn’t see the semi jack-knife in front of him until it was too late. The trailer hit the driver’s side of their SUV, and from the best we can tell it, slammed them into the guard rail. The front end of the car was completely crushed. The woman, we assume, was in the front seat, was thrown free and…” he glanced down at the sleeping children, checking they were still sleeping before continuing. “Her body was found thirty feet away in a snowdrift. Broken neck is our best guess until we get the autopsy back.”
“Fuck.” Willem closed his eyes for a second, as the image of Audra Ranson-Atheron flashed in front of his eyes. A slender blonde with a bubbly personality and enormous heart, she’d served her town well before stepping down when her new husband had gotten full custody of his children from his first marriage. She’d been an awesome woman, treating Raelynn and Jeremy as if they were her own after their own mother had passed away three months ago. “And Reed?”
The man shook his head. “The last I heard, he was in surgery. The docs weren’t optimistic about his survival chances, but they had to try.”
Willem’s heart sank. This wasn’t the hopeful outcome that he’d expected. This would not be a temporary stay with Uncle Willem and Eli while Daddy recovers’ type of thing. The two kids that the officer held cradled against him would be orphans for all intents and purposes. True enough, they had more family, as Eli had two more older brothers and their parents, but he knew his boy. Eli would want the kids with them. Something inside of Willem shifted. He’d give his boy whatever he needed.
