I throw my hands up. “Of course we do.”
Winking at me, Phil slides out and I make haste to do the same. Meeting at the back of the car, he wraps his arm around my shoulders as we head toward the bank of elevators that will take us directly up to Hudson’s executive floor.
* * *
“I was havingsuch a good day until you two walked in,” I hear behind me. Keene’s words would be mildly offensive if he were wearing his trademark smirk. Instead, the compassionate smile gracing his handsome features almost does me in. The normal smirk that typically graces his face is missing and I’m momentarily undone by how much he and Cassidy look alike in that very moment.
Unfortunately, Phil doesn’t have that problem. Holding out a hand, Phil comments blandly, “And I wanted to see you so much too, but in the end, I just couldn’t decide on what to get you for Christmas, so I brought Jason in to ask his opinion. Do I need to go whole hog and get Ali a vibrator to make up for your shortcomings, or is getting you cock rings in red and green festive enough?”
I suck in air the wrong way, and cough so hard I’m choking. “Phil,” I manage to gasp out. A hard whack on my back helps me get my breath back. “Thanks.” Turning, I see the wicked cast to Caleb’s face. He pulls me away just in time to miss Keene’s retort.
“If you tell Phil this, I’ll have to kill you, but Keene gets off on their battles,” Caleb murmurs to me. He’s trying to suppress a huge outburst of laughter as he observes both of his brothers-in-law go at it.
I let out a relieved sigh. “Thank God, because I have no clue what Phil is actually getting him for Christmas. All I’ve been told is that ‘it’s going to be epic.’ This could mean anything from a subscription to PornHub to Guccis.”
Caleb tosses his dark hair back and laughs.
“Hold on a damned second, Keene.” Phil literally throws his hand in Keene’s face, his own is as excited as a two-year-old. “Baby, did I just hear you say you got me more Guccis for Christmas?”
Keene knocks Phil’s hand aside. “You’re such a pain in the ass.”
He gives Keene a once-over. “Hell no. That would be just tacky to share a man with your own sister.”
Keene throws up his hands in exasperation.
Caleb and I are holding each other up we’re laughing so hard. Who could have known I needed to laugh so hard? And the realization strikes me. Phil knew. That’s who. I don’t really understand why we’re here, but I fall a little deeper into the infinite spiral of love with Phillip Freeman.
The muted roar of Phil and Keene’s battle still wages on. With the understanding that Keene isn’t offended, I’m able to enjoy their verbal skirmish: Phil’s drawling humor pitted against Keene’s dry wit. Something of what I’m feeling must show on my face, because Caleb’s voice quietly intrudes into my thoughts. “I couldn’t figure out why Phil insisted he had to come up and see us. Now, I get it.” Moving in front of me, he claps me on my shoulder. “I never realized until just now how beautifully you balance each other out, Jason.” He gives me a quick squeeze and wades off to play referee to two men his wife happens to love.
Most people don’t, I think ruefully. They see Phil’s prima donna behavior, and not the complex father-like worrier beneath. Those same people presume I’m the level-headed one in our relationship, the doctor who coolly makes life-or-death calls every single damned day. But it’s Phil’s arms I turn to when I need to find my center, my humanity, and my soul.
Feeling more centered than I have been in the last twenty-four hours, I call out, “Is this the show we came into the city for?” I can’t hold back the grin.
“Shit,” Keene mutters, a tinge of red crossing his cheekbones. “How is it I let you suck me into an argument when I was planning on being a supportive family member for once?”
Phil goes to open his mouth, and before he can say a word, I step forward and slap my hand across it. Keene’s green eyes dance with delight at the move. “I need to learn that trick,” he mutters. Shaking his head, he gestures us toward his office. “Come with me for a few, Jason, and then you can both be on your way. Caleb, you going to join us?”
“Sure. I don’t have anything urgent.”
As we enter Keene’s office with its extraordinary view of the Manhattan skyline, I can’t help but notice the portrait of him and Cassidy from when they were children. Phil pauses in front of it, as he does every time he sees it. A smile ghosts around the edge of Keene’s lips as he watches my husband’s reaction. That’s one thing they’ve never argued over—how much they both love Cassidy, Keene’s sister by blood, Phil’s by adoption.
“Please, both of you, sit down.” Keene gestures to the chairs in front of his desk. “I actually asked Phil to bring you into the office, Jason. It might have surprised you how calm things have been at the house today.”
I blink at him. “Now that you said something, I am rather surprised no one’s tried to contact me for a comment about what happened yesterday.”
Keene’s smile is tight. “They’ve been calling, Jason. Nonstop. Freaking vultures.”
“But why haven’t I received anything?” I go to reach for my phone to see if it’s malfunctioning.
“Because last night when you were on your way home, we had Phil forward all calls to our ops center here at Hudson so we could screen everything. Anything personal, we’ve been texting Phil about,” Caleb interjects gently. “The family and friends of Joseph Bianco are saying he plans on suing for malpractice. Jared’s already got one of his friends involved. You’re covered under Good Samaritan laws.” Jared is Caleb’s brother-in-law, now married to his brother Ryan. “The media is going nuts, Jason—inferring you’re not on vacation but on suspension. NYU’s already issued a statement vehemently denying that fact.”
“What you have is a tragic case of someone who lost something precious to them over the holidays, and they’re striking back the only way they know how.” Keene’s voice is grim.
I turn to my husband. “Why couldn’t you tell me all of this back at the farm? Why did we come to the city for it?” I’m shocked.
“Because that’s not why we came to New York. Caleb and Keene are just offering us a little extra protection from nosy people who aren’t invited into our lives,” Phil replies.
Flashes of yesterday slam into my brain. All I can see is Mary’s blood as I look down at the floor. My ears are ringing with the remembered sounds of Grace’s whimpering and her father’s bellows. Nausea churns my stomach as I begin to hyperventilate. I lift a shaking hand to my forehead. This is all too much too soon. “Let’s just go. I’m sorry for troubling you with all of this. Maybe we should just go home?” I suggest hoarsely, trying to rein in my emotions.
