‘Not really. He’s had problems for years with angina.’
‘I didn’t know.’ The telling statement earned him a shrug. ‘Maybe I should have but that’s the way of it.’
‘Does it need to be?’
‘Maybe not.’
‘He’s gone downhill over the last few months,’ Brett’s voice turned husky. ‘If this quadruple bypass isn’t successful I reckon we’ll be planning his funeral.’
The blunt assessment stunned him. ‘I’ll make a couple of calls and throw an overnight bag together.’
‘Thanks. I promised Mom you’d come through.’
‘She doubted me?’
Brett glanced away. ‘Do you blame her?’
‘No.’ He honestly didn’t but it still hurt. There was a lot he needed to share with his brother but four hours stuck in a car together allowed plenty of time to dump it all out.
Chapter Thirty
‘Come closer son, so I can see you better.’ His father struggled to sit up. ‘My nurse insists these damn dim lights are more calming for stressed out patients. Load of garbage.’
Still the same old man thinking he knew best. Hunter had struggled to hide his shock at Warren McQueen’s deterioration in the six months since they last saw each other. The big-boned man had shrunk away to nothing and could barely speak without gasping for breath despite the oxygen tubes in his nose.
‘I’m sorry for . . .’ His sorrow over his dad’s health seemed irrelevant compared with everything else Hunter needed to apologise for.
‘Let me talk first.’ Warren nodded towards the door. ‘The dragon won’t let us have very long.’
‘Is the nurse that bad?’
‘The nurse?’ His father attempted to smile. ‘I’m talkin’ about your sainted mama.’
Hunter couldn’t speak. He realised that Laura would protect him in the same way.
‘I’m mighty sorry for the mistakes we made raising you . . . no, the mistakes I made. Your mama didn’t agree with my strict methods and I should’ve listened to her.’ He visibly gathered his strength to keep going. ‘Your brother’s personality suited my way of doin’ things but you were a different kettle of fish.’ The edges of Warren’s thin dry lips turned up. ‘My bottom line was that if I said a thing was a certain way you needed to accept it without arguing, but you wanted explanations for every darn thing. If I said something was black you always insisted it was white.’
‘I haven’t changed. I’d have been lousy in the military because unquestioning obedience doesn’t come naturally to me.’
‘I know, son. I should’ve allowed for the differences between you two boys but I’m a stubborn old cuss too.’ A twinkle lit up his dull blue eyes. ‘Maybe we’re more alike than we realise.’
For once Hunter held his tongue and considered the possibility his father was right. Laura would call that progress.
‘That damn school in England was my worst mistake.’
‘Maybe not.’ Hunter begged his father to be quiet for a few minutes. ‘I need you to hear a few things.’ Without going into details he skimmed over his time at Greystone and explained how he’d reconnected with Johnny and Danny. ‘I’m not denyin’ a lot of bad stuff went on but Danny claims it made him the man he is today, and I’m beginnin’ to see it did the same for me.’
‘Can you forgive me?’
‘There’s nothin’ to forgive.’ For the first time ever he meant it. ‘We all make mistakes. I’ve made a shed load and my worst fault is holding onto grudges. I should’ve let it go and moved on.’
‘Easier said than done.’
‘Yeah, but it shouldn’t have taken you . . .’
‘. . . being on my deathbed to get us talking again?’
‘You’re not!’
