Nora’s in love with my brother.
The realization should probably surprise me more than it does, but instead it feels inevitable, like something I should have seen coming from a mile away. Nora’s always been fiercely independent, never one to show her softer side to anyone. But with Truett, she’s different. Gentler. More vulnerable in a way that makes my heart ache for both of them.
Does he know? I watch the way her fingers linger just a fraction too long as she checks his pulse, the way she smooths his hair back from his forehead with a tenderness that goes beyond professional care. Truett has never been great at reading emotional cues, too practical and straightforward to pick up on subtlety. He probably thinks she’s just being a good friend, a good vet tech doing her job.
But the way she’s looking at him now, like he’s her whole world, like losing him would break something fundamental inside her…there’s no mistaking it. She loves him with the kind of quiet, steady devotion that Truett deserves but has never thought to look for.
“There,” Nora says finally, sitting back on her heels and surveying her work. The wound is neatly stitched, the bleeding stopped, Truett’s chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm that’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. “That should hold. Hopefully, he won’t need to go to a hospital. I can only imagine the target you’ll put on yourselves.”
“You did good,” Jesse says, his voice hoarse with gratitude. “Really good, Nora. Thank you.”
She nods curtly, already starting to clean up her supplies, but I catch the way her eyes dart back to Truett’s face, the way her shoulders relax just slightly now that the immediate crisis has passed.
The sound of tires on gravel announces Devlin’s return, and a few minutes later, he’s pushing through the door with Atlee close behind. She looks pale and shaken, her usually perfect hairdisheveled, but she’s clutching a small bag that might as well be treasure.
“I got everything Nora asked for,” she says breathlessly, handing the bag over. “Antibiotics, pain medication, some IV fluids if you need them. I…I may have grabbed a few extra things, just in case.”
“You’re an angel,” I tell her, meaning every word. “Both of you. I don’t know how we can ever repay this.”
Atlee shakes her head. “You don’t need to repay anything. Just…let me know if you need more, okay? I can always go back.”
Nora’s already preparing a syringe, her movements quick and efficient. “This should help with the pain and get the antibiotics into his system,” she explains as she finds a vein and administers the injection. “He’ll probably sleep for a while, which is what he needs right now.”
“Should we move him to his bed?” I ask, looking at Truett sprawled on the kitchen table. He looks too big for it, his long legs hanging off the end, and I know he’ll be more comfortable in his own room.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Nora agrees. “But carefully. Those stitches are still fresh.”
It takes all four of us, Jesse and Devlin carrying most of Truett’s weight while Nora and I support his injured side, but we manage to get him to his bedroom and settled under his own covers. He stirs slightly as we move him, mumbling something incoherent that might be my name, and my heart clenches.
“Shhh,” I whisper, smoothing his hair back the way our mother used to do when we were sick. “You’re okay. You’re home.”
Nora checks his vitals one more time, adjusts his position slightly, and nods in satisfaction. “He should sleep through the night now. The fever might spike again, but that’s normal. Justkeep pushing fluids when he wakes up and call me if anything changes.”
“You should stay,” I offer, though I’m not sure where the words come from. “It’s late, and you’ve been through hell tonight too. The guest room is made up.”
For a moment, I think she’s going to accept. Her eyes drift to Truett’s sleeping form, and I can see the longing there, the desire to stay close and watch over him. But then she shakes her head, professional distance sliding back into place like armor.
“I should get home,” she says quietly. “But I’ll check on him first thing in the morning, I promise.”
Devlin offers to drive her, and Atlee hugs me goodbye with promises to keep tonight’s events quiet. Soon it’s just Jesse and me in the suddenly too-quiet house, the adrenaline of the last few hours finally starting to wear off and leave us both shaking with exhaustion.
“Come on,” Jesse says softly, taking my hand. “You need to sleep.”
I want to protest, want to stay up and watch over Truett myself, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Jesse leads me to my room, but I shake my head. I want to go to the living room, where the fireplace is. “Living room. It’s my comfort place. The couch with a fire blazing. It’s the one thing that gets me through. Those flames licking the wood chase away all the bad thoughts and dreams.”
He nods. “Let’s go then.” Together, we make our way downstairs, and we collapse onto the couch still fully clothed.
He pulls me against his side, and I bury my face in his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of him mixed with the lingering smell of antiseptic and fear. His heart is beating too fast under my cheek, and I know he’s as wired as I am despite the bone-deep exhaustion.
“I keep thinking about what could have happened,” he whispers into the darkness. “If I hadn’t kept him alive on the ride home, if Nora hadn’t been there…”
“But you did keep him alive on the way home,” I whisper back. “And she was there. And he’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Jesse admits, his voice cracking slightly. “He’s…he’s been my best friend since we were kids, Aubree. We’ve never been apart for more than a few days at a time. The thought of losing him…”
I tilt my head up to look at him, and in the dim light filtering through the curtains, I can see the tears he’s trying so hard not to shed. This strong, steady man who’s held me together through every crisis, who’s never let me see him break, is finally showing me his own cracks.
“You’re not going to lose him,” I promise, pressing a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw. “We’re not going to lose him. He’s too stubborn, remember?”
