So I stay focused on the kid before me, desperate for answers. “You’re her brother, right?”
He nods stiffly, shifting his weight and crossing his arms over his chest.
“My name’s Atticus. I’m Sawyer’s brother and Ty’s best friend.”
If the scowl he’s wearing is any indication, he’s aware of or at least suspicious of the role we played in his buddy’s injuries.
“She asked me to come out here and tell you to leave.”
“Jesus H.” Mercer digs the heels of his hands into his eyes.
I swallow past the disappointment, mentally warring with how to respond, and rise to my feet slowly.
Atticus is tall—maybe an inch or two shy of my height. I have no intention of intimidating him. But I can’t have him standing over me dismissively like that.
And I can’t leave.
I have to know she’s okay.
“Is your friend okay?” I’ll start here and lead up to my more pressing concern.
Atticus glares back at me, silently telling me to fuck off.
That, I cannot do.
“Did he need surgery?”
He sighs. Glances back at the hallway behind him.
I’m a big man. Fast, too, thanks to years of football in high school and college. If I took off down that corridor, it would take at least a few minutes before anyone with enough strength and authority intervened.
“I—” Atticus sighs again, raking a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I just got here. Didn’t get much of an update. Ty is sleeping. Sawyer’s in there with him.”
“If you’re here now, maybe you can sit with Tytus and she can come out?”
The kid only glares back at me.
I have to hand it to him. He’s unwavering.
In one last desperate attempt, I lower my voice to a whisper. “We don’t want to upset anyone. But… your sister is important to us. To the both of us,” I clarify, nodding down at Mercer.
He hasn’t moved an inch. Hasn’t lifted his head or even acknowledged he’s paying any attention to us.
“The chaos of last night was a lot on all of us. We just want to see her for ourselves. To know she’s okay.”
The kid snorts. “No shit. I saw the videos. That’s how I fucking found out Ty was in the hospital in the first place.”
Inhaling slowly, I rub between my brows.
I knew there’d be video. I suspected there would be fallout.
I haven’t allowed myself to dwell on any of that yet.
The optics around the orchard should be my priority. It’s my livelihood, after all. My family’s legacy. And things were just starting to turn around for us.
But my one true concern is Sawyer.
Mercer is a close second.
