I couldn’t even object to that because—hello—Mom was a nurse. Who better to take of Liam than her? “I’ll help as much as I can.”
She patted my cheek. “I know you will, dear.”
We all slept like the dead after we got the news. Tony called us early the next morning to tell us that Liam had been badly beaten and had three cracked ribs and a ruptured spleen. He was being treated at a hospital in Beirut. They were able to repair his spleen, but he had to stay a few days to ensure there was no infection.
It seemed the militants who took him thought he was a doctor because he was a man. When they figured out he wasn’t…I couldn’t think what would have happened to him if Marco’s team hadn’t found him.
“Is he safe there?” I asked. “Will someone come after him because your team rescued him?”
“He’s safe,” Tony replied. “Marco won’t leave his side except to use the restroom. Nobody’s getting past Marco.”
I had to laugh. “They’d be really stupid if they tried.”
“Yeah, they would,” Tony said. “I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thank you, Tony. For everything.”
“No problem, Sean. Just keep taking care of Jeremy and we’re square.”
“Easiest thing in the world,” I replied.
* * *
Liam finally got homefive days after he was rescued. When I saw the livid bruises on his face, I wanted to cry all over again. I held it together, though, because it was hard enough on Mom without me losing it. With a little help from Jeremy and Tony, we got a hospital bed set up in my dad’s old office on the first floor. Hell, it was practically a whole hospital room without the antiseptic smell and bland décor.
Jeremy stayed with us during the whole process. Any meetings he had that could be done virtually, he did. If that couldn’t happen, he rescheduled, telling them it was a family emergency. That did things to my heart. I had never had anyone I was dating show up for me like that.
Liam was heavily sedated for the trip home, so he was barely conscious when they brought him into the house.
Marco’s voice could be heard throughout the house. “Be careful, for fuck’s sake. Don’t rattle him around like that.”
He marched down the hall in front of the gurney, grumbling under his breath, a scowl firmly in place when he entered the room. It eased up when he saw me standing by Liam’s new bed, ready to help move him onto it.
“Good,” he said. Between the two of us, we were able to gently ease my brother onto the bed without causing him undue pain.
As I was getting an extra blanket for Liam, I saw Marco looking down at him. The big man’s features had softened to what almost seemed like fondness. He brushed a lock of hair from my brother’s forehead and murmured something I couldn’t hear. When he caught me staring, he straightened and his expression went completely blank.
We left the room, closing the door so Liam could sleep. Marco stalked out of the house, scowling again. Tony, who had come along for the ride, came up on the porch after dealing with the ambulance crew. We watched Marco get in his car and drive away, and I asked, “What’s up with Marco?”
Tony’s gaze followed his brother’s car down the street, and he shrugged. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he has a thing for Liam. But he probably just feels protective because he knows you and it’s your brother.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t entirely convinced.
Once Liam was settled, Tony left to go visit his parents. Jeremy went to make some phone calls, and Mom and I went to sit with Liam.
The head of the hospital bed had been raised so Liam could breathe easier with his cracked ribs. His skin was pale under the bruises and significantly thinner than when he left almost a year ago. He had an IV going into one arm attached to what I recognized as a pain pump.
Mom leaned over him and kissed his forehead. “Mo stóirín. Liam, I’m so glad you’re back home.”
A soft moan escaped Liam’s parched lips, and his eyes fluttered open. “Mom?” he croaked. “Are you real?”
Mom’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, lovey, I’m real. You’re home. You’re safe.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I took Liam’s hand and said, “Hey, bro.”
He turned his head to look at me. “Sean.” Tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. “I thought I’d never see either of you again. I thought I was going to die.”
That was it for me. A sob crawled up my throat, and I couldn’t hold it back. “Liam.” I held his hand tightly. “You’re here now. We’re going to take care of you.”
