Sonny waved him off. “The fact that you’re apologizing, and it’s to me and not to her father, tells me some of what I need to know about you.” They reached the empty waiting room and Sonny gestured for Brock to go in first. When Brock turned to look at him, the pain was back full force in his eyes. “I could only save one of them.”
“Sir?”
“My biggest failure in life. I love every person in that room. They are my family and my family is everything. I thought if I could help my sister’s children, I could make up for not savingher. I love the boy in that bed. But I had to choose when they were younger which one I could save and I saved Brianna.” He held up his hand, preventing Brock from protesting. “I know Brian made his choices and he chose to run away over and over. But there came a time that I realized that if I didn’t focus everything I had on Brianna, there was a good chance she’d run off with him into the same trouble and I’d lose her, too. The fact that she felt she needed to hide her talents from us—from me—makes me realize she was running away this whole time too, just in a different way.”
“Sonny, she loves you and she respects you. She told me that. Brianna just had this idea that her taking up the fiddle would somehow hurt you, that she needed to hide it in order to keep it.”
Sonny nodded. “And that’s why I wanted a word with you. Brianna thinks about everyone around her first, to her own detriment. I need to know that you aren’t someone else that she’s taking under her wing.” He held his hand up again to silence Brock’s next protest. “I think you’re a good man. But I can see you carrying your own burdens, son, and I don’t need to know what they are. I just need to know that you aren’t looking to Brianna to fix them, or you.”
Brock held his anger in check. Sonny wasn’t attacking him. They were both on the same page—protecting Brianna. “You’re right about me carrying some burdens, but that’s where it ends. I’m not expecting Brianna to take them away, or carry them for me, or to fix me. But she does all that anyway, just by being in my life. And right now, my focus is on helping her in any way that I can. I’m here forher.”
Sonny appraised him. “She’s gonna wanna stay at that bedside today. She’ll give up everything she’s worked for to sit beside a man who’s hurt her time and again. He may or may not ever wake up, but she’ll stay and wait as long as it takes.”
“And you’re wondering if I’ll let her.”
Sonny nodded once.
“I know it’s her nature to do that, to stay and support him. In the end, it’s her decision, that’s all I’m gonna say. But it’s not gonna stop me from encouraging her to go back to the festival and take her shot. So tell me this. If we go back in there, are you also willing to tell her she doesn’t have to stay? That her family has her back, that someone else will be here to let her know the second Brian wakes up, if and when?”
“Of course. And it’s still gonna take both of us to convince her to go and I’m ready for that fight too.”
Brock reached out his hand for Sonny to shake. He was not a little guy, but Sonny’s big bear paw still managed to engulf his hand.
“We have a deal. Told Brianna I liked you. You’re proving me right in my judgment, son.”
Brock smiled. “I’m honored, sir.”
“Welcome to the family.”
“That honors me, too.”
Sonny started to turn and leave when Brock said, “There’s just one more thing you’re wrong about, sir.”
Wariness filled Sonny’s eyes. “What’s that?”
“You’re saving them both. Right here, right now.”
Sonny winced. “I…we’ll see.”
* * *
They left the waiting room in time to catch Brianna’s parents looking for Brian’s room. They’d gone right past it and they were continuing in the wrong direction.
“Luna,” Sonny called. She turned around and gave him a look of pure anguish. She was clutching an old Teddy bear. Both she and her husband looked sober for a change. Luna ran down the hall and into Sonny’s arms.
“It’s our fault,” she sobbed. “If we hadn’t bailed him out, he’d be safe. He’d be in jail, but he’d be safe.”
Sonny rubbed his sister’s back. Brian reached them and he laid a hand on Luna’s shoulder. He held something haunted-looking in his eyes as his gaze shifted from his wife, to Sonny, to Brock.
“Let’s just go in and see him, Luna, okay?” Sonny said. “We’re not gonna assign any blame.” He turned her around, keeping an arm across her shoulders. Brian and Brock trailed in their wake. The man was looking around like the same person who beat up his son might suddenly materialize.
“Something wrong, Brian?” Brock couldn’t help himself.
The mellow vibe Brian cultivated evaporated completely. “My son is in a coma in a hospital bed and you’re asking me that?” he snapped.
“Just looking out for Brianna. Your daughter.”
“Brianna’s fine, Brianna is alwaysfine,” Brian said. “Her uncle sees to that.”
