“Yeah.”
“Latin makes everything sound scarier,” I said, shaking my head.
He let out another sigh, a deeper, longer, much more exhausted one this time. “She’s been trying to keep up at work. Things have been busy at Thayer and she hates feeling like she’s letting anyone down, but her body is staging a riot and she’s just been pushing through everything.”
I glanced toward the door, half expecting to hear her shouting at us from inside. “She’s tough. She’ll get through this.”
“Yeah, but being as strong and as tough as she is? That’s part of the problem. Jane doesn’t slow down for anything, but she’s going to have to slow down for this.” He swallowed hard, his jaw tightening before he exhaled slowly. “I just… I hate seeing her like that.”
I didn’t say anything. There wasn’t an answer to that. No easy line to throw in to try to lighten the mood or make him feel better.
“You’re a good husband,” I said finally.
He gave me a skeptical look. “I dragged her to New York and landed her in a hospital.”
“You’re here. You’re worried. You’re doing everything right. You’re going to be a great father, Alex.”
He looked down at his hands like they suddenly held the weight of the world. “I hope so.”
“You will be.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you care this much already. Because you’ve taken care of all of us even as adults. Because you fought tooth and nail for Charlotte and she’s not even your daughter. Just your little sister. I know, Alex, because you’ve been there for us. Maybe not always, but when it mattered.”
“I wasn’t there for you just after Mom died.”
“No, but she was your mom too. You did what you needed to do for yourself back then, and when you were ready, you came back.”
I knew that had been bothering him for years, but he needed to know that none of us blamed him for it. The guy had needed time and space to process that loss just like all the rest of us.
“You’re human, Alex. I know you don’t always think of yourself that way, but you are.”
That seemed to settle something in him. Not fix it, but steady the nerves, at least. The guilt. After another moment, he nodded. “Once she’s re-hydrated and they discharge her, we’re going straight back to Chicago.”
“That’s probably a good call.”
“I’ll work remotely for a bit if I have to.” He glanced at me. “Which means I’m going to need you to pick up some of the slack.”
I grinned at him. “What else is new?”
“I’m serious, Nate.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“There are still so many moving pieces with the Hinds acquisition and I don’t want it to stall just because I’m not physically there.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“I mean it.”
“I said I’ll handle it.”
He studied me for a second, like he was gauging whether or not I’d actually follow through. “I might also just take some time off. At least a couple weeks, but maybe more if this keeps up.”
“You should,” I said. “Jane and the baby are your first priority right now. If you want to work remotely later on, that’s fine, but for now, just be with her without having to worry about work.”
Surprise flickered across his features. “You’re not going to argue?”
