August had feared that. Even if the camera feeds had been cut, the girls were old enough and smart enough to know something bad had happened.
Beatrice was next to join them in the lobby, and by now, they were starting to gain a lot of attention. August needed to return to Quinn as soon as possible before word got out and people started speculating about Eren’s condition.
“Neeks, can you help me with the suitcase?” August asked, because there was no way in hell he was putting the girls down right now.
“I got you, man.” Niko’s dark complexion was pale as well, but he took the suitcase from Beatrice, who was too shaken to say anything.
“You’re hitting a five-day road trip starting tomorrow,” August told Logan. “I know the boys want to come here, but Cap won’t be having visitors any time soon, and you know he would hate it if you spent hours sitting around for no reason.”
Logan nodded and hooked an arm around his wife’s waist, hugging her close. “I think I get what you’re saying. I’ll tell the guys, even though they’ll hate it.”
August didn’t think telling them would stop them from dropping by, but at least they would know now that there would be no chance to see Eren.
“Gusty?” One of the girls patted his chest to get his attention. “Can we go?”
August nodded goodbye to Logan and his wife, turning for the elevator.
“Tell Quinn I love him,” Beatrice called out. “I’ll leave my sound on if he needs to call—even if it’s in the middle of the night.”
August smiled over his shoulder at her before he and Niko took the corner, and he lost sight of the couple.
“Do you want me to take her?” Niko asked, gesturing to the twin he was holding in his injured arm.
August wasn’t bothered by her weight enough to try a switch, and besides, the way she tightened her grip told him that it would be easier to let her stay where she was.
“It’s a short walk,” said August. “And they barely weigh anything.”
Emira and Alara gasped in perfect sync with each other, as if he had justinsultedthem.
“Which one is Emira, and which one is Alara?” August asked, diverting attention to a question before he got an earful from the six-year-olds. “You’re too identical for me to tell.”
They had to wait for the elevator to clear before they could get on, and neither of them answered until the doors slid shut and they were in a quieter space.
“We can tell you, but you still won’t get it right,” said the one on his left.
“Quinn is the only one who knows now that mommy is gone,” said the other.
Niko was looking between the girls, and August could tell he was determining if there were features that could separate them, but it was impossible.
“I’m Emira,” said the one sitting on his injured arm.
“I’m Alara,” said the other.
Physically, he couldn’t see the difference, but the one he had clocked as Emira turned out to be correct, so he wasn’t completely hopeless.
“Okay. I won’t mess it up,” August promised them.
They were children, so they rolled their eyes, but their tears had dried, and that was all that mattered. The less hysterical they were when they saw Quinn, the better. August didn’t want to stress him out more than he already was.
The floor where he was staying was quiet now that most people were in bed for the night and visiting hours were over. The same rules didn’t apply to a professional hockey player, which August had been fine with when it was just him, but seeing a cluster of people wearing team logos standing outside his room suddenly irritated the shit out of him.
Quinn was standing off to the side talking to the team physician while one of the equipment staff brought August’s gear bag out, but all the chaos stopped when Coach Fedorov spotted him.
“Snow, you’re supposed to be in room waiting for us to get here,” he said, gaze flicking to Niko like he was the reason for August’s disobedience.
Fedorov’s scowling face hadnothingon Quinn’s furious one as he stepped around the group to confront him.
“August—what are youdoing? You just had those stitches put in!”
