“Neither do I,” Robby said, fatigue echoing in his voice. Helpless and hopelessness rimmed Robby’s eyes, and Ridge realized his brother was deadly serious.
“Oh my God. How?”
He closed the distance between them and enfolded Robby into his embrace. They gripped each other tightly, and the sounds of muffled sobs rent the air.
Robby was dying?
Don’t let it be.
Ridge raised his eyes, seeking something beyond the room they stood in. “If you’re listening,” he whispered fiercely. “Don’t let this happen. Not to him.”
He pulled away from Robby, gripping him by the shoulders. “How long have you known? What’s wrong with you? Have you seen a doctor?” He bit his lip to keep more questions from stumbling forward. His impatience tightened his stomach, and his fingers tightening around Robby’s shoulders.
Robby smiled crookedly. “I’ve seen four different doctors. None of them know what exactly is wrong, but they all agree that it’s only a matter of time.”
Ridge swore. How could they make such a judgement without knowing what was wrong?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Robby said in a low voice. “But they’re right. I can feel it.” His voice quivered and he took a deep breath. “I grow weaker all the time, and the pain...”
He bit his lip, and Ridge’s chest tightened painfully.
“It’s bad,” Robby finished.
“There must be something we can do,” Ridge said crisply.
He dropped his hands from Robby’s shoulders and walked past him to the window. He wouldn’t allow that there was nothing to be done. No way of saving his brother.
He whirled around to look at Robby again. “Does Father know?”
“He does now,” Robby said with a shrug. “I left a letter for him just before we departed England.”
Ridge closed his eyes. His father would take it hard. Robby represented his only hope of a sterling heir. And their mother. He sighed.
“I don’t know what to say, Robby,” he said hoarsely. “What do you want me to do? What can I do to make it better?” He continued, his earlier woes paling in the shadow of Robby’s misery. “We’ll set sail for England as soon as I can procure passage for us. You should be at home where Mother can fuss and Father can hire the best physicians.”
Robby held up his hand. “No, Ridge, that isn’t why I told you. I have no desire to return home.”
Ridge wrinkled his brow in confusion. “I don’t understand. Surely you don’t want to...die in some God forsaken place, miles from the people who love you.”
Robby sank onto the bed, his hand on either side of his hips, his fists digging into the mattress. “I didn’t tell you so that you could wrap me in a blanket and ship me home to mother’s bosom.”
He drew in another shaky breath. He seemed to battle every word. “I wanted...I wanted to spend my last time with you. Wanted us to be together. I told you so I could go with you, so you wouldn’t leave me behind.”
Ridge stared at him in shocked silence. Then he slowly walked over and sat down beside Robby on the bed. They didn’t look at one another.
Hesitantly, Ridge slid his hand over to grip Robby’s. “Tell me what you want me to do, Robby. I swear I’ll do it. For you.”
Robby turned his head to look at him. “I want you to find that damn city, and I want to see it with you. I don’t want to go home and die a ninny. I want my last days to mean something, and if I can in some small way participate in this great find of yours, then maybe history will remember me kindly.”
“There are some things you should know first,” Ridge muttered. He related the contents of the letter India had left.
“Christ, Ridge. I’m sorry. You love her, don’t you?”
Ridge swung his head upwards in surprise. His first thought was to deny it. But there was little point.
“Yes, I suppose I did. I do.”
“What a terribly position for India to be in,” Robby murmured.
