He still has the phone to his ear, but all the blood has drained from his face as he listens to whoever is talking.
“You okay, man?”
It’s like he doesn’t even hear me. His eyes fill with moisture and my chest seizes.Fuck.His hand falls away from his face, the phone still cradled in his palm. Whoever is on the other line is still speaking, but Aaron’s no longer listening. I reach for the phone and he relinquishes it without comment.
I bring it to my ear right as he drops his head in his hands, a sob wracking his entire body.
“Who the hell is this?” I snarl.
There’s a pause. “Are you related to Mr. Henderson,” a calm voice asks almost hesitantly.
“I’m his roommate. What’s going on? What did you say to him?” He’s not in the right headspace to deal with whatever shit this is right now.
The guy on the other line clears their voice. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I was explaining to Mr. Henderson—”
“Aaron,” I correct.
“Right. I was explaining to Aaron that there’s been an accident.” I wait. “His… his mother was in a car accident on the highway earlier today. There was a pileup, and while Ms. Douglas was able to stop before colliding with the vehicle in front of her, the eighteen wheeler behind her wasn’t able to do the same.”
Fuck.
“Is she okay?”
He’s quiet for a beat, and I look down at Aaron. He’s hunched over, elbows on his knees and hands on the back of his head. If she was okay, he wouldn’t be like that.
“She was rushed to Mercy Hospital but was DOA.”
“What the hell does DOA mean?” I bite out, and it’s Aaron who answers, his voice dejected.
“Dead on arrival.”
“What?” I ask him, eyes wide before repeating into the phone, “What? She’s dead?”
Aaron flinches.
“I’m sorry. She’s gone. Aaron Henderson is listed as her next of kin. I was contacting him so we can proceed with the next—”
“No. He’s not dealing with that today. He just found out his mom is gone. Everything else can wait.”
“Sir, if I—”
“No. You can call back in a few days. Give the man some time to grieve.” I hang up and toss Aaron’s phone on the sofa beside him.
“Hey.” He’s not looking at me. “What do you need, man? What can I do?”
He hiccups and then gets to his feet.
“Whoa. Slow down. Where are you going?” He grabs his keys and heads for the door, but I block him. “Aaron—”
“I have to tell my sister.Shit.How am I supposed to tell her? How do—”
Fuck. I didn’t even think about Kasey. Shit. “Okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to do that right now. We have time.”
“Yeah, I do,” he shouts, tears tracking down his face. I’ve never seen him like this before, and fuck if I know how to fix it. “She needs to know. She’d want to know. Now. Not tomorrow or in a few hours. She needs to know now. But how the fuck am I supposed to do that, Dom? She’s my baby sister and I have to tell her but—”
I nod my head and grab him in a tight embrace. He clings to me like his life depends on it, hands fisted in the back of my shirt. “I get it, man. But, you’re still processing shit right now. You can’t drive like this. Just, sit down for a few, okay. We’ll sort this out.”
His shoulders shake. “She needs to know, man.” His voice is hoarse.
