I went and lifted the cover on the isolette, smiling when I saw my son lying there. He looked comfortable. Or as much as he could be with all the tubes and wires in him. Dropping the cover, I went back to my chair to wait.
It was about an hour later when Relay showed back up. I went out to the front to meet him and bring him back to the room. Since he was technically on the list of our approved people—along with my and Dev’s parents—I didn’t need to escort him, but I did anyway. Figured it would be easier on all the nurses, so they wouldn’t have to check with me each time. They already recognized me after just a couple days.
“Thanks,” I said, pausing outside the NICU at one of the tables and cracking open the boxed food. It was Chinese. Not that I cared what it was. “You having any?”
“Could you actually eat all of that?” Relay asked, arching a brow.
There were three bags filled with containers. “Yeah. I could.”
He scoffed. “Well, you’re going to have to share.”
We sat down at the table. I knew Collin would be okay for ten minutes. The nurses were incredible and watched over him closely. Me being here constantly—and Devyn wanting me here—wasn’t because we didn’t trust them. These people knew exactly what they were doing and we were trusting them with the most precious person we had in our lives. It was more about being there for moral support in case anything happened. So he wouldn’t be alone. Collin may not exactly know the difference, but we did.
We both started digging into the food. “Damn,” I groaned. “This is good. Thanks.”
“No problem.” He was quiet for a minute, then spoke. “I know once Devyn’s out of the hospital she’ll be here and you two will take shifts watching over him.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Until then, why don’t I come back each morning? Give you a chance to get some sleep until she can take over. And when you two need some time together, because you will, I’ll sit with him.”
I glanced up and studied the look on his face. It wasn’t the usual neutral expression I’d come to expect from my brother. Though, I couldn’t exactly pinpoint the emotion written all over his features either. “That’d be great.”
“Mom and Dad have been stopping by?”
“They’ve stopped in a couple times.”
“They’re waiting for you to ask for what you need,” he pointed out. “No one wants to intrude, but we’re not sure exactly how to help yet. If you don’t tell them soon, they’re just going to start showing up. Just so you know.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not that I’ve been trying to isolate myself here-”
“You have, by the way.”
“I know. It’s just I’ve been in this…” I searched for the words and failed to describe the holding pattern I’d found myself in. Worry for my son, for Devyn, everything had just kind of frozen me. I hadn’t been able to reach out. And people had been trying. My parents, Dev’s parents, and even my MC brothers.
They’d been calling, texting, and stopping by. I talked to them, but it was like I was only half present. That was starting to fade. Sitting here with my brother, I felt more like myself than I had since all this started.
“Don’t shut them out,” Relay said with a shrug. “You’ll need the support.”
“I know. I’ll call Mom once we’re done here.”
“Good.”
I shot him a smirk. “You’re turning into a demanding old woman.”
“Fuck off.”
“And there he is.”
Relay’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and frowned as he read the text. “Gotta go. Looks like you’ll get most of this food anyway.”
“The Collective?” I asked.
“Maybe. Ruck’s not sure yet.” Relay stood, then stopped. “Unless you need me to stay?”
“No. It’s fine, but I’m going to want an update on all that.”
He grinned. “Fucking finally.”
