Page 153 of We Are Just Us

Samantha had arrived an hour after they took Rory into surgery. She burst through the emergency room doors, Aubrey-less, wild-eyed, demanding to know where her brother was.

Kieran had stood. Tried to explain. Tried to tell her what the doctor said before they rushed Rory away.

“Spinal injury. They’re operating now. They said…” His voice had cracked. “They said it’s serious.”

Samantha had gone pale. Sat down hard in the chair next to him. And they’d been sitting there ever since.

Waiting.

Now, four hours in, the waiting room was mostly empty. A janitor pushed a mop across the far end of the room. A nurse walked by with a clipboard, not even glancing their way. The coffee in Kieran’s cup had gone cold hours ago.

Samantha hadn’t spoken in minutes. She kept her hands clamped to the armchair, checking the phone in her lap every time it lit up with an update about Aubrey. Her ponytail was coming undone, stray strands falling around her face in a way that made her look entirely worn out.

Kieran was just as worn out.

“I gave him a necklace this morning,” Kieran said suddenly. The first words either of them had spoken in at least an hour.

Samantha looked over.

“My mom’s necklace. St. Christopher. For protection.” Kieran laughed, but it came out bitter. “Lot of good that did.”

“It’s not your fault,” Samantha said quietly.

“I know. I just—” He stopped. Swallowed. “I keep thinking about him out there. On that wave. He was doing so well. And then…”

“He was so proud this morning,” Samantha said. “Not about the competition. About you being there.” She paused. “He introduced you as his boyfriend. Not this is Kieran or this is my friend. His boyfriend. Do you know how big that is? For him?”

“I don’t.”

“After Britt died, he shut down. Didn’t date. Didn’t even talk about dating.” Samantha’s fingers twisted together in her lap. “I thought he might be done with relationships entirely. That he’d decided it wasn’t worth the risk of losing someone again.”

Kieran didn’t know what to say.

“And then, about five months ago, he called me.” Samantha smiled at the memory. “Out of nowhere. Middle of the week. Just called to talk. Which isn’t like him…Rory doesn’t call to chat. And he told me about you. About how you’d moved in next door. About your dogs.” She shook her head. “He was trying to play it casual, but I’ve known him his whole life. I could hear it in his voice. This wasn’t just some neighbor.”

Kieran’s mouth twitched.

“It was endearing.” Her voice went quiet. “He rambled about you for forty-five minutes. Telling me all these little things. And I realized he was falling for you. Maybe had already fallen.”

Kieran’s chest tightened.

“I’m glad he had that,” Samantha said. “These past few months with you. I’m glad he was happy. Even if…” She stopped. Shook her head. “He was happy.”

They fell into silence again, but the silence was different now. Less hollow.

After a few minutes, Kieran asked, “What was he like? After Britt died?”

Samantha considered the question. “Broken. But trying not to show it. You know how Rory is, he keeps everything inside. Doesn’t want anyone to worry about him.”

“Yeah.”

“But there was this one thing he did.” Samantha went somewhere else for a second. “About a week after the funeral. He showed up at my house at like, six in the morning. I was barely awake. And he had this huge box.”

Kieran raised an eyebrow.

“Toys. All still in their packaging. Stuffed animals, books, building blocks, puzzles—things for kids of all different ages. Must have been hundreds of dollars’ worth.” Samantha’s voice got quieter. “And I realized these were the toys he and Britt had bought. For the kids they were planning to have.”

Kieran didn’t say anything.