Anti-Stepbrother - Tijan Page 0,80
my mother was still breathing.
I felt tears threatening, so I concentrated on Caden and touched his hand. He caught mine and held on tight, only releasing it when he stepped inside his brother’s room. As the door opened, I looked down. It wasn’t fair for me to see his brother the way he was, not the first time I met him. Every time Caden went to his brother’s room, I looked away until the door closed.
That’s how we spent the next two hours.
Caden would go in, stay for a bit, and I would wait in the hallway. After the second time she noticed me, the nurse brought me a chair, then a blanket, and I had my perch there. Caden wouldn’t stay inside long. He’d do ten or fifteen minutes, then come out when his brother fell back asleep. He’d always grab my hand when he returned, and that made it all worth it. Whatever this was, whatever was going on with us, it would all be worth it.
After the third hour, Caden leaned against the wall beside my chair. The bags under his eyes were drooping further and further. “Maybe you should head back for the night?”
“What are you going to do?”
He glanced in the window, through a crack in the blinds. “I have no idea. I hoped Marcus would come tonight.”
Caden hadn’t told me what happened. It was on the edge of my tongue to ask, but even before Diego dropped me off at the hospital, I knew it had something to do with Colton’s secret. I ached seeing the pain on Caden’s face, and I ached even more not understanding what had put it there.
I squeezed his hand. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
He glanced down with a faint grin. “They’re going to kick you out of here once morning shift shows up.”
“I know. I can wait in the lobby.”
“You sure?”
The same nurse we’d been seeing all night now came toward us with another woman beside her, wearing a long white coat.
“You’re Colton’s brother?” she called. “I’m Dr. Holbreck. I’m the physician on call today, and Dr. Reinier briefed me with everything going on.” She held her hand out, and as Caden shook it, she turned to me. “Are you Colton’s girlfriend?”
“She’s with me.”
Her eyes fell to our joined hands. “Okay, well, I’m going to step in and check on your brother. I’d like some alone time with him, and then I’ll pull you in to go over everything once more.” She paused, her eyes scanning the hallway. “Is there any other family with you?”
“My dad’s in Beijing, and my mom couldn’t leave the house.”
“There’s another brother, isn’t there?”
Caden’s jaw clenched. “He’s not here. It’s just me.”
The doctor didn’t move, but the lines around her mouth softened in sympathy. “And your girlfriend.”
“Yeah.” Caden’s hand jerked in reaction, but he only tightened his hold before stepping back so the doctor and nurse could enter the room. After they passed his hands found my shoulders, and he closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath when the door closed behind them.
My hands came to rest on top of his. “You okay?”
“No.” His eyes opened, haunted. “But I will be. Thank you for being here with me.”
“But…” I knew it was coming. “Is this when you send me away?”
He started to answer. His mouth opened, then closed, and his eyebrows pinched together. “You know, no. I’m going to talk to the doctor for a little bit. I’ll have to sign some paperwork, and then I’ll be able to leave.”
The real questions were burning my tongue. Where was his mother? Was his dad coming back? Where was Marcus? Had this happened before? Had Caden done this alone before? And the worst—how many times?
I held on to his hands tightly, on top of my shoulders. “I can wait in the front lobby. Would that be easier for you?”
His shoulders relaxed. “Yeah. I think so.”
“Okay.” I moved forward, closing my eyes, and stepped into his arms. I rested my head against his chest, and after a second, his arms closed around me. His cheek rested on top of my head, and we remained there, leaning against the wall, until the door opened again.
The nurse said, quietly, “We’re ready for you, Caden.”
He didn’t move. Not at first. He held on to me a moment longer, then took a breath to ready himself before he pulled away. I stayed in the hallway for a beat, standing there as the door closed. Whatever was