Beckett (Robinson Destruction #4) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,36

to know that we’re nice people and only want what is best for the two of you.”

“I kind of figured that out. That you’re nice people, I mean.”

There was a loud voice at the front of the restaurant, and Conor reached for his sister. He’d been doing that for so long, protecting her, that he did it now whenever she was afraid. But seeing the look on her face when she stared at the man coming toward them, he relaxed for a moment to see how this would go. The man looked like a giant coming at them. But he looked so much like Beck that Conor knew this was his dad.

“I surely do have me a pickle of a time finding a place to park here sometimes. I knew when I was able to get me one close up that we’d be about the only ones in here. What did you have to pick up at the station house? Boy, oh boy, Tru surely did give them a piece of her mind.” The older man looked at him and smiled. “I guess you found you another date than me and your mom. She’s on that phone of hers making arrangements for our vacation coming up. Who might you be, young man?”

“Your grandson.” Conor put out his hand and watched the man as he continued. “I’m Conor, and this is my sister Holly. We’re going to be kids of Beck and Allie. I guess he told you, right?”

“No. No, he didn’t.” The man looked at Beck, then back at him. “He never said a word about me having grandkids today. I have me a bunch of them now. But you two, you and your sister, are the oldest. Can I have me a hug, young Conor?”

It hurt his ribs a little to be held by this man. He hugged like he meant business. When he let him go, Beck asked him if he was all right, and he had to confess that he wasn’t rightly sure. Lifting up his shirt, he could see that the bruising there was getting bigger. It made him slightly sick to his belly to see how bad it really looked. Then he couldn’t breathe in enough air to make his lungs work.

“Jumping Jehoshaphat. Who did that to you, son?” He tried to tell him who had done it and why, but he was having some trouble breathing. When he found himself on the floor with his shirt up around his neck, he looked at Allie, who was right there over him. Grandda was telling him he was sorry. “I didn’t mean to break him. Lordy, you’ll never let me watch him now.”

“Look at me, Conor. That’s it. Just think about breathing. Very slowly, right now. All right?” He nodded, then stopped. “No. Breathe, honey. Breath in and out. Not too much air, but you do it until it hurts, all right. In and out. Dawson is here now. He’s a doctor, and he’s going to look at you. Don’t close your eyes. Breathe.”

Her voice calmed him down. It was like she had a direct line to his lungs, too, so that they worked better. It hurt like the dickens, but it was feeling better all the time. When a man came into his line of sight, he smiled at him too.

“I’m Dawson. Your new uncle. I’m going to press on your ribs just a little, all right? You just keep breathing like your mom told you to do.” Conor looked at Allie. He wanted her to be his mom. Even after embarrassing her by making a scene in a restaurant, she didn’t yell at him. “She won’t yell at you for having some broken ribs, Conor. No one should do that. How are you feeling?”

“I hurt, but I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to embarrass them anymore.” Dawson said he hadn’t done that. Like he said, it wasn’t his fault he’d been hurt. “That other man, he hit me all the time. Will you help me with the pain? I’m thinking I might be sick from it.”

“I’m going to give you just a little bit, Conor. Enough to take the edge off the pain. Next time you’re hurt, you’ll have to tell us. Though I doubt very much, you’ll be hurt this badly ever again. Unless you play football. Do you play?” He said he didn’t know how. “Well, you stick with this family, and we’ll help you out with that. Now, you’re