“I remember the first night I met you when Harper made a comment about Sean. He was and is the quintessential oldest brother. In many ways, he’s the most like Dad. Responsible. He was a great athlete in school, but also in the math honor society. Smart. Tenacious. And I think he knew from the time he was born he wanted to be in law enforcement. Kyle? He was always a bit of a wildcard. He was the one who’d buck Mom and Dad’s rules just to see what he could get away with. Just as athletic and smart as Sean, he liked going his own way, and I think Mom lit many candles in church praying that he wouldn’t end up on the other side of the law. I can’t imagine how many Hail Marys she said when he decided to join the police force.”
That image caused her to laugh, and she squeezed his waist, soaking up all the information about his family.
“Me? I was easygoing but always wanted to go my own way. Dad was an investigator for the FBI. Sean and Kyle were in the military police and then came back to become detectives.” Shrugging, he said, “I can’t explain it, but I didn’t want to join the police force. I like the idea of being in the medical field, but I had no desire to become a doctor. Maybe I just like the idea of rushing into the unknown. Each day as a medic was different, and I knew when I got to someone, I had to act fast… think on my feet… respond instantly. My actions could mean the difference between someone living or dying. The look in someone’s eyes when they’re injured and they realize you’re there. It’s like they breathe a little easier because, in their worst moment, they know someone’s going to help them.” He blushed and gave a quick head shake as though embarrassed. “Anyway, I’m now doing what I love.”
“You’re amazing, Rory,” she blurted, holding his gaze, her admiration flowing. Desperate to know more, she asked, “And your sisters?”
He smiled, obviously glad to brag on them. “Tara was much like Sean. She was always a mother hen when Mom was busy. Of course, Caitlyn’s the baby and will probably always be seen that way by the rest of us.”
“And Erin? What was it like being a twin?”
He was quiet for a moment, but she was more than willing to let him take his time thinking. His family was so different from hers, she found it fascinating.
“You hear so much about identical twins always being on the same wavelength,” he began. “But even fraternal twins can be. Even with older brothers and a sister around, Erin was always part of me. Sounds weird, I guess. Maybe the whole sharing the womb experience is true. I know that girls develop faster than boys, but it seems like Erin waited on me.”
She lifted her head and stared at him, scrunching her nose. “Waited on you? Okay, that’s going to take a little more explanation.”
“Of course, this is before my memories, but Mom used to say that Erin could already talk but generally babbled until I finally said my first word. Then, it was as though she was teaching me. Erin also pulled herself up and started walking before me, but generally just sat. Once I learned to walk, then Erin would toddle around and hold my hand.”
Laying her head back on his chest, she smiled. “That’s so sweet.” He chuckled again, and her smile widened.
“It was the same in school. She would learn something, then wait until I learned it. Reading, math, everything.”
“I know Harper mentioned that Sean was worried about Erin.”
He sighed heavily and scrubbed his hand over his face. “As I was the youngest boy in the family, she was the middle girl, caught between Tara’s responsibility and Caitlyn’s excitement for life. She was quiet, but the one who always wanted to heal every injured animal… cry over the commercials about animals in shelters or hungry children… take the money she got for birthdays and Christmas and give it to the orphan group our church supported. She joined the Army the same time I did. Combat medic. But we weren’t stationed together. I only saw her once in four years. She seemed happy enough, but I sometimes wonder if she wasn’t too sensitive to be a medic. She’d feel everyone’s pain.” He shifted slightly,