Until Talon (Until Him 4)

I get up and walk toward him as he attempts to sit up. “We want to be here.” I hold out my hand so he can use it for leverage, and he pulls himself up in the bed.

“I know.” He flinches, I have no doubt he’s in pain, even with the drugs he’s been given. A broken leg, three broken ribs, plus being cut open would be too much for even the strongest person to handle. “You can all come back tomorrow. You don’t need to stay the night.” He looks at my brothers Bax and Sage, then my sisters Nalia, who just flew in this afternoon, and Willow. The only one of us not here is Harmony, and that’s only because she’s pregnant and Mom kicked her out after her husband brought sandwiches earlier.

“Your dad is right.” Mom sits up, brushing her hair out of her face. “It’s getting late. Visiting hours are going to be ending soon. You can all come back tomorrow.”

“Babe, you should go home too,” Dad says, and Mom looks at him, narrowing her eyes.

“I’m not going home.”

His jaw clenches. “I don’t want you sleeping on that thing all night. You should go home.”

“This is not even up for discussion, Mr. Mayson. I’m not leaving your side,” she hisses then looks at her kids. “You guys do need to go home.”

“Dad,” Nalia calls, and his eyes soften on her.

“Go get some rest. You can come back tomorrow, sweetheart,” Dad repeats, and she looks at him with tears in her eyes. “I’m happy you’re home.”

When my sister starts to sob, Mom pulls her against her chest, and I look at Sage, noticing his jaw clenching and unclenching. Unlike the rest of us, he doesn’t understand why she moved away or why she’s been so adamant about having a relationship with their birth mother, a woman who neglected them as children. I can’t say I truly understand her reasoning, but I do know how it feels to search for something, never really sure what that something is. I also know my sister feels guilty for being so torn, and I feel it’s my duty as her brother to make sure she knows that no matter what, we will be here when she figures things out.

Once her tears die down, Mom lets her go, and she stands, going to the bed and carefully giving Dad a hug before looking at Sage when he calls her name.

“Your nephew will be happy you’re in town. You’re welcome to stay with me and Kim while you’re here.”

“Aww, can I come sleep over too?” Willow asks.

Sage rolls his eyes. “Are you going to keep my kid up all night like you did the last time you stayed over?”

“It wasn’t all night, and we were watching Trolls, not playing beer pong. You make it seem like I’m a bad influence.”

“You are a bad influence. You spoil him.”

“He’s my nephew. It’s my job to spoil him.” She sighs, getting up off the bed before leaning over to hug Mom then going to Dad to kiss his cheek.

“Whatever.” Sage shakes his head then goes to Mom, mimicking my sister, before going to Dad and resting his forehead to his. After that, the three of them leave, and I wait until Bax says goodnight to do the same.

Like Sage and Bax, I rest my forehead against my dad’s, something we’ve done since I can remember. My chest tightens when his hand wraps around the back of my neck, and tears burn the back of my eyes. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my dad, and it’s not something I ever want to think about. After we say our goodbyes with plans to come back tomorrow, Bax and I leave the room, and I reach into my pocket for my keys then groan.

“What?” he asks as we get into the elevator.

“Mia has my keys,” I mutter then curse, because I don’t even have her cell number. “You mind giving me a ride home?”

“Who’s Mia?”

“She works at the car dealership,” I tell him, leaving out the fact that the feisty, strong, independent, stubborn-as-fuck woman is also the girl who was made for me. I’m not ready to tell anyone who she is, not until I convince her to give me a shot.

“You having second thoughts about the Jeep?” he asks as the elevator stops and the doors open.

“Something like—” My words die off when I spot Mia sitting on a bench just outside the now open doors, with her eyes on me and a book resting on her lap.

“You okay?” Bax asks, and then I catch him glance between Mia and me, and grin. “Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m gonna head to the jobsite in the morning to make sure everything is okay before I come back to check on Dad.”