One Week with the Best Man: Reclaimed by the Rancher

Nine

Julian hated hospitals. A lot of his childhood had been spent in one while his brother was tested and treated. Julian was the lucky one—no one ever came after him with needles and scalpels—but the scent when they exited the elevator was unmistakable. Bleach and blood and God-knows-what-else.

Having a firm grip on Gretchen’s hand made it easier. He’d never considered bringing her here until she suggested it, and then he’d realized he didn’t want it any other way. For all his muscles, having her here made him feel stronger. He wanted to introduce her to his family; he wanted to share this secretive part of his life with someone.

As they approached the waiting room outside the ICU, he heard his mother’s voice calling to him. Turning, he saw her pick up the coffee she was making and head their way.

His mother had been—and in his eyes still was—a beautiful woman. Time and stress had aged her faster than they should’ve, but you could still see the sparkle of the vibrant young woman beneath it all. Her wavy dark hair was more gray than brown anymore, but she still had the same bright smile, and her blue-gray eyes lit up when she saw him. Julian had her eyes, his own color much more sedate without his colored contacts.

“I’m so glad you could make it.” She smiled as she approached, wrapping him in a big hug, then turning to look at his unexpected companion. “And who is this?”

“I’m Gretchen,” she said, reaching out to take the woman’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Cooper.”

His mother smiled and shook her head. “It’s Curtis, dear. Cooper is Julian’s stage name. You can just call me Denise.”

“Mom, Gretchen and I are seeing each other.” It may have only been for a week, but it was true. This was more than just a setup relationship to him.

His mother looked them both up and down. “We’ve interrupted something important, haven’t we? You two look like you came here straight from an awards show or something.”

“Just a wedding that was winding down anyway,” Julian insisted. “You remember Murray, my roommate in college?”

She nodded. “Oh, yes, I bought one of his albums for James to listen to. That explains why you were in Nashville. Convenient timing, although there’s never really a good time for this.” His mother smoothed over her hair, which was pulled back into a bun.

“How is he doing?”

She shrugged, drawing her oversize cardigan tighter around her. “It changes by the hour. Doctors keep waiting, hoping his blood oxygen levels will start coming back up without further intervention, but they could decide to go ahead and put him on the ventilator. They worry that if they take that step, he might be on it permanently. I just hate it. He was doing so well.”

His mother shook her head sadly. “That trip to Europe for the Botox treatments made a huge difference. He was able to stretch his legs out, and the casts corrected some of the alignment problems he had in his legs. We were hopeful that with enough therapy we might get him walking, but this will set him back again. He’s always had the breathing troubles.”

Over the years, the spastic nature of his brother’s cerebral palsy had worsened as his underutilized muscles started to atrophy. He’d undergone multiple surgeries and years of therapy to lengthen his muscles in the hopes he could walk or manage other dexterity tasks on his own, but they always drew back up. The controversial Botox treatments weren’t legal in the States, but they’d taken the risk and traveled to a doctor who could try it. It had cost a fortune, but James had done so well afterward, it had been worth every penny.

“Can we see him?”

His mother bit at her bottom lip, reminding him of Gretchen. “Visiting hours are over, but maybe we can talk to someone.” His mother disappeared, returning a few minutes later with an encouraging smile on her face. “They’re going to let the two of you go back now, but just for five or ten minutes. You’ll have to come back again in the morning. He’s in the bed at the far end of the unit on the right. I’ll wait here for you and drink some more coffee. It’s going to be a long night for me.”

“Okay, we’ll be out in a minute.” Julian hugged his mother, then led Gretchen with him through the double doors of the ICU. They walked around the nurse’s station and to the end of the hall. Taking a deep breath, he pushed back the curtain and found his identical twin lying in a hospital bed. It was such a familiar sight, he almost didn’t react to it the way he should’ve. His brother’s eyes fluttered open, then a lopsided smile spread across his face.