Page 47 of Burned

Chapter Sixteen

The second Rhys saw his brother enter the waiting room, something within him broke. All the pent-up frustration and anxiety he’d experienced over the past several weeks came flooding out. He was in Colin’s embrace within seconds letting out every emotion he’d been holding in. Rhys hadn’t cried like this since he was a little boy and even then he couldn’t remember doing it with so much raw anguish.

Colin held him tight. “It’ll be okay, little brother. I’m here now.”

His brother’s comforting words only made him cry harder. Rhys would have been embarrassed at this outpour if he weren’t so broken on the inside. He didn’t know how long they stood there, with Colin’s arms around him, and his heartbreaking, but eventually, he was able to get his emotions under control.

Colin pulled back slightly, “There you go now. Do you feel better?”

Rhys sniffed, slightly chagrined at his emotional outburst. “Yes, thank you.” He eyed the tear-stained smudges of Colin’s jacket. “Sorry about that.”

Colin patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a little water, besides, what kind of brother would I be if I can’t be here for you in your time of need. How is she by the way?”

“She’s lost a lot of blood, and she needed a transfusion. Our blood types don’t match but thankfully her blood type is common enough for the hospital to have had enough of what she needed on hand. She’s stabilized now. Had I arrived here a minute later, she may not have made it.” The very thought of what could have happened if he’d just gone to bed instead of checking on her made him shudder.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this. You couldn’t have known she’d do this. It’s not your fault.”

“It’s kind of you to say so, but it is my fault. Did you know she’d cut herself deep enough to rupture an artery? She wanted to die. This wasn’t some cry for help. My baby wanted to die.” Rhys nearly broke down again.

“But she didn’t. You just said she’d be okay.”

“Physically maybe, but what of her mental health? I pushed her to this by not being a good father. For not being there for her.”

“That’s ridiculous and you know it. You’ve been an excellent father. Come on, let’s grab a seat. You look worn out.”

Rhys laughed without humor. “Well, I’ve been here all night, so I guess you can say that, but I’m not leaving until I can talk to Carys. I saw her briefly after her blood transfusion but she was still unconscious. She looked so small and helpless in that bed.” He allowed Colin to lead him to some of the nearby chairs and took a seat.

Colin sat next to him. “Did they at least offer you a room so you could catch a quick nap? You’re not going to do Carys any good if you’re passed out as well.”

“They offered, but do you honestly think I can sleep a wink with Carys lying up in a hospital bed? Knowing I’m responsible for her being here? There were bandages around her wrists. Both of them. I’d gladly take my own life for causing her this kind of pain.”

“How were you supposed to know she’d do this?”

“Because I’m her father, that’s why. I should have seen this coming, should have told her how much I love her no matter what. Did you know she’s been sabotaging every single relationship I’ve attempted to have since she was ten? Maybe deep down I knew she was doing it, but I didn’t do anything about it because most of the women I’d previously dated didn’t turn out to be any good anyway. A couple of them were nice enough I suppose, but I’d never met a single woman who was worth fighting for until Sadie.”

“And maybe that’s why Carys put more of an effort into trying to separate you two because she knew this time around was different.”

“That’s part of it, but the other part was, I never took the time to sit her down and tell her how much she meant to me. I just took it for granted that she knew. I was so awful to her when I found out what she did. And then I tried to sell her horses. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I don’t think this has anything to do with the horses. It sounds like Carys has been holding on to a lot of insecurities. You did tell me she knew about not being your biological daughter for some time. Do you think that may have triggered her to act so possessively toward you?”

“It’s quite possible. But the one thing I am certain of is as soon as she’s out of here, I’m taking her to see a therapist. I should have done it as soon as I found out what she’d done to Sadie.”

“You were angry, understandably so. She’s a lost little girl, Carys is, but she’s still old enough to distinguish rightfromwrong. How were you to know she was this deeply in need of some counseling? Look, I love Carys, she’s basically a good kid, but even I can see she’s a bit spoiled. You overindulge her as a way to compensate for not being her biological father when what she really needs is to be reassured of your love and not with just material things. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Rhys raised a brow. “And since when did you get your degree in psychology?”

“I’ve been watching Dr. Phil lately. There was an episode that I wanted to catch called Man Haters. I was hooked from then on. I DVR it every chance I get.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Dr. Phil? Where’s my older brother Colin and what have you done to him. And why on Earth are you watching a show on Man Haters?”

Colin scratched the back of his head. “Trying to get some insight, mate.”

“Sadie’s sister?”

“How’d you guess?”

“You did mention how infuriating she is the last couple times we talked. Still turning down your advances?”

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