Page 19 of Something Unforgettable

Paul gripped his hand and squeezed his shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “Finn’s fine.” Xavier closed his eyes, willing his heart back under control. Thank god. “He’s got a broken arm and a few bumps and bruises, but he’ll be back to normal in no time.”

“I was told he was in the ICU,” Xavier said, confused.

Paul shook his head. “Not Finn. Mac. His grandfather.”

“Damn.” He glanced toward the hallway Paul had appeared from. “What happened? Nick said there was some kind of accident?”

“We’re still trying to piece things together. There may have been an intruder at the store. Mac has a concussion and seems confused, so he hasn’t been able to tell us anything, and Finn didn’t see much.”

His poor boy. He must have been terrified. “Can I see him? Finn?”

Paul nodded. “I think he’d love that. He’s still pretty shaken up.” He turned and led the way down a long hallway and into a large room full of beeping machines and curtained-off beds. They approached one of them and Paul tugged the curtain aside.

Xavier’s heart hurt at the sight of Finn slumped in a plastic hospital chair at his grandfather’s bedside. He looked small and exhausted, his face pale and his eyes red-rimmed. He was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with a rough wool blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He looked up as Xavier stepped into the cubicle and his eyes widened.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Xavier said.

Finn choked on a sound, then scrambled from the chair, letting the blanket fall to the floor. He was across the space a moment later and in Xavier’s arms.

Xavier closed his eyes and hugged him as tightly as he dared, remembering Paul’s mention of bruises. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he murmured into Finn’s messy curls, pressing his lips to the top of his head.

Finn just shook his head against Xavier’s chest and pressed closer. That was fine with him—he’d hold Finn as long as he needed.

It took a few minutes, but finally Finn pulled back, his pale cheeks showing a little more color. “What are you doing here? You should be on a plane to LA.” He went to twist his fingers together but was hampered by the hard plastic splint protecting his right arm from just below his elbow to his fingers. He winced and picked at his fingernail instead.

Xavier reached out and gently covered both of Finn’s hands with one of his. “The sheriff called Micah, and Nick called me.”

Finn frowned. “Micah was here for a while, but I made him go home. He didn’t say you were coming. How are you here?Whyare you here?”

“We didn’t know how long the trip would take so I asked Nick not to say anything.” Xavier gave a rueful smile. “I was already on the plane when he called. Luckily, it was easy enough to alter the destination. I rented a car at the airport and may have broken a few traffic laws on my way.” He glanced at Paul. “Sorry, sheriff.”

The sheriff shrugged. “I would have done the same.”

Xavier turned back to Finn, pausing to brush his hair out of his eyes. “As for why? I had no choice. I heard you were hurt and I needed to see you.”

Finn’s jaw wobbled. “I’m okay. But Pops…” he trailed off, his eyes shimmering. “He was so confused. They said it’s the concussion and they gave him something for the pain. He’s been asleep for a few hours. They said rest is the best thing right now.” Finn drew in a breath that shook.

Xavier couldn’t help himself; he gathered Finn back into his arms, relieved when he went willingly.

“He’s all I have,” Finn whispered. “I can’t lose him.”

“You’re not going to lose him, sweetheart. Concussions happen all the time, and people recover from them just fine.”

“You didn’t hear him. He was so confused. And angry. He didn’t understand what was happening or why he couldn’t go home.”

The poor boy was crying again by the end of his speech. Xavier stroked his back and made a soothing sound.

The sheriff spoke up again. “He’s in the best place he could be right now, Finn. And the best thing you can do for him is get some sleep yourself.”

“I’ll drive you home,” Xavier said, trying to keep it a suggestion instead of an order. “You can’t sleep in a chair.”

Paul cleared his throat. “Actually, their place is a crime scene right now. Micah wants him to come out to the ranch and stay in their guest room until everything’s sorted.”

“I don’t want to leave him,” Finn said, a note of stubbornness in his voice, even as he hid a yawn against Xavier’s chest.

“You can stay with me. I’m renting one of Miss Crystal’s cottage rooms at the Rainbow Inn.”

Finn looked up, his brow furrowing. “But you were supposed to be in LA tonight.”

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