Page 60 of Shattered

With her still blond hair streaked with shiny silvery strands and green eyes, it was clear whose genes dominated the Banks family tree.

“Really, Mom?” Koen bent over to kiss her cheek. “The doctors aren’t going to care what you look like.”

“Oh hush.” She playfully swatted his arm. “You know darn well I didn’t get all fixed up for them. Now scooch out of the way so I can officially meet my daughter-in-law.”

Willow, who’d just taken a sip of her drink, spewed the liquid all over the floor then started coughing violently. I wasn’t far behind, having choked on my own saliva.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Riley, I assumed, began pounding on Willow’s back. His hair was several shades darker than his siblings, and when he flicked a confused glance between his sister and brother, I noticed brilliant blue eyes instead of the green I anticipated. “Shit, Wills. Pull yourself together. I refuse to do the Heimlich in a building full of medical professionals.”

“When did you figure it out?” Koen ignored his brother’s grumbling and lowered himself to the edge of her bed, clasping her pale hand in his.

“A mother knows these things, my boy.” He raised a disbelieving brow. “Fine. I caught a glimpse of your rings on our last call.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you,” I blurted, nervously stepping forward and curling my fingers around the hard plasticfootboard. Jett followed, practically gluing himself to my side.

“I’m sure you had your reasons and wewilldiscuss those later, but right now, the only thing I need is a hug from you.”

“And heart surgery.”

“Jett!”

While I loved my brother dearly, there were times I wished teenagers came with a mute button. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Willow snorted, Koen sputtered an exasperated, “Christ,” and Riley? He cracked an ear-to-ear grin.

“What? Am I wrong?”

“I like this kid. It’s almost like he’s family.” Riley flicked his head in Jett’s direction, then spun around, sucker punching Koen in the biceps. “Oh wait. He is.”

“That’s your one free shot, Brother.”

Rolling my eyes at the sudden rise of testosterone in the room, I skirted around the two glaring idiots and embraced Teresa gently, not wanting to disturb any of the wires attached to her chest.

“It’s nice to finally meet you in person. I’m just sorry about the circumstances. How are you feeling?”

“Better now, sweets.” Her voice cracked a little when she said, “Thank you for loving my son.”

“It’s not a hardship,” I teased, stepping back to make room for Jett.

“Hey, Miss T.”

She smiled at the nickname he’d stuck her with a few weeks ago. Stiff at first, he planted one hand on the mattress, then carefully lowered himself into her waiting arms.

“Hey back, kiddo. You're much taller than you look on my computer.”

As I’d just learned, Teresa gave the best hugs. They were the kind you’d expect to receive from a loved one. The kind Jett—up until then—had only experienced from Gran and me. I knew the second he felt it because he melted into her touch.

The moment was broken when the door to the room swung open and an attractive older woman dressed in teal scrubs, with a matching cap on her head, waltzed in.

“It’s time, Mrs. Banks.”

She motioned to the group behind her, who immediately filtered into the already crowded room. They began the process of hooking up Teresa to an IV and transferring the wires from the overhead monitor to a portable one they placed at the foot of her bed. The half dozen medical staff moved with the precision of a well-oiled machine.

To the rest of us––well, all except Riley, who she purposefully ignored––the doctor introduced herself. “I’m Dr. Cara Bolton, the interventional cardiologist who’ll be performing the balloon angioplasty.”

“A balloon what?” Koen questioned.

“Balloon angioplasty. Basically, I’ll insert a small catheter into the blocked vessel, inflate a balloon to restore blood flow, then place a small mesh tube, or stent, to keep it open.”

“How long will this procedure take?” Willow spoke up.

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