Page 122 of Star Crossed
“Why’s he sleeping on the floor?” Wyatt asked as he walked into the room.
“’Cause he doesn’t wanna leave.” Nova sighed. “But he’s exhausted.”
Wyatt glanced to the other side of the room. Romeo was such a huge man that even with the larger hospital bed, he seemed too big to fit. This room was filled with more of everything than Jules’s was. More equipment, more beeping and clicking, more tubes running into Romeo, and Wyatt remembered again why he’d been avoiding answering Jules’s questions. Seeing Romeo, prone and pale against the white sheets, had Wyatt feeling extra grateful as he told the brothers, “She’s awake.”
“We heard,” Nova said softly. “Congratulations.”
Wyatt paused, wondering if it was protocol to apologize that his sibling was a little less shot up than theirs was. Figuring that would rub salt into an already painful wound, he said, “They think the babies are gonna be fine. They told Jules there’s nothing to stop ’em from being completely healthy.”
“Can I see?” Tino asked groggily, rolling onto his back, his head still on Nova’s thigh. “I saw them rolling that machine up to her room—”
“Ultrasound,” Nova filled in for him.
“Yeah, I wanna see them,” Tino said with a wistful smile. “Can we see Romeo’s babies the next time they do it?”
“Well”—Wyatt shrugged, fighting for the right words—“she’s been frantic ’bout Romeo and—”
Nova snorted. “That means, no.”
“I didn’t say that. I just need to tell her something first, or she’s gonna be asking y’all ten million questions you might not feel like answering.”
“What does she wanna know?”
Wyatt huffed. “I think she wants to know if she’s gonna have a husband to help raise these twins.”
Nova turned and arched a dark eyebrow at Wyatt. He looked exhausted. He was still wearing the same clothes he’d had on when they released him from jail. Wyatt had seen him get to the hospital, but he wasn’t going to tell Nova he’d seen the tears and wild panic as he yelled at doctors, calling them idiots for trying to explain in layman’s terms why his brother was in emergency surgery. He saw the FBI agents pull him aside to question him too, even while he was frantic over his brother—which, even Wyatt had to admit, was pretty damn inconsiderate.
“You can tell her,” Nova started, a small smile tugging at his lips, “that yeah, she’ll have a husband to help.”
Wyatt sucked in a stunned breath, staring at Nova hopefully. “Really?”
Nova nodded, his smile becoming more confident. “The surgery went well. They think he’s gonna be okay. They got him in a medically induced coma to help him heal a little, but they’re gonna try and bring him out of it tomorrow.”
“He’ll never fight again,” Tino said sadly. “Something about his kidney.”
“He lost one,” Nova added.
Wyatt groaned, thinking about how hard Romeo had trained. He couldn’t help but feel guilty over being responsible for Romeo missing his last fight. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? He’s got another one,” Nova asked, clearly misunderstanding. “You can live with one kidney easily.”
“No, ’bout the fighting.”
“Shit.” Nova laughed, shaking his head. “Who gives a fuck about the fighting? That one bullet missed his heart by an inch. The other bounced around his insides, and the worst of it was taking out a kidney when it could have been so much more extensive.”
“That’s true. Who gives a shit ’bout the dang fighting? I retired without a championship win, and I’m not any worse for the wear.” Wyatt smiled and took his first clear breath since hearing about the shooting over the police scanner. The fear had been choking him for two days. “There are more important things in life.”
“Can Tino come watch the next time they do the ultrasound?” Nova asked. “I know it’s sorta a private thing.”
“Nah. Jules isn’t shy, and they just rub that thing over her stomach. Both of you can come and see it. The babies look like little people already. It’s weird. Little hands and feet.”
Tino’s smile became wide and bright. “That’s pretty cool.”
“It is,” Wyatt agreed. “But, twins. Christ, they’re a nightmare. My dad was gray before forty.”
“Do they know if they’re identical yet?” Tino asked.
Wyatt shook his head. “They don’t know. They’re in their own little sacks and everything, which they say is good. Makes things easier, but they can still be identical.”
