A/N~ Apologies for the wait. I hope to update soon and more regularly. I'm currently struggling with some writers block. Hope this is enjoyable.
Brock woke before sunrise the next morning. Shifting slightly he was reminded by pain that movement wasn't an entirely good idea. He exhaled slowly breathing through the last spike of pain.
"You in pain?" Trent sat forward in the recliner.
"Not as bad as yesterday." Brock's voice was low enough to betray him.
"So worse then? I'll get a nurse." Trent stood to go into the hall.
"Wait." Brock used the bed control to raise the head of his hospital bed. "That's better. Can we just sit a while before they give me meds that make me loopy?"
"Of course Brother, as long as you're okay." Trent retook his place in the chair beside Brock.
They sat together in silence as the rising sun brightened the room before Brock finally broke the silence. "I might have done something pretty stupid." Trent's raised eyebrows urging him to continue. "I think I let myself get to close. Care a lot more than I should. It started as pie but now..." Brock's eyes avoided contact. "Now it's so much more than that and what now Trent?"
Trent watched his usually calm brother flustered and stuttering while attempting to explain what Trent already knew. In the last week sitting at Brock's bedside or in a too still waiting room he had already seen all he needed to see. Had seen the desperation and fear, seen the hope and love. Seen it all in her eyes.
"Now you tell her. She's been here since before we arrived. When we got here one of the first things the doctor told us was that they were keeping 'your girlfriend' informed. She'd been here for three days but she didn't know it'd been that long. She was wearing your shirt," Trent noticed the look Brock gave him "it's that ugly blue flannel Sonny gave you to 'country' you up."
Brock wrapped an arm around his cracked ribs as he laughed. "That shirt probably looks better on her anyway."
"Definitely does." Trent laughed. "How's your pain?"
"Worse than before. Probably need something." Brock knew Trent had seen the wince he was unable to hide. "Trent what happens if I do this and it changes everything in a way I can't undo?"
Across town Clay was knocking on Vic's door for the fifth time. The younger Seal's car was in his assigned parking space but the kid wasn't answering texts, calls, and now his door. Clay contemplated texting Full Metal to bring some lock picking tools when he finally heard movement from inside the apartment.
"The fuck Clay?" Vic's voice was hoarse with sleep.
"What do you mean 'the fuck' we're going to see Brock." Clay pushed the door to Vic's place open and entered without an invitation. "Go get dressed." He wandered toward the couch.
"I actually have some stuff to deal with this morning. I'll stop by later to see him." Vic walked to his kitchen unaware that Clay was now following him.
"Nope. We are going this morning. You can handle whatever after."
Vic was fighting with his coffee maker. The basket all but refusing to be put where it belonged. "You my scheduler?" Turning back to the stubborn machine he mumbled more to himself than Clay. "Yumaris aljins mae aleaql eamalik."
"Hey! Don't swear at me. That might work with Sonny but I speak Arabic dumbass. Go get dressed we are leaving in five. We'll grab coffee on the way." Clay glared but the scowl didn't reach his eyes. Vic dropped the basket in the counter and silently retreated to his room.
And silent Vic stayed. On the drive to the hospital and the walk across the parking lot. He didn't speak in the lobby, the elevator, or the short hallway that lead to Brock's room.
Silent as the numbness wrapped around him. His heavy feet hit the floor step after step vaguely aware that bile was rising and the hallway was spinning.
As they approached Trent stepped from the room staring down at his phone. Turning he almost ran directly into Clay. "Shit, sorry." It was the only response he had and without looking up he moved to the wall.
"Trent. Everything okay?" Clay's words caught his attention and he was relief at seeing his brothers washed over him.
"Yeah." Trent tried to steady his frayed nerves. "It's been a long week. I'm tired."
Clay was taken back by Trent's rawness. "Let's get some food. Should one of us stay with Brock?" He looked to Vic who was shifting uncomfortably with his hands jammed into the front pockets of his jeans.
"He's out. Pain meds are making it hard for him to stay awake but the alternative sucks." Trent looked back to his phone. "It's not gonna be easy for him coming back from this... He's going to have to accept the suck and it just got a hell of a lot harder."
Trent handed Clay his phone as he walked away. Glancing down Clay quickly reads the message before looking back up to see Trent's back disappearing around the corner.
