Chapter 21- Am I too late?

Evan swallowed and grimaced at the bitter taste in his mouth. Without opening his eyes he knew where he was. NOTHING quite smelled the way a hospital did. The sound of the beeping monitors filled his ears, the cool breeze of the air conditioner washed over his exposed arms, and the sting of the IV made him nauseous.

DIVYA!

With a start, he opened his eyes and slowly smiled at the person at his bedside.

His brother looked perfectly normal from the shoulders down as he sat cross legged on the requisite uncomfortable hospital chair. However, the good doctor's head lolled back, and with an open mouth he snored happily into the other wise silent room. Evan grinned;he was glad to have his brother close. It was always like this...

The two of them…'till the wheels fell off.

The patient tried to move his hand to touch the other, but that was out of the question. He tried to call out, but that came out as a croaky rasp at best. But this was all unnecessary because, with some instinct that was old as time, Hank's eyes popped open as if he had been prodded with a cattle rod.

'Evan...wow...how are you feeling buddy?' the man asked, leaning forward to gently push some unruly curls from the other's forehead.

A sip of water was pressed to the man's lips by the concerned sibling.

'Henry….you need a shave,' Evan muttered, which made Hank smile broadly. His brother was unquenchable...nothing would take him down for long.

'You're going to be alright,' the older man whispered back, giving his brother a loud, embarrassing kiss on the cheek just like when they were boys.

'Gross,' Evan commented quietly, but the action made his eyes sparkle, and he dragged himself a few inches up the bed.

The room was beautiful-richly appointed and private. Why were so many people afraid of Hampton's Heritage? This didn't look like a 'taco stand'. This was as good as Henry's old hospital back in the city! Busy as he was plotting of how they could turn one of their guest cottage room's into a swanky recovery room, his heart dropped when he noted the continued absence of the one person he needed to see. He had been in surgery and there was no way she would not be there unless…

'Did I miss the wedding?' the boy gasped out, flinging his hand out to grasp his brother's arm, desperation making him burst through the foggy haze caused by the medicines.

Hank had a confused look on his face. 'What wedding? Evan maybe you should lie down…'

'Shut up… Divya's wedding,' he interrupted his brother's concerned response with a growl, 'that's why she's not here right?'

'Evan.'

'Just tell me…Ohmigod… she went through with it!'

'Evan!'

'…why didn't you DO something!'

Hank drew up his chair a little closer to the bed while simultaneously pushing down hard on Evan's thin chest to calm him down. At this rate all the alarms would go off and the nurses would kick him out the room.

'The wedding is in a month and half… you didn't miss it…calm down,' Hank informed him in exasperation.

He scowled as he took in the relived look on his brother's face as he stared up at the ceiling.

'Evan?' he began warningly. 'I thought we agreed to give Divya support through the wedding.'

It was quiet enough in the room to hear Evan's snort of derision.

'I am not helping you with any hare-brained scheme…' Hank started.

'I am not asking for your help,' his brother corrected him with a steely determination that made Hank sit up and take notice. 'Just for your understanding.'

After a moment, the doctor nodded his head.

'You have it…you will always have it,' he whispered back and squeezed the other's hand fiercely in his. 'Let me go get her. She's with Tucker.'

Evan's eyebrows knitted together at this.

'Tucker came to visit me?' he suggested hopefully.

The way his brother scrubbed his face tiredly told him different. 'He's okay…he's in a nice room just like this across the hall from you.'

Evan squeezed the other's hand back supportively. 'Tucker is a tough kid, mentally as well as physically.'

Hank cut his eyes back sharply to the figure lying on the bed. His brother dealt with numbers and figures all day long, but sometimes he wondered if Evan didn't have a secret side to him…a side that saw things that other people didn't see.

The doctor stepped out into the corridor and was immediately accosted by Boris.

'Is everything alright?' he wanted to know, whipping out his cell phone as if to be one step ahead if assistance was needed.

Hank raised his hands to calm him.

'He's awake and wants Divya.'

The two men surveyed the empty, dimly lit corridor.

Jill was asleep on one of the chairs close to where Evan's door was. Hank's coat was draped over her chest and her jacket was over her knees. In the middle of the corridor, however, Marshal sat with his eyes fixed on his son who he could just see through the open door that Boris had compassionately left ajar. Marshal couldn't fault the older man for not allowing him access to the boy's room. Greedily he watched as Libby stroked his son's hair and listened as Divya quietly sang from her scriptures.

At the sound of the voices though, The PA raised her head. Spying her boss in the corridor with a weary but pleased smile on his face caused her to smile too. He beckoned to her with a 'come here' gesture, and she sprung to her feet, not bothering to slip back on her shoes as she sprinted from one room to the next.

Comically Boris flattened himself against the wall to prevent himself from getting mowed over by the young woman. He raised one eyebrow at his stunned concierge doctor.

'Err…they're just friends,' he protested feebly.

The two men watched as Divya carefully maneuvered around the medical equipment to wrap herself almost vine like around the young accountant.

This time Boris snorted in amusement as he held on to the door knob and gently closed the door.

A/N: (T/VA) You all should know there's only one chapter-chapter left, but there will be an epilogue! YAY! I'd like to thank codename:penguin for helping write this story, as I was the one who approcahed her about a collerberation(forecefully, I may add!) , and then we sprung this idea into life! Also, thnanks to all the lovely reviewers we have! You guys are amazing, and it's been a pleasure writing for you!