As if he’d conjured him, Rory appeared with a somber black man beside him, obviously another EMT. That must be his partner. The man patted his arm and stepped back with a respectful nod, wandering over to sit against the far wall. His body language was clear. He was here for the duration.
Were the two of them that close?
Before he or Rig could step forward, Rory’s oldest brother took him firmly by the shoulders. “Rory and I are going in alone. When we come back, the rest of you can have a private moment if you choose before we shut off the machines.”
Rory looked like he wanted to resist but he was just too exhausted to try. David’s heart had a squeezing fist around it, tightening with each step that took Rory away from him.
At least he wasn’t alone.
Rig took David’s hand without a word and walked him toward the EMT. He sat beside the man and gestured for David to do the same.
Rory’s partner tilted his head to study them, then offered a wary smile. “Would you two happen to be Rigatoni and David?”
Rig’s eyes widened enough to show his surprise. “Just Rig, please. How do you know who we are?”
“I’m Walter,” he said instead of answering the question, holding out his hand to shake both of theirs. “And I’m guessing he has no idea you’re here, since he wasn’t planning on coming himself.”
David shook his head. “His cousin let us know. We didn’t want him to be alone.” Rory hadn’t been planning to come? “We haven’t met before, have we?”
“We might as well have.” Walter shrugged. “Late shifts and my wife’s cooking can make a man chatty. I think if I tried I could name everyone here, starting with that Paul Bunyan ginger over there. That has to be his brother Brady. I could write a pretty juicy tell-all with the stories he’s told me,” he chuckled. “Not that I would ever do that to him. I don’t think he has that many people to talk to.”
David looked around the crowded room and back at Rig and Walter. Rory had more than enough people to talk to; the question was who did he trust enough to tell his problems to?
Apparently Walter.
“I hate the way he does that,” Rig murmured beside him, his thoughts headed in a similar direction. “Sections off people in his life, builds walls, tries to keep everyone separate and happy. It’s frustrating.”
Was that how David had known him for so long but barely knew his family? Why he didn’t know his partner’s name or anything about his father until it got thrown in his face?
Walter nodded at Rig, eyeing the whispering Finns. “He came to my wedding. My wife adores him and I’ve worked with him for years, but I know there’s huge chunks of himself he’s always holding back. Personally, I think one of the reasons is in that hospital room. It’s the only reason I can think of that he wouldn’t want to be here.”
Rig nodded grimly and David frowned, hating himself for his ignorance. “He’s my—he’s been my best friend since high school and I didn’t realize…” What? He still didn’t know, and he was getting the feeling the truth might make him ill.
“You’re the one he most wanted to keep in the dark.” Rig didn’t blink when David glared at him.
“What does that even mean?”
“It means maybe we shouldn’t have come.” Rig sighed and glanced over at the double doors in concern. “This is going to be hard enough as it is.”
David crossed his arms, trying to restrain himself from storming down that hall and making sure Rory was okay. “We’re not here because it’s easy. We’re here because he needs us to be.”
Walter smiled his approval. “I thought you were the cute, geeky one, not the muscle.”
Rig reached out to squeeze David’s arm in reassurance. “You’re right. We’ll be whatever he needs.”
David nodded and the three men sat in silence as the clock on the wall became their world. Time may have slowed but David’s thoughts were racing. All of them focused on the man he had fallen in love with.
There was so much he didn’t know, but in the end those were details. He knew who Rory was, and he’d always belonged to him in one way or another. If David had anything to say about it, he always would. He and Rig could share custody with his heart, but David was never letting go.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he stepped away from the observant men to talk to his sister. “David? Has it happened yet? How’s Rory doing?”
“I don’t know, Es. He’s in there now.”
“Are you okay?”
“Ask me again tomorrow.” David tensed when the doors opened and Rory’s brother came out alone. “I have to go.”
He didn’t think. He maneuvered his way through the family, watching as James cornered his brother and the two started whispering furiously while the others looked on in confusion.