He raises his hand.
She puts her hand in his as I try not to bawl like a baby.
“I don’t blame you, sweetheart,” Milo says in the kind way that’s so him. “You had nothing to do with this. I blame my brother.”
That hits me like a punch to the gut. “What?”
“Haha, gotcha. You should’ve seen your face.” Milo’s laugh sounds different since he can’t let loose like usual. “Stop looking so mopey, you guys, and stop blaming yourselves. You didn’t do this. I’m gonna be fine, and the guys who did it are locked up. That’s all that matters, right?”
Sofia nods, but I can see the torment that remains in her expressive eyes.
I put my arm around her. “We’ll let you get some rest, bro.”
“I’ll be there to help you with anything you need when you get home,” Sofia adds. “For as long as you need help.”
“Thank you. That’s very nice of you. Take care of him until I get home. He needs constant supervision.”
That makes me laugh and roll my eyes, even as I’m thrilled to hear Sofia say she plans to help with Milo when he gets home. That means she’ll be sticking around, which, other than Milo making a full recovery, is all I want. “Whatever you say.”
“Don’t worry,” Sofia says in a grave tone. “I’m keeping a close eye on him.”
Milo flashes a dirty grin. “I’ll bet you are.”
“A very close eye,” I add.
“That was unnecessary,” Milo says.
“We’ll be back tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here.”
Sofia places a kiss on the back of Milo’s hand. “Thank you for not dying and not being paralyzed.”
“You’re welcome. And stop feeling guilty right now, or we’re going to be in the biggest fight ever. You hear me?”
Smiling even as tears fill her eyes, she nods. “I hear you.”
“Good. Now go away. The nurses will be in soon to give me a sponge bath. It’s the highlight of my day.”
“Perv.”
“Hey, Nico?”
“Go talk to him,” Sofia says. “I’ll meet you in the waiting room.”
“All right.” I turn back to him. “Yeah?”
“What I said to her goes for you, too. Quit blaming yourself. I was glad to help you out the other night, and even knowing what was going to happen, I’d still do it, because I’d hate to have anything happen to you.”
“Then you know how I feel seeing you in the hospital because of me.”
“It isn’t because of you, and unless you want to be in a big fight with me, too, cut that shit out. Okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever you want.”
“That’s what I want.”
“You got it.”