“I know it’s a shitty time…but Colt is awake. He’s asking for you.”
I nodded and then swiveled my head away from Boxer’s gaze so I could wipe away another tear that had escaped the corner of my eye.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Boxer asked.
“You don’t know?”
“I tried to harass the doc into telling me what’s going on, but he said I wasn’t family so he wouldn’t tell me shit.”
I inhaled a shaky breath. “She’s on a ventilator. A machine is breathing for her,” I said softly. “She doesn’t—there’s no brain activity. She wouldn’t want this. Stuck in a bed until medicine finally quits on her. Mark wants to leave her on the machines. I don’t. I’m in charge of her medical directive. Not Mark.”
“Fuck.”
I nodded.
“I’m not sure I should be the one to give you more shitty news, but I don’t know if Colt knows yet or if Zip is filling him in…”
“What?”
“Cheese died in surgery.”
His words didn’t even penetrate.
Not the way they were supposed to.
“Mia?” Boxer pressed. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I heard you. I just don’t know what you want me to do about it.”
He looked at me with a frown, but said nothing more.
We arrived at Colt’s hospital room and both went in. Joni and Zip were sitting next to each other in plastic chairs. Colt’s glassy eyes found me immediately.
“Babe,” he whispered.
I arched an eyebrow, shooting him a cool expression. “Always the hero, huh?”
“If I remember it right, I wasn’t the only one in the line of fire.” He licked his lips. “What does a man have to do to get his woman to kiss him? Almost die?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joni’s spine snap straight. Zip looked at his lap. I couldn’t see Boxer since he was behind me, but even he wasn’t cracking a joke.
“Some of us have died,” I said quietly.
Colt’s eyes turned somber and he nodded. “I heard about Cheese. Joni just told me Shelly’s here? How is she?”
“She’s on life support.”
“Fuck. Come here and let me hold you—”
“No,” I stated coolly. “I don’t want to be held right now.”
His brow furrowed in confusion and then his gaze shot over my shoulder. I turned to glance at Boxer who was shaking his head and shrugging.
“Maybe I need holding,” Colt stated. “You ever think of that?”
“That’s the morphine talking,” I said.
Colt looked to Zip. “You guys mind giving us a few?”