Page 77 of Spurred On

More to the point, he didn’t want her screwing up this tentative peace with Sidney. It was far too precious.

When the elevator doors opened, he took her arm—which she allowed—and led her to the ICU nurse’s desk. Old nurse Ratched was on duty and she offered him a dark glower. Cody didn’t take it personally. He’d known her for years—she’d been on duty when his father had taken his last breath here—he knew this was just . . . her way.

And her name wasn’t Ratched, it was Lovelace, but given her relentless stern demeanor, such a pretty moniker didn’t seem to fit, so they all called her Ratched. Behind her back of course. Which was probably small-minded of them, and if she heard them, there was no telling how she might wreak her revenge. Lobotomies in the cafeteria with a grapefruit spoon came to mind.

Nonetheless, he offered a smile and a nod.

Her eyes narrowed. Something like a growl rippled on the air.

“We’re, ah, here to see Henry Stevens,” he said.

Her lips pursed. “Family?”

“I’m family,” Sidney said, although Ratched probably knew damn well she was. This was a small town after all. “I’m his daughter.”

Ratched sniffed. “Come with me.” But when they both followed her, she whipped around and glowered at him. “Not. You.”

Sidney winced. “Please,” she said. “I would appreciate his support. This is . . . very difficult for me.”

Given her heartfelt plea, it appeared Ratched would soften, but she didn’t. “It is against regulations,” she said, and with another glower in his direction, ushered Sidney through the double doors.

“It’s okay,” he called. “I’ll wait here.” And he dropped into one of the uncomfortable seats.

Truth be told, he hated waiting rooms. Not just because the seats were hard and the room smelled of disinfectant, but because it brought back painful memories. He’d spent his share of time in a hospital waiting room and—in his experience—the thing one most waited for was death.

The first time he’d sat in these chairs was when his mom was rushed to the hospital with a breech birth. He’d been young then, too young to really understand what was happening. In his naivety, he’d thought everything would be fine. His mom was in excellent health, and she’d had three babies before.

The last thing he expected was for the doctors to come out with those tight expressions and say, “I’m sorry. We’ve lost them.”

Lost them.

Both of them.

Where had they gone?he’d wondered, his mother and his baby brother, whom they’d named Cole. But there had been no answers from his father. No end to the grief.

He’d never expected that with that loss, his entire life would change. They went from being a happy and whole family to a bereaved father and three lost, motherless children. In the end, Cade had taken up the reins as their father had slowly sunken into his misery. It was a heavy load for a twelve-year-old, but Cade had done it. Played father and mother to them all.

And then, of course, they’d come here to wait for their father’s death too. Older and wiser, they knew a failing liver did not lend itself to miracles.

That loss, though not totally unexpected, hadn’t been any easier.

And then, the news had come that they were losing the ranch on top of everything.

It had been a hard, hard time.

So yes, sitting in a waiting room was not his favorite thing to do. It brought up far too many old demons.

Fortunately, he didn’t have long to wait before Sidney came back out. Her expression was wretched. He knew what this was like so he stood and greeted her with a hug. She clung to him.

“How is he?”

She shook her head and sobbed into his shoulder. “Same.”

He closed his arms tighter around her. “Same is better than worse.”

Her laugh was damp. “I suppose.”

“Come and sit down,” he said, leading her to the seats. He made a mental note to bring a couple of cushions tomorrow. As she sat, he reached over for the box of tissue on the table, and she took a handful with a nod of thanks. “I know it’s hard,” he said.