Anti-Stepbrother

He glanced down with a faint grin. “They’re going to kick you out of here once morning shift shows up.”

“I know. I can wait in the lobby.”

“You sure?”

The same nurse we’d been seeing all night now came toward us with another woman beside her, wearing a long white coat.

“You’re Colton’s brother?” she called. “I’m Dr. Holbreck. I’m the physician on call today, and Dr. Reinier briefed me with everything going on.” She held her hand out, and as Caden shook it, she turned to me. “Are you Colton’s girlfriend?”

“She’s with me.”

Her eyes fell to our joined hands. “Okay, well, I’m going to step in and check on your brother. I’d like some alone time with him, and then I’ll pull you in to go over everything once more.” She paused, her eyes scanning the hallway. “Is there any other family with you?”

“My dad’s in Beijing, and my mom couldn’t leave the house.”

“There’s another brother, isn’t there?”

Caden’s jaw clenched. “He’s not here. It’s just me.”

The doctor didn’t move, but the lines around her mouth softened in sympathy. “And your girlfriend.”

“Yeah.” Caden’s hand jerked in reaction, but he only tightened his hold before stepping back so the doctor and nurse could enter the room. After they passed his hands found my shoulders, and he closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath when the door closed behind them.

My hands came to rest on top of his. “You okay?”

“No.” His eyes opened, haunted. “But I will be. Thank you for being here with me.”

“But…” I knew it was coming. “Is this when you send me away?”

He started to answer. His mouth opened, then closed, and his eyebrows pinched together. “You know, no. I’m going to talk to the doctor for a little bit. I’ll have to sign some paperwork, and then I’ll be able to leave.”

The real questions were burning my tongue. Where was his mother? Was his dad coming back? Where was Marcus? Had this happened before? Had Caden done this alone before? And the worst—how many times?

I held on to his hands tightly, on top of my shoulders. “I can wait in the front lobby. Would that be easier for you?”

His shoulders relaxed. “Yeah. I think so.”

“Okay.” I moved forward, closing my eyes, and stepped into his arms. I rested my head against his chest, and after a second, his arms closed around me. His cheek rested on top of my head, and we remained there, leaning against the wall, until the door opened again.

The nurse said, quietly, “We’re ready for you, Caden.”

He didn’t move. Not at first. He held on to me a moment longer, then took a breath to ready himself before he pulled away. I stayed in the hallway for a beat, standing there as the door closed. Whatever was happening inside that room made my heart ache.

I brushed a tear away as I found the front lobby. I had intended to go right for the coffee stand, but I stopped when I saw Marcus sitting in the farthest corner of the room. He was hunched forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and his head in his hands.

I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or crying, or just sitting there.

A seed of anger lit inside of me. He was here? When he could’ve been with his other brother, with Caden? Caden wouldn’t have had to feel alone the entire night. But as soon as those thoughts flashed in my mind, a second wave of sadness washed them away.

I had no right to judge.

My family had its own problems, and I remembered the morning when my mom had passed away. I’d sat like he did, in the farthest seat in the lounge. I was there, but I’d wanted to hide, and I didn’t want anyone to tell me it would be okay. It wouldn’t be okay. It was never going to be okay, and all I’d wanted to do was sit there and pretend my mother was sitting next to me.

I filled two cups of coffee and put one on the windowsill beside him.

He looked up as I sat down in the seat across from him, my own coffee in hand.

I managed a small smile and lifted the cup in greeting. “Morning.”

Then I looked away. No judgment. No questions. No unwelcomed opinions would come from me. Just silence and companionship.

And coffee.

“You were here all night?” He sounded guarded as he asked that question.

I nodded. “Diego told me, and I came here after that.”

“Diego?”

He didn’t know him. My heart ached even more. “He’s a friend of Caden’s.”

“Oh.” Marcus picked up the coffee and leaned back in his chair. “Thank you.” He glanced out the window and murmured, almost as an afterthought, “Caden has a lot of friends I don’t know.”

“I’m sure you do too.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Caden knows all my friends. Caden knows more about my life than I do.”

And there was the elephant in the room. If Colton was Marcus’ twin, why was it Caden in that room?

Marcus cursed silently. “This is fucked up. Let me guess, it’s just Caden back there?”

“You don’t know?”

“Caden called and left a message. That was it. But since you’re still here, I’m betting my mom’s not back there. I know my dad’s sure as hell not back there. Am I right?” His anger grew as he kept talking. “It’s fucking bullshit. This is all fucking bullshit.”