Page 108 of Rescue

“Sorry if it’s not super exciting for you, buddy,” Daltrey says from behind us. “Maybe you’d like to switch places with Daisy?”

We turn to see him approaching from the other end of the hall. He grins at me. “You made it! Where’s Haylee?”

“She has to figure stuff out,” Cash tells him in a loud stage whisper.

Daltrey frowns. “What does that mean?”

“I have no idea,” Cash says.

“Can we focus on the important stuff here?” I ask. “How’s Daisy?”

Daltrey’s face lights up. “She’s amazing. She’s doing so well. The doctor said it won’t be much longer.”

“Shit, man.” I look at my little brother, overwhelmed by the change that’s about to happen. “This is really it, huh?”

He laughs, sounding a little shaky. “I guess so. I just came out to let everyone know she’s doing good.” I send up a silent prayer of thanks that we got Reed to behave before Daltrey arrived. “I should probably get back in there.”

“We’ll let them know.”

He nods. “Thanks.” The three of us look at each other for a minute.

“The next time we see you, you’re gonna be a dad,” Cash says, shaking his head. “That’s nuts.”

Daltrey laughs. “You’re telling me.”

“Good luck, man.” Cash pulls him into a hug, and I hide a smile. He really is coming into this emotional maturity stuff pretty well. I don’t torture Daltrey with another hug, just slap him on the back as he goes.

“We should tell the others,” Cash says. “The girls have been freaking out all day.”

We head into the waiting room, but before I can take more than two steps Paige launches herself at me. “Isn’t this amazing?” she squeals.

“Definitely amazing,” I say, patting her on the back. “We just saw Daltrey in the hall. He said everything is going well, Daisy is good. Probably won’t be much longer now.”

“Oh my God!” she cries, and I cover my ear, not entirely sure I’ll still be hearing out of it after this.

“Come sit down,” Karen calls. “You’re strangling Lennon.”

I collapse into a chair next to Levi as Cash goes over to sit with Sam. “Things seem nice and awkward in here,” I mutter, and Levi snorts. Reed is sitting alone, anger radiating off him. Dad is on the other side of the room, also by himself. The girls are sitting together, and they alone seem cheerful.

“So how’d it go?” he asks.

I rub my face. “I don’t know. I think she’s pretty scared.”

“Because you’re such a basket case?”

I shove him as he laughs. “Yes, actually. She thinks we both have too many problems to be there for each other.” I rub my face again, feeling tired. “Maybe she’s right.”

“I don’t know, man. I know I’m just an observer, but it seemed to me you guys made each other stronger.”

“We did.” I think about that night in London, the night she needed me and I couldn’t be there for her. “Until the end, at least.”

“What does that mean?”

“That night at the club, she was having a really shitty time.” I haven’t told anyone about her trip to the ER. I don’t think it’s my business to share. “Some stuff went down,” I say, hoping it will suffice. “And I wasn’t there for her because I was all in my head. And she wasn’t there for me because she was in her head. It was kind of a mess. And it made her think we couldn’t take care of each other.” I shake my head. “Like I said. Maybe she’s right.”

“At the club?” he asks, scrunching up his face in thought. “You mean that last night in London?”

“Yeah.”