I knew mine would have been yours. What the hell had I been thinking to say that to her? Why couldn’t I stop it from replaying in my head? With everything going on with Dad, why had my brain decided to cling to that little morning fuckup?

Because you’ve wanted to say it for the last ten years, you moron. I promptly told my inner idiot to shut the hell up as I arrived at the ICU.

“Arthur Daniels?” I asked the nurse in blue-and-yellow-star scrubs.

“Family?” she questioned, only glancing up at me before continuing to enter data into a computer.

“Son.”

“Three sixteen,” she responded. “His other son is with him right now. Your brother?”

“That would be Alexander.”

She smiled. “Alexander. Got it.”

I shook my head and walked in the direction of the rising room numbers. Of course she’d want to know his name. She was young and pretty, and Alexander was a charmer.

I saw his boots in the doorway first; then the rest of him came into view as he leaned against the frame. He’d ditched the riding gear and looked way more responsible in his jeans and sweater than I did in my athletic pants and hoodie. Whatever. Emergencies didn’t allow time for fashion.

“Cam,” he said in relief, a ghost of a smile appearing. “I’m so sorry. I left my phone—”

I retrieved the device from my pocket and handed it to him.

“Thanks. I’m sorry they couldn’t fit both of us. I saw that drive. How long did it take you to get it clear?” He scrolled through his messages, which had to be more than a few dozen, if the way that thing had vibrated was any indicator. It could have gotten a woman off with half as many alerts.

“It’s fine. How is he?”

“Docs are with him now,” he said, looking back over his shoulder. “We should get an update in a second.”

I stepped into the doorway and saw scrubs and white coats leaned over Dad, obscuring my line of sight as monitors beeped. But that whooshing sound…

Pushing past Xander, I felt the extent of what they’d done punch me in the gut.

I stared in horror as the blue accordion rose and fell, and when the doctors all lifted their heads, Dad’s face came into view.

How could he? I swung around, took Xander by the shoulders, and pushed him to the wall opposite Dad’s doorway.

“Hey!” one of the docs shouted.

“How could you do that to him? How?” I shouted at my brother as his eyes widened.

“It’s okay!” he replied, but not to me. No, his arm half extended at my waist, no doubt holding off the staff that was ready to rip the violent brother off the good one.