More Than A Favor

Chapter 34

RILEY

I PUT ASHER'S STUFF IN HIS ROOM.

I don't spend much time inside, I'm out the door just as fast as I entered. I feel like I'm on airplane mode and if I feel this way then I can't imagine how Asher feels. I keep thinking about the fear in his eyes, in his voice, his body language. He was terrified.

Bringing my phone close to my face, I try to see the notifications clearly.

Asher reached out.

But all he said was 'St John's children's hospital'

No updates on Tommy.

The rest of the notifications on my phone are junk emails. I take a deep breath and type a response letting him know that I'm on my way right now and then I tuck my phone away.

Question fly around my brain as I make my way towards my brother's room.

Should I even be going to the hospital? Is it really my place? Layla, Asher's ex-girlfriend who I just met unexpectedly, is at the hospital right now with their son. I've never seen anyone cry like that before. Not even when Dolores' husbands or boyfriends leave, and I know the situations are far from comparable but seeing Layla breakdown like that in front of me makes it obvious that whatever happened to Tommy is unexplainably traumatizing. She's seen it, she's been through it and she could barely speak.

I know her history with Asher, and I know what happened to get Tommy here but there's no doubt that Layla truly loves her son. With Asher, his parents, Layla and maybe her parents at the hospital dealing with the most important person in their lives...

Where do I fit in all of this?

He needs you. He needs you. He needs you there too.

The words echo inside my head over and over and over until I'm knocking on my brother's door.

"What do you want? I'm going to take a nap." Cole's voice muffles behind the door.

"It's me." I rasp.

I don't think he hears what I said.

"Riles?" Cole sounds surprised. So he did hear. Then I hear footsteps from the other side, "Hold on," he says and just like that the door opens. My brother's got helmet hair and bright red cheeks from the harsh conditions of the game tonight. "What's up?"

Now that I'm face to face with someone else, my brother at that, I don't know how to say it. The words won't leave my mouth, they're trapped on my tongue. I feel my throat constrict. Tommy, the little boy I babysat one night, the little boy I read bedtime stories to over thanksgiving, the little boy who painted with me, took pictures with me, stayed on my hip. I haven't known him that long but I can't fathom anything happening to him.

With eyes suddenly filled with concern, Cole notes. "Why do you look like you're going to cry?"

Do I?

He reaches out and pulls me towards him in the doorway. He's doing what he always did when we were kids, comfort me. "Is it Mom?"

Instantly, I glance up at him but don't pull away. The mention of Dolores just earns a blink from my eyes. "No," I shake my head, "It's Asher. Well, it's Tommy. He's in the hospital and Asher's there right now and I just wanted to let you know. I don't know if he told you."

"No, he didn't tell me," My brother says. "Is that why his ex showed up? Shit."

"Yeah,"I exhale, "She just looked so... devastated." I can't get the image out of my head. The tears, her smudged mascara, her bloodshot eyes.