After getting that news, Cybil assured her that she was on her way before hanging up and breaking into tears that ripped me apart as they soaked my tee. It took me a good ten minutes to get her calm enough to get off the plane. Dave looked about as happy as I felt seeing her cry, which meant she’d won him over just as quickly as she has everyone else in my life.
Finally finding an empty space on the third level, I pull in and park, then give Cybil’s thigh a squeeze.
“You okay, sunshine?” I move my hand to the back of her neck under her ponytail, and she turns my way.
“I hate hospitals,” she says quietly, and my fingers automatically tighten on her nape. Her confession isn’t surprising. I imagine that after her mom was diagnosed with cancer, she probably spent more time in hospitals than she ever wanted to.
“That’s understandable,” I assure her, and her chin trembles. Hating that there’s nothing I can do to ease her fear right now, I pull her close and rest my forehead against hers. “It will be okay, even if it doesn’t feel like it will be.”
“Don’t make me cry.” She pulls in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Not when I need to be strong for Jade.”
“Sunshine, Jade is going to understand you being upset.” I kiss her nose, then lean back. “Are you ready to go inside?” With a nod, she grabs her purse, and I get out, then meet her at her door. It takes a few minutes once we get inside the hospital to find the waiting room outside surgery, but as soon as we arrive, Cybil lets go of my hand and rushes right for a redhead with long hair. She’s being held by a burly older gentleman with hair as white as snow and a beard that hasn’t been trimmed since the seventies. When the two of them spot Cybil, they wrap her in an embrace and start to rock her back and forth.
Not wanting to interrupt, I stand back with my arms crossed over my chest, giving them a moment. As they start to talk in hushed tones, I notice two men standing a couple of feet away and know exactly who they are without an introduction. If I had to guess, the tall blond with short hair and classic all-American features, dressed like he belongs in Montana on a ranch, is her ex, Galvin. The bald guy with glasses at his side, who’s dressed like he was out running, in shorts, sneakers, and a plain shirt, is her ex’s new husband, Chris.
As I study the two of them, the sour expression on Chris’s face as he stares at Cybil begins to piss me off. I’m sure he’s angry that the guy he’s now married to was in a relationship with someone else while in a relationship with him, but that shit has nothing to do with Cybil. If anyone has the right to feel victimized, it’s her, since she’s the only one who was left in the dark. When I see Galvin move to make his presence known, I drop my arms to my sides and step toward Cybil, which draws his attention to me. He stops, his eyes widening. Not giving a fuck what he’s thinking, I place my hand against Cybil’s lower back once I’m close enough to touch her, and she tips her head back toward me, giving me a sad but somewhat relieved smile.
“Jade just told me that right before we got here, the doctors came down to let them know Maisie is out of surgery and stable. They’re putting her in a room now.”
“That’s great news, sunshine.”
“Yeah.” She reaches for my hand and laces her fingers with mine before introducing me to Jade and her father by lifting our hands and stating, “Jade, Bernard, this is Tanner. Tanner, this is my family.”
“Nice to meet you both.” I dip my chin.
“I wish it were under better circumstances.” Bernard holds his hand out toward me, and the moment I take it, he pulls me forward to pound my bicep, saying quietly, “Thank you for getting Cybil here so quickly.”
“Anytime,” I reply, and he lets me go, looking away, but not before I catch the torment he’s trying to hide.
“Tanner.” Jade gives me a somber smile while reaching out to give my hand a squeeze. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I say, and Cybil rests against me, so I wrap my arm around her waist and tuck her into my side.
“Cybil.” As soon as the man I noticed earlier says her name, her body against mine grows rigid, and she turns his way.
“Galvin, Chris,” she says, the tone of her voice not exactly cold, but neither is it welcoming. “Thank you for calling me to let me know about Maisie.”
“Yeah.” Galvin’s gaze pings between Cybil and me. “Do you think we can talk?” He swallows hard, and his husband’s jaw twitches, making me wonder what Galvin’s told him about Cybil’s and his relationship.
“I’m thinking right now isn’t the time for that,” I cut in before she can answer, not giving a fuck if I’m overstepping.
“Tanner’s right,” Bernard rumbles, narrowing his gaze on Galvin. “You wanna talk to Cybil, you do it another time, not right now when the woman who helped raise her is in a hospital bed.”
“Of course.” Galvin shakes his head. “I just—”
“You’re just thinking about yourself,” Bernard says, cutting his gaze to Chris before giving Galvin another look that has his shoulders sagging.
“We should go,” Chris inserts, wrapping his hand around Galvin’s bicep.
“Yeah, okay.” Galvin looks at Cybil quickly before focusing on Jade. “Will you call and let me know when your mom can have visitors?”
“Of course,” Jade says, giving him a hug; then she looks between him and Chris. “Thanks for coming.”
“If you need anything, let us know,” he tells her, sending Cybil one more long glance before Chris takes his hand and urges him out of the waiting room.
“You know, Dad, you could be a little nicer to him.” Jade sighs, wrapping her arms around his middle when he places his arm around her shoulders.
“I didn’t kick his ass. I consider that pretty nice,” Bernard grumbles, and I bite back a smile while Jade hisses.
“Dad.”
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. He hurt Cybil. God only knows how long he knew he wanted to be with someone else.” He shakes his head, then looks past Cybil and me.
I turn to look over my shoulder and find an older woman in scrubs walking toward us. When she’s close, she looks us over before she locks eyes with Bernard. “Maisie is settled in her room. You can stay with her overnight if you like, of course, but there can only be two people in the room at a time. Visitors can only stay for fifteen minutes until she’s moved out of the ICU, which won’t be until tomorrow, and visiting hours are up at eight.”
“Thanks, Annie,” Bernard says, and she pats his arm before she turns to Cybil.
“It’s good to see you back, kid.”
“You too, Annie,” Cybil replies, and Annie glances up at me quickly, then gives Cybil a soft smile, walking away.
“All right.” Bernard drops his arm from Jade’s shoulders. “You and Cybil go on up and see your mom.”
“No, you and Jade go first,” Cybil says quickly, shaking her head.
“I’m gonna be here all night, and Maisie will want to see her girls,” he says gruffly, and Jade’s eyes fill with tears while Cybil tucks her face against my side and sniffles.