Damien had a shit-eating grin on his face as he put Nico’s hoodie over his head. Nico moved over to the door and hid in the same spot Damien did only minutes before. Damien then sat in Nico’s seat and pulled up the hood as Kane fluffed up the blanket on the bed, making it look like there was less room to sit down than there really was.
We waited a few minutes, but when the door to my room opened, we all held our breath.
“Hey,” Bronagh whispered as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her without turning around.
“She’s awake,” Kane smiled. “No need to whisper.”
“Oh,” Bronagh frowned and walked over. “Have you slept much?”
I shook my head.
“How are you feelin’?” she asked as her eyes scanned the room for a seat. When she saw there was none, she did exactly what Nico said she would do. She touched Damien’s shoulder and she moved around him and sat on his lap. Damien’s arms went around her, snuggling against her.
“I’m much better,” I whispered, smiling.
Bronagh’s eyes brightened. “I’m so happy to hear that, after last nice that’s so good to hear. You’re on the mend.”
I nodded my head and just stared at her.
She was unknowingly resting against Damien’s chest. She glanced at Kane and myself and furrowed her eyes when she found us staring. She leaned her head back to speak to who she thought was Nico, but as soon as her eyes landed on Damien’s face, she instantly widened them.
“Damien!” she screamed and wrapped herself around him.
I threw my uninjured arm up in the air.
“How can she tell?” I rasped and tucked my burned forearm against my chest. “I want to know the difference between them, I don’t like not knowin’.”
Kane was laughing at me, and so was Nico who came out of the corner of the room. He lost his smile as he walked over and kicked his brother’s leg when Damien’s hand slipped very low on Bronagh’s back.
“Oh, give me a break,” Damien groaned. “I haven’t touched her in years!”
“I love you, but I’ll break all your fingers if you don’t let go of her.”
Damien removed his hands from Bronagh and held them up in the air. Snickering he said, “She’s the one who is all over me, bro.”
“Damn it, Bronagh,” Nico snapped, but he had a smile on his face as he said it.
“I’m not lettin’ go,” Bronagh cried. “He might run away again.”
Damien rolled his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere you big baby.”
“Speaking of a baby,” Kane grinned.
Nico looked to Kane and smiled before he looked to Damien. Damien looked to Nico and frowned. “Whose baby? Kane’s?”
Nico shook his head.
“Then whose?”
Nico nodded at Bronagh, and Damien moved his line of sight to the blubbering mess on his lap. For a second Damien stared down at her, then his eyes bugged out.
“Bronagh’s pregnant?!”
Nico joyfully laughed. “Yeah, bro.”
“Oh, my God!” Damien shouted at his brother in shock. “Dominic, shut the fuck up!”
Everyone burst into laughter. I almost did, but I quickly stopped myself before I slipped up. I really sucked at not speaking or making noise.
“You’re really pregnant?” Damien asked Bronagh, his smile almost touching his ears.
Bronagh nodded her head, her eyes shining with tears. “I’m really pregnant.”
“Congratulations!” He beamed and kissed her face then hugged her tightly before standing up with Bronagh still in his arms and crushing her into a hug with Nico. Nico laughed and hugged the both of them, happiness radiating from him.
“Is anyone else pregnant?” he questioned. “Tell me now because my heart can’t deal with all of this excitement.”
Bronagh laughed and hugged Damien tightly. “It’s just me and Aideen so far.”
“Holy. Fuck.”
He punched Nico then and said, “You aren’t shooting blanks after all.”
“Ha ha ha,” Nico said, but grinned like a fool.
“Why didn’t you tell me you cocksucker?” Damien asked Nico, a frown forming on his beautiful face.
Nico held up his hands. “She just told me last night. I was in the dark for awhile too, bro.”
We all looked at Bronagh when she nudged between Damien and Nico, and wrapped her arms back around Damien. “I missed you so much.”
He held her and kissed the crown of her head. “I missed you too, babe.”
I watched them with a huge smile on my face and said, “Where are the others? I want to see them surprised, too. It’s so much fun.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’ll call them and tell ‘em to come by,” Kane said and took out his phone.
Nico curiously asked, “What will you tell them?”
“That there is good news and I want all the family here before I tell them what it is. It’ll get them here.”
I grinned.
It’d get them here alright.
We spent the next thirty minutes talking, sharing old and new stories with Damien when Kane suddenly hushed up and jumped to his feet. He shot to the door and cracked it open before quickly closing it.
“They’re coming,” he rushed. “Dame, behind the door. Quickly.”
Damien ran for the door and slipped behind it just as the door opened and Alec stepped into the room. He paused when he saw Kane was right next to the door. He stared at him.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere,” Kane replied. “I heard you guys talking so I was just getting the door for you all.”
“Oh.” Alec’s features relaxed. “Thanks, bro. That’s nice of you.”
We breathed a sigh of relief when he entered the room followed by Ryder, Keela and Branna. I smiled when I saw her. She took time off work just so she could go back and forth between the hospital to help Kane and me with whatever we needed over the next few days.
She was a sweetheart, but looked a shell of her former self as she stood next to Ryder.
“What’s the news?” she asked. “You said it was good news on the phone to Alec.”
“It is good news,” Kane began, a slow smile stretching across his face. “But it’s not something I can show or tell you.”
Ryder raised a brow. “Who can then?”
I chuckled as Damien rounded on Keela’s right and came up next to Kane, patting his shoulder.
“I’ll take it from here, bro.”
I smiled wide as realisation washed over Branna, Ryder, Keela and Alec. Branna let her phone and bag drop to the floor as she shot forward.
“Damien!” She cried and jumped into his open arms.
He laughed as he caught her in mid-air and locked his arms tightly around her. “Mama bear, I’ve missed you.”
Branna burst into tears as Damien’s brothers and Keela stared at him with wide eyes. Ryder stepped forward and, without hesitation, he grabbed hold of Damien. This resulted in a Slater brother sandwich with a Branna filling.
I momentarily wondered if that was the closest contact both Ryder and Branna had with one another since their problems started. I shook my head clear of that worry and looked to Alec and Keela. Keela was in tears as she hugged a close-to-crying Alec.
“You little bastard,” he sniffled. “I’m going to cry.”
Damien laughed and stretched his neck so he could see over Ryder and Branna. “Dominic cried, too, if it makes you feel better.”
“You asshole!” Nico angrily spat making Damien crack up laughing. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Alec wiped under his eyes. “That does make me feel better, actually.”
“My bad, bro,” Damien chuckled to Nico.
Nico rolled his eyes, but smiled at his twin. He looked to Bronagh then who was staring at Damien with a cheek-splitting smile.
“Happy, are we?” he murmured and slipped his hand around her waist and tugged her closer to his side.
Her hands instantly went to her abdomen as her head bobbed up and down. She looked at Dominic as her eyes welled with tears. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. He’s home, and we’re goin’ to have a baby. A real baby, Dominic.”