“Thank you,” I said and cleared my throat. “We really appreciate this.”
The nurse inclined her head, gave a tight-lipped smile to everyone then left the room. Things were quiet until Alec said, “We should let Keela threaten people more often if it gets us results like this.”
I snorted and shook my head at him then read the sheet of paper the nurse gave me.
“He is on St. Peter’s Ward in room nine,” I said and looked at the brothers, then to the girls. “You all go up to see him. The four of them will stay asleep until we switch.”
Ryder blinked at me. “Are you sure?”
Was I sure?
“Of course,” I said, biting my lip. “You’re his brothers.”
The brothers said nothing for a moment, but nodded their heads in agreement with me and carefully moved the girls off their bodies so they could stand up. Nico had a bit of trouble untangling Bronagh from his body so Alec had to help. Watching them made me laugh. I placed my hand over my mouth and shook with silent laughter until he was free from his sleeping beauty’s grip.
He kissed her head, took off his jumper, and laid it over her to keep her warm. He walked over to me then and playfully kicked my leg when he saw I was smiling. “She has the grip of an anaconda; don’t judge her by her size. She may be small, but trust me when I say she is strong. Very strong.”
“I’ve no doubt, husband.” I winked.
Nico snickered then laughed a little when Ryder and Alec asked what I meant by calling him husband. I grinned, too.
Good luck to you on explaining that one, buddy.
“I’ll explain along the way, come on,” Nico said grinning as he took the sheet of paper the nurse gave me.
Ryder winked as he passed me by and Alec fist bumped me. They gently clicked the door shut behind them as they left and when they did, a veil of silence coated the room. I could hear the girls breathing, and every few seconds Bronagh would snore a little, but other than that, it was silent.
I leaned my head back against the wall of the waiting room and sighed. I folded my arms across my chest, and tucked my legs under my behind then closed my eyes and relaxed as much as I could. I was uncomfortable, but that wasn’t what had me uneasy. Kane did that just by being here in the hospital; it wasn’t so bad because he was alive and stable. He wasn’t okay because he was in the hospital, but he was alive and that was the main thing.
I would take alive and ill over dead and buried any day.
“Aideen?”
I groaned low in my throat and wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to hold onto sleep for a little while longer.
“Aideen? Hey, wake up.”
I felt a nudge on my legs and it caused me to wake with a jolt. I scrunched up my face then slowly blinked my eyes open. I pulled my head back a little when I found a huge clump of tin foil shoved in my face.
“It’s a breakfast roll, eat it. You need food.”
I blinked at the tin foil then looked up at the person holding it. I stared at Keela for a moment then took the tin foil covered roll from her extended hand. I sat upright and groaned when my back clicked. I carefully stood up and stretched out my body, making noises close to that of a baby dinosaur.
“Fuckin’ shite chairs,” I grumbled and placed my free hand on my now aching back.
My legs, back, arms, and my neck were stiff and sore. My damn neck felt like a five-hundred pound wrestler had leaned on it all night long.
“You know what?” I mumbled to Keela who sat down next to a still sleeping Bronagh, Branna, and Alannah.
“What?” Keela asked as she opened her own roll.
I sat back down on the God forsaken chair I slept in all night and rolled my head on my shoulders. “I wonder if people ever end up in A&E from these chairs. Imagine that, comin’ to see someone in hospital but throwin’ your back out in the waitin’ room.”
Keela shook with silent laughter.
I opened the breakfast roll and when the smell travelled up my nostrils I groaned out loud. It smelled delicious. My stomach agreed because it grumbled as if to say, ‘feed me.’
The roll was a full Irish breakfast roll that consisted of eggs, black and white pudding, sausages, rashers, hash browns and some ketchup. My mouth watered as I brought it to my lips and sunk my teeth into the yumminess.
I again groaned out loud and closed my eyes as I chewed and swallowed down my first bite. I repeated this action until my roll was completely gone and my belly was full and satisfied.
“Damn, Aideen,” Branna’s voice murmured.
I blinked my eyes open and looked across the room. All the girls were awake now, and each of them was staring at me. I flushed with embarrassment.
“What?” I muttered.
Alannah grinned. “It sounded like you were havin’ an orgasm.”
Oh, my God.
“Lana!” I cried.
All the girls burst into laughter.
“It did,” Keela agreed still laughing, “but it looked like somethin’ out of Bear Grylls. You destroyed that roll in less than three minutes flat, babe.”
I frowned. “I was hungry.”
The girls laughed again and each took their own breakfast roll from Keela who took them out of a plastic bag on an empty chair beside her.
“Where are the lads?” Bronagh asked as she opened her roll.
Keela shrugged her shoulders. “They weren’t here when I woke up half an hour ago. I thought they’d be outside so I checked when I went to the deli to buy the rolls, but they weren’t out there either.”
I yawned. “They’re with Kane. When you were all sleepin’ last night, the nurse Keela tried to kill came in. She felt bad for upsettin’ Keela, and pulled some strings with the night staff. They let the brothers go be with Kane and let us stay in here. We have to leave soon though because they’ll need this waitin’ room for other families of A&E patients. Kane is on St. Peter’s Ward and they have a waitin’ room there that we can use.”
Bronagh cheered a little as she bit into her roll.
“What?” I chuckled.
She chewed and swallowed her food. “St. Peter’s Ward is on the first floor. All wards on the first floor aren’t trauma wards, so whatever is wrong with him isn’t too serious—trauma wise, anyway.”
I blew out a big breath of relief.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
Bronagh nodded her head. “It was on one of those hospital adverts on the telly last night. All the wards were listed and what floor they were on. I pointed it out to Ryder and said I hope Kane is in a ward on the first floor so we know it’s nothin’ too serious.”
I was delighted with that news.
“Thank God,” Alannah breathed.
We all nodded our heads in unison as we agreed with her. I was about to speak when the door next to me opened. I turned my head and watched as Nico, Alec, and Ryder walked into the waiting room looking tired but put together, which was better than how I felt.
“You’re all up.” Ryder smiled.
“Thanks to Aideen and her vocal abilities.” Alannah grinned.
I glared at her and the other girls when they started laughing.
“Do we want to know?” Nico asked, amused.
“No,” I growled. “You do not.”
Nico snorted and stretched his arms over his head. “We’re going home to shower and get some food then come back with some stuff for Kane. Are you all ready to come with us?”
I frowned. “You want to leave him on his own?”
Everyone looked at me.
Alec sat next to me and dropped his arm around my shoulder. “He hasn’t woken up yet, he’s still out cold.”