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Jagger nodded and pulled out his phone. He pushed Shawn’s number, put it on speaker, and waited. After two rings, he got a gruff, “Hey. Everything okay?”
“Sure. Just giving Paul and Belinda their head start. How’s Mercedes?”
“She’s hanging on. The doctors aren’t giving her much longer.”
“Sorry, man,” Hays said.
“You and me both.” His voice lowered, and it sounded like he was moving. “Franz is a mess. I don’t know what he’ll do when she passes.”
Jagger could commiserate, but he had no words of advice. It was awful to have no family left on earth, and he could only imagine losing a child would rip a person apart.
“We’ll all try to be there for him,” Hays said.
Jagger nodded, but they’d already had three weeks off from their unit. They’d have an assignment soon.
“Thanks.” Shawn blew out a breath and then said, “How’s everything with Belinda?”
“A huge mess,” Jagger admitted.
“You want to talk about it?”
Jagger met Hays’s surprised gaze. Shawn wasn’t the one to offer to talk about emotional junk. “It’d take hours to explain. Maybe on the plane ride home.”
“Okay.” Shawn sounded relieved. “Should I plan on coming tonight to do that final filming or in the morning?”
“Up to you.” Jagger secretly hoped for more time with Belinda. Not that it would change anything, but he had no idea if he’d see her again after they said goodbye this time. And knowing Belinda, she could get mad at him over something and he wouldn’t even get a sweet kiss goodbye.
“I’ll see what Mercedes says.” He paused and said, “Okay. Thank you, Franz.” Then he was walking again. “She wants to talk to you two.”
He paused, and they heard a soft, frail, “Hey, guys.”
“Hi, Mercedes,” Jagger said.
“How are you?” Hays asked.
“Been better.” Her voice was so weak it hurt to hear it. “Jag … do you … hate me?”
“I could never hate you.” Jagger swallowed the emotion in his throat. “You’re my favorite sis, remember?”
She laughed and then had to pause to catch her breath. “Your only sis,” she managed. Her voice was a weak rattle. Jagger had heard that voice before. The death rattle.
He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t lose one more person he loved.
Hays met his gaze and Jagger had to look away. The pain in Hays’s dark eyes was as raw as his burning throat.
“I’d never want any other sister but you,” Jagger said. It was cheesy and he couldn’t care less. This world would be a darker place without Mercedes in it.
“Belinda?” she got out.
“She’s incredible and feisty and funny and I love her.” Jagger couldn’t believe he was saying all of this, and Hays’s wide eyes confirmed it. “But things are worse than ever between us. Her dad lied to her about me and I think she still believes him.”
“Crap,” she said.
Hays and Jagger both laughed at that. The release in tension helped a lot.
“I’ll … pray,” Mercedes got out.
“I know you …” Jagger broke off and had to choke down a sob. His eyes stung, but he closed them so no moisture would escape. “I know you will.”
