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“I’m not good at this,” she said softly.
“At what?”
“This. Waiting. Trying to be supportive. Trying to hold everyone together. Comforting everyone. Telling them it’s all going to be okay, and at least pretend to mean it.”
“Nobody expects you to.” BB tightened his hold on her just a bit, and he smiled when she snuggled deeper into his embrace.
She was silent long enough for him to think she was done talking. Then she mumbled something he wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear.
“I wish they would.”
The wistfulness in her tone squeezed something in his chest. “Who, Gen?”
“My family. I’m a disappointment to them, so they’ve never counted on me for anything except to screw up. At least by their standards anyway. I mean finding the shooter is one thing I can do, one thing I’m trained to do, and no one has asked me to find the person who almost killed Cohen. No one has asked me for anything.”
“I like your family, but there’s one thing I’ve noticed since I’ve been here. They’re stupid when it comes to you. They choose to see all the things you’re not instead of seeing all the things you are. And you’re stupid when it comes to them. Instead of showing them what they’re missing, you cower to their opinions. What are you afraid of?”
BB didn’t regret his words. He regretted they made her pull away from him. Holding her felt right. Letting her go...didn’t.
“You think I’m afraid of my family? All I’ve ever done is rebel against what they wanted for me. If I hadn’t, you and I would never have met. You get that, right?”
“I think you’re afraid to show them who you really are. They need to see you're strong and smart and a damned force to be reckoned with. That’s who Cohen needs right now. He’s the one who’s seen you when no one else did, so you owe him to move past the baggage with your family. Even if they don’t realize it, they need you. Cohen needs you. Hell, we need you working this case.”
“Stop talking like you know me, Beckett.” Her tone was harsh, but he could see a spark of the fire he’d come to associate with her, the fire which drew him to her whether he wanted it to or not. Good thing he did want it.
“Gennessey.”
BB and Gennessey turned in unison to see one of Cohen’s brothers - he’d forgotten which one - calling to her from the hallway.
Gennessey’s sass quickly faded into concern. “Henley, what is it? Is Co-”
“We don’t know. The nurse came to tell us he made it through surgery, but the doctor is going to come to the waiting room to tell us more. Momma sent me to get you. You should be in there. You, too, BB. You’re one of us now.”
“We’ll be right there,” BB returned.
He grasped her hand, his fingers linking with hers. Taking a step to follow Henley to the waiting room, he was surprised when Gennessey pulled him back. When he faced her, he was struck at how beautiful she was. Even tired and worried and afraid about what she was about to hear, she took his breath away.
“Thank you.” Her mouth twisted as if the words tasted foreign on her tongue. “I appreciate what you said and how you’ve looked out for me. I’m glad you’re here. I don’t think I could have managed everything without you.”
With his free hand, he cradled her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin. “You can handle anything. You don’t need me or anybody. But I’m glad I’m here too.”
This time when he pulled her to follow him, she didn’t resist. They stepped down the hallway to the waiting room where the rest of the family had gathered.
Autumn stood with her parents, wringing the hem of her shirt in her hands. They had brought her clothes to the hospital, so she could change out of her blood-stained gown while they waited for Cohen to come out of surgery.
Cohen’s parents — BB remembered their names to be Vickie and Mathew — and all of his brothers — Benton, Henley, Elias, and Rowan — stood or sat as they all waited. He may have remembered their names, having heard Cohen call them by name quite a bit at his bachelor poker game, but the only one he could match the face with the name was Henley, since he’d just heard Gennessey address him.
The only other ones in the waiting room were Gennessey’s family. Her father, Russell, watched him carefully, but Carolyn’s eyes rested on her daughter. Jasper and Merrick stood at the back, a protective brotherly presence. BB couldn’t decide if Gennessey’s brothers liked him or not, but that wasn’t his concern now.
He didn’t need approval from any of them. He was there for Gennessey and for her alone.
The doctor came in, dressed in blue scrubs, and removed the surgery cap from her head to reveal chestnut hair streaked with gray and pulled severely from her face into a tight bun. Her eyes scanned the room, widening only slightly at the sight of so many people.
“I’m looking for the family of Cohen Wilson.” Her voice held a hint of a Boston accent.
“You’re looking at them. We’re Cohen’s parents, and this is his fiancé,” Mathew said, using his eyes to identify Vickie and Autumn to the doctor. “The rest are brothers and extended family. Whatever you have to say, you can say to all of us.”
She nodded. “I’m Dr. Berrey, Cohen’s surgeon. We were able to remove the bullet and repair some of the damage it caused. We had a moment of concern when his blood pressure dropped, probably due to his blood loss. But we were able to bring it back up and stabilize him. We’ve given him a couple of units of blood and a generous amount of fluids. For now, it’s a waiting game. He is in recovery, and once he wakes from the anesthesia, if everything checks out, he’ll be moved to an intensive care unit. The nurse will let you know when you can see him.”
