With that successful parting shot, Doc turned away and disappeared.

Layne stood frozen for long moments after he left and only moved when he felt Tripp fit his body against Layne’s side, his arms going around his Dad’s waist, his cheek to Layne’s shoulder and his boy hugged him.

Layne’s arm went around Tripp’s shoulders and he gave him a squeeze.

Tripp stepped back from Layne and looked in his old man’s eyes. “Can I go up and sit with Gram and Rocky?” he asked quietly.

God, Tripp was a good kid.

Layne lifted a hand, curled it around Tripp’s neck and squeezed. “You okay after you saw that, Pal?”

“Yeah, I’m just worried Roc’s not okay.”

“She’ll be okay,” Layne assured his son on another squeeze and a short tug.

“You think you can fix her?” Tripp asked.

“I know it,” Layne answered.

Tripp smiled, it was wonky and halfhearted but he did it.

“Good thing is, I didn’t have to tackle her,” Tripp noted.

“Yeah, that’s good,” Layne replied.

“But I stole her keys out of her purse. They’re in between Blondie’s forty-first and forty-second food bowls,” Tripp informed him and Layne returned his smile, figuring his was halfhearted too but at least it was a smile.

“Thanks, Pal” Layne said on another squeeze.

“I’m gonna go up,” Tripp whispered, Layne nodded and let him go.

Tripp gave him a long, last look, turned and ran up the stairs.

Layne felt cold on his arm and turned to see Jasper was holding a beer there.

“Think he needs whisky, boy,” Devin grunted.

Layne took the beer from Jas, slapped him on the shoulder and said to Dev, “Not sure whisky’s a good idea right now. Or, not as much as I want of it.”

“Right,” Devin was in the liquor cupboard, “you need your faculties about you. I, on the other hand, can get as drunk as I want.”

Layne moved to the island and felt Jasper crowding him, like he did Tripp and Seth when Cosgrove abused them and he turned to look at his son.

“I’m good, Bud,” he murmured.

“Okay, Dad,” Jas murmured back but he didn’t move away so Layne flung his arm around his boy’s shoulders and pulled him, hard, into his side.

Jasper slid his arm around Layne’s waist and held on.

Devin opened the bottle of whisky and turned to Layne.

“What’d I say?” Devin asked.

“About what?” Layne asked back.

Devin looked at him. Then he said, “Kaboom!” Then he put the whisky bottle to his lips, tipped his head far back and took a huge shot straight from the bottle.

Jasper turned his head and Layne did the same, they caught each other’s eye and Jasper shook his head.

Layne looked back to Devin who was now staring at them, still holding the bottle by its neck.

“Also told you she’s worth the effort.”

“Already knew that, old man.”

“Yeah, well, know you know it more.” His eyes slid to Jas. “Seen a lot of things, done a lot of things, wounds to the flesh hurt but they heal fast. Wounds to the soul never go away. It’s how we cope with a pain that never dies that makes us the people we are. Daily, people demonstrate acts of courage just so they can get through to the night. That woman upstairs smiles and laughs and cooks and teaches and no one knew the pain she carried in her soul. In other words, there are warriors and then there are warriors. In your Dad’s bed lies a warrior. Learn from her, boy.”

“Right,” Jasper whispered.

“Your Dad’s gone, I’m gone, you or your brother have her back,” Devin ordered.

“Right,” Jasper repeated on another whisper.

“Until she’s freed, she can turn at any time. One of us needs to catch her should she fall,” Devin went on.

“Right,” Jasper whispered again.

“Brief your brother,” Devin demanded.

“Right,” Jasper whispered yet again.

“Now,” Devin announced, “I’m havin’ a stoagie and gettin’ drunk.” His eyes hit Layne. “And that dog’s been quarantined outside throughout this situation and I’m not lettin’ her in yet so, goes without sayin’, me outside with whisky and a stoagie and your fuckin’ dog, tells you what you mean to me, boy.”

Then he strode to the door, opened it, Blondie attacked him on his first step on the cement patio and he closed the door.

Layne squeezed Jasper’s shoulder and stepped away.

“You good?” Layne asked.

“I’m good,” Jasper answered.

“Ignore Dev, he can be dramatic.”

“Seems pretty smart to me.”

Layne looked into Jasper’s eyes.

Then he asked, “Sure you’re good?”

“Yeah, Dad.”

“I was shot, awhile ago, Bud and –”

“I’m good, Dad.”

“We haven’t talked about that, I wanted to give you boys time.”

“You don’t need to give us time.”

“Jas –”

“Dad, we know what you do for a living and we know why. It’s jacked up, what happened to Roc’s Mom because she was a Mom, not someone like you. It sucked, you gettin’ shot, and I can’t say that Tripp and me weren’t scared, we were. But you’re here, we’re tight so it’s all good.”

“You ever wanna talk,” Layne said quietly.

Jasper grinned at him. “Yeah, but, I need to talk, I’ll pick a time when Rocky’s not sedated in your bedroom.”

Layne grinned back. “Good call,” he muttered then lifted the bottle in his hand. “You wanna beer?”

Jasper’s brows shot up. “Seriously?”

“Fuck no,” Layne replied.

Jasper chuckled.

Layne moved into his son, wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, let him go, turned and walked up the stairs to Rocky.

* * *

Layne knew she was awake ten minutes before she stirred and lifted her head from his chest.

Her neck twisted and her eyes hit his.

“Faker,” he whispered.

She blinked slowly.

Then she whispered back, “What?”

“Sweetcheeks, you’ve been fakin’ sleep for ten minutes.”

“Oh.” She was still whispering and now pushing away.

So Layne’s arm, already around her, tightened and he pulled her up his chest.

She put slight pressure on him, not too much but avoided his eyes.

“Baby, look at me,” Layne ordered gently and her eyes came to his. “How you feelin’?”

“Weird,” she answered.

“You remember?”

She pressed her lips together. Then she nodded.

“All of it?”

“What day is today?” she asked.

“Saturday,” he answered.

“Then yes. All of it.”

“How many days you lose to this shit?”

“Well, I’ve been lying there thinking about it and I’m guessing… two.”

“That’s my guess too,” Layne told her. “So it never happened before?”

“Not that I know of.”

“But you might not remember?”

“I’m thinking… no.”

“Doc gave me some names and numbers of people you can call. We’ll see it never happens again.”

She stopped pressing against him and her weight hit his side.

Then she whispered, “Tripp and Jas saw –”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I think –”

“Rocky, honey, you know they’re good kids. This is life. I can’t shield them from life forever. They’ve gotta learn how to deal. What happened was real. It needed to happen. You needed to get that shit out. You did it surrounded by people who care a lot about you. When that shit happens, that’s the best place to be.”

“It’s embarrassing,” she whispered.

“Baby,” he whispered back, pulling her closer and wrapping his other arm around her. “Your mother died while you listened. That marked you. There is nothing embarrassing about that. You loved her, you lost her and it marked you. It’s not embarrassing because there’s beauty in that.”

“Beauty?” she breathed.

“You loved her.”

Her eyes grew bright with tears and she nodded.

“That’s beautiful.”

She dropped her head, planted her face in his chest and his hand came up and slid over her hair.

“You go to her grave,” Layne whispered.

“I miss her,” Rocky whispered back.

“She was a good Mom,” Layne stated.

“The best.” She lifted her head and looked at him. “You would have liked her. She was funny.”

“I remember her. You look like her.”

She nodded. Then she sucked in breath.

“It was talking about having babies,” she whispered. “After you said that, I started to get these thoughts.”

Layne’s arms gave her a squeeze. “I’m sorry, honey.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. You can’t guard against everything you say.”

“No.”

“Then it was the table.” She shook her head again. “Mom always made us eat at the table. Every night. I have trouble eating at a table.” Her eyes were intense on his. “It’s been hard, since she’s been gone, to sit at a table with family around. When we were together, I used to look at you, something about looking at you made me settle.”

Layne closed his eyes then opened them and wrapped his hand around her neck.

“I remember,” he told her.

“It made me feel safe.”

“Yeah?”

“I knew, you were around, you’d never let anything hurt me.”

“Baby.” His voice was hoarse and his arm at her back and hand at her neck gave her a tight squeeze.

“I’m scared a lot, Layne,” she admitted quietly. “So often, I got used to it. It lives with me. It’s in my skin.”

“It gets to you, if it’s dark.”

She nodded. “You help me beat it back.”

“Rocky –”

“Then and now.”

“Baby –”

“I don’t want to be scared anymore, Layne.”

His fingers slid into her hair and he pulled her face to his, touching his mouth to hers, then he let her move back an inch.