LITMIR.BIZ

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      Was that what Will had wanted to tell him over lunch today? Had he married his secret girlfriend?

      On some level Michael’s numbed brain faced the harsh reality of his brother’s injuries. On another, he refused to accept that his younger brother could be so seriously injured.

      Not Will. Michael had called him from Shanghai last night. When Michael had asked him about Bree, Will had refused to discuss her.

      “I have some big news. I’ll give you an update over lunch tomorrow,” was all he’d said.

      “Can I see my brother...before his surgery?” Michael demanded of the nurse.

      “Of course. But don’t say much or you’ll tire him.”

      Only when he saw Will’s gray face washed of all color, and Will’s body shrunken and as still as death did the gravity of Will’s injuries finally hit Michael.

      “Will. Can you hear me? It’s me. Michael,” he said gently.

      Tubes hissed and gurgled. His brother, whose bruised face was swathed in bloodstained bandages, stirred faintly. His mouth quivered, and he seemed to struggle to focus on Michael’s face.

      “Don’t talk,” Michael commanded.

      “Have to... No time... You know, they’re wrong about your life passing before your eyes.” Will’s voice was so thready Michael had to lean close to his brother’s lips to hear it. “It’s the future you’ll never have...that matters.”

      “Don’t waste your strength trying to talk. You’re young. You’re going to be okay. I swear it.”

      “Not even you can fix this. But you can do one thing for me....”

      “Anything.”

      “Take care of Bree.”

      “What?”

      “Bree... She’s...my wife,” Will gasped.

      “Bree? You married Bree?”

      “She’s pregnant. No time to explain. We didn’t want to tell you like this. Just promise me...that you’ll take care of her and...the baby.”

      “The baby?”

      “She’s pregnant and hurt. I don’t know how badly. We were in the backseat. Tony was driving. Tony’s dead.... Tried...to save her...for you.”

      “For me...”

      “You care about her.”

      Sweat broke out on Michael’s forehead. His hands opened and closed in fists as fury and concern for her and grief for his brother tore at him.

      One thing was very clear. She’d lied about her relationship to Will. They had been involved. After she’d slept with Michael, she’d gone back to Will as easy as you please, gotten herself pregnant by him so he’d marry her. They’d kept it all a secret from Michael until he’d gotten back from Shanghai.

      Will had been so dazzled by Bree he’d removed his own seat belt to protect her.

      Then Michael remembered that Will would receive a million dollars from the North trust when he married, as well as a sizable increase in his allowance. He would receive even more once the child was born.

      Had Will informed Bree about all those benefits? Probably.

      Her treachery didn’t matter right now. Only Will mattered.

      His brother’s glazed eyes read Michael like a book. “I know you don’t think you like her. And I knew you wouldn’t approve of our marriage, but she’s been through a rough time. She’s a wonderful girl. Not a gold digger like you think.”

      Michael swore silently. His brother was so hopelessly naive.

      “What you did to her...was all my fault.”

      “Whatever I did, I did it for you,” Michael said.

      “Understood. So, promise me...you’ll take care of her. If you’ll do this one thing for me, we’ll be square.”

      No way could Michael promise that.

      “Promise me,” Will insisted.

      The room felt stale and airless. His brother looked so pale—Michael couldn’t say no to him. He yanked at his collar and tore at his tie that was damp from the rain. He wanted to run out of the room, to get outside, to breathe fresh air.

      Through gritted teeth he said, “I promise I’ll take care of your wife.” Carefully Michael took his brother’s limp hand and pressed it lightly. “I’ll even shake on it.”

      “And her restaurant. Help her save it.”

      Michael nodded.

      Satisfied, Will’s heavy eyelids drooped shut.

      A few seconds later an older male nurse in blue scrubs rushed up to the gurney and flipped through Will’s chart. Without a word, he bent over his patient.

      Michael stood in the doorway and watched the man wheel his brother away, watched until they vanished down the long hall. The sounds of people rushing past him died. All he could hear was his own heart. Would he ever see his brother alive again?

      Suddenly he felt very cold, and very much alone, as alone as he’d been as a kid. Since he couldn’t stand forever in an empty hall staring at waxed floor tiles and feeling sorry for himself, he turned and headed back to the nurse’s station where he found Pedro, who took Michael to Bree.

      Two women, probably family, hovered over Bree. She lay on a narrow bed that had been curtained off from the other beds in the large room.

      Michael held out his hand. “I’m Michael North, Will’s brother. Her brother-in-law.”

      The older woman took his hand. “I’m Bijou, her mother. Wait! I never forget a face. You’re that handsome rich guy that came to the restaurant looking for her, yes? I thought maybe you gave her some trouble, yes?”

      Heat washed through him. “Yes.”

      “I’m Marcie,” the pretty blonde beside Bijou said. “I wait tables for Bree and Bijou. Bree’s just the sweetest person in the whole world. So is Will. I can’t believe that two such super people...”

      “Marcie! You need to be strong, oui!” Bijou turned to Michael. “We’ll give you a minute with her,” she said. “But only a minute.”

      When they left, Michael moved closer to Bree’s bed. Her thick lashes were still against her bloodless cheeks, so she didn’t see him at first. Dark circles ringed her eyes. More than a dozen bruises and livid cuts covered her arms and cheeks. At the sight of her injuries, he choked on a breath.

      She looked so slim and fragile in her hospital gown, he felt a stab of fear. She was carrying his brother’s child, and Michael had sworn he’d take care of her.

      Despite the money she must have been after when she’d married Will, Michael’s resentment toward her faded. If Will died, her child would be Michael’s last link to his brother.

      “Bree? Can you hear me? It’s Michael. When I got in from Shanghai I heard about the accident. I came at once.”

      “Michael...” Her lashes fluttered weakly, and for an instant her face lit up with pleasure...and with some other more luminous emotion that thrilled him. Her eyes had shone like that when he’d first entered her.

      In the next second she must have remembered what he’d done because her gaze went flat and cold. “Where’s Bijou? What are you doing here? I want my mother back.”

      “Your mother’s right outside. Will asked me to check on you, so I’m here,” Michael said softly.

      “Will asked you...” She let out a harsh sob and turned her face to the wall. “I don’t believe you! He’s as fed up with you as I am! Go

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