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When we reached the hospital, the sheriff was waiting for us. He shook our hands briefly. "Sorry to be meeting over something like this, Paul. I've been meaning to stop in at your place for a cup of coffee. Summer has all the kids getting into trouble, and now this. I don't need outsiders making more problems," he said as he led us into the Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital.

"How's my boy?" Pa asked, ignoring the small talk.

"He'll be all right. The docs were worried he'd punctured a lung and possibly other internal injuries when they brought him in, but it appears to be no more than a cracked rib and a lot of scrapes and bruises. I think he got lucky," the sheriff said as he pushed open the door to Seth's room.

The sheriff made Seth's injuries sound minor, so I was hardly prepared for how bad he looked. I stopped just past the door, while Pa and the sheriff continued to Seth's bed.

He was propped up on a couple pillows. A third was tucked under his left arm and wedged against his body. Seth's face was swollen with black and blue bruises around both eyes and along with his right cheek and jaw.

My stomach felt sick again and my head began to pound. My reaction was so strong that I rushed into the toilet closet and threw up. Pa came to the door and asked if I was okay.

"I'm fine. Must still be sick."

He patted me on the back and left the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and rinsed my mouth before going back into the room. When I returned, the sheriff looked amused.

"Delicate stomach, Liam?" he teased.

Pa glanced at me. "No, he's been sick." He turned his attention back to Seth.

Pa was gripping Seth's hand in his. I thought Seth was sleeping, but then one of his eyes opened a fraction to look at me. I felt awful for him, and somehow responsible. Maybe because I wasn't there to protect him.

"Don't look so worried, big brother. You should see the other guys." Seth tried to laugh at his own joke but ended up wincing in pain instead.

I moved past the sheriff to stand on the opposite side of the bed from Pa. I tried to smile and put a hand on his shoulder but quickly pulled it back when even that light touch made him wince in pain. That's when I pulled the sheet back.

"Good lord!" muttered the sheriff. He turned and left the room, speaking into the radio attached to his shoulder. I guess it took seeing the extent of Seth's injuries for him to take the attack more seriously.

Seth's body was cut, scraped, and bruised badly enough to have been in a serious hit and run. Somebody did this to him. They could have killed him. My shock was beginning to turn to something else. Rage.

I looked at Pa and saw that his eyes were shiny with tears. He was fighting hard not to let go. "What happened, son?"

Seth closed his eyes. "It was the guys from the diner. I was walking out of the grocery with my arms full. They confronted me in the parking lot and wouldn't let me get to the car. They kept talking about crazy stuff like, the name of my pack, how many were in it, and who had been hiding us...crazy shit." Pa's expression changed, and he looked as though he was deep in thought.

"How many were there?" I asked, trying to control the shaking in my hands and the tremor in my voice.

"More than five. Six or seven, maybe."

"This was the same bunch who were causing trouble at the diner?" Pa asked, looking more in control of his emotions.

"The same—with friends." Seth turned his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.

As if on cue, a cute nurse wearing blue scrubs printed with smiley faces entered the room. "This one needs some rest. One of you may stay if you wish, but I can assure you, his injuries are superficial and not life-threatening. He just doesn't look real pretty right now."

"Nobody needs to stay with me. I just had the ass-kicking of a lifetime. Probably karma catching up to me. I'll live," Seth added. "Is it time for my sponge bath?" He gave the nurse a lopsided smile that was meant to be charming but looked disturbing instead.

The nurse rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're not getting a sponge bath, Romeo. You'll be released in the morning." She was still looking over his chart when we nodded at Seth, then turned to leave.

"Liam," Seth called.

Pa had already walked out ahead of me, so I paused and turned back.

"They mentioned Cole—by name." Seth's point was clear as glass.

I nodded my understanding. We had always looked after Cole, with him being the youngest, and frankly, the most trusting of us all. He'd just finished his sophomore year of high school and had his heart broken twice already. It was my responsibility to protect my brothers.

I caught up with Pa down the hall and we walked silently through the maze of seemingly endless corridors until we reached the entrance. The sun was lower in the sky and the approaching evening felt ominous for some reason. Maybe it was seeing my brother in the hospital like that. Maybe something else.

As we exited the building, I saw the sheriff speaking with two deputies. When he noticed us, he left them and came over to follow us to Pa's truck.

"Paul, I've got every available man looking for these guys. We'll catch them. Don't you worry."

Pa stopped just before getting into the truck. Cole pulled up in Seth's Civic and jumped out quickly. "What's happened? Where's Seth?" His worried expression looked near panic.

I was relieved to see him unharmed. "He's fine...well, not fine, but he'll be all right. They're keeping him overnight," I said.

The sheriff's face scrunched up like he was thinking hard. "Do you have your license, Cole?"

Cole looked guiltily at Pa and then the sheriff. "No, sir. I have my permit, and since I drive with Seth a lot, I have his spare keys. When I got Liam's message, I was in the cornfield working on a broken water line. I asked a neighbor to give me a ride into town. I found Seth's car at the grocery and drove it over. It was only a few miles." He shuffled nervously from one foot to the other.

The sheriff shook his head.

"Liam, you drive Cole home. I'm going to speak to the sheriff a bit," Pa said.

I wanted to be in on this conversation, but I knew better than to argue with him, especially in front of others. I nodded and took the keys from Cole.

"Can't I see him?" Cole asked.

"He'll be fine. You can see him in the morning when we pick him up. I want you to stay with me. Let's get some take-out for dinner. Your choice."

Cole looked disappointed but got in the passenger side anyway. "See you at home, Pa," I said.

Pa nodded at me and Cole and I drove out of the parking lot of the hospital and headed into town to find some food.

Pa wasn't the type to leave us out of anything. It was unusual for him to send us home now. I'd planned to press him on the matter when he returned.

I filled Cole in on everything that I knew about what had happened, which wasn't much. It appeared that this gang had singled us out for some reason but for the life of me, I didn't know why. We hadn't done anything to provoke them, at least that I could think of.

***

Cole and I grabbed some fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and coleslaw for dinner. We had leftover green beans to warm up at home. Cole and I ate quietly, both lost in our own private thoughts about the recent events.

"You still having those nightmares?" Cole asked, avoiding eye contact.

I'd been having nightmares on and off for the last month or so. Every time, I'd wake drenched in sweat, my heart racing, and an awful feeling of dread that took a while to shake off. The dreams were sporadic with no obvious reason or cause.

"Had one last night. Worst one yet." I smiled at him and ruffled his hair to lighten the mood. "They're just dreams. Nothing to worry about. Harmony thinks I'm allergic to dairy." Remembering her cure to my nightmares made me chuckle. Cole also thought the idea was funny.

"Her sister said she's leaving for California. Is that true?" Cole looked uncomfortable asking.

"When did she tell you that?"

"Yesterday. Is it true? Is Harmony leaving?" Cole pressed.

So, she had already made up her mind. I can't say I blamed her. Deep down, I knew she'd only stayed behind for me. I didn't want to hold her back, but I didn't want her to go, either.

"I guess so." I occupied myself with cleaning up the table. We had left a plate in the oven for Pa, but he hadn't returned yet.

"What are you going to do? Aren't you in love with her?" Cole's question surprised me.

"I don't know. And yeah, I've been in love with Harmony for a while."

Cole looked thoughtful for a moment. "You should go with her."

"It's not that easy, Cole."

"It should be." I looked up from piling the dishes into the sink. Cole had a serious look on his face that made him suddenly seem older than his almost sixteen years.

"But it's not. I haven't decided what I'll do yet. I'd planned to talk to Pa about selling off some of the land, so he can retire from farming. What do you think about that?" I asked.

Cole followed me into the living room where I plopped down into Ma's chair. We still called it that—Ma's chair. I could still smell her every time I sat in it. Rose water was her favorite scent.

Cole walked over to the stereo and turned on some soft classical music. We all missed her and had our own little ways to keep her with us. Ma always had classical music playing. Sometimes she'd let us play country music, but not for long.

"I thought that was the plan all along." Cole laid himself across the couch, put his hands behind his head, and crossed his legs at the ankle.

"It was, but since Ma left, he hasn't mentioned it, and hasn't done anything about it. I figured he needed the work to take his mind off her." We were silent for a long time.

"Whatever you do, don't stay for me. I'd miss you, but I'll be just fine," Cole said.

"Who said you have anything to do with it?" I teased.

"Please. Everyone in town knows who my big brothers are. I know you and Seth try to keep me out of trouble. It's not a secret." Cole grinned at me. "But seriously, don't put your life on hold for me. I don't want that on my shoulders."

I looked at him thoughtfully. He really was more aware of what was happening around him than anyone gave him credit for. I turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels to find something to watch.

It was just past nine o'clock and Pa still wasn't home. Maybe he decided to stay with Seth, after all.

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