“Jesus Christ, Riley,” she hissed and yanked him to one side of the corridor as a gurney was pushed past. “It’s nothing to do with you.”

“I’m her father—”

“So the fuck what? If it’s genetic, you going to hide away feeling sorry for yourself?”

“Eden, it’s guilt—”

She gripped his other bicep and gave him a shake. “You and Jack together, talking and realizing this is a shitty hand that Hayley has been dealt, is what she needs from you.”

Riley stiffened in his sister’s hold. Somehow, like his strings had been cut, he slumped. “She collapsed, on the porch, she was so little. We should have seen…. She was tired and thirsty, losing weight, and we didn’t notice. What kind of parents are we, for fuck’s sake?”

Eden released her hold on Riley. Gripping his hand, she led him down a side corridor and encouraged him to sit on the floor. She followed him down, and they sat holding hands.

“I had a friend who was diabetic. She had the same birthday as me, and we used to do things together. You might remember her—Yasmin?”

Riley shook his head. He didn’t remember the name Yasmin at all.

“She was a bit older than Hayley, maybe fifteen, she was diagnosed diabetic. They stabilized her, I remember that, she would inject insulin, test her sugar levels, and she did all the stuff we used to do. Except she needed to take that single step back and be careful to keep an eye on her levels. She would carry her stuff in her purse, she partied like I did, only with slightly less alcohol. She was rebellious, funny, and did things her doctor said she shouldn’t, but she was young, she moved on from it. She moved to Canada about three years ago. We Facebook, she’s a mom of two, married, settled, and works as a teacher to senior kids. Like nothing has changed inside her. Diabetes doesn’t mean she can’t have a healthy, beautiful life.”

Riley glanced at his sister. “Really?”

He didn’t know a lot about diabetes, only that it was a critical illness. A death sentence of sorts.

“It’s not cancer, Ri. It’s not a brain tumor, she isn’t dying. She’s different, that’s all.”

Riley bowed his head and considered Eden’s words. He knew he was doing what she called the Riley thing. It was how he rolled. Normally Jack was there to snap him out of it, but like Eden said, at least one of her dads needed to be with her.

Jack’s voice interrupted his dark thoughts. “Riley?”

Jack was at the corner of their little quiet space.

Riley reacted immediately and made to stand. “Is Hayley okay?”

Jack held up a hand to stop him moving. “The doctor is with her, and your mom is there. She sent me to find you because all I was doing was pacing outside the room.”

Eden scrambled to stand, using Riley’s shoulder to push herself upright. “I’ll get the coffee.” She looked at Riley meaningfully, her eyes narrowed. “You can tell Jack about Yasmin.”

Jack crouched in front of Riley. “Hey,” he said in that soft, caring tone that Jack did so damn well.

“Hey,” Riley replied.

“She’ll be fine,” Jack reassured.

“I know,” Riley said. He reached out a hand, and Jack gripped it hard. “We’ll get the best of everything, and we’ll look after her, she’ll be the best goddamn diabetic teenager in the entire state.”

“The world,” Jack said. He was smiling, and the smile reached his blue eyes. “Let’s get back.”

He helped Riley to stand, briefly they hugged, away from prying eyes and concerned words.

“Sorry,” Riley whispered.

Jack squeezed him once and released him. “We do what we do, then we get together and get things done,” he offered in his typically philosophical way.

Hand in hand they made their way back to Pediatrics, and after Riley hugged his mom and dad, all four of them sat on crappy plastic chairs. They took the coffee Eden brought, and made room for Beth, Steve, Sean, Josh, Anna, a subdued Logan, Donna, and Neil. In fact the entire Campbell-Hayes extended family clustered around her room, enough so that Riley felt he had to apologize to the staff and order in cakes and barista coffee for the nurses and doctors as an apology.

Only two people were allowed in when she woke at first. Riley and Jack hovered at her bedside, each holding a hand. Riley held the hand with the cannula and the fluids they were pumping into her.

“Hey, punkin,” he said when she looked at him.

She smiled tentatively, then closed her eyes again. “Hey,” she whispered. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” Jack explained. She coughed and swallowed, and Jack held a cup with a straw so she could sip some water. “They did some tests.”

Jack looked at Riley, asking they agree to what they were going to say before Jack said it. Riley nodded and hoped he telegraphed that they shouldn’t hold back on telling her everything.

“I’m really sorry, sweetheart,” Jack said. “You have diabetes.” He opened his mouth to add some explanation, but Hayley let out a noisy sigh.

“That’s okay,” she began.

“Do you want to talk to anyone? We could get the nurse in here.”

“No, I just want you.”

Riley and Jack smothered her with hugs until she was smiling.

“Can we get you anything?” Jack asked.

“I’ll get some books,” Riley interjected, “Find out how to fight this.”

“Gemma at school has diabetes. She’s the new transfer. I see her injecting and stuff.” She paused and struggled to sit up, and Riley and Jack helped her. When she was upright, with her blonde hair loose against the pile of snowy pillows, she smiled that Hayley smile. “She still does PE. We can handle this,” she said.

Something inside of Riley unraveled. If anyone was going to deal with having as life-changing as this, it would be Hayley. The ability to focus on the future and not get wrapped up in her own head? She must have got that from her mom.

Hayley was moved to her own private room the moment a reporter, in with his kid who’d caught his hand in a car door, noticed the Campbell-Hayes family en masse in the public area. He asked why they were there, pulled out his cell phone, and let out an unmanly squeak when Steve and Josh escorted him to the door and shut it firmly in his face. Josh stood with his foot wedged against the door, and Riley had to smile. Damn journo was not getting back into this particular waiting area.

The new place was on the eighth floor and had an anteroom where people could sit. Their family came and went around childcare or work, but there was always a core of support for Jack and Riley. Carol brought the twins in, and Max. The twins were fractious and didn’t want to be held. Max, on the other hand, sat by Hayley’s bed and stared at her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. He clutched Thomas to his chest, but his expression wasn’t concerned, more interested. He tilted his head.

“I’m poorly,” Hayley answered.

“Okay.” Max looked back at Riley and Jack. “Can I go home now?”

Riley wanted Max to stay, and he wanted the twins to stay, but he knew both things were not happening. Carol caught his eye and smiled. With Donna’s help, the kids left, then it was only Riley, Jack, and Hayley in the room.

“Where’s Red?” Hayley asked. She was looking to the door, and a frown marred her face.

Jack and Riley had taken up residence next to her bed, Jack with a magazine, Riley staring up at the ceiling. Riley focused in on what Hayley had asked—something about Red, her horse.

“Robbie’s got a good eye on him, darlin’” Jack reassured.

Hayley blinked at Jack. “Is he coming to the party?”

Riley sat forward in his chair. “What party, baby?”

He exchanged worried looks with Jack, who pressed the call button for the nurse.

“The one I need to go to bed for,” she pointed out as if Riley were an idiot for asking. “Daddy, I don’t feel so good.”

Riley jumped to his feet and threw open the door, startling the two nurses in discussion in the hallway.