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Reun to help her deal with the loss of her late husband, made Brandon squeeze his eyes shut He shuddered to think of how she’d deal if her dad didn’t ht it in tiht He’d be monitored for a few days in the hospital, and then he’d see his regular doctor and be scheduled for the second surgery to have the other two stents inserted The ht And while the other tere more than seventy percent blocked, they still could hold off on those so he wouldn’t have to be out so long and they could keep the surgery less invasive

Brandon was in awe the entire night of hoell Regina kept it together Even after the doctors inadvertently mentioned the ambulance ride to the hospital and Pat and her ina the truth that he’d been rushed there in cardiac arrest, she stared at them in silence but didn’t lose it

By the tiotten a chance to go in and see hi Only two people were allowed in the ICU at once, and Regina asked Brandon to go in with her The moment she laid eyes on hiotten there, her face scrunched up, and for aslips

"He’s gonna be fine," Brandon whispered, hugging her and kissing her head

She clung to hiainst his chest He slid his hands up and down her back and continued to kiss her head "Let it out, baby It’s okay You’ll feel better"

As she continued to cry quietly against his chest, Brandon al and able to cry openly in front of Regina and she felt the need to be the strong one Why?

Brandon had never been a religious person He couldn’t even re and how despondently Regina cried against his chest scared the hell out of hih this, this ti he’d be fine after the next one

Hiding the i as he watched Regina clean her face up She’d refused to walk out of the ICU with any evidence that she’d broken down He wanted to tell her Pat ina played it off, that she knew she could freak She had the right to This was her father--her daddy Why couldn’t she be allowed to fall apart? But he knew this was not the tiue about this, so he waited silently as she reapplied makeup and powdered her red nose

She looked up at Brandon froood?"

"That’s perfect," he said, reaching his hand out to her "Let’s go"

Regina stood, hurrying over to her father’s side one last time and kissed his forehead then shook her head and waved her hands in her already welling eyes

"Stop, stop, stop," she whispered to herself

"You don’t have to" Brandon finally addressed the issue, but she shook her head and walked ahead of hiina explained that her Grandpa Boot was her daddy’s father She also mentioned her father was the one who had labeled her the brave one early on "My sisters were always so shy compared to me Neither ever took chances, and while I wasn’t wild or anything, I did like having fun and trying things they never would When I was younger and the boys would play baseball outside during the suirl who asked to play with theement He said I was probably better than ht" She so to school clear across the country, all s stayed close by, and when I told hi, ‘Why so far,’ like my mom did, he immediately smiled and said, ‘Good for you’" She lowered her voice to an almost whisper as if there were anyone around that could hear her "My sisters always refer to ot that frorandpa, ays had a special bond"

She was quiet for a ain, but to his relief, she’d fallen asleep Since she slept the rest of the way hos With Regina’s dad being in the hospital for what probably would be the rest of the week, Brandon was fairly certain any talk or even thoughts of Sofie and her fa days Asat just before her sister called, he wasn’t anxious to feel what he’d begun to feel during that conversation Infuriatingly, so back to haunt hiina was surprised to see Alex and Romero there now too When she’d stepped into the bedroom to see her dad almost a half hour earlier, only Valerie had been there with Bell

Regina got the distinct feeling that whatever they’d all been discussing was cut short when they heard her co It was oddly quiet for a reeted her with Ro and kiss her "How is he?" he asked

Frowning, Regina shrugged "Asleep now, but I got to talk to hi better, I guess" She turned to Bell "Why does he seem so listless?"