28. Brodie

brODIE

" Y ou aren't well enough to travel. As soon as you are, we'll get you on the first flight home. I promise."

No amount of pleading made any difference. Nothing he said swayed his brothers. He couldn't make them understand how important it was for him to return to Peyton.

He'd spoken with his parents yesterday, and as much as they wanted to get on the next plane to Argentina, his mother's heart wasn't healthy enough yet for travel.

He tried to contact Peyton, but she didn't answer or return his call. He asked Maddox if he'd talked to Alex, and while he said he had, he knew nothing about her.

Finally, when they were alone, he begged Naughton to be straight with him. Had something happened to her? Were they keeping something from him? Naughton shook his head and told Brodie he didn't know, but when his brother wouldn't look him in the eye, Brodie knew there was something they were hiding from him.

"Give it three or four days," the doctor told him when he came in this morning. "I'll release you to travel then."

Maddox sat near the end of the bed, staring out the window.

"If you were in my place, I wouldn't do this to you."

"No one is doing anything to you, Brodie."

"I need to talk to her, Mad. You don't understand how important it is that I do."

"Why now, Brodie? From what I understand, you went weeks without talking to her." Maddox stood and left the room. Brodie didn't see either of his brothers until the next morning.

"We've made arrangements for a medevac flight," Naughton told him. "It's essentially an ICU in the sky. The doctor said those were the only conditions under which he'd release you."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate this."

His brother sat on the edge of the bed like Maddox had and wrapped his hand around the back of Brodie's neck. "I'm so fucking glad we found you. For now, that's all I can think about. There will come a day, though, Brodie, when I have every intention of kicking your sorry ass."

"I'm sorry, Naught."

"I'm not the one you owe an apology."

"What aren't you saying?"

"It isn't my story to tell."

"Is she okay?"

"Okay is relative, brother, and that's all I have to say. If you keep pushing me, I'll cancel the medevac, and you can stay here until the doctor thinks you're well enough to fly commercial."

Naughton got up and left before Brodie could respond.