The hospital was not a quiet place, and Tanner watched a bird hop along the edge of the window of Liana's room while he sat with her, sleep eluding him even though he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. Her breath had evened out, and she was asleep in minutes, the morphine drip doing its job. So he dozed, roused by every cart that went by, every beep and code call.

The ache in his chest blossomed as he looked down at her. It wasn't unpleasant now that he had reconciled what it was. He knew if she asked, he would wade into the biggest storm for her, and would do anything to make her happy. He loved her so damned much, and almost losing her put it into stark perspective.

So yeah, he was exactly where he wanted to be.

She obviously hadn't read the letter, or she would have said something. He'd let her discover it in her own time. The bear was tucked up under her chin. He reached over and picked it up, running a thumb through the soft tan fluff on its belly, before setting it back under her arm. It had been pure selfish impulse to have Caitlin bring it in. He wanted her to wake up to something that would tell her he was there, and always would be, if she woke up alone in th hospital. 

The door creaked, and a nurse poked her head in. "Is she asleep?" she whispered as she padded in on silent feet. Tanner was always amazed at how quiet nurses could be when they walked. Caitlin always snuck up on him.

"Yeah. the pain meds hit her all at once," he replied. "It's okay that I'm here?"

"Honey I wouldn't move you in a month of Sundays," she said and she flipped through Liana's chart, setting it back down and smiling at him.

She moved around to the far side of the bed and pulled back some of the gauze on Liana's hand as carefully as possible, looking in through the halo and pins. Tanner saw the angry red skin, swollen and puffy, the gash across the inside of her wrist. He looked away as the nurse touched the back of her hand, pressing down.

"Good," she muttered and put everything back. "She's got strong hands. Already seeing improvement. She'll heal well."

"She's a hairstylist, runs her own salon," Tanner told her, not knowing why he did. "She's worried about that. Uses her hands for a living."

The nurse frowned and met his eye. "That's a big blow. She'll be months recovering from this, not gonna lie. Every damned bone in that wrist was broken, and the ligament nearly severed from something. Plus all her fingers were dislocated. What on earth happened to her?"

"I haven't gotten the whole story yet," Tanner said. "Not sure I want to."

The nurse came around the bed and put her hand on his arm, and he tilted his head at her. He normally wasn't so open with people he didn't know. Maybe it was the quiet setting, or her natural friendliness.

"I know she'll be in good hands. I was here last night when she came in and assisted in her surgery prep. You were a madman, covered in smeared blood, fighting the orderlies to let you in with her in the OR. Your twin brother had to hold you against the wall to keep you from smashing something."

"I—" he started, and looked down at Liana's sleeping form. "Yeah. Not my finest moment."

"We see that all the time here, honey. You were terrified. It is perfectly normal. She kept asking for you until we gassed her out. She loves you, you know."

"Thank you," he said and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, emotion poking at him. "I love her, but it's complicated for us. I hope I'm what she'll need."

"I'm pretty sure you already are," the nurse said and patted his arm. "I'll be back in an hour to change out some of the dressings. We may get some images of it tonight too, see how things are doing in there, if the swelling is down enough."

She tiptoed out on silent feet again, and Tanner was left feeling drained from what she'd said. He closed his eyes, and finally dozed off, asleep within moments. He jerked awake some time later to Liana elbowing him in his side. An orderly was grinning as he prepped her bed to move.

"Wake up, cowboy. They're movin' me."

"Hey," he mumbled and ran his hand over his face, his vision blurry. She snorted a laugh as he blinked.

"Going to get x rays on this," she said, nodding her head at her hand. He slid off the bed, his back popping from being propped up so long, and the orderly swung the rail of the bed up.

"Ready?" the orderly asked Liana, and she saluted at him. She was in a good mood, or she was locking it all down so she could deal with the here and now. Or she was stoned still. Morphine was heavy stuff.

"Be back in a jiffy," the orderly said cheerfully as he kicked the brake, and Liana waved as they motored out of the room.

As soon as she left, Caitlin and Brady arrived in a flurry. Caitlin was still in scrubs, and Brady's shirt was buttoned funny. Tanner pointed at his chest with raised eyebrows. Brady rolled his eyes and fumbled with the buttons.

"Where is she?" Caitlin clipped, setting her bags down. "How is she?"

"Just left for Imaging. They want new xrays," Tanner said, and caught Brady's harried eye. Obviously Caitlin was beyond worried. "She's in good spirits, which means—"

"She's deflecting all the shit," Caitlin finished for him. "I'll go see her down there," she added, turned, and strode out.

"Hey," Brady said tiredly and found a chair, sinking into it. "The minute she got home from work I was bum rushed out the door to get here. I don't need to tell you, her pregnant hormones are in full swing. I'm exhausted, and I'm not sure she's entirely comfortable driving Brett's Lincoln. I need to get cleared to drive again."

"Soon enough," Tanner replied. "How are you doing up here?" He tapped his temple.

"Head feels fine, and I'm not near as stiff as I was."

Tanner sat back down on the stool, the room cavernous with Liana and her bed gone. He and Brady went quiet, which wasn't uncomfortable. Brady laid back and closed his eyes in the chair, folding his hands over his stomach. Tanner checked his messages on his phone. Nothing important. The bustle of the hospital echoed around them and the sun slowly sank, the glow of the sky out the window going from bright pink to red-orange. It was going to be cold tonight.

Tanner desperately wanted to be home, and bring Liana with him. She was going to the ranch, and he had already decided whether she liked it or not. She would need help with basic stuff until her hand was recovered enough. He just had to talk to Peony.

"So, you'll have to wait a bit to ask her with her left hand like that, I guess, eh?" Brady said, cracking an eye, breaking the silence.

"Wait to ask for what?" Tanner clipped.

"You know what I mean," Brady replied, and settled himself back against the chair again.

Right now, Tanner had absolutely no idea what he meant, but his brain was still a bit sluggish from the impromptu nap, so he let it go. Sometimes Brady's humour went right over his head.

They both turned as voices echoed down the hall, and Jake and Liz arrived. Liz had a funny looking plant in her hands, and Jake was carrying a pillow with "when life hands you lemons, make a screwdriver" printed on it, with a picture of a screwdriver stirring a drink underneath it. Peony appeared behind him as well, tsking and pushing some of Tanner's hair back from his forehead as she reached him. "When did you eat last?" she murmured.

"I'm fine, Peony. I'll get something later," he muttered and she handed him a protein bar from her purse.

"Eat, my dear, before you get grumpy and we have to deal with you."

Tanner's stomach growled, betraying him, and Peony gave him that look that always put him in his place. He opened it and took a bite. They weren't half bad, even though they were made of chemicals. Served a purpose, he supposed.

"I think we might need more chairs?" Brady remarked, and everyone chuckled. Jake tossed the pillow on the side board near the windows, and Brady gave his chair to Peony, who sat gratefully. Liz bumped Tanner with her hip.

"All good?" she asked, setting the plant down beside where Liana's bed area was, and it wobbled in its pot.

"What is that?" he asked through a mouthful of the bar.

"Aloe vera plant. Great for healing skin stuff," Liz said. "Jake says we always have to come with gifts to the hospital. Something about being supportive of future family members. Care to elaborate?"

"No," Tanner clipped. Liz just raised her eyebrow in response.

It was now a full gathering. Tanner scanned the room. His brothers, their women. The woman who had become a second mother to him. He lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose to push away the emotion that had been simmering under the surface and rearing up at the most inopportune moments. He compared it to riding a bronc and having it throw in a wicked back twist just as you were getting ready to dismount.

"Hey there," a raspy, worn voice said from the doorway, and Harry poked his head in. "We just saw Trevor. Liam looks good. Keith is still in there with 'em."

Peony got up, and pointed at her daughter, who nodded and got up. "Let's go say hello to him," she said, and they left to go down the hall. Tanner stood as Harry trundled over to him. Harry took one look at him and pulled him into a hug, which was uncharacteristic for either of them. He returned the hug, and Harry patted his back, let go and cleared his throat, obviously slightly embarrassed.

"You look like shit, son. Anything we can do?" Harry added after a moment.

"Crew all good?" Tanner replied, deciding to ignore the obvious well-meant care from his head cattleman. "I need you to run things for a couple of days if you can."

Harry slapped him on the back and let him go. "Yep. We're fine. You stay with her, and we'll run the place. Rowan is handling night shift and check."

"Well, let's hope they don't kick us all out?" Harry remarked as he sat, taking in the rest of the people in the room. "Quite the gathering for Ms. Forbes, I should think."

More laughter, and then every head turned as Liana rolled back in on cue, Caitlin pushing the bed, the orderly, exasperated behind her. "Ma'am, I'm supposed to—" falling to deaf ears as she expertly swung the bed into place, backing it up against the wall and setting the brake.

"Caitlin, why are you pushing the bed?" Brady asked, "You know you shouldn't be—" he stopped as Caitlin spun and glared at him, shooting daggers, muttering a "Don't you dare, Brady West."

Peony and Liz, with Keith and Trevor in tow, walked back in just as Brady threw up his hands and sighed a muttered "I give up!".

"I felt like it," she snapped, then turned and dropped Liana's railing. Liana was hooting with laughter, her shoulders shaking, the bear tucked under her good arm. The orderly checked the bed, gave one more exasperated look to Caitlin, and high tailed it from the room.

"I'm not an invalid, you know," Caitlin added after he left, and huffed.

Everyone else in the room went silent as Caitlin and Brady stared at one another, having a very public, yet silent argument. Liana was looking between them, the amusement on her face evident.

"Oh for fuck's sake, just tell us when you're due," she blurted finally, and Caitlin turned towards Liana.

"What?" she spluttered.

Brady facepalmed and stepped forward to pull Caitlin into his arms. "They know, honey."

Cailtin looked confused. "Wait, what?"

"When I was in the truck, and not sure how badly I'd been hurt, I told Liana and Tanner in case something happened to either you or me. Apparently—" and he stopped, glaring at Tanner, then took a breath to continue, "Tanner told Jake. Peony had already figured it out. It kind of spread from there. I'm sorry. I know you wanted this to be different. I got scared in the moment."

Caitlin leaned into Brady, her hand on his jaw. He looked down into her face and Tanner swore the air left the room as he ducked down and kissed her with more tenderness than he had ever seen come from his brother. Tanner moved over to the bed, sitting back on the side. Liana fumbled for his hand with her good one and giggled as Caitlin turned and gestured out around her in obvious defeat, but thankfully, without any anger.

"I think she's feeling a bit useless trying not to overdo it, and with all that is going on—" Liana whispered to him. She was likely right.

"Okay then. Everyone... I'm pregnant. We're due in September," she said meekly. "Officially the worst kept secret in this family, I guess?"

The laughter burst out of everyone in the room all at once, and as a nurse came in to shush them, Tanner looked down at Liana. Her eyes were shining, she was smiling, and the colour was back on her cheeks. She looked up at him, and squeezed his hand. Maybe she was genuinely in a good mood, and not deflecting. He was having a hard time reading her again, which frustrated him.

"Your family is frigging dramatic," she said, and stuck her tongue out over her upper lip for a moment, watching Jake bear hug Caitlin. "But I absolutely love it."

He smiled back. It was her family too. "We are," he agreed.