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“We never got enough time together,” I mumble.

“I don’t know about you, Tee, but I could spend a whole lifetime with Liam, and I’d still feel like it wasn’t long enough. I don’t know if you believe in soulmates, but I do. I know that in every version of existence, in this world or the next, I will always find Liam. In every lifetime, we will always find each other, and it will still never be enough. I will always want more time with him.”

She smiles as she rests a palm over her heart. I wish I believed in soulmates and repeat lives. The idea of being with Evan over and over again gives me a kind of comfort I didn’t know I needed.

Maybe that’s why Bree has an almost peaceful look on her face as she says it? Because she knows, no matter what happens, this isn’t it for her and Liam. They will find each other again, and they will get to do this all over again in the next life.

“I really hope that’s true,” I admit.

After that, we fall into companionable silence, both of us just sitting there waiting for news. It’s not quiet for long, as slowly the room starts to flood with family members.

Kellan is the first to arrive, throwing the door open with a loud bang as he strides into the room, looking the most frantic I’ve ever seen him. His bright blue eyes are wild, his dark hair is sticking up at all angles, like he’s been running his fingers through it this whole time. He’s paler than normal, and his eyes are red and puffy from where he’s been crying.

His eyes lock on Bree’s and there’s a desperation in them that breaks my heart. “I’m sorry it took so long. The fucking nurses wouldn’t let me through. They said only you two could be in here. Desmond is threatening them as we speak, so I imagine they’ll be letting everyone in soon. How are they?” he asks, looking over from Bree to me.

I tilt my head to Bree, letting her respond for us both. “They’re both still in surgery. We don’t really know anything more.”

Bree doesn’t elaborate further. I’m not sure if it’s because she can’t bring herself to say more, or she doesn’t think Kellan can handle it. He looks frenzied as he paces up and down the small room.

“Kel, they could be in surgery for a while. Why don’t you sit down?” I offer kindly, pointing at the seats around the edge of the room.

He looks at them, and then back at me and Bree, but he doesn’t move to sit. Instead, he begins mumbling.

“I keep going over everything that happened, wondering if there was something we could have done to prevent this from going so fucking wrong. I could get the footage up and review it to see?—”

His words are cut off by Bree, using her stern leader’s voice. “Enough, Kel. If you want to be here, you are here as family only.There will be a time for us to review what happened, to look at if mistakes were made, or areas that we can improve upon for next time. But now isn’t that time. We’re here as family, nothing more. Do you understand?”

Kellan lets out a large sigh, his body deflating as he looks at Bree with such a lost expression. “I understand. I just hate feeling like I can’t do anything.”

Bree reaches her hand out, and as soon as Kellan accepts, she pulls him down into the chair beside her, before wrapping him up in a hug. Just like before when we hugged, the security of being in someone else’s arms is all it takes for Kellan to fall apart.

Sobs rack his body, as he cries for a man who has been not only his brother, but his best friend for the majority of his life. Even back when I knew them as kids, they were inseparable, almost joined at the hip. Anyone who knew them, knew they came as a duo, and nobody questioned it.

It’s not long after Kellan pulls himself together that the other family members begin arriving. Desmond is next to arrive, mumbling incoherently about how incompetent the staff are, and how large a donation he’s had to make to the hospital to be allowed access for all his family.

He pulls me in first for a hug, and then Bree, but doesn’t say anything. He takes his seat against the wall to the right of the door and waits. For just a moment, I wonder how the hell Desmond got here so quickly, given he wasn’t part of any of today’s raids. I’m just about to ask him when Finn and Kian burst through the door.

They followed behind the ambulances with Kellan, but were held up by the nurses as Desmond tried to deal with the red tape that was preventing them from being allowed into the waiting room. Both Kian and Finn look like they’ve been in a war. They’re covered in blood and grime, matching shocked expressions on both of their faces.

“How are they? Any news?” Finn asks as he bursts through the door.

“They’re both in surgery. We don’t know anything more,” Bree repeats, almost robotically.

After more hugging, Finn comes to sit beside me, and Kian takes a seat along the left side wall. The room falls into silence once more, everyone looking around at each other, but nobody quite knows what to say.

I don’t know how much time passes, but it doesn’t feel too long before Shane and Declan rush into the room. After giving them a quick check over, noting that neither of them looks injured from their raid on The Baron’s estate, I zone back out again.

Declan sits beside Kian, and they start whispering to each other. The way Declan checks Kian over, to make sure he’s not hiding any injuries he may not have told anyone about, makes me smile. Their brother-like relationship reminds me of Kellan and Liam, and as that thought hits me, the ache in my chest grows.

Kellan must have moved over to make room for Shane, as when I look over at Bree, he’s sitting right beside her. He pulls her into his arms, and as she rests her head on his chest, I hear a soft, gentle cry escape.

Evan told me that Bree looks at Shane like he’s her brother, and after Bree mentioned earlier how they met, it’s clear that whatever they went through together forged an unbreakable bond.

In a room full of people who love her, it’s not until she’s in Shane’s arms that she’s able to let go and truly be vulnerable. He just holds her, tears falling down his face too.

A short while later, the hospital gets even more chaotic when the girls arrive with the children in tow. A very pregnant and frantic looking Mia runs in first with Hallie resting on her hip.She runs over to Kellan, who wraps his arms around both of them, drawing comfort from his girls. She almost breathes a sigh of relief when she feels Kellan in her arms, and just for a fraction of a second, I’m jealous that she gets to feel the relief I’m desperate for.

A heavily pregnant McKenna waddles through the door next, with Freya by her side, who is pushing a sleeping baby, Nate, in his pram. Though McKenna is around eight weeks less pregnant than Mia, because she’s got twins on board, she looks so much bigger. On such a small frame, I often wonder how the hell she’s able to carry them at all.