Puzzles Fixed

~Jeremy’s POV~

I picked up my phone with the intention of calling my father, but the moment my thumb hovered over his name, my mind veered in another direction entirely.

Zayne.

I’d shut him out as though the truth of his blood was somehow too loud to confront.

I couldn’t pretend it was a lie any more. I had to face it. It felt long overdue already.

So I dialed him.

He picked on the first ring, exhaling sharply the moment he heard my voice. Did Vance tell him already? I wondered.

“Thank God you finally called,” he said, “I was ready to limp and drive to your place myself.”

For a long beat, I couldn’t respond. I just listened to his breathing, feeling the strange, foreign weight of the word brother folding itself into my lungs.

“You there?” Zayne asked. That brought me back to reality.

“I’m here,” I finally managed, my voice tighter than I intended. “I’m coming to the hospital now.”

“I’m not there. I got discharged. I’m home.” A pause. “You coming?”

“Right away,” I said.

“Good.”

When