Ryan's name on the display woke him a little more. "Hello?"
"We're at your hotel but you're not here. Where are you?"
He sat up fast, wincing as his injuries protested the movement. "You're here? Who's we? What are you doing?"
"Shane, Xavier, and I flew up this morning. We heard about what happened to you and Kelsey at the bar. You should've called us last night. Dad didn't like finding out about you getting jumped through a sports blog."
"Shit."
"Yeah. So, again, where the hell are you?"
"Kelsey's apartment." Grateful, touched, and so glad to hear from them, he gave directions, smiling in spite of his busted lip at his brothers' conversations in the background.
He tossed his phone on the bedside table.
Kelsey stirred beside him. The bruise on her cheek stood out as a stark reminder of the previous night. She carefully shifted until she sat, propped on pillows. "Your brothers are here?"
He cupped her jaw, avoiding the bruise. "I'm so sorry. How are you feeling?"
"Like I was in a fight."
Guilt overwhelmed him. In the stark light of day, he wanted to catalog each of her injures and see if there was any way he could make her feel better.
She patted his hand and then pushed the covers aside. "If they're at your hotel then they're close. We need to get up and get dressed. I need coffee."
"I'll make it." It was the least, the very least, that he could do. But his head ached, his sides ached and his stomach was sick with worry over Kelsey. He ended up sending a text to Ryan to stop at the closest coffee shop for coffees and breakfast food.
He kept an eye on Kelsey as they got dressed, wincing at his own discomfort and her careful movements.
Icing stayed close, curling against Kelsey to offer comfort. When the dog came to Leo, he gently nudged her back to her owner. He didn't deserve any.
Soon, his brothers were streaming through the door. The tension in his muscles eased as he accepted hugs far more gentle than he thought his brothers capable of doling out. "I can't believe you're here."
Xavier rolled his huge shoulders. "We heard those guys say that they knew which hotel you were in. So we're moving in with you. Let them try to come at us."
Ryan slammed his fist into his hand like he was breaking in a baseball glove. "When you mess with one Brennan, you mess with all the Brennans."
Appreciation for the gesture warmed him all the way through. Ducking his head to hide his grimace of pain, he lowered himself onto the deeply cushioned lounge chair. "The team wants to move me to another hotel. I'm supposed to talk to someone about it this afternoon. But you guys know me, I've never backed away from a fight or a threat."
"I think Dad would feel better if you moved to a new place, so do it. One of us will go over and pack your stuff for you in case the asshole is watching for you to come back." Shane folded his arms across his chest, indicating that he wasn't going to accept an argument. "Tell the team that we want to book the rooms on both sides of yours at the new hotel. We'll pay for them, of course. We won't be crowding your space... too much."
"What about Dad? And your jobs?"
"Dad suggested we come." Ryan moved closer and sat on the arm of Leo's chair. "And we can take off from work for a few days to make sure you're okay."
Leo nodded. Dad always drilled into them that family came first and they needed to stick together. Having his brothers there made things immediately better but he felt awful about what had happened to Kelsey.
She padded into the room, holding the dog. In place of her usual jeans and sweater, she wore purple leggings and a soft white oversized sweatshirt. "Hi guys, it's nice to see you again."
Ryan jumped up. "We brought coffee and breakfast. Can we get you anything?"
Kelsey brushed her hair forward to cover her swollen face and cuddled Icing closer. "I was going to get some Tylenol. And some coffee."
"How about some ice for your head too?" Ryan managed to both hug her and pet the dog, and then gently guided her to the couch. "You sit down and I'll take care of it all."
Forehead wrinkled, Xavier rubbed his hands over each other looking uncharacteristically unsure. "Did you eat, Kelsey? You should eat. A smoothie would be easy for you if your cheek or jaw is hurting. We picked up strawberry banana and mango berry. There are a lot of vitamins in them. It'll help you heal."
She smiled at him. "Thank you. Strawberry banana would be great."
Shane came forward as Xavier hurried off. "If you need us for anything while we're here, don't hesitate to ask. I'll write down our phone numbers for you."
Ryan returned with the coffee and pain pills, followed by Xavier with the smoothie and ice pack. The way that his brothers fussed over Kelsey made Leo feel good; they were treating her like a member of the family. He stood to get his own breakfast but Ryan nudged him back into his chair and brought him coffee and a breakfast sandwich.
Their presence cheered Kelsey. She had a handful of men at the ready to walk Icing, fetch food and drink, and entertain her with silly banter.
As happy as Leo was with his family right there, guilt ached in the pit of his stomach. It grew stronger every time he looked at Kelsey.
Her injuries weren't anywhere near as serious as Ryan's had been, but they reminded him of them just the same. As always, every time he brought that horrible time to mind,
