Page 11 of The Forbidden Cabrera Brother
He was a good-looking guy and she was up close and in a state of shock. It was understandable that those first impressions, that whisper of sexual attraction, felt stronger now. ‘You said he just broke a few bones...’
‘Preliminary findings show that he struck his head on the marble flooring at an awkward angle. He’s concussed at the moment and we won’t know more until more detailed examinations are made at the hospital, but Roberto seems to think that Alejandro could slide into a temporary coma.’
‘Acoma?’ Tears gathered. ‘But he just had a little fall...’
‘It’s not a certainty so there’s no need to start getting upset.’
‘Of course I’m going to be upset! I should be there with him.’ She stood up while Dante remained seated, his long legs stretched out and lightly crossed at the ankles.
Why wasn’t he responding? How could he look so cool and collected at a time like this?
‘I need to get to that hospital,’ she repeated, with mounting urgency. ‘You need to take meright now.’
‘You’re in shock and you’re better off here. Rushing to the hospital isn’t going to achieve anything. Right now, and for the next few hours, if not days, Alejandro will be out of it, undergoing a battery of tests. Trust me, I will be the first to know of any developments.’
Caitlin hesitated, soothed by his assertiveness. She realised that it had been a long time since someone else had taken charge and it felt good. ‘I feel so helpless. He must be terrified.’
‘Caitlin, he’s in the equivalent of a deep sleep. He’ll be as peaceful as a newborn.’
All that stress, she thought, riven with guilt. Yes, he’d fallen, but was a part of him retreating from the awkward situation he had obviously found difficult to cope with? Had his brain decided to conveniently shut down just for the moment?
There were so many cases of people forgetting traumatic events, relegating them behind closed doors in their head because they just couldn’t cope with the memories.
Had Alejandro done the equivalent?
And yet, she thought feverishly, they had both been so cavalier about this arrangement.
Alejandro was gay. This was a revelation that had seeped out over a period of months and Caitlin had been more surprised at his shame at the admission than the admission itself. After all, in this day and age, who thought twice about someone being gay?
But she didn’t understand, he’d said matter-of-factly. His background, generation upon generation of accumulated wealth, was mired in tradition, his elevated birthright an albatross around his neck.
He was the older and expected to marry and produce. It would kill his parents if they found out about his sexual persuasion. Nothing Caitlin had said over the months could assuage his anxiety but it was only when he told her that his parents were becoming increasingly vocal on the subject of his love life that she began to see just how much it was affecting his state of mind.
He’d begun playing truant from work. He’d stopped caring about whether his increasing absences were noted or not. If only his brother would get married, he’d told her. That would let him off the hook. He’d be able to remain free for longer, at least until he sorted out what he would do in the future. But Dante, he had said, just wasn’t playing ball.
And his parents wanted to know what was going on. Why had they not been introduced to any girlfriends? They had someone in mind for him, a lovely girl, daughter of one of their friends. They were insistent on a meeting.
And from there, Alejandro and Caitlin’s plan had been born.
He’d been desperate and so...had she.
She wasn’t going to think of her own circumstances. This was about Alejandro and the fact that he was in hospital and she couldn’t help but blame herself because she hadn’t seen just how stressed he’d been at the whole mess and at lying to all his friends and family.
‘Where are—what’s happened to everyone?’
‘Gone.’
‘Gone?’
‘Shuffled out in an orderly line. My parents went to the hospital but they’ve heeded the consultant’s advice and returned to their place.’
‘What is the prognosis?’
She’d been borderline hysterical but now her brain had re-engaged and she was a lot calmer. Dante’s sense of calm was mesmerising and infectious.
‘Excellent.’
‘Would you lie to me?’
