“Car accident,” he said. “She was coming out to the farm to pick me up, and I guess she went to pass this tractor and there was another car coming.” He shook his head. “Missy’s family is coming from Burlington. They’ll fill this place up.” He cracked a smile that quickly sagged again. “I can’t lose her, Darren.” Tears started anew. “What if I lose her?”
Darren swallowed, his brother’s agony too much for him to bear. “What have they told you?”
“That they don’t know anything, and as soon as the doctor can come out to talk to me, he will.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“How did you get here?” Darren wasn’t sure why all these questions mattered, but they seemed to be calming Ben.
“Cody brought me.”
As if on cue, Cody came around the corner, two cups of coffee in his h
