Chapter 34

“Hello?” Cooper’s voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat. “Hello, “he said again.

“Yes, this is Cooper.”

Derrick watched as Cooper blinked back tears, finally releasing a muffled sob.

“Thank you for letting me know.” He sank slowly to the bed.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be there. Please let me know when you have all the arrangements made. And…ah…thanks again. I know how hard this is for you…Yeah, yes, me too…Well, I look forward to hearing from you…Goodbye, Larry.”

Lexie had come up to sit between Cooper’s knees. He took her head in his hands and buried his face in her fur, crying softly.

“It was him, Lex. I knew it was but I just hoped maybe…” He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. “That was his brother. They’re gonna let me know when the funeral is…” He stopped talking again. This time gut wrenching sobs that seemed to be torn from his throat.

“Oh, God, Lex…I loved him so…I loved him so.”

Derrick sat on the bed next to Cooper, his arm around Cooper’s shoulders.