Luke watched Ris leave him to work on his brother. He hoped to hell she knew how to do her job. He'd never been particularly concerned with her skills as a doctor, or really her skills in anything aside from in bed, in the short time they'd been close. But, truthfully, if Luke had to pick anyone in Dust to place the life of his brother in the hands of, it would be Risalda. He, like everyone else in the small town, knew she was still in love with Noah, and love was a powerful thing. Yes, Ris would do anything to save his brother. But, though this brought Luke some comfort, he was perfectly aware that sometimes, all the love in the world couldn't get you what you wanted. The gunshot didn't look like any minor injury he had ever seen, and love alone certainly wouldn't be the difference between keeping his brother in this world rather than the next.
Luke was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he jumped slightly as he felt Juniper lay a hand on his shoulder. "ugh, self-important ass." It took Luke a few moments to understand the words his close friend had said. Those carefree moments only a few minutes ago felt...distant... Like a memory from several months before, not minutes.
Luke somehow found it in himself to chuckle softly. "Look at all this fuss," Luke said softly, a hint of black humor to his voice, "Noah would be so thrilled. Shame he went and got himself shot, he'd love to be watching this..." Then, out of nowhere, Luke took a deep, shuddering breath, fighting the urge to completely lose it.
A few minutes passed before Risalda returned. "He should be fine in a few days, once the bleeding suffices. He's in the back with Evanne."
Luke smiled warmly at her, relief spreading across his face. "Thank you, Ris." Though Luke was sure the gleaming picture of Noah's healthy Risalda had portrayed was probably, to some extent, overly optimistic, to pacify Luke, it was still reassuring to hear, all th same. It did make him feel a little foolish, as though all his anxiety had been over-dramatic, but it was certainly better than the other news they could've recieved.
Luke turned to Juniper. "I'll be back in a moment. I just need to see my brother. Just for a moment." As much of a relief as Risalda's words were, Luke had to see his brother for himself, just to be sure.
Quickly, he slipped into the medical room. Immediately, he was met by the sight of Evanne having what looked like a highly intimate conversation with Noah. Luke knew he should leave, that he was intruding where he shouldn't. But he'd heard something in their conversation. It didn't take more than a few more seconds to realise what they were talking about, and with that, Luke fled from the room.
He reached the pseudo-waiying room where he'd be stood with Juniper just before. His breathing was raggedy and laboured, his heart thudding in his chest. His body thudded against the wall as he made impact with it, before turning and sliding down against it, his hands around the front of his head.
Evelyn was Noah's. She was Noah's daughter. Noah's child. How...how was that possible? How? For such a long time, since he'd first seen the little girl, Luke had been sure she was his. Luke had slept with nearly every girl in town, plenty more than once, and Evanne and him had certainly had their fair share of casual hookups. Though, around the time she was likely conceived, Luke couldn't quite place whether they had been together, once he'd discovered the baby. After all, a significant number of his encounters with women were incredibly blurred by alcohol, and he was with so many he could hardly really be expected to keep track. But he'd been so sure Evelyn was his. When he looked at her, he'd recognised so many of his own features in her face, the classic Ripley jawline, and their familiar eyes. And though he hadn't been entirely wrong, Evelyn was a Ripley, that was for sure, she was not his. Luke had never pushed Evanne to confirm his paternity, believing she would eventually when she was ready. After all, Luke didn't really want children, not then, and especially not a needy, time-consuming baby. He was happy to stand to the side and let Evanne deal with the difficult part, become her father later on. But that wasn't to say Luke hadn't watched out for her in her infancy, watched over her and loved her. But she wasn't his. She wasn't his baby.
Luke looked up at Juni, his body shaking. "Evelyn," he managed to mutter from between gritted teeth, trying to catch his breath. "Evelyn, she's Noah's..." He knew she'd understand, having mentioned his theory to her in the past.