An apparatus for wireless communication by a relay node, comprising: a memory storing computer-executable instructions (1514, 1516, 1518, 1520); and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to: receive, from a source node, an indication to directly forward two or more transport blocks, TBs, to one or more destination nodes, wherein directly forwarding includes transmitting a TB of the two or more TBs to the one or more destination nodes (1206, 1208) through only a Physical, PHY, layer and a hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, portion of a Media Access Control, MAC, layer in a protocol stack of the relay node; receive, from the source node, control information for one or more data channels configuring two or more downlink, DL, grants, wherein the control information comprises an identification, ID, indicating a destination node, of the one or more destination nodes, to which the two or more TBs should be directly forwarded to; receive two or more of the two or more TBs in accordance with the two or more DL grants, wherein each TB of the two or more received TBs comprises one MAC sub-protocol data unit, MAC sub-PDU, corresponding to a single Internet Protocol, IP, packet; decode the two or more received TBs based, at least in part, on the control information; transmit, to the source node, hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, acknowledgement, ACK, feedback for the two or more received TBs; receive, from the source node, additional control information configuring a sidelink, SL, grant that is based, at least in part, on a number of the two or more received TBs at the relay node; concatenate the two or more received TBs in a concatenated TB; and directly forward the concatenated TB to the destination node based, at least in part, on the indication, the ID, and the SL grant. a memory storing computer-executable instructions (1514, 1516, 1518, 1520); and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the apparatus to: receive, from a source node, an indication to directly forward two or more transport blocks, TBs, to one or more destination nodes, wherein directly forwarding includes transmitting a TB of the two or more TBs to the one or more destination nodes (1206, 1208) through only a Physical, PHY, layer and a hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, portion of a Media Access Control, MAC, layer in a protocol stack of the relay node; receive, from the source node, control information for one or more data channels configuring two or more downlink, DL, grants, wherein the control information comprises an identification, ID, indicating a destination node, of the one or more destination nodes, to which the two or more TBs should be directly forwarded to; receive two or more of the two or more TBs in accordance with the two or more DL grants, wherein each TB of the two or more received TBs comprises one MAC sub-protocol data unit, MAC sub-PDU, corresponding to a single Internet Protocol, IP, packet; decode the two or more received TBs based, at least in part, on the control information; transmit, to the source node, hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, acknowledgement, ACK, feedback for the two or more received TBs; receive, from the source node, additional control information configuring a sidelink, SL, grant that is based, at least in part, on a number of the two or more received TBs at the relay node; concatenate the two or more received TBs in a concatenated TB; and directly forward the concatenated TB to the destination node based, at least in part, on the indication, the ID, and the SL grant. receive, from a source node, an indication to directly forward two or more transport blocks, TBs, to one or more destination nodes, wherein directly forwarding includes transmitting a TB of the two or more TBs to the one or more destination nodes (1206, 1208) through only a Physical, PHY, layer and a hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, portion of a Media Access Control, MAC, layer in a protocol stack of the relay node; receive, from the source node, control information for one or more data channels configuring two or more downlink, DL, grants, wherein the control information comprises an identification, ID, indicating a destination node, of the one or more destination nodes, to which the two or more TBs should be directly forwarded to; receive two or more of the two or more TBs in accordance with the two or more DL grants, wherein each TB of the two or more received TBs comprises one MAC sub-protocol data unit, MAC sub-PDU, corresponding to a single Internet Protocol, IP, packet; decode the two or more received TBs based, at least in part, on the control information; transmit, to the source node, hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, acknowledgement, ACK, feedback for the two or more received TBs; receive, from the source node, additional control information configuring a sidelink, SL, grant that is based, at least in part, on a number of the two or more received TBs at the relay node; concatenate the two or more received TBs in a concatenated TB; and directly forward the concatenated TB to the destination node based, at least in part, on the indication, the ID, and the SL grant.