"I'll come by and get you later," Eagle said. "I have to get my car, anyway. And if I know my brother, he won't stay quiet like he's supposed to. Give me about an hour?"
"Sounds good. I'll sit on him, so he behaves."
The men gave an earthy laugh.
"Pretty sure if you do that, he will behave—extremely badly," Clive said.
"Oh, hush," Wynter scolded playfully. "I'll see you soon. You behave!" she admonished.
"He will, or I'll sit on him!" Eagle stated. "He won't like that nearly as much."
"I promise," Obi said, holding up a hand.
"Good. I'll see you soon." She hung up.
"Way to make me look feeble and childish. Thanks," he grumbled.
"Get over it. See you soon, bro," Eagle said, giving Clive a hug.
"Thanks for taking care of him," Clive said. "He's a moron, but he's ours."
"He needs so much taking care of," Eagle sighed, laughing when Obi smacked him.
Laughing, they closed the door. Eagle drove home, uncharacteristically silent. When they got there, he helped Obi to the front door. Obi changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Eagle made sure he was settled on the couch with his laptop.
"I know you won't stay in bed, but you sit there and drink plenty of water, juice—tea."
"I don't have any tea," Obi whispered.
"Mostly, you don't talk. Mrs. Bannister has the church under control. Clive's with her, doing all the fixing. I'm gonna get Wynter, and join him. You can behave for the next thirty minutes, can't you?"
"I promise," Obi swore, his hand raised.
"Okay. I'm holding you to that." Giving his brother a kiss on the head, he left.
Obi must have dozed off, because he didn't notice the passing of time. The next thing he knew, the door opened and Eagle came in with Wynter. He carried bags which smelled delicious.
"I got that soup you like," he explained as he set the bags on the coffee table. "Sarah's dad said to keep it soft, for the next day or two."
"I got ice cream," Wynter said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I also brought some of Mama's tea. It's very soothing, especially with local honey." She bustled into the kitchen.
Eagle set out the soup, handing him a spoon. "Eat all of it. It's been a long time since breakfast."
Wynter came back with crushed ice in a glass. "It's blistering hot. I watched them ladle it up. I think they ran it through a nuclear generator." She handed him the glass, allowing him to add what he wanted.
"Thank you," he croaked.
"Stop talking," she ordered, sitting next to him on the couch. "Mama's doing well. She had her treatment, and she's sleeping. She told me to take a hike. So I'm here until she wakes up and calls."
Obi nodded, following the no talking directive.
"She asked if you'd come by, provided you feel better. She said she'd to all the talking."
He snorted, nearly inhaling his soup.
"You know, kind of like her daughter."
"Did you sleep all right?" Eagle asked. "It's horrible, what passes for a bed in that place."
"Awful! I'd have slept better on the floor."
"Obi has a futon upstairs. I bet he wouldn't mind you taking it."
His brother gestured that he was happy to loan it to her.
"I kinda like Silent Obadiah," Eagle said with a grin. "We can talk trash about him, and he can't complain."
His older brother glared at him, shaking a fist.
"His voice might be broken, the rest of him isn't," Wynter said. "He can still hit you."
"And he's faster than me. He ran track in school. He was the men's anchor on the relay."
"Really?" Wynter turned to Obi, impressed. "I was on the dance team."
"Not a cheerleader?" Eagle sounded disappointed.
Wynter wrinkled her nose. "We won't discuss that."
"I hear a story," Obi whispered, tapping her with his toes.
"No, you don't."
"Oookay...." Eagle said. "Moving on. Sarah's dropping by when she gets off work. She's bringing her dad."
Obi rolled his eyes. "Not necessary," he croaked.
"Don't argue. He volunteered. He also wondered if you'd like him to go see your mom," he told Wynter. "He's got some interesting methods of coping with the side effects of chemo. He wants to help her."
"I'm sure she'd like that. She's all right now, but I know it's going to kick in eventually, and—" A sob caught in her throat.
Obi set his soup aside. Sliding over, he put his arms around her. Eagle, who had been sitting on the floor, jumped up. Hugging her from the other side, he talked quietly, crooning softly as she cried. With a final, gulping sob, she stopped crying.
"Thank you. You guys are the best! I feel like I've known you my entire life."
"Same applies," Eagle said. "I know I speak for my brother, when I tell you that we're here for the duration. Whatever you need. Friends for life." He held out his knuckles for her to tap.
Laughing a little, she did so.
"Sarah says you're a beautiful spirit," he solemnly declared. "And I agree. She believes you were sisters, in another life."
"Really? You know, I've had that same thought. I had no idea you believed in that!"
"What's your take, Ob?" Eagle asked.
"He's not allowed to talk," Wynter said sternly.
"Forgot."
"Contrary to doctrine, I believe it," he murmured, finding that easier on his throat than whispering. "I did a lot of exploring of other religions, when I was in seminary. Church doesn't like to talk about it, but my philosophy professor held debates on controversial subjects. I got stuck on the con side, but I really was pro."
"Shh! You shouldn't be talking."
©Dellani Oakes 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment