Chapter 11
JACE
My little brother is a much braver man than I will ever be. After picking him up from Mrs. Stevens’s house, I drove us to the hospital. On the way over, I broke the news about his father not waking up. He surprised me, though. He had already guessed at the situation.
“Mrs. Stevens looked too sad over the last week when she looked at me,” he says after sticking the visitor’s badge to his shirt.
I let him push the call button for the elevator before taking his hand. As much as I would love to pretend it is for him, I know in my heart that I am the one needing comfort right now. Gerry got eight wonderful years with David.
I was fifteen when Gerry was born. If my mother hadn’t been so freaking selfish and actually told me my father’s full name, I could have had a real family – a real brother.
The guilt rushes in at the last thought. Blood ties don’t make a connection more real. Jackson and Justice are one thousand percent my brothers, but Gerry holds a piece of me I never realized I needed.
“I haven’t seen the place yet, Dad, but Jace showed me pictures of my new room. It’s smaller than my room at our house, but that’s okay. I don’t need that much space anyways.”
I turn away from them to seek out a nurse before I lose the battle against my tears.
At the nurse’s station, I sign all of the paperwork to cease all life support on David today.
There’s no reason to come back again. I also sign off for organ donation because the man Gerry told me about would absolutely want to help other people live.
If I’m wrong, let David haunt me so I can get to know the man myself.
“Do you want to wait with him until the end?”
The nurse behind the desk offers me some tissues, and I realize I lost my battle without noticing. My hand reaches over to grab a few to try and at least make it look like I’m not absolutely losing my shit over a man that didn’t even know I existed a month ago.
Do I want to wait?
I’ve watched death claim a person before. At one of the group homes I was sent to, I watched three older boys get into a fight. Two ganged up on the third and choked him out. The ambulance was called. He was in the hospital for months. He never woke up… Come to think of it, his name was also David.
“I wanna wait for Dad to go,” Gerry says decisively from the doorway of the room. “I was there when Mom left us, so I wanna make sure he knows it’s okay to go be with her.”
My head moves up and down in a jerky nodding motion, and I hurry to the elevators after telling the nurse I’ll be right back. I’m already fucking up and abandoning him less than two hours after taking custody, but I can’t… How can he be so casual about it all while I am losing my shit?
When the heat of a June morning sun hits me, I stagger over to the curb and sit heavily. People stare at the giant tattooed man bawling his eyes out in the parking lot, but no one bothers me.
Pulling out my phone, I just stare at it. Who do I even call? Jackson has already done enough for me. Eli would go into fix-it mode, but there is nothing here for him to fix.
I’m about to put the phone away when an alert for the Kink Manor Group chat pops up.
Sparkles the Unicorn pinned a message.
An involuntary smile forms as I ponder what fresh hell Eric has decided to throw at everyone.
The last time he pinned a message, it was the video of Eli failing spectacularly to start the push mower after firing the landscaping company.
So what if they raised their rate by twenty dollars a visit?
They are a small business and shouldn’t have to eat the rising cost of gas, especially for a contract that covers over an acre of mowing.
When I open the chat, the tears start falling again. People have already started replying
Sparkles the Unicorn:
We are all going to be especially nice and give our teddy bear the love and support HE ASKS FOR.
Chef Pan Pup:
what happened with Jace? Do I need to bite someone? Owner just bought me one of those handheld blowtorches for my flambé practice.
Negro Gatito:
stand down Tobes. Donnie didn’t buy that for u to melt off faces
Chef Pan Pup:
I was gonna go for the pubic hair but faces work 2
I guess it’s safe to assume that it’s slow at the café since classes are on break.
Normally, it would be the morning rush between classes for them.
Shiloh responding would be normal as long as he wasn’t absorbed in his art, but Toby is almost always in the kitchen or bouncing around the café chatting when they’re busy.
Wannabe Sadist:
@sparkles_the_unicorn quit starting shit. I am going over to see what Jace needs when he gets back
Wannabe Sadist:
STOP CHANGING MY HANDLE
Sparkles the Unicorn:
*laughing crying emoji*
Sparkles the Unicorn:
Notice I said what HE ASKS FOR? That was for u, asshole.
*Wannabe Sadist has changed his name to Eli*
Eli:
Jace isn’t going to ask for help. He never does.
Gamer Maid:
Back off, Ells. I’m not going thru this again with u.
I mute the notifications for the house chat now that Scotty and Eli are going at it.
Scott isn’t usually confrontational, but he kind of took on a Mom role in the house.
There were many nights where he caught me in a low mood and just sat with me until I fell asleep.
He is the quiet type. He is also scary as fuck when someone actually manages to set him off.
Part of me hopes Eli isn’t at home right now because I don’t need any more hospitals in my near future.
Drag Diva:
I don’t think the others noticed u lurking in the chat.
The text message from Eric pops up before I shut off my screen.
Drag Diva:
Scott and I are working together to distract Eli for u.
Take all the time u need. We *heart* u
And ur coming over to install the new curtain rods for the sheers I am now forced to buy to accommodate having a sexually transmitted dependent in the neighborhood
Damn his ass for being thoughtful.
Me:
Thanks.
Drag Diva:
and don’t hate Ash for spilling. U know I’m a master interrogator.
Smiling again, I pocket the phone and head back inside. Despite his bull-in-a-china-shop approach, I really do appreciate having a guy like Eric in my corner… well, him and everyone else up on that hill. Without my friends and neighbors, I would be completely lost right now.
“Are we ready?” the nurse asks when I walk back into the room. I pull my little brother against my side and nod. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to say goodbye to anyone like this, but Gerry deserves this closure.