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She and Bill were the rocks that supported my dreams. God, I’ve made a royal fucking mess of things.
“Ma’am,” I say as I stand in front of her.
Once I would have instantly gone in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek, now I stand here in some horrific parody of what we used to be.
“Don’t even start with that stuff.” Helen steps forward and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down into a tight, almost painful, hug.
Thankfully the gigantic lump in my throat stops me from gasping out the sob that threatens to engulf me.
Snaking my hand out, I grab Casey’s sleeve and yank him into the hug. Hugs can heal all wounds. Helen once told me that and I hope she was right.
It takes a long time for Casey to loosen his stiff body, but when he does we all hold on for what seems like an eternity and yet it’s only a few microseconds of time.
Pulling back from Casey and me, she smiles a very tired smile. “Bill’s not well enough to leave the hospital yet, but he sends his regards.”
My words come out stumbled and almost stuttering, but at leas
t they come out. “I’m… I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch more, Helen…”
“Well, that will be changing, I suspect. I’m going to need regular updates on you and Casey over the next couple of weeks,” she says and then turns to Casey. “Are your bags in the trunk, sweetie?”
“Um, what?” I ask stupidly.
What the hell is she talking about?
“Grandma, I don’t think this is such a good idea…” Casey starts to object, and I’m starting to feel like I should too.
“Nonsense, you go get your bags. I need to speak with Emmett privately for a moment,” Helen says to Casey.
Casey doesn’t move right away. The two of them stare at each other with a tension I’ve never seen before. Casey’s defiance is bordering on rebellion, but whatever the fuck’s going on, I can’t let him put any more shit on Helen.
She’s been through enough to last two lifetimes.
“Little Beast, do what your grandmother is telling you. Don’t be a dick,” I say only loud enough for him to hear.
He shoots me a look of shock, and I grin. “Hurry up, man. I need my wingman back for today.”
Casey looks like he wants to object to me interfering, but the look I give him shuts it down quick. I need to step up and there’s no time like the present.
“Whatever, you’re not going to like this any more than I do,” Casey grunts before walking away.
Shit.
Whatever is in the works, he’s probably right.
Turning to face Helen full on, I look at her for a long moment. She’s always looked far too young to me to have a child as old as Tommy was, but now those youthful looks have been taken over by exhaustion and grief.
Stepping up close to her, I give her another hug and pull back. “What’s going on Helen? And how can I help?”
She looks up into my eyes for a long time, searching for something. She can probably see that I’ve fallen on the road of depression and self-pity, but I’m hoping she sees whatever it is she’s looking for because I desperately need her to see something good inside me.
“Bill’s heart isn’t doing good, Emmett,” she says as she takes my hand and pulls me over to the chairs by the wall.
“Fuck,” I say quietly as I sit down next to her.
“Language,” she chides me like she used to do when I was kid.
Both of us smile briefly.
