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The house hasits own heartbeat.
The mood changes.
The energy changes.
People come and go. Escorted in and out by Sam’s men.
Never alone.
Some I recognize. Others I don’t.
Some bring food. Some bring flowers. Most come under the guise of paying their respects to Nonna. But all of them want a piece of Sam. The poor nurse Dean hired looked petrified all afternoon. He tried a few times to get Sam to rest, but the stubborn man wouldn’t listen.
I don’t know how Sam’s lasted all day, but he has. He’s survived through a meeting with his priest and endured a meeting with the funeral home director. Then, he sat through an afternoon of closed-door meetings with his men, his uncle, and Dean.
It’s never-ending.
Daniel, the nurse, stayed with me in the kitchen most of the afternoon before quitting sometime around eight when Sam refused to listen to his orders to rest.
Bash and I are sitting at the kitchen table, each with a bottle of beer and a bowl of Nonna’s soup in front of us. A loaf of fresh bread just out of the oven is sliced and sitting between us when Dean comes back for the evening. Judging by his lack of stubble and damp hair, he’s showered and changed into a different Armani suit. He moves behind Bash, grabs a piece of the bread, and dips it in Bash’s soup like a child with a devilish expression on his face.
Bash throws an elbow and catches Dean in the gut, causing him to double over, gasping for breath. I slide my bowl and beer away from the two overgrown children and wonder if this is what having siblings, or hell, even cousins, must be like. They remind me of the Sinclairs.
I strain to see down the hallway when I hear the now-familiar squeak of the office door opening, trying to get a peek at the latest visitor before he’s escorted out of the house.
Dean straightens and moves toward the office, but I jump in front of him, “Oh no, you don’t.” I place a palm on his chest. “Listen to me. The nurse quit. Sam hasn’t stopped once today. Can it wait? Because he needs to rest.”
Sebastian chokes on his beer, and Dean smirks, then covers my hand with his. “Oh yeah, Amelia... ? You gonna play nurse now?”
“Get your fucking hands off her.”
Oops.
Sam’s voice sounds lethal, causing Dean to drop his hand immediately, taking two steps back.
“We were just kidding, Sammy.” He looks at Bash and me as if we can help him now.
Sebastian stands with our bowls and deposits them in the sink before striding across the kitchen to stand between Sam and Dean. “Dean, you got anything that can’t wait till tomorrow, man?”
Dean eyes Bash warily. “Nah. I was checking in. Wanted to see if you guys needed anything. I’m meeting with a few of the men later tonight to see what they’ve got for us.”
Bash nods then turns to Sam. “You good if we tell everyone to get out now? Anyone who’s not staying the night?”
“Yeah.” Sam looks from Bash to me. “You ready to go to bed?”
“Yup.” I start cleaning up dinner. “Want me to bring anything upstairs for you to eat?” The look he gives me leaves no room for guessing what he’d like to eat tonight, but I picked Daniel’s brain as delicately as I could manage earlier and was given strict instructions that specifically included no exertion for the next five days.
Bash glares at Dean. “Night, Dean.”
Dean leaves, muttering something about baby doctors growing balls, and the three of us laugh once the front door shuts.
“Fucking asshole.” Sam coughs. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
Bash moves to put one of Sam’s arms over his shoulder, but Sam pulls away.
“Sammy, you fired the nurse. You look like you’re seconds from falling over. You had major fucking surgery yesterday and have ten fucking staples in your back. Let me help you.” Bash says his piece much more nicely than I did earlier.
When he looks at me instead of answering his brother, I add, “If you want me in your bed tonight, let him help you.”
