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“Hey, Mom.”
“Brendan! Sweetheart! What have you done to yourself?” Shirley muttered as she moved past the nurses and went straight to his bed.
“I found Meg,” he said, then shuddered.
Sean and Wiley were immediately at his side, touching him and patting him, just like they used to do when he was little.
“You did good,” Sean said. “Where’s Aaron?”
“He came down to get me and was still in the hole when they took me to the ambulance. He’s okay.”
“I told him to take care of you,” Shirley muttered.
B.J. frowned. “And he did. They lowered him into that god-awful hole. He gave me first aid and hugged me and told me he loved me. Who could have predicted the ground I was standing on would give way? There’s no way to prepare for something that bizarre. Don’t you dare be mad at him.”
Shirley sighed. “Honey, I’m not mad at either of you. But if you’ll remember, my hair has been gray since my thirties. You boys and your escapades have made me old before my time.”
Then two orderlies appeared. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need to go to the waiting room on the surgical wing. That’s on the second floor. It will likely take at least a couple of hours.”
“Surgery! Oh no!” Shirley said. “Will they have to put him to sleep?”
B.J. groaned. “God, Mom, I hope so. This hurts like hell and feels like I have enough wood splinters in me to build a doghouse. Don’t worry. I’m right where I need to be, and Aaron can explain everything when he shows up.”
The orderlies took a left as they wheeled him out,while the family returned to the lobby and took the elevator up to the second floor.
Aaron came home to an empty house and went straight to the bathroom, then wouldn’t look in the mirror. He didn’t want to see his own expression or his brother’s blood. How he felt was bad enough without seeing the physical evidence for himself. He turned on the water to let it get warm, and then thought of Dani and walked out into the hall to call her, but when she answered, the sound of her voice finally broke the wall he’d been hiding behind.
“Hi, sweetheart! How’s it going? Are you still on site?”
Aaron took a deep breath as tears rolled. “No. I’m home cleaning up. B.J.’s in ER, but he’s gonna be okay. Just getting stitches.”
Dani froze. There was an emotion in his voice that she’d never heard. “What’s wrong? And don’t tell me nothing, because I can hear it in your voice.”
“B.J. found Meg. I’m getting in the shower now. I’ll tell you details later.”
“Aaron…sweetheart…I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s what we wanted. It was just harder than either of us imagined. As soon as I get cleaned up, I’m headed to the hospital. Mom and my brothers are likely already there.”
“Would it be okay if I went there? I wouldn’t wantanyone to think I was insinuating myself into their personal, private space.”
“I want you there. You’ll never be an intruder. You’re already in our hearts. I’ll see you soon.”
Thirty minutes later, Dani walked into the waiting room, a little nervous about her reception, then realized by their greeting that she’d worried for nothing.
The moment Shirley saw her walk in, she was on her feet, and Dani started talking. “Aaron called me. I hope you don’t mind that I’m here,” she said and gave Shirley a hug.
“Of course, we don’t mind. I’m glad you’re here. Aaron just sent pictures of the place where they found Meg, which just elevates the tragedy of the whole thing. It’s strange to be feeling this much emotion for someone we never knew except by name. She’s been dead and gone for such a long time, and yet for all of us, because we just learned of her fate and now found her remains, it makes it all so current. And then to have B.J. injured on top of it all…”
Shirley just shook her head and took Dani’s hand. “Come sit with us. Do you want something to drink? The boys have already hit the concession area over there.”
“No thanks, I’m fine,” Dani said. “So tell me what happened to B.J. How did he get hurt?”
“Sean, show Dani the photos Aaron sent you.”
Sean pulled them up on his phone and handed it to her, then began pointing at each photo she pulled up.
“They think this used to be a cellar beneath some old cabin. The structure is no longer there, but the flooring and the cellar door were still in place, and covered in a century-plus of grass, decaying leaves, and debris. B.J. was digging on it, unknowingly standing on the old cellar door. It shattered beneath his weight and down he went. Aaron saw him fall. Basically, he disappeared before his eyes, but he was a good distance away. This is what B.J. fell into. The injuries came from the broken wood as he fell through. Dug some pretty deep gashes in his side.”
