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“Nah. But that was fun, wasn’t it? You’re even cuter when you’re all worked up.” He waves, sauntering away.
“Uh! Maybe Holden is the better brother after all,” I call after him which only makes him laugh. “Men!”
* * *
“Guys,we were supposed to leave an hour ago.” I throw my hands up where I’ve been waiting in front of the store, watching Ryan walking toward me holding Axel's hand.
“We’re late. Let’s just go,” he grumbles with an attitude like he’s the one that’s been standing out here waiting for them to finally get here.
“Hey, Ax. Open the door for him,” I say, looking at Ryan. “Where’s Drew?”
“I don’t know. He said he’d meet us there.”
“That’s all he said? You didn’t ask why?”
“Am I his keeper, Lexi? He said he had shit to do.” He flings the passenger side door open and drops down in the seat.
“Watch your mouth,” I tell him, putting on my seat belt. I pull out of the spot and glance over at him while Axel talks about his teacher yelling at the class. By the firm set of his lips, I’m guessing he knows more than what he’s saying about Drew. And he’s not going to say. They have this thing about holding each other’s secrets from when they were small. But…we have enough secrets in this family. We don’t need any more to add to our situation, and one’s that involve Drew can go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. “Can you at least tell me he’s not doing anything he’ll get in serious trouble for?”
“Lexi…” He sighs. “Drew’s smart, he shouldn’t get in any serious trouble.”
“So not letting me feel better, Ry.” He shrugs, the corner of his lips turning up. I just mimic his ‘that’s all I got for you’ expression and hope for the best. I do the only thing I can do these days short of tranquilizing and locking my brothers up, hoping they're being careful and coming home safe.
“Hi, Caroline,” I say to Grandpa's nurse, seeing her a few doors away from his room on the second floor.
“Hey, Lexi, Ryan.” She smiles and pinches Alex’s cheek. “And look at you. You’re getting so big.”
“How’s he today?” I ask her.
She looks at Axel and Ryan with a frown, like she’s hesitant to say in front of them. But Drew, me, and Ryan, we don’t have any secrets when it comes to Gramps. He’s the one thing we all have to be on the same page about, especially with my mother lurking around. Not with Axel though. “Ax, here, take this.” I give him three singles. “And go back to the end of the hall down there and get a soda or whatever you want from the vending machine, okay?”
“For real, anything?” He smiles at the money in his hand. “Can I get the giant candy bars?”
“No.”
“But you said anything.” He scowls at me, eyebrows pushed together.
“Anything but that.”
“So you were lying.”
“So you want me to change my mind and take my dollars back?”
“I’ll get a soda.”
“Good choice.” I shake my head, amused by his smart mouth as he skips past us.
Caroline chuckles. “He is too much.”
“You have no idea how much sometimes. Gramps, how’s he today?”
She sobers, schooling her face like nurses do when they're about to tell you something you might not want to hear. “Today is not a great day for your grandfather.”
“I thought he was getting better? The doctor said with time and physical therapy it was possible to get back close to where he was,” Ryan says, stepping closer to me and Caroline.
“Yes, that’s true for some, as his doctor told you. It doesn’t happen for all patients who have suffered a stroke like Mr. Grayson. And as you know, he’s had a few mini strokes not too long ago.”
“I know but the last time we came to visit he looked like he was doing better. He knew who we were for the entire visit…two hours we talked and he told jokes. The ones only he and Axel think are hilarious.”
