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Bas bobbed his head as he shook the paramedic’s hand. “I can’t force her to go to the hospital any more than you can, but I’ll make sure she’s seen at the clinic tomorrow.”
They exchanged a few more words, and Bas promised once again to have Annette seen by a doctor the next day. Eventually, the ambulance drove away, the neighbors retreated back into their own homes, and even Kai had disappeared. He’d told him to leave, of course, but there was still a slight twinge of disappointment that he had actually listened for once.
“How are you feeling?” Moving behind the couch, he fluffed Annette’s pillow, then tucked her favorite fleece blanket with little snowflakes up around her shoulders. “Do you need anything? I can make some tea.”
“Bas, stop.” She placed one hand over his where it rested on her shoulder and patted the cushion beside her with the other. “Come sit down.”
He did as he was told, but he couldn’t stop fussing over her. “Are you sure you don’t need anything? Are you hungry?”
Threading her fingers through her hair, she pushed the dark locks back from her face and sighed. “This isn’t your fault.”
“That’s what Kai said.” Too bad he didn’t believe either of them. He should have checked on his sister more often. He should have made sure she was taking care of herself.
“He’s a smart man.”
Sighing, he pulled his sister to him and settled her against his side. “I’d do anything for you and the girls. Why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?”
It wasn’t always easy. He made decent money bartending, but it didn’t leave much left over after he’d covered his own bills. Still, he’d find a way to make it work, even if he had to pick up a second job.
“I didn’t tell you because it’s not your responsibility.” Pulling away, Annette narrowed her eyes at him, the same way he’d seen her do with the girls when they’d pushed her too far. “I love you, Bas, but it doesn’t fall to you to take care of us.”
“You’re my family. Of course, I’m going to take care of you.”
“And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for us.” She patted his cheek a little too hard to be truly considered affectionate. “You need to live your own life, though.”
“Nettie, I can live my life and still be here when you need me. I don’t have to choose.”
“You don’t have to save the world, either.” She scooted away from him and settled back into the corner of the sofa. “I talked to Mom and Dad last night.” Chewing the corner of her lip, she looked up at him and sighed. “We’re going to go stay with them for a little while, just until I can save some money to get us back on our feet.”
“Florida?” He’d teased Kai when he’d been upset about his sister moving away. This was obviously karma coming around to bite him in the ass. “That’s ridiculous. Look, I know my apartment is small, but I could move in here, split the bills with you.”
“You’ll do no such thing.”
It stung his pride that she’d rather move across the country than accept his help, but he didn’t say that. “Nettie—”
“No,” she interrupted. “Mom and Dad are excited. The girls are excited. Mom even thinks she might be able to help me find a job right away.”
Bas didn’t argue. Not because he didn’t have anything further to say on the matter, but because Kai chose that moment to stroll through the front door.
“Hey, guys, who’s hungry?” He held up multiple plastic bags overflowing with cardboard containers. “Where are the girls?”
“In their room.” Annette tossed back her blanket and stood. “I’ll go get them cleaned up for dinner. Thank you, Kai.”
“No problem. How are you feeling?”
“Tired, but better.” Even her smile looked like it took more energy than she really had. “I’ll get the girls.”
Bas watched his sister until she’d cleared the room, then followed Kai into the kitchen. “What’s all this?” His mouth hung open as he watched him pull container after container out of the bags and place them on the kitchen counter. “Kai?”
“Well, I was hungry, and I think I read somewhere you’re supposed to feed kids at least three times a day.” He plucked a fry from one of the boxes and held it up to Bas’ lips. “See?” Kai wiggled his eyebrows when he bit into the potato. “It’s good.”
“Yes, it’s great, but you didn’t need to do this.”
“It was only a couple of blocks away.” One shoulder lifted in a sort of half-shrug. “Not a bad walk.”
He recognized the logo on the bags, and he also knew that the restaurant wasn’t exactly as close as Kai suggested. “You walked six blocks in the cold to pick up dinner?”
“Uh, yes?” Pulling his bottom lip between his teeth, he worried the flesh while he surveyed the food. “I didn’t know what the girls liked, so I just kind of got a bit of everything. Kids like fries, right? I got a side of macaroni and cheese, too.” When Bas said nothing, he began shifting from foot to foot while he wrung his hands together. “Did I do something wrong?”
