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Tobias’ reply is more serious, a note of concern in his voice. “My left eye isn’t working.”
“The doctor will be here in a minute,” I say.
Brooks stands upright. “Do you need to be here? You aren’t family.”
Tobias reaches for his father’s hand. “Dad, it’s cool.”
Brooks scowls at me but smiles down at his son. “Whatever you want.”
The doctor and a nurse bustle into the room, breaking the tension.
“Everybody out,” the doctor declares.
Lore kisses Tobias on the forehead. “We’ll be right back.”
Brooks chimes in, “Yes, we will.”
All three of us exit the room, making our way to the waiting room, where Zeke is still keeping watch at his post.
Zeke stands as we approach. “How is he?”
“Awake,” I reply with relief in my tone.
Zeke’s face breaks into a smile as he puts his hands in his pockets and casually rocks back on his heels. “The man likes to make us sweat, doesn’t he?”
Chuckling, I nod. “Yep.”
“And who are you two?” asks Brooks.
I extend my hand toward him, introducing us. “I’m Dirt, and this is Zeke. We’re friends of your son.”
Brooks, with a noticeable disdain in his tone, comments, “Bikers?”
“I prefer to think of us as friends,” states Zeke, taking a more diplomatic approach.
Brooks looks down at my hand and reluctantly shakes it. “Brooks Dupont.”
“Nice to meet you, but I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“That makes two of us.”
Lore moves to stand next to me. “I’m glad you’re here, Brooks. You and Tobias have a lot to talk about.”
Brooks’ expression darkens, and he shakes his head with more than a hint of disappointment. “He has too much of you in him. Tobias could have been anything, but instead, he runs a strip club for the underbelly of society.”
The tension in the room seems to escalate as the weight of their unspoken disagreements hangs in the air.
Lore’s voice takes on a note of finality as she addresses Brooks. “Not now, not today. You keep your narrow-minded bullshit to yourself. Our son is happy, and that’s all I care about.”
Brooks inhales a deep breath and then exhales slowly, his frustration palpable. “Do you think he’ll still feel this way with one eye? If he hadn’t been gallivanting around with bikers, this would never have happened.”
Zeke barks out a laugh, causing us to turn and stare at him.
“Gallivanting?” Zeke chuckles, shaking his head. “I can’t picture Tobias gallivanting. The man is way too big to prance around like a pansy.”
The comical image of Tobias in a skirt briefly crosses my mind, and I can’t help but laugh. Lore cocks her head to the side in confusion, but as the laughter spreads, she joins in. Brooks, however, seems less amused and moves away from us, clearly irritated.
Still chuckling, I wrap my arms around Lore, sharing the joy of the moment. It’s not about finding Tobias’ situation funny, it’s about the relief of having him awake and on the path to recovery.
