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Logan:Hey, where are you?
Jeni:Just leaving work.
Logan:Can you come to McNellie’s? I met Andrew here, and he’s pretty messed up.
Jeni’s heart dropped to her toes. They hadn’t told Andrew they were dating yet. He’d finished his four cycles of chemo and had a scan this morning, and Jeni had wanted to make sure everything was fine before dropping the I’m dating your best friend bomb on her twin brother.
Jeni:Why? Did you tell him about us? I thought we decided to wait.
Logan:No. His doctor called about his scan already. There’s still cancer and he needs more chemo.
Shit.
Logan: I think he needs all the support he can get.
Jeni:On my way.
Fifteen minutes later, Jeni walked into her brother’s favorite pub. She spotted them against the wall, sitting at the bar with their backs to her. She’d recognize Logan and her twin anywhere but even more so now. Andrew’s bald head was impossible to miss. She’d never forget the day he called to say he’d woken up with half his hair covering his pillow. She’d showed up at his door twenty minutes later, clippers in hand.
Jeni kept her eyes on her brother, knowing if she met Logan’s gaze, she wouldn’t be able to hide how badly she wanted to touch him.
She slid onto the empty barstool next to Andrew, and he looked over at her with unfocused eyes.
“How many have you had?” she asked bluntly.
Andrew blinked then turned to Logan. “Seriously? You called my sister?”
“No. I texted her.”
Jeni poked Andrew’s arm with her index finger. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“It was a stupid question.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” she asked, trying to mask her hurt that he’d called Logan instead. “You know I’m here to talk.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
“It’s better to sit and sulk in silence, drinking away your sorrows?”
“Sure. I feel better.”
“You look terrible.”
“Thank you, dear sister.”
Jeni really wasn’t sure what to say here. She and Andrew had been side by side nearly their entire lives, supporting each other. They were siblings, friends, confidants. But they were also a family of hard-working, do-what-you-have-to-do and don’t-whine-about-it kind of people. After Jeni’s accident, Andrew’s constant you can do this and don’t stop now’s got her through it, so she tried the same tactic.
“It’s not the end of the world, Andrew,” she said. “You’ll get through this like you did the others. Now snap out of it.”
“No cancer, no opinion.”
What the hell could she say to that? She looked to Logan for help.
He held up his hands. “I called you because I couldn’t cheer him up,” Logan said. “Frankly, you’re not helping.”
She glared at him and held up her middle finger, and he seemed to fight a smile.
Andrew stared into his beer, not paying them any attention.
