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More tears filled my eyes and I swiped them away as fast as they fell. “She doesn’t need to do that, Nick.”
“She’s from the south. You know how it is. She doesn’t feel useful until she’s invaded your home and left twenty freezer meals and a pie.” His phone pinged and he looked at it and smiled before putting it away. “You’re a very loved woman, Layla Morgan.”
I didn’t know which part of Jagger the cancer was in, I realized as I scanned his body for more injuries the doctors might’ve missed. I hadn’t been able to make sense of half the words the doctor said when he talked about the cancer. Looking over at Nick, I frowned. “Did you hear where they said the cancer is?”
He winced and shook his head. “I didn’t. Why don’t you sit down for a bit, Layla? He’s sleeping. You should rest while he does.”
“I don’t want to look away from him for more than a second.” I swallowed another ball of emotion. “We used to play this game when we were kids. We made it up and it was just dumb kid stuff, but we loved it. One of us would be it and the other person would have to copy everything that person did. It lasted until the copier messed up. Sometimes it would go on for hours. Everyone around us hated it. If our parents happen to ask us what we wanted for dinner while we were playing, the person who was being copied would always say something they knew the person copying hated. Then, we’d fight and change the rules a million times before going back to the original, which was just keep your eyes on the person who was it and don’t miss a thing.”
“It sounds like you had a magical childhood with him.”
I laughed quietly. “I’ve never told him this but when he moved out and I still had a few years left before I could, I cried like a baby. I snuck into his room every night and just sat on his bed crying. I remember it felt so final. I thought I’d never see him again.”
“I’m sure he knew. Between a big brother’s intuition and Gran’s mouth, I can’t imagine anything was much of a secret.”
I lost track of time while I stood there. Grandma came back at some point and then she left again to grab dinner. I just stood there through the nurses’ shift change and every slurred word that Jagger spoke when he woke up. The world just kept moving around me and it made me want to scream. How could everyone just keep living like nothing was wrong when the world felt like it was so clearly ending?
40
Xavier
Backtop,Tennesseetooktoolong to get to. The last thirty minutes of the drive, I thought I was going to lose my mind. When we finally got into town, I was amazed the place even had a hospital. Then I saw the hospital and was less than amazed. It was the size of a house. Immediately, my mind raced with people I could call to get Jagger into the best hospital in the country. I didn’t want to shit on the small hospital, but I couldn’t imagine their oncology department was doing anything other than keeping people alive for as long as they could.
“Is that Gran?” Jones parked the truck in the small lot and we all looked into the car next to us and saw a woman who looked just like the Gran we’d all fallen in love with through the calls she made to us daily.
The woman was curling in on herself, her shoulders shaking as she cried. My stomach clenched and I was out of the truck in a beat. I knocked on her window and watched as she jumped. Feeling terrible for scaring her, I started to apologize but then she was out of the car and hugging me so tight I wondered if she’d ever competed in any strong person competitions.
“It’s good to finally meet you, Gran. I’m sorry for the circumstances, though.” I hugged her back and I realized with a start that she smelled similar to Layla.
“You found us. Just in time, too.” Pulling away to hug Jones and Mack, Gran dabbed at her eyes. “I finally found something that my granddaughter can outstubborn me in. I haven’t been able to get her to shower or even sit down.”
I frowned. “Has she eaten?”
Gran shook her head. “She won’t do anything but watch him.”
“She may not like us for it, but we’ll get her to take care of herself.” Jones rubbed the back of his neck. “How do you feel about us making a bit of a scene, though? Your granddaughter is a bit of a fighter.”
“Everyone around here knows Layla and the shit she pulls. They all watched her go through puberty, so you won’t surprise anyone.” Gran tucked her arm through mine and smiled up at me. “If only I’d met you before Lala. I would’ve tried to steal you. I love a big man.”
I felt my cheeks burn and knew Jones and Mack were laughing at me. “Well. I am that, if nothing else.”
She stopped and turned to face all of us. “I’m so glad you boys came. She needs someone. Three someones, it seems. Those two kids have always been as thick as thieves. I don’t know what she’ll do if she loses him.”
“We won’t let him go without a fight. We have access to different doctors and treatments. If there’s an option, we’ll make it happen.” Mack took her hand and held it between his. “We lost my mom before we had the money to make a difference. Things are different now.”
“Oh, shit. Here come the tears.” Heaving a big sigh, Gran wrapped us each in a hug and then pulled out a handkerchief to blow her nose. “If it was for me, I wouldn’t take it. It’s for Jag, though, so I’ll accept all the help I can get.”
“You wouldn’t have a choice, Gran. You mean just as much to Layla as Jagger does. That means we fight for you, too.” Jones shrugged. “Plus, I’ve gotten kind of used to you calling me.”
“I knew you liked it!” Gran swatted at him in a move that was so similar to Layla it made my chest ache. “Okay, come on. If you don’t get her out of there soon, she’s going to fall over. You boys can stay at my house, of course. If Layla refuses to show you where it is, just ask anyone you see on the street.”
I didn’t like the idea of everyone knowing where Layla would be sleeping, when she was at her most vulnerable. I lost myself for a moment, thinking of finding a hardware store as soon as I could to install a security system for them.
“Alright, come on. If Jag’s awake, you can make his year by saying hello. Layla keeps pushing his pain button, though, so I doubt he’ll be awake. She’s so worried he’ll feel an ounce of discomfort that she won’t even let the man open his eyes without reaching for that button. They’ve been arguing about it already. She wins by default because he passes out, but I don’t think that’s fair.”
Mack laughed. “At least we know she’s not just bratty with us.”
Just down a tiny hallway, we saw Nick sitting next to a closed door. When he spotted us, he stood up and looked like he was about to face the firing squad. Before any of us could say anything, he started talking. “You can fire me if you want, but I’m not sorry for how I handled things. You didn’t see her. She didn’t have time to wait. You should know that even if you fire me, I’m not going anywhere. She’s my friend and I’m going to be here for her. Hilary’s going to be here tonight to help out with things, too.”
