Page 38 of Safe at Home

“And you stink man,” I added with a chuckle.

“You know, there is a shower in the bathroom that you can use,” the nurse suggested. “This is a double room, and there is no one using the other bed. If you want to take a nap in that bed, while your friends watch your son, I will change the sheets myself.”

“And you won’t be far. If he wakes up, we’ll wake you up,” Molly said.

“Are you sure?” he asked the nurse.

“Go,” she said. “It’s a benefit to me, so I don’t have to smell you anymore.”

We all laughed, and Mack headed to take a shower.

“I have a card game we can play while we hang out here,” Emma said as she rifled through her huge purse. She brought out the box of the same card game we had played the other night, Cards Against Humanity. I had a feeling this was going to be our group's favorite game!

“Damn, that means Dominic and Molly are going to win. They had some kind of psychic connection when we played this last time,” I said with a groan.

“Holy shit, you’re right,” Dom said as he smiled over at my wife. “That explains so much.”

“I didn’t think about that either!” Molly exclaimed and hugged her brother. “Let’s kick some ass, bro.”

When visiting hours ended, we left a sleeping Mack and a sleeping Nico as we headed back to Riverbend. It was hard to leave them, but only the immediate family could stay after visiting hours. The nurse promised to wake Mack up the minute Nico did, and we trusted her. We then dropped Emma back off at her hotel and visited longer with Dominic’s mom and brother. There was a teary goodbye, and Molly felt that although Dominic was her only blood relative, she had found a whole new family. I loved seeing her connect with them, just as she had felt comfortable with my family. They all promised to come visit when Batter Up! had its grand re-opening. Molly shed lots of tears when Jessica said, “Please, let me know when the babies are born. I want to come visit. I know they aren’t technically my grandbabies, but maybe I could be an honorary grandma.” Molly, of course, loved that idea.

Dominic had to leave the next day for a few away games, so we dropped him off at the dorms. Molly and Dom gave each other a lengthy goodbye hug, and I could already see their connection building. I was glad she would have him to look after her when I wasn’t around all the time. I had to laugh to myself at the memory from the hospital earlier tonight. When Molly and Emma had gone off in search of some coffee, Dom had given me the “big brother” talk about how I had to treat his little sister with respect or he’d kick my ass. Considering I was over half a foot taller than him, Mack and I both had a good laugh.

“What are you chuckling at over there, Ty?” Molly asked as she got back in the car.”

“Your brother gave me the “big bro” talk about how I’d better be good to you.”

Molly gave me a huge grin and put her hand over her heart. “I have an older, protective brother! Just what I always wanted.”

I just laughed and shook my head. “Who is half a foot shorter than the guy he threatened.”

“I don’t care. I have a brother who is protective of me, and I just love him. Shit! Is it too early to love my brother? Is it okay that I told you before I told him? This is all new territory for me.” She pulled her car out of the dorm’s parking lot and back onto the road.

“I don’t know if there is a rule book. I think it’s great that you love your brother and that he’s going to be here for you.”

“Did you know he loves to make sandwiches? He loves experimenting with different meats, cheeses, toppings, etc., to make them gourmet and exciting. I do the same with some of my baked goods! It’s so cool how we have that in common!”

“You know what? Now that you mention it, I had a sandwich at lunch once before a game and remember it being an odd combination. I didn’t even know who had made it, but I was told it was nut-free, so I dug it. It was grilled cheese with pepper jack cheese, pickles, barbecue sauce, and a fried egg. It was one of the best sandwiches I had ever had.”

“That sounds disgusting and messy,” Molly said with a giggle. “But I bet it was good since Dom made it.”

Molly pulled into a small parking lot, and I looked around. I hadn’t paid attention to where she was going and was confused that we weren’t at our motel. “Where are we, baby?”

“Do you trust me?”

“You know I do,” I said without hesitation.

“Then, come here,” she said with a bandana in her hand. “I’m going to blindfold you.”

“Ooohh, kinky. I like it.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” she said as she tied the bandana around my eyes. I heard her door open and close, and soon, the passenger door opened, and she took my hand in hers. She led me around and told me when to step up and when to watch for a doorway as we walked. I could feel there was cement under my feet, but other than that, I had no clue where we were or where we were going.

“Alright, this is where it gets a little harder to lead you. Why don’t you hold on to my shoulders and just stay as close to me as you can.” Molly guided my hand to her shoulder, and I placed my other hand on her other shoulder.

“So, basically, I’m going to have to take half steps to stay in step with you?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Hmmmm. Maybe you don’t deserve this surprise.”

---