Page 40 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

He knew Colleen was right, but he didn’t think he could sleep much at that point. He kept playing every detail from the last eleven hours back in his head. What a rollercoaster. “I got a little nap in the chair there. Nurse kicked me out when she came in to check on Bobby.”

Colleen moved quickly, just as she always did. She got the lunches squared away and then started to pull things out for breakfast. Nothing fancy—toast and eggs—but she worked with a quiet resolve. She worked like she knew this was all her life was ever going to be.

“Lemme do that,” Tommy told her. The idea of her slaving away for the rest of her life made him sick. “Drink some coffee and put your feet up for a few minutes. Jesus!”

She looked like she might argue with him, but she didn’t. Instead she poured a cup for herself and one for Tommy. She set his next to the stove and took her own to the kitchen table. “Wyatt called last night,” she said quietly.

“Yeah? Did you talk to him this time?”

She took a long sip before answering. “Yeah.” Her brow furrowed as she went on. “His parents had called him, and he saw the shooting on the news. He wanted to ask if Bobby had been hurt and make sure everyone was okay.”

Tommy huffed out a laugh. “Sounds like an excuse to talk to ya if you ask me.”

Colleen nodded and laughed with him. “I figured as much, but with everything going on I couldn’t just ignore him, ya know?”

“Good.” Tommy was beating eggs in a large bowl. “Did you cut the poor guy some slack?”

“I tried to break up with him.” Tommy put the bowl down and looked at her hard before she went on. “He told me that it wasn’t a breakup if I didn’t have a good reason. So I told him that my reasons were the fact that we lived in different states and I had responsibilities here and would have for a long time and that he should get out and meet girls and find someone else.”

“And?” He remembered he had a task at hand and got the butter out of the refrigerator.

“And he told me those were bullshit reasons, and he disagreed.” She laughed before going on. “Then he said he would be home for Thanksgiving in a couple months, and I was going to see him and talk to him if he had to camp on our lawn and follow me to work.”

Tommy couldn’t help but laugh. “Only Wyatt could say that and not sound creepy.”

“I know, right?”

“You gonna give him a break?”

“I tried to.”

Tommy narrowed his eyes at her. “He’s a big boy, Col. Let him decide for himself what he wants.” He couldn’t believe he was saying it, but Tommy went on. “Wyatt treats ya good, he puts up with our bullshit and takes all your… stuff in stride. He’s more understanding about all you’ve gone through than any kid his age has a right to be, ya know?”

Colleen let out a tired sigh. She looked defeated already. Not even eighteen yet, and she looked like the world had won and she was ready to tag herself out. “I know,” she said softly. “He’s just got so much going for him. He’s such a good guy, and he’s—”

She stopped talking when Tommy slammed a cupboard door so hard the dishes inside rattled. “You listen to me, Col.” Tommy pointed his finger at her and glared as he spoke. “You’re the best goddamn person I know. You’re smart, you’re quick, and you give a shit. You take care of your own. It makes your life one big pain in the ass, but it makes you a fucking saint, and anyone who doesn’t see what an amazing girl you are, anyone that doesn’t have room for the baggage you’ve been tied to, doesn’t fucking deserve to shine your shoes, let alone have you in their corner.”

Tommy was ready to hit someone just to make himself feel better. The idea of his sister sitting there and feeling like she wasn’t good enough for someone made his blood boil.

Colleen gave a little sniffle over her coffee mug and nodded her head. When she met his eye, she asked, “Do you ever even listen to yourself, Tommy?”

“All the time,” he told her, trying to joke. “I’m the only one that makes any goddamn sense around here.”

When she stood up, she came around the counter and got the orange juice out of the refrigerator. “You just don’t get it,” she said, grabbing a stack of plates and setting them on the table. “I could say all of that about you. I’m no better than you, Tommy. Hell, at least I had your example to follow.”

He didn’t know what to say at first. What she said was technically true. They were cut from the same cloth, and they both made similar sacrifices every day. “So I guess we’re both too good for the rest of the world,” he joked.

Colleen shook her head. “You’re an asshole.”

“So I’ve been told. I’m thinking about having it printed on a T-shirt.”

“Trust me,” Colleen laughed. “You don’t need it on a shirt. Most people can tell the first time you open your mouth.”

Tommy flipped her off and went back to making breakfast. He glanced up at her when she asked, “Do you ever tell Bobby you’re just gonna let him decide what he wants and what he can handle?”

“Not so far.” He was going to let the subject die there, but he blurted out, “I told him I loved him last night.” Tommy could feel his cheeks go hot as he said the words.

“Was he conscious?”

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