Page 56 of Rebound

Gaga’s scowl softens a bit. She gives us a curt nod. Layla bends down and picks up the discarded food. While she does that, I press the call button for the nurse.

“I made his favorite,” Gaga says. She’s smiling now.

“What’s his favorite?” I ask her.

“Baked chicken and mashed potatoes,” she says proudly. “He likes mine better than his mother’s. Her food is always so salty.” She runs her fingers through her stringy hair. “I need to fix my hair before he gets here. He likes it when I look pretty.”

“Let me help you get ready, Gaga,” I say to Layla’s grandma.

She blushes and smiles shyly at me. “Aren’t you gallant?” she says with a flirtatious lilt to her voice. When the nurse gets here and sees the mess, she says she’ll call the nurse’s assistant. She takes the tray out of the room while I wheel Gaga into the bathroom. She sits there while I brush her hair and smiles at herself in the mirror.

“I need my lipstick. Stell, bring me my red lipstick.” Layla comes running into the bathroom with a tube of lipstick. She applies it to her grandmother’s lips, and when Gaga sees the finished product, she smiles again at her reflection.

“He’ll be here soon, Gaga. Let’s get you into bed so you can wait for him.” Layla’s voice catches, and her eyes fill with tears. She looks away right before they spill.

Once I wheel Gaga back and get her into bed, I sit next to her and take her hand in mine. She smiles at me and closes her eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

Layla’s soft cries force me to my feet. I walk to her and take her in my arms. She buries her face in my chest as she cries. I have no words of comfort to offer her. When I was younger and dealing with my father, all I wanted was for someone to be there to listen. I didn’t need advice because I knew in my heart I could not fix him. I knew I had to deal with the hand I was dealt in life and the parent department, but his condition left me ostracized.

Layla’s situation is different. My dad’s been a mess for as long as I can remember. That’s his norm, but Gaga is the backbone of the family, and seeing her fall apart like this is not only painful but uncomfortable.

“She knows you’re here, and she knows she’s loved. All you can do is be there for her. And you’re not alone in this,” I whisper.

She’s not. She has a big family and she has me now. Gaga is hardly ever alone. From the time visiting hours begin, there’s a family member at her side.

“I know,” she says into my chest. “It’s hard to see her this way. She’s always been so strong. If you ever had a problem, she would try to fix it, even if all you wanted to do was vent,” she says with a laugh. “She would say, ‘Don’t be a crybaby. The only thing that’s not fixable is death.’”

“That part of her is still there.”

She cries some more, and I cradle the back of her neck. We stay like this until the door to the room opens and June Bug walks in wearing his hotel uniform. He walks to the bed and gently kisses his grandmother’s forehead.

“Do I need to go upstate and beat anyone’s ass?” he asks while he examines Gaga. He adjusts the blanket on her before he turnsto face us. I snort and roll my eyes. He might be muscular, but I have about five inches on him. I can take him, and it wouldn’t be much of a fight.

“You’re gonna go beat my dad’s ass?” I taunt. “You’re going to put your hands on an old man?”

“If I need to,” he says before he addresses Layla. “How was the trip, Lay?” He comes closer, grabs her chin, and inspects her.

“Good. His dad is nice. We had a good time, so knock it off, June Bug. I mean it.” She sniffles and he arches an eyebrow at me.

“If it was so great, why are you crying?” He takes off his uniform blazer and tosses it on the chair. “And I have a big problem with that red mark on your face.” He cracks his neck as if he’s gearing up for a fight.

“Because Gaga was so confused. She kept calling me Stella, and she hit me in the face with a fork. Seth’s been really good with her. He’s the one who figured out how to calm her down. Stop your bullshit.”

She leaves my arms and tries to push June Bug, but he smirks and messes her hair like one would do to a small child. Then he puts her in a headlock before she pushes him away.

“Alright, cool, but I’m still watching him.” He points at me. He gives us his back and looks down at his grandmother. “I’m gonna sit with her until your mom gets here,” he says.

“Come over to Seth’s apartment when Mom gets here,” Layla says. “Take a break and have dinner with us.”

“Cool, cool,” he says. “Text me the address. Ya’ll can go. I’m gonna read while she sleeps.” He takes his backpack and pulls out an iPad. “Me and the crew at work started a book club.”

That shocks me so much that I chuckle. “What are you reading?”I ask.

“Not my choice, butPride and Prejudice. Every other book will be a classic. I voted against that. I don’t want to read that boring ass shit, but I got outvoted.” He waves the iPad in the air and sits. “So far, Elizabeth Bennet is too damn haughty.”

“Wait? You think she’s the problem?” I ask before I can think better of it. “What about Mr. Darcy? You identify with that snob?”

“That man knows his worth. What’s wrong with that?” June Bug asks. “Oh, wait. It’s only okay for a woman to know her worth. If a man does, he’s an asshole.”

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