Page 50 of Her Brother's Keeper

I was flailing for the right things to say. Tripping over myself, when Nox’s hands fell to my shoulders and his thumbs dug just right between them, easing out some of the tension gathered there.

“What did Sage tell you on the phone?” he asked succinctly. “Can’t fix what’s broken if we don’t know why you’re here.”

Pam eyed him critically, and said, “Sage called and said that Maren’s much older boyfriend had forced his way into the house and was hurting his sister and that I needed to come quick.”

I let my face fall into my hands and Nox pressed just a little bit harder, a silent plea for me to chill. I looked at Pam’s angular face and sighed, “That’s not what happened at all…” I said.

“First of all, I’m just a friend,” Nox said, “Second, I was texting with Maren and she seemed…offall day, so I swung by to check on her and Sage. Sage was the one to let me in the front door and pardon my French, but he was acting like a disrespectful little shit. So I checked him. Maren was napping up in her room and looked pretty wrecked, and Sage seemed to think it was awfully funny that Maren was in pain. Probably because he’s an eleven-year-old kid and doesn’t get that a woman’s period is a natural part of life and they aren’t funny, especially when it’s taking it out of his sister like that.”

His hands disappeared and one reappeared over my shoulder, reaching past me to hand Pam a laminated card. “Third, I’m a licensed massage practitioner and knew I could lend a professional hand for this particular set of circumstances, so I left back out and came back with my gear to do what I could to ease her discomfort. Seems to me, we might need to have a little talk with Sage.”

Pam considered the card for a long minute before handing it back to Nox. “Before we call Sage down here, I’d like to know exactly what he did and precisely whatyoudid, to quote-unquote,” she raised her fingers and made quotation marks in the air, “check him.”

“He rolled his eyes at me so I did this,” he stepped around my seat and leaned down putting his nose inches from Pam’s. His face grew stern, his look blank and frightening and he said in an even, controlled tone: “Disrespect me again.”

Pam’s eyes widened and he sat up, she asked him quietly, “And what did Sage do?”

“He told me he was sorry, I ruffled his hair and I left out.”

“That was it?” Pam asked.

“That was it,” Nox agreed.

“You didn’t grab him, or lay a hand on him?” she asked.

“Nope.”

“I see.”

I swallowed hard, “You see what?” I asked, mouth dry as the kettle began to whistle, filling the silence left behind; the air thicker with the gravity of the situation. My heart pounded and my mind raced and all I kept thinking wasplease don’t take him away. Please don’t take him away. Please don’t take him away.

Pam looked from me to Nox and sighed. “Maren, it’s fine, really. Mr. Fisher didn’t do anything wrong except, perhaps, come on a little too strongly, but I somehow gather that this isn’t the first time Sage has been disrespectful in his presence?”

“Not by a long shot,” Nox declared from the kitchen island where he poured three cups of tea. He brought them over and set one in front of me and one in front of Pam before fetching his cup and pulling out a seat next to mine.

“I see,” Pam said.

“Listen, I didn’t do anything to Sage that I haven’t done to my nephew, Noah, a time or two. There’s no sense in yelling when that type of calm does so much better, am I right?”

Pam smirked and added sugar to her tea meanwhile I felt my eyes mist with tears at the sheer anxiety crushing me from the inside, like a black hole had taken up residence in the center of my chest and was sucking me down and inside out from the force.

“I’m really failing at this whole parenting thing, aren’t I?” I asked, a few tears sneaking out and down my face. I sniffed and wiped at them, and Pam looked both empathetic and sad.

“You’re doing a lot better than you think, Maren. There comes a point where it’s up to Sage and no one else. I believe he is acting out simply because he didn’t appreciate Mr. Fisher calling him out on his bad behavior. He’s testing his limits and it is up to us as the adults to set the boundaries Sage must abide by. Mr. Fisher did that tonight and Sage didn’t like it. He’s resourceful, just like his sister…”

“All due respect, I don’t think Sage has a mind towards consequences,” Nox said tiredly.

“Oh?” Pam said, and she sounded interested. She took up her tea in her hands and blew on it, staring over the rim at Nox.

“I’ve explained to him that he could wind up in foster care,” I said helplessly.

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know exactly what that means. I grew up in the system with the worst of the worst; I do.” Pam looked at Nox who didn’t look happy about making his revelation.

“Where at?” she asked, “If I may ask.”

“Arizona.”

“I see.”

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