Page 78 of A Case of You
“You realize Ihaveto rat you out to them, right? I cannotin good consciencenottell them. Even if I didn’t, Emma and Grace will.”
He sighed. “I know.”
“Why are you doing this to yourself, sweetie?”
“I don’t know anymore. I thought I did.”
She didn’t just drive him home. When she found out he hadn’t eaten lunch, she made him lie down on the sofa after he’d changed clothes and she fixed him soup and a glass of Gatorade and watched him take his meds.
Including a Xanax.
He officially declared defeat. He needed one today.
“I’m sorry I called you out of work for this. I’ll be okay now.”
“It’s okay, seriously. You’re family. Besides, Emma and Grace would kill me, if Brandon didn’t, if they knew I had a chance to help you and didn’t.” She smiled, so he took it the way he hoped she’d meant it, as a joke.
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to stay with you until somebody else gets home. I really don’t like your color. You’re too pale, and I can tell you’re having trouble with your coordination.”
“Yeah,” he quietly admitted. “I am. But you don’t have to stay. I’ll be okay.”
“Since you’re too stubborn to call Brandon or Stuart and tell them you’re having trouble, it means I’m staying.” She settled into one of the comfy chairs and grabbed the TV remote. “Let’s find something funny and mindless to watch, okay?”
“Okay.”
He managed to get the soup down and keep it down. Then he snuggled in with the two pillows he’d brought out from the bedroom and napped.
Jeff didn’t know if it was worse or better that it was Emma and Grace who returned home first and found out what happened. Emma had raced inside upon seeing her mom’s car parked in the driveway, closely followed by Grace.
As soon as Tracey told them what had happened, before Jeff could even beg Emma not to call Brandon, Emma was already on the phone with him and heading down the hallway to her bedroom, leaving Grace standing there and slowly shaking her head at Jeff.
“What?”
“You’re stubborn. You know that?”
“What happened to respecting your elders?”
Grace jabbed a finger at him. “What would have happened if you’d gotten halfway home and had an accident, huh? Hurt someone? How would you live withthat?”
She had a point and he damn well knew it.
He pointed at Tracey. “That’s why I called her. Don’t I get credit for that, at least?”
Grace wasn’t finished. “I don’t know what it’ll take Pop and Stu to get through your stupid head that they don’t want you to work and they’re worried about you. We all are. I love you, just like Emma does. You’re one ofmybonus dads, too, okay? When are you going to realize we love you andwantto take care of you?”
This wasn’t a conversation he should be having with a not-quite seventeen-year-old and he knew it. “It’s not as simple as that.”
“It actually is,” Tracey said, standing. “I know I’m not exactly speaking from a secure spot because my glass house already has dozens of cracks in it. But Bran and Stu love you. Let them do what they want to do, which is take care of you.” She leaned in and kissed his forehead. “I’ll clear out once Emma’s off the phone.”
The girl herself called from the hallway. “Mom? Dad wants to talk to you.”
Tracey smirked. “Oooh, you’re in trouble now.” She followed after Emma. After a few minutes, she returned with Emma’s phone and handed it to Jeff. “Hewants to talk to you.”
Jeff almost didn’t want to take the phone, but he knew that would only put off the inevitable.
“Hi, Sir.”
