Page 11 of Cluelessly Yours

I can’t believe I thought mixing her condition with a bunch of loose-cannon elementary school kids was a good idea. I mean, I live with two of them. They’re practically terrorists.

“Brooke,”I say again, this time with more vigor than gentleness.

She finally stirs, and I cup her cheek with love and worry. “Oh, sis. I’m so sorry. Are you…” My voice breaks. “Are you okay? What did they say after running the tests?”

She scrubs at her eyes and sits up a little straighter, confusion rampant. “What? What’s going on?”

“Oh my God,” I whisper.Is she delirious? Did she somehow hit her head and cause some sort of amnesia?

Real, raw panic is settling into my bones now. “I can’t believe I did this to you. I can’t believe—”

“Sam,” a familiar and warm male voice interrupts, his gentle hand on my shoulder.

I turn to meet Noah’s eyes, tears plainly falling from my own now. His face startles as he takes in the distress I’m currently drowning in. “Sammy? Are you okay? What happened?”

I dive forward and bury my face in Noah’s chest, not thinking of how awkward that must be for him—not thinking of anything, really.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me,” he urges, pulling my body away just slightly to meet my eyes.

“Brooke,” I manage on a cry. “I can’t believe I did this to her. She looks awful and run-down and—”

“Whoa, whoa, Sammy. Hold on a minute,” Noah interrupts, his tone gentle but undeniably firm. “We got the tests back, and everything is fine. Her iron’s a little low, so we’re giving her a supplement in her IV, but other than that, Brooke is good. The baby is good. I swear.”

“But…” I turn to glance at her ashen pallor again before whipping back to Noah. “She’s sluggish and hardly responsive and—”

Noah smiles, a tenderness in his face I can’t even fathom. “Oh, Sam. She’s sleepy from gorging on Italian food. She just pounded that chicken parm you brought like no tomorrow.”

“She…she what?”

“Man, it was good,” Brooke says from behind me, her voice devoid of the agony I heard mere moments ago. Without a second thought, I spin on my heels and thump her on the forehead with a flick of my index finger.

“Ow!” she yells, and Seth laughs immediately, each peal rife with the hysteria only a seven-year-old can pull off. Brooke, however, is aghast, rubbing at her forehead furiously. “What was that for?”

“For scaring me! I thought you were on your deathbed!”

Brooke groans. “Oh jeez.”

“Oh jeez?Oh jeez!I was beside myself!”

“Mom, what’s this do?” Seth asks, tugging at one of the wires plugged in behind Brooke’s bed.

“Don’t touch that!” Brooke and I yell in unison, and he jumps back like we’ve shot him in the hand before twirling so fast he bumps into the wall.

Brooke sucks her lips into her mouth and then turns to me with wide eyes. “You ought-bray the iminal-cray to the hospital with you?”

I grit my teeth. “I had to. The anny-nay is at home with ant-Gray uking-pay all over everything I own.”

Brooke scrunches her nose and gags. “Ugh. Gross.”

“How about I take Seth with me for a little while?” Noah interjects, stepping up beside me. “Show him around the hospital? Sneak some snacks from the lounge?”

“Yeah!” Seth yells excitedly. Which, considering his little ass’s penchant for trouble, shrivels the very soul inside me.Dear God, I pray for the safety of those within these walls.

“Are you sure? I don’t know if that’s such a good idea…”

Noah waves me off. “No worries, Sam. We’ll be fine.”

“Can I, Mom? Can I? Can I?” Seth begs excitedly. I consider him for a long moment. It would be good to get a chance to talk to Brooke alone, but with my child, a hospital is one giant disaster waiting to happen. And I definitely don’t have the money lying around to pay several doctors, patients, and visitors restitution. “I promise I’ll be good, Mom! I promise!”

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