Chapter Ten
Tommy fell asleep fast, not waking until the normal four a.m. panic attack. But Paige was there, arms wrapped around him, whispering soft things. Telling him he would be okay. She curled around him as he trembled, and he held her like he was clinging to a life raft. And for the first time, since all this mess had started, he fell back to sleep.
It was Shana who woke them for breakfast. Tommy stumbled from bed feeling a desperate need for coffee, even without the caffeine. In the light of a new day his mindset had improved, but he felt stupid for having been overly emotional yesterday.
The dark blotch in his head was smaller. More a pinprick than a giant hole. He had seen how fast it could expand, and tried not to dwell on it. He was getting better. He was where he needed to be. He could see hope on the horizon, which meant eventually being free of all of this. His father couldn’t take that away from him. Tommy wouldn’t let him.
“Sorry about yesterday…” Tommy said, his face warming with embarrassment.
Paige kissed him on the cheek as he apologized over and over. “It’s okay,” she promised.
He still felt bad for asking her to stay with him. She had a life outside this mess he’d created for himself, but she never hesitated to be there.
Shana offered her a set of fresh clothes. Tommy found his way to the shower hoping it could wash away his shame. Paige was waiting for him in the dining hall once he was dressed. But she wasn’t alone. Her smile was huge as she sat next to Ru, beaming at Tommy like she’d made magic happen. And maybe she had. She was a Disney princess after all.
Tommy’s heart flipped over and he paused, wrapping his arms around himself to keep from falling. Anxiety rising like some tsunami of unimaginable size. He’d walked in on his own, but hadn’t expected to begin the day with more stress.
Ru was up and across the distance in a heartbeat. He yanked Tommy into a hug. It was fierce, like being squeezed by a bear for a few seconds, and real. Tommy recognized the feel of his best friend, the weight of his arms and the faint scent of his cologne, all like bits of home he’d been missing for ages. The anxiety lapped away like a broken wave on the beach.
“Fuck, Ru, maybe lighten up on the weight training a bit before you crush a guy?” Tommy protested.
Ru sucked in air and laughed, squeezing harder for a minute.
“Can’t breathe…”
Ru let go and stared Tommy in the eye, gaze intense, serious. “We’ve got this. You’ve got this, but you’re not alone.”
Tommy dissolved, collapsing into Ru’s arms and crying. Ru held him and rubbed his back. More of the darkness edged away, having his little brother back filling something he’d suspected had been missing for a while. Family. The one his heart had chosen.
Tommy wiped at his eyes, and Paige handed him a handkerchief, bright blue, embroidered with the words “Bad Ass Bitch” and a handful of flowers. He laughed over it and used it to clean his face before sitting down. All of them at a corner booth with padded seats. He jammed himself in between Paige and Ru, using them as bookends of support.
He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Even if Ru was going to yell at him. The troubles of the outside world seemed smaller. His little brother at his side, and Paige, who had become his rock. He gripped both of their hands, squeezing and feeling a bit more stable.
“I’m an asshole,” Ru said. Tommy started to protest, but Ru stopped him. “So are you. I guess that makes us even.”
Tommy narrowed his gaze on Ru.
Ru shook his head. “Nope. Can’t convince me otherwise. I’m the asshole who didn’t come for the past month because I was too busy being mad at myself.” He leaned over to press his forehead to Tommy’s. “We don’t abandon family.”
“But I did that first,” Tommy disagreed.
“You were out of your head back then. And you fixed it. I’m fixing this now. I’ll be here. Regularly. Help you work through stuff. As much as you need. I should have been here all along.”
“We don’t should on ourselves,” Tommy and Paige said in unison.
Ru laughed. “Sounds like ‘shit’ instead of ‘should’, but I get it. I promise to do better.” He put his hand over his heart and let Tommy go. “Whatever is going on with your folks, you still have me. And I’m not a kid. I’m eighteen, have my own army of lawyers. They aren’t moving you. They have to get through me first.”
“But they’ve served Katie with papers,” Tommy said. His gut churned with fear at the idea of being taken away from all this and losing all the progress he’d made.
“Doesn’t mean anything. They have to prove she’s not competent to serve as your PoA, and even if they somehow manage that, I’m listed as your secondary. Which means they have to prove I am too. Good luck with that.” Ru waved Shana back. “Can he eat? I know he needs to.”
“I’ll get his food. Do you two want something specific?”
“Nah, we’ll hit the buffet in a bit,” Ru said.
They had a buffet? Tommy had never entered the kitchen area. He stared that way. Did he have a choice of food? The thought had never crossed his mind. “I’ve been here more than a month and didn’t know they had a buffet?”
Paige laughed as she got up. “I think once you’re back to full fighting weight you get to choose whatever you want.”
