She continued to stare at the screen.
“Leslie, you promised you wouldn’t yell.” That was Charlie’s voice.
“No, I promised I wouldn’t give her a hard time. There’s a difference.” Leslie pounded again. “Fran-ces-ca.”
The door creaked open. The lights flickered on. Frankie blinked a few times, feeling like a bat ascending, fleeing a darkened cave.
“How did you do that?” Leslie asked her brother.
“It was unlocked,” Charlie grumbled.
Leslie marched in front of the TV, turned it off, and stood with her arms crossed.
“I was watching that,” Frankie said in a monotone.
“As the level ones might say, too bad, so sad.” Leslie stuck her tongue out. “When did you last eat? Shower?”
Frankie shrugged.
Leslie and Charlie exchanged twin looks of concern. “We’re under Nan’s orders. You’re coming home with us,” she said. “You can’t be left on your own any longer.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Frankie muttered.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Leslie rolled her eyes. “My baby bro is stronger than you and won’t have a problem carrying you to the car like a child.” Her eyes flashed like a bird of prey ready to attack. “Make your choice.”
There was a rustling sound. Charlie sat down on the opposite side of the couch and slowly peeled back the lid from a container of food. The second the scent of the sweet and savory omelet hit her nostrils, Frankie’s stomach grumbled. She licked her lips.
“How about Frankie eats first, then we talk.” He slid the container and some cutlery in her direction. Reaching into the bag once more, he also pulled out a metal thermos and shook it. Ice cubes rattled around inside it. “One iced coffee, just the way you like it.”
Frankie’s eyes darted from Charlie to Leslie, and back down to the food. “Do you two always use a good cop, bad cop routine?”
“Yes,” Charlie said at the same time Leslie said, “No.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. The container was placed in her hands. She opened her eyes to meet Charlie’s large emerald ones. “Eat.”
* * *
“Where’s Charlie?” Frankie asked as she dried the tips of her hair, damp from the shower.
“I sent him to the grocery store so we could talk alone for a couple minutes. Speaking of which, your kitchen is woefully empty. What have you been eating this last week?”
“Hospital food.”
Leslie grimaced. “That’s like eating cardboard. It doesn’t have any flavor.”
Food, coffee, and a shower had been just what she needed to feel a little more like herself. “It was convenient.”
Leslie sighed. “Look, before we go any further, I’m really sorry for acting like a first-class jerk to you. You didn’t deserve it. I was being petty because I was mad at my brother for keeping his skating from me. I should never have lashed out at you. I know Charlie’s a grown man and that he’s more than capable of making his own decisions, but it still upset me.”
Frankie managed a nod. She knew she’d accept Leslie’s apology in the long run, but her emotions at the present were a tangled mess. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
“You’re one hundred percent justified if you don’t want to be friends with me anymore. I just want you to know that no matter what you decide, I’ll still be here to offer you my support.” Leslie walked over and touched Frankie’s forearm. “Nan and Charlie brought me up to speed with what’s been going on with your dad. I’ve been in your shoes before. I know firsthand the physical and emotional toll that being a caregiver can take on a person. Charlie’s accident changed me in ways I never expected.”
Frankie’s eyes widened. She’d forgotten Leslie had been the main person to help him recover.
“For two years, nobody could give us an answer as to why he wasn’t getting better. It was a stream of never-ending tests and experimental treatments. All I could do was sit helplessly on the sidelines. I felt like a failure as I watched his mental health deteriorate.”
“That’sexactlyhow I feel about my dad. Like I’ve failed him.” Her legs quivered. She sank down onto the couch. “How were you able to move past it?”
