He rattled off some medication names and dosages.
“And for the seizures? Are there anti-epileptic meds he could take?”
The doctor shook his head. “It’s not an epileptic seizure, so those wouldn’t work. In fact, they could make it worse. If his seizures become worse, we’ll consider that, but I don’t want to start him on too much at the same time. All of these meds have potential side effects, and starting too many makes it hard to determine which med is causing issues.”
“Okay.”
The doctor rose. “Why don’t you take some time to process? When you’re ready, you can head out to the reception, where they will give you all the information you need to schedule the next appointment, as well as contact information for physical therapists.”
“Does he need a specialized therapist? Because I know someone who’s a physical therapist, and I’d love for him to work with Forest.”
I’d heard great things from Creek and Heath about Kent, their physical therapist.
“No.” Forest sounded firm. “I don’t want to work with Kent. Creek is still seeing him, and I don’t want him to know.”
“I’ll give you two some privacy,” the doctor said, then walked out before I could thank him.
“Why don’t you want to tell him?” I tried to keep my voice gentle, but I was genuinely baffled. “You’ll need his support.”
Forest’s jaw set in that stubborn way that made him look so much like his brother. “I don’t want to tell him. Not right away. Down the line, yes, when I have processed it myself. But youknow he’s gonna jump into mother-hen mode and micromanage every aspect of my life.”
As much as I wanted to deny that, he wasn’t wrong. Creek, even with the best intentions, could be overbearing, especially when it concerned people he loved. And he deeply loved his little brother. I had no doubt about that. “Maybe if you are very clear to him about what you need…”
Forest put his hands on his hips. “He’ll insist I move in with them. He’ll feel it’s his job to look after me, if for no other reason than a misplaced sense of guilt because he hasn’t been there for me as much as he’s wanted to. You try telling him otherwise. You try saying no to him. I dare you.”
At the mention of Forest moving out, something inside me shifted. Hell no, he wasn’t. He needed me. And maybe I needed him too, though that wasn’t something I wanted to spend too much time thinking about. “Kent won’t tell Creek if you ask him not to. He’s not a doctor, but he’ll keep that confidentially anyway. But we’ll revisit this later. It’s not the most important thing right now.”
At that, his shoulders slumped, as if all the fight had left him, and his eyes grew misty again. “I have a neurological disorder.”
His voice was wavering, cracking. “I know, honey. We’ll figure it out.”
“But at least I have a label now, and it’s not the worst diagnosis.”
I admired him for seeing the positive in the midst of all of this. “Agreed. It could’ve been something a lot worse…but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a tough reality you’re confronted with.”
And then I was hugging him, and we stood there for a long time.
When we got home, I ushered Forest into his bedroom—now on the first floor—for a nap. Three hours later, he appeared, looking adorably frumpy with his hair sticking up in every direction and pillow creases on his face.
“Did you get some sleep?” I asked, smiling at the cuteness of him.
He nodded, yawning. “I didn’t think I would since my head felt so full, but I guess I was more tired than I realized.”
“Maybe your body knew it needed a break after all that. I’ll make you some tea.”
My grandmother had been a tea person, a firm believer that there were very few problems in life that couldn’t be solved with a good conversation over a fragrant, steaming cup of tea. Lavender tea had been her favorite, and even a little whiff of that scent reminded me of her.
But for Forest, I opted for chamomile with a hint of vanilla, known to be soothing. That seemed like something Forest could use right now. He’d curled up on the couch, maybe still a little sleepy, and pulled a fleece blanket over his legs. He was easily cold, and I made a mental note to reprogram the NEST thermostat to seventy-one degrees instead of sixty-nine. The latter was fine for me, and none of the others had ever complained, but it seemed Forest needed it to be a tad warmer.
When the tea was ready, I served it with some chocolate chip cookies from the bakery near the fire station, then sat across from him. “How are you feeling?”
He gave me a sweet smile. “Look at you, all tuned into the soft side.”
I shrugged. “I’ve never been one to shy away from emotions or feelings.”
Unless they were my own, but I left that part out.
“It still feels very unreal, like it’s a bad dream I need to wake up from,” Forest then said softly. “I reckon it’ll take some time to accept it.”
