This time I did groan out loud. “I met a guy, and his family - “
“Oh my god, you’re gonna die. You’re gonna die and it’s gonna be my fault. Should I call the police?”
“STOP!” I snapped. Caleb quieted down. “Do not call the police, Caleb, Jesus fuck. What’s wrong with you?”
“Me?” He went so high-pitched that he squeaked, sounding almost like a broken-voiced teenager again. “What’s wrong withme? Nevermind that, what’s wrong withyou? What kind of trouble did you get into for my sake? Are you in some sex cult or something?”
“Caleb Matthew Foster, I swear to god I will crawl through this phone and strangle you to death before you even get this surgery and I’ll come out of this a wealthy only child,” I muttered.
His end of the line was silent before he burst out into a muffled laugh. A wave of relief washed over me. The anger fizzling to a boil inside me went out and I sighed.
“Okay,” Caleb said, defeated. “If you’re making jokes like that, you must be fine.”
“I am,” I said. “You should’ve believed me the first time.”
“Well, it’s hard when you phone me out of nowhere and pull a metric fuckton of money out of your ass.”
“Sorry,” I said mockingly.
I could hear the good humor in his voice again. “Fine, well. I’m glad, then. As long as you’re safe and this is real money, then…” He trailed off. “This is really gonna happen?”
“Yes.” I suddenly wished I could be by his side, squeezing his shoulder and comforting him. “It is, Caleb. You’re gonna get better.”
He went quiet again, but I realized a moment later that it was because he was crying.
“Sorry,” he said in between sniffles. “I should probably go. It’s almost time for the nurse to bring me lunch anyway.”
“For sure. Hey. You’re gonna be alright. Okay?”
For the first time in a long time, I could hear real hope in Caleb’s voice. “Yeah.”
“I promise I’ll call again when I can. See you.”
“Bye, Benji.”
As I hung up, I felt a bit guilty knowing I wouldn’t be able to physically see him for a long time -andI wouldn’t be able to tell him why. But that phone call had been stressful enough, and I didn’t want to layer on another round of negativity on him. Not when he sounded so hopeful.
I finished packing, cleaned up a bit for Caleb’s sake, then said a silent goodbye to my apartment. It would probably be at least nine months before I saw it again -ifI ever did.
But suddenly, my inhibitions from before seemed to melt away. I wasn’t worried about this anymore. My brother was going to be cured. He would live. The dread in the pit of my stomach lifted and went away.
This was a good decision. I was sure of that now.
With a smile still lingering on my face, I returned to the car. Since the weather was overcast, Pierce had rolled the window down a bit. He beamed when he saw me.
“You seem to be in a good mood,” he remarked as I hopped into the passenger seat.
I nodded. “I called my brother and let him know about the money.”
Pierce’s brows raised in genuine interest. “And?”
“He didn’t believe me at first, but then I could tell he wasreallyhappy,” I said, unable to stop myself from smiling.
Pierce returned the gesture. Warmth spread over his features. “That’s excellent. I’ll have the money transferred immediately.” He put his hand over mine. “Caleb will be just fine.”
“Yeah,” I said, choking up a bit, “and it’s all thanks to you.”
He shook his head. “Not at all.” Before I could interrupt him and argue, he said, “Well, then. Now that you have your things, shall we return home?”
