Walsh doesn’t answer right away. He stares at the ceiling as if thinking about his next words. “I was walking back from the store. It was late and I didn’t see them coming.”
“How many?” Christian asks, voice clipped.
“Three. Maybe four. I don’t know. It was fast, frantic, and it’s over. So let’s drop it.”
I sigh, and I know Christian and Seth feel the same. But we let it go.
“We’ll support whatever you want,” Seth says.
“I appreciate that, man. I really do. But right now I just want to get out of this bed, fly back to Utah with Dad, and rest up while I help him around the farm.”
“That doesn’t sound like taking it easy,” I say.
“Still. It’s what I want.”
The doctor enters, chart in hand, followed by Mr. Walsh clutching a cup of vending machine coffee that smells like burned cardboard.
“Well, your eye socket’s fractured,” the doctor says, pointing at Walsh with a sleek silver pen. “But luckily, there’s no internal bleeding. Your ribs are bruised, not broken, and you’ll need to see a dentist soon. You’re young and fit, so I see no reason you can’t go home tomorrow, as long as you take it easy.”
“Is he okay to fly?” his dad asks from beside me.
The doctor nods. “Yeah, he’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take him home. He can rest on the farm for a few days. I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“That sounds like a good plan. Farm air will do him good. Just go easy—too much manual labor and those ribs will make you pay.”
Walsh nods. “Yes, sir.”
43
Randy
I have no idea where my mom has been storing all my old toys, but just seeing them floods me with happy childhood memories. Rachel is intrigued as she passes Sam another army man, which he accepts and places in the back of the yellow truck. It wobbles in the tray as he walks it around the backyard, my mom watching him intently—her smile almost as big as Sam’s.
“I’m not sure who is having more fun,” Rachel says, her hand resting on my knee as we sit on the back step watching them.
“My mom,” I don’t hesitate to reply. “Honestly you’ve made her day.”
My mom dusts off her knees and stands, walking toward us with a broad smile still stretched across her face. “He is so gorgeous, Rachel. You should be so proud.”
Rachel beams. “I am—he’s my world. I’d be lost without him.”
“You have done an amazing job. And any time my boy here,” my mom head nods in my direction, “can take you on a date. I would be more than happy to watch him if you’re comfortable with that.”
“That’s really sweet, thank you.”
“Oh, no need to thank me. I’m usually home alone. He will be good company for me. He can help me with some baking,and I’m sure I still have more boxes of toys in the garage he can help me find.”
We've been at my mom’s house for the past four hours, and I’m glad to see how well they’re all getting along. My mom seems to adore Rachel, though Sam may still be her favorite, having already wrapped himself around her heart. No surprise there. He’s done the same to mine, though his mother owns it now. My phone rings in my pocket, and I reach for it. Seth’s name flashes across the screen. “No, I’m not sleeping with an Abigail,” I say, answering the phone with a grin. Rachel frowns comically and slaps my arm as I shoot her a look. Standing, I walk to the end of the patio to hear what Seth has to say.
“Walsh lands tomorrow afternoon,” he says, ignoring my comment and getting straight to the point like a typical male. “I was thinking we all go pick him up from the airport and head out to dinner.”
“Just us guys?”
“Whatever you boys want, you have the girlfriends,” Seth replies.
“I’m thinking just the boys. Maybe he might give us some more details if it’s just us four.”
