Deacon satin his office with the We-C-U projections for the first quarter up on his computer screen, but he was staring at the last text he’d sent Jenna and contemplating whether or not he should send her another one, call, or send more flowers, this time maybe to her salon.
He knew he would be seeing her that evening. It was the Christmas Parade, and Tabby had told him about a thousand times that they had to be there by 7:30 to watch Blake on the cheer float. It was actually pretty sweet, all of the younger siblings of the squad got Hope Falls Huskies Cheer t-shirts to wear, and Blake made a t-shirt for Tabby. The two girls had grown even closer since Tabby broke her arm. Trauma bond was a real thing.
Poppy was picking Tabby up from school and then taking her to get pom-poms for the parade. He needed to focus on work, but all he could think about was Jenna. When there was a knock on Deacon’s front door, he was actually relieved for the distraction. When he answered it, he was surprised to see AJ standing on his porch.
“Hey man.” He opened the door to let him in.
The last time AJ had shown up at his door, he’d been there to give him an ultimatum, which he’d appreciated instead of going directly to his sister behind Deacon’s back, he wondered what this visit was for.
“You asked me to look into the crash, and I did, but I don’t know if you are going to want to know the information I uncovered, and I didn’t want to email it to you.”
Holy shit. IfAJthought it would be inappropriate to just email then, fuck, it was really bad.
Deacon totally forgot he’d sent AJ a message from the plane on the way to meet his mom after his conversation with Jenna because she’d made him wonder if there might be something more to the crash. So much had happened since then if felt like a lifetime ago.
He took a deep breath, crossed his arms and stood with his legs slightly apart. He felt himself bracing for impact. His chest was tight, and his stomach twisted in a knot.
AJ’s expression was difficult to read, but there was a weight to it, a somber gravity that Deacon couldn’t quite name. He handed Deacon a manila folder. “I wouldn’t be giving you this information unless I was one hundred percent certain it was the truth. I triple-verified my sources and also pulled in some favors to get a look at some reports and access files and interviews that had been, rather tried to be, buried.
“Your mom was diagnosed with a very aggressive brain tumor six months before the crash. She was given nine months to a year to live.”
Deacon pulled out X-rays and MRIs. He was reading the doctor’s reports, but he wasn’t exactly sure what they meant.
“And then five weeks before the crash your father was diagnosed with stage 4 ALS.”
“What?!” Deacon lifted his head to look at AJ.
“From what I could find, he hid it from your mother. She never went to an appointment with him. He only went to three, and they were all scheduled when she was either at a treatment or at a massage.”
“Treatment?” His mother went to treatment.
“She did try and shrink the tumor, but it was too aggressive.”
“So what? They just decided to Thelma and Louise it?” Deacon stared down at the medical records.
AJ took another breath, and Deacon realized he wasn’t done.
“No. I looked at your mother’s toxicology report on her autopsy. She had enough morphine in her system to tranquilize a horse. I’m confident your father planned the crash, and your mother was unconscious and unaware.”
“So, he killed her. He killed himself and my mom.”
AJ took a breath, and Deacon waited, realizing that was a pattern with AJ, if he took a breath he was about to say something important.
“She had weeks to live. The tumor had spread to a portion of her brain that affected memory and motor skills. And her quality of life would have been horrific, and the same for him.”
Deacon knew that AJ was just stating facts, that’s what he did, but there was still an emotional aspect to this, and he appreciated that he’d come over and delivered the news the way he had.
“Thank you for doing this for me. And for coming over to tell me.”
“That’s what family does.”
Deacon nodded.
“Do you need a hug?” It was clear AJ didnotwant to give him a hug, he had sensory issues, but he held out his arms indicating he would make the sacrifice. “I never know?—”
“No.” Deacon smiled, letting him off the hook. “I’m good, man, but thanks.”
AJ nodded and left without saying goodbye. Deacon closed the door behind him and was once again confused as to why anyone would not love AJ. He said exactly what he thought, he never lied. You always knew how he felt about you. If AJ ever wanted a best friend, Deacon would happily volunteer for the job. Although he was pretty sure Poppy had that spot on lock.
