I went straight to my desk and started pulling out my painting supplies. Miles’ birthday was in a few days and I was planning on giving him a painted glasses case.
Pushing everything out of my mind, I picked up the simple blank metal eyeglass case from the store. I pulled up pictures of the Aurora Borealis on my laptop. Running through them, I found one that looked amazing and started painting. For two hours I focused on keeping my brush strokes precise as I painted the snowy mountains and the brilliant lights in the sky above them. My phone rang, making me jump.
“Yeah?” I answered as I checked the eyeglass case for damage.
“Hey, Lexie.” Riley’s voice filled my ear. “How’d it go?”
I hesitated to answer. Yeah, I had told Riley about the spot on my brain. But… this… I didn’t want to talk about it. “Fine,” I muttered.
“Fine?” Riley asked.
“My voice is still messed up,” I admitted. “The other one was fine.” I swallowed hard. I needed to change the subject. “So, when am I going to meet this guy you’ve been crushing on?”
She sighed. “When I know there’s something there.”
“You won’t know until you try.” I smiled as I started cleaning my brush.
“Neither will you,” she reminded me.
My smile dimmed. “I’m fine, Riley. Don’t worry about me. I want to hear more about this awesome guy.”
She sighed. She must have realized I wasn’t going to budge, because she started telling me about the guy she’d been crushing on for a month now. She was so into this guy that it made me smile. It was normal. And I desperately needed it right now.
Rory
I closed the door on the delivery guy and took the pizzas to the table where the pamphlets were spread out. With a heavy heart, I pulled out dishes and took them to the table. Only then did I realize that I had ordered enough pizza for the guys. I snorted. Those boys were usually here on pizza night. I hadn’t even thought about it. In fact… I looked at the stairs. Maybe I should call them. I looked back at the pamphlets on the table. After our talk.
“Lexie! Dinner!” I shouted with a vise in my chest. This was going to be a shitty talk. I went back to the kitchen and pulled out the parmesan cheese and pepper flakes. By the time I walked back, Lexie was starting to sit down. I set them down and took my seat.
We were silent as we started eating. Lexie kept her eyes on her plate and off the pamphlets in front of me. She ate mechanically, as if she didn't even taste it. I hated to do it, but… “Lexie…”
She kept her eyes on the table.
“We need to talk about what you’d want if”—I swallowed hard— “if the damage gets worse.”
“No,” she stated, still looking at her plate.
My chest burned. Shit. “There wasn’t a mistake—”
“I’m not doing this now,” she growled quietly. She lifted her head and her eyes met mine. “I just… need time.”
I weighed what Peltier had said with what she needed. It wasn’t fair to make her talk about it now, but… time wasn’t on our side. Then again, it was her body. Her life. “A few days. Then I need to know what you want to do.”
She nodded before she got to her feet and took her dish into the kitchen. She silently took Hades into the backyard.
I rested my elbows on the table and buried my face in my hands. My chest was one deep ache. I took slow, deep breaths as my eyes burned. Lexie was going to die. Soon. I had to face it. She should have more fucking time! Hot tears rolled down my face. She was going to have to wear her beads all the time. It was the only thing that had ever worked before. Surgery might work, but only as a stopgap. We both knew it. I wiped my face and looked up.
“Henry, man,” I whispered, hoping he’d hear me. “If you got any pull up there, use it. Your baby girl… she’s struggling down here. And there’s nothing I can…” I looked back down at the table as fresh tears flowed. I was going to lose her, too.
Knock it off, Rory! I cursed. She’s the one dying, not you! She needs your help to deal with this. She’s a fucking kid! I dropped my hands to the table and kept mentally yelling at myself. You can break later. Right now, Lexie’s the one struggling. She doesn’t need your shit too! That did it. I wiped my face and took several deep breaths until I had control. I looked out the doors and spotted Lexie lying on the dock, looking up at the sky with Hades beside her.
She was probably thinking her life was over. But she still had time. She wasn’t alone. I pulled out my phone and texted Miles.
Rory: What is everyone up to tonight?
It didn’t take long for a response.
Miles: Zeke is working, everyone else is at home.
Rory: Tell everyone there’s pizza at the house, I ordered too much.
Miles: LOL. The twins will get there first.
Rory: I’ll hide a couple pizzas from them.
Miles: I’ll let them know.
I smiled. The guys would be here soon. I got to my feet and went out back. She didn’t move as I came to sit next to her.
“Talk to me, kid,” I told her gently.
“About what?” Her voice was rough.
“Anything,” I bit out. What the fuck was I supposed to say? There weren’t instructions here.
“Why now?” she asked in a whisper. “For years I expected it and it never happened. But now… now, I’m living my life. Things are okay. Why fucking now?”
“We never know when it’s going to happen. You could still have years. You might have to slow down to get them, but… you are still alive now.”
“I don’t want to think about this, Rory,” she told me.
“I know, but you need to soon,” I said quietly. “I hate to say it, but you do.”
“Just… not today,” she said.
I nodded. “Not today.” I squeezed her shoulder and got to my feet. “The guys will be here soon.” I walked back into the house and picked up the pamphlets, staring sightlessly at them for a moment. I took them upstairs and placed them in her desk drawer. There was a knock on the front door. “Open the door, Miles!” I shouted as I started down the stairs.
The front door opened. Miles stepped in, uncomfortable about walking in as usual. The kid spent enough time here to have his own key, you’d think occasionally he’d use the damn thing. Those sharp eyes ran over my face and then grew blank.
“Is everything alright?” Miles asked carefully.
I gave him a grin and headed for the dinner table. “Yeah, fine. Pizza is here.”
He eyed me, his lips moving into a tight line. “Where’s Lexie?”
I met his gaze. “She’s on the dock with Hades.”
Miles moved to look out the glass French doors. “How was her appointment?”
“Ask her,” I told him. His eyes shot to me, then he was moving out the door in a heartbeat. I grinned. I liked that kid.
Lexie
Sweat ran down my neck. This heat wave was killer and it was only the beginning of summer. I was so deep in my head that I didn’t know I had company until I smelled wintergreen. Miles sat beside me and looked down at me. His face was lit up by the fading sun. His high cheekbones and angled jaw gave him a cute face. His wavy brown hair was curling again; he needed another trim. His emerald green eyes watched me from behind his black-rimmed glasses. He was leaner than the other boys, but his shoulders were still broad with some muscle to them.
“Are you alright?” he asked immediately, his voice a quiet timbre.
I kept my eyes on the mix of colors in the sky. “Yeah. Fine”
His eyes narrowed. “Whenever you say ‘fine,’ you’re usually lying.”
My eyes jumped to his. “What?”
He grinned sweetly down at me. “It’s just something I’ve noticed. How did the doctor appointment go?”
I swallowed hard and looked back up at the sky. “My voice is still messed up, only permanently. Now we’re just trying to stop any more damage.”
“I’m sorry, Lexie,” he said in that silky-smooth voice of his.
“Me too,” I whispered, my eyes burning.
He reached over and gently took my hand off my stomach before holding it in his. “That’s not all, is it?”