“Yeah, actually. I need us to take this portable defibulator and that case of meds. Thanks.” Evan and Alik exchanged a knowing glance. They were both scared out of their minds and doing their level best not to show it.
“Where’s the serum?” Alik whispered into his brother’s back.
“It’s in my front left pocket,” he whispered over his shoulder. “Would you rather hold it?”
“Sure. You have your hands full with Meg and her stuff,” he mumbled.
They turned to each other and hugged as brothers do so their exchange was unnoticed by anyone in the room. They felt better about Alik holding the serum. Evan was worried he’d lose it and Alik was just glad to feel some importance.
“The cars are here,” Creed called back in to the house from the front porch.
“I’m ready to go,” Margo spoke from behind the brothers.
“What?” the brothers said at the same time.
“Mom, you’re not going. It’s too dangerous,” Alik said matter-of-factly.
“Don’t even bother, boys. I’ve been trying for the last two hours to talk her out of this, but her mind’s made up,” Theo sighed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Alik looked furious.
“Mom, we have enough to worry about getting Meg and ourselves in and out of there safely. Please don’t add another liability to the equation,” Evan said logically.
Margo, suddenly looked very small and frail. Her eyes widened and tears began to stream down her tired cheeks. She hadn’t thought about it that way. She wasn’t strong enough to be an asset to her children anymore, at least, not physically, and she would slow them down. The realization struck her like a punch to the gut.
“Don’t cry mom. It’ll be okay,” Evan wrapped his long arms around his mother and hugged her gently.
Alik walked to them and enveloped both his brother and his mom in an even bigger hug. “We’ll take care of Meg, mom. We promise. We’ll bring her home to you.”
The boys walked their mom to a chair and sat her down carefully. Even through her tears the boys could see fierceness in her. The three huddled together for a moment in silent prayer.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as the travelers grabbed their bags and their sister and headed for the waiting cars.
36 What’s a Guy Gotta Do to Get a Pretzel on this Flight?
Tearful goodbyes were said as quickly as possible for everyone’s sake. The boys carefully loaded their sister’s gurney into the ambulance. Evan refused to leave her side so he rode in the back with the paramedic who was ordered, in no uncertain terms, not to touch the patient by a very intense looking Evan.
Alik and Creed slipped into the town car and sat silently for the twenty-minute drive to the airport. Alik kept looking behind them at the ambulance, making sure they were still back there and that everything seemed okay. He couldn’t stop recalling with his perfect clarity the image of his mother, Theo, Paulie, and Cole waving softly and hugging each other as they watched them drive away. Maze obeyed orders to “stay” but was howling his worry after the doors to Meg’s ambulance closed. His mom kept whisking tears away from her cheeks, and Theo kept a protective arm over her shoulder. Paulie, in his own way, was terrified for everyone, but he only stood with his arms crossing his ample belly and nodded encouragingly his farewell.
Cole was not at all discreet about his frustration at being left behind, again. He stood somewhat separate from the others, hands crammed into his pockets and chewing on his bottom lip. Cole had become even more distant over the last several weeks and Meg’s illness seemed to have pushed him further away.
Alik recalled the way the palm trees danced in the ocean breeze, and the way Paulie’s house stood happily on the hilltop. He remembered the way his mother’s brown hair whisked into her eyes and how she, without thinking about it, reached up and tucked the errant locks behind her ear with those hardworking hands of hers. He saw Maze’s body tense as he tossed his head back in frustrated howls. He loved his family so much.
All Alik wanted, more than anything in the world was to have his family healthy and happy and living right here with their friend Paulie on the beach. Alik sighed deeply, so lost in thought he was unaware that he’d made a sound there in the back of the town car.
“There’s our jet,” Creed said softly as he nodded toward the medium-sized liner parked on the tarmac.
“It’s larger than I expected,” Alik said, making conversation.