“Gotta get back,” Benny answered.
“For what?” Cal went on and Benny just looked at him.
Francesca.
Cal grinned but advised, “You’ve driven down here twice today. Put a bullet in a man. Rest. Eat frittata. Go home tomorrow.”
“Gotta get back,” Benny repeated and Cal turned fully to him.
Then he said quietly, “Ben, she’s in a hospital bed. She isn’t goin’ anywhere.”
Benny’s jaw got tight before he repeated, “Cal, I gotta get back.”
Cal studied his cousin. Then he nodded.
Everyone left with Benny the last to go. He gave Vi a hug and then he turned it on the girls. Cal walked him out to his SUV.
They were standing by the driver’s side door when Cal said, “You get tired, you pull over.”
“Right,” Benny muttered.
Cal was silent. So was Benny. Neither of them moved.
Then Cal said softly, “Wouldn’t be here right now, wasn’t for you.”
“I remember it right, by the time I got there, you had the situation under control.”
“I didn’t mean me, I meant Vi,” Cal replied.
Benny held his gaze.
Then he repeated, “Right.”
“Huge,” Cal said.
“What?” Benny asked.
“Owe you huge.”
Benny shook his head. “Nope. This was family.”
Cal sighed. Then he said, “Still owe you huge but, even so, you get back and you fuck that up with Frankie, you answer to me.”
He watched Benny’s body tense. “Your day was worse than mine but mine wasn’t so fuckin’ great either. Don’t piss me off.”
“You all been swimmin’ in muddy waters where it comes to Frankie and doin’ it for years. Don’t fuck it up.”
“Okay, now, gotta tell you, you’re pissin’ me off.”
“Just layin’ it out.”
“You think you might’ve wanted to lay it out seven years ago? Even before?” Benny suggested.
“Would you have listened?” Cal asked a pertinent question. He knew this because Benny’s face grew hard. “Don’t fuck it up,” Cal repeated.
“I’ll be sure to call, case I need advice,” Benny replied sarcastically.
“Don’t know if you noticed,” Cal jerked his head toward the house, “but I got it goin’ on.”
Benny stared at him three seconds. Then he burst out laughing.
“Yeah, kinda noticed,” Benny stated when he’d stopped laughing. “Though, I could do without runnin’ through the woods and shooting at bad guys and carrying damsels in distress who bleed all over my clothes and give me attitude back through those fuckin’ woods.”
“So maybe you best get in there while things are quiet,” Cal advised.
“I would, you shut up and let me get in my fuckin’ truck,” Benny returned and Cal chuckled and stepped back.
Benny opened the door, got in but Cal put his hand to the door when Benny moved to close it.
He leaned in and whispered, “Owe you huge.”
Then he let the door go and walked into his house.
*
Joe threw the covers back and settled on his back in the bed. The minute he did, I curled in.
“They asleep?” I asked.
“Keira is,” he replied, snaking an arm around me and pulling me closer, “Kate’s restless.”
“She okay?”
“She says she will be. Listenin’ to music.”
“Maybe I’ll go check.”
“Buddy, you move, I do to and that would be to tie you to this bed. Sleep. She’ll be okay.”
I lifted my head and looked at his face in the dark.
“I should check.”
“She’ll be okay.”
“She might need her Mom.”
“Vi, this is Kate. She’s got her Mom. She knows that. We’re all home. We’re all safe. Safer than we were yesterday. And we’ll be safe tomorrow. Just fuckin’ safe. Let her be. She doesn’t need you fussin’ because she’s got enough in her head. She doesn’t need to worry about why you’re fussin’. She needs to think you’re safe and sleepin’.”
He was right which was annoying.
“It’s annoying when you’re right,” I muttered.
“Better learn to get over that, you’ll need to get used to it.”
I rolled my eyes and settled in, head to his chest, ear to his heartbeat.
We were silent for awhile, me listening to the pounding of Joe’s heart, I didn’t know what Joe was doing.
“Today, I thought for a coupla hours you were dead,” I whispered.
“Vi –”
“Tomorrow, I glue a camera to my hand.”
“Violet –”
“I won’t need them. This is over and it’s just us now. But I want memories. Millions of them.”
He was silent.
Then he said, “Whatever you want, buddy.”
I would have lifted my head but I didn’t want to lose his heartbeat.
“Whatever I want?” I asked.
“Whatever you want.”
“Careful what you promise me, baby, even in your state.”
His body shook gently with his chuckle and his hand at my hip gave me a squeeze.
We were silent again then I called, “Joe?”
“Yeah, buddy.”
“I never said thank you.”
“Honey, for what?”
“For handin’ me the world.”
“Yeah you did,” he replied.