I was pacing the emergency waiting room so much that I was sure I was putting a hole in the carpet.
“Honey, why don’t you sit?” implored my mom again. She motioned toward an empty spot on the sofa next to her.
“Mom. I’m fine. Really.” I stuffed my hands in the pocket of my sweats. I moved my fingers frantically. Not sure what I was searching for. Lint? An old gum wrapper? Something to hold on to.
There was a soft knock at the door. I looked up, and it was Ari. Her curls were loose, framing her face like a soft, brown cotton candy cloud. She still wore her leggings from Pilates with a cardigan tied around her waist, with just a hint of her fleshy, soft stomach peeking out. She clutched her tote close to her body, moving closer with hesitation.
“Hello, Eloise. Desmond,” Ari said softly in the direction of my parents.
Without thinking, I got up and threw my arms around her as if it hadn’t been just hours since seeing her. I buried Ari’s head into my chest, smelling the familiar tropical scent of her hair. My fingers clutched her curls as I felt the tears run down my cheeks.
“Ari... I...” I barely could get it out.
“I know.” She hugged me around the waist, burying her head just a little deeper into me. She exhaled, and I felt the warmth of her breath through my T-shirt. I had to pull away to look at her face, to see if she was really in front of me. She’d come. Without a second thought, she’d come.
“What’s happening?” Ari asked.
My mom got up and hugged Ari. “Thank you for coming, dear. It’s Todd. He’s been in a nasty car accident.”
“And I should have been with him,” I interrupted.
Ari looked at me, confused. “Why should you have been there?”
“Because he called me. And I told him I wouldn’t come to the bar. I should have gone. I should have driven him home.”
My mother shook her head and put her hand on my shoulder. “Stop it, Porter.”
“Ari. I’m sorry for calling. I just...”
“Don’t be. I’m here for you. You know that.”
We sat on the sofa opposite my parents. I rested my head on Ari’s shoulder. I felt her fingers run through my hair, reminding me I desperately needed a fade. Why the fuck was I thinking about my hair at a time like this? My legs were shaking uncontrollably. Ari placed a hand on my knee, instantly suppressing the shaking.
“Ari, I’m a terrible brother. I should have been there. I’m just not understanding why he’d drive!”
“He’ll be okay. I know he will.”
I looked up at Ari. “I hope I wasn’t taking you away from anything important.”
Ari smiled. “I was at the cosmetic store with Bella. We had a ride in my new car. When you called, I was in line about to buy your favorite cologne.”
I smiled. “Really. My cologne?”
“Yes. It was a thank-you gift for helping with the car.”
My heart swelled at the thought of my scent being something she loved. I put my hand on top of hers, giving her an apologetic squeeze. “No gift necessary. But I’m so sorry I took you away from time with Bella.”
Ari shrugged. “She understood, Porter.”
Just then, Kim walked in. Her eyes were bloodshot as she clasped her hands in front of her. Her hair was stuffed under a ratty Howard baseball cap.
We all stood up, anticipating the worst. I held Ari’s hand tightly. She put her right hand over mine and rubbed it.
“He’s okay. He has a few broken ribs, wrist fracture, and a concussion,” said Kim, slowly. “But he’s going to be fine. The police were here, too. Todd is being charged with a DUI and possibly a few other things. He just...” Kim cried, choking on each syllable. “I’d organized the intervention and I thought it worked. I don’t know what to do.”
My mother went to Kim, hugging her. “You’re not alone, sweetheart. We will get through this. Don’t worry.”
“I’m sorry, Kim,” I said. “I should have been there.”
Kim looked at me, her brow furrowed. “Porter, oh my God. Please don’t do this. Don’t blame yourself. Trust me, I’ve done it too. We’ve done all that we can. Like the counselor said, alcoholism is a disease. This isn’t on any of us. You’re not his father. Todd is a grown man.”
You’re not his father. The words hit me hard, like a kick to the chest. I knew I wasn’t Senior, but I was his older brother. His only brother. The man of the family. I ignored every sign that it was getting bad. I should have known.
“How did this happen, Kim? I mean, why?” Fuck. What was I saying? It was a dumb question, one that I wasn’t sure I knew the answer to, nor did Kim.
Kim rubbed her temples. “It’s the job. He’d been working on an important case. You heard of Templeton Tobacco? They had been polluting the homes of minorities of the Georgia Sea Islands—many folks got cancer from the runoff in the water and land. Todd was fighting on behalf of the plaintiffs. Well, his partner’s godson, Kyle, that asshole got wind of it because his daddy and others in the firm had some financial interest in Templeton. He purposely tanked his case. That’s when the drinking got worse. Four years of work down the drain. The people won’t get a dime. They’ve been trying to find a reason to fire him. Now with this accident, Todd’s job status is...uncertain.”
My face heated with anger for my brother. “Todd told me about the guy at work, but I had no idea it was over a case this major.” I wanted to punch a wall, find this Kyle dude and dust him up. Ari squeezed my hand.
“Well, it is.” Kim continued, turning to address the rest of the family. “I want you all to go home and get some rest. Todd’s going to stay here overnight. Make sure nothing else is wrong. We will meet with the social worker to get him some help. Weigh our options. Not to mention, I need to call our attorney and the insurance company. It’s all such a mess. Mom, can you take the kids home with you and Daddy Des? They’re still at soccer practice.”
My mother nodded and then kissed Kim on her forehead. “Of course. We can keep the kids for as long as you need us to. We will work it out.” My mother looked at me and Ari, our hands still intertwined. I couldn’t let her go. I feared if I did, I’d pass out on the hospital floor.
“Ari, can you please look after my PJ? Make sure he gets home, okay? Get something to eat? I can tell by the way he’s shaking that he hasn’t eaten.”
Ari nodded her head. “Yes, Eloise. I can.”
Mom put her hand on Ari’s cheek. “Thank you, my sweet Ari.”
I looked at Ari. “Ari, it’s cool. I can drive. Trust me, I’m fine.”
Ari’s lips turned up into a smirk. “Didn’t Eloise ask me to make sure you were okay? Then I’m going to make sure you’re okay. Besides, I have a new car, remember? I’ll whip us up some dinner at home.”
I looked at Ari, repeating the word. “Home?” The word sounded both familiar and foreign from my lips. But when Ari said home, it felt warm. Safe.
Ari shrugged. “Sure. Unless you don’t want to.”
I looked over at my mom, attending to Kim, who smiled gently in my direction. I think it would give my mom some peace knowing I was in Ari’s hands.
“Yeah. Let’s go home.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ari