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“It’s just for a week.”
John sighed as he read the text. Alex was right. It was just for a week. Nothing more, and unfortunately nothing less. A week in North Carolina with his dad and siblings. Just a week. Then back to New York. Back to his boyfriend. Back to his real life.
“Son, are you going to spend the entire week on that infernal device?”
John looked up to see his dad glaring back at him as they walk through the airport. His phone vibrated again with another text from Alex.
“But I’ll miss you at the parade tomorrow L.”
“John?”
“No sir,” John replied to his father, Henry. “Let me just respond to Alex. I told him I’d let him know when I got here.”
“I’m sure your roommate can survive a week without you,” he huffed as they approached the doors.
John bit his lip. Of course Alex would be fine for a week without him. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was…well he couldn’t exactly tell his father the real reason he was texting Alex. No. He couldn’t say that his boyfriend asked him to let him know when he’d made it to the airport. Nor could he say that the conversation had devolved into them discussing the fact that John had no desire to spend a week with his father and would rather be with Alex at the New York pride parade.
“I just said I’d let him know I landed okay. Alex worries about stuff like that.”
“Fine.” Henry held open the door for John to slide past him. “But I expect you to put it down at some point this week and spend the time you have with your family.”
“Of course, sir.” John flashed him a small forced smile as he stepped outside. He shot Alex a text while they walked through the parking lot. He could still text, just would have to be cautious. Didn’t want his father to catch onto why Alex was so chatty with him. That wouldn’t do.
It wasn’t that John was ashamed of Alex and their relationship. It took all he had not to shout from the rooftops that he was in love with the man, that he had been since they met in their freshman dorm at Columbia University. But his father couldn’t know that. Not yet.
John made a show of putting his phone in his pocket before getting into the car.
“Thank you,” Henry sighed as he slipped into the driver’s seat. “It’s just a week, John.” John tensed in the seat at the words. “Though I don’t understand why you can’t stay longer. It is summer after all.”
“We’ve been through this.” John bit his lip and breathed in through his nose. “I start my summer job in two weeks.”
“I am aware. But I don’t understand why you have to work. There is no need for it.” The car pulled out of the parking lot. “I am paying for your education.”
“Dad, it isn’t just about money.” In through the nose, out through the mouth. “I appreciate your help. I do. But I need clinical experience for med school applications. A job as a medical scribe gives me that and lets me put back some money.”
“If you wanted clinical experience, you know my friend Dr. Madison would have allowed you to shadow him.”
“Yes, but he works in a private practice. That’s not really what I want.”
“It should be. If you want to make any money,” Henry huffed.
John turned to stare out the window, tired of his father’s sighing and huffing and unrelenting criticism.
“I just don’t understand why you have to stay in New York all summer with those friends of yours.”
There it was…
“Dad—”
“It’s rude to interrupt, John.” John bit the inside of his cheek to stop from saying anything. “I just don’t understand why you have to stay in New York so damn much when your family is here.”
“I—”
“Especially when they are all—”
“Dad, please. They’re good people.”
“It’s just not right. Not right for a young man to spend all his time like that. Away from your family with those boys.”
“It isn’t just that. I like New York. I’m making connections and—”
“Do you have a nice girl up in New York? Is that what this is about?”
It took all he had not to bang his head against the dashboard. “No, dad, I don’t have a girlfriend right now.”
“You never have girlfriends. Not since you left for New York.”
“I’ve been busy.” It wasn’t a lie. He’d been busy. Granted, it happened to be with Alex.
Henry turned onto the dirt road that led to their estate. “All the more reason for you to visit for the summer. You were such the ladies’ man in high school.”
John’s stomach turned at those words. He’d never been a ladies’ man. He had female friends, sure. But he never really dated any of them. His father always assumed. John never corrected him.
“My career is important to me. You’ve always encouraged me to pursue a proper education.”
Henry pulled into their driveway. “Yes. I just hoped that education would be at a proper southern university for a law degree like my own. Not at some liberal school up north studying—”
“Medicine is a respectable degree. Columbia is a prestigious school.”
“What did I say about interrupting me?”
John shook his head and climbed out of the car. He grabbed his duffle bag before his father could continue the discussion and jogged up the white porch to the door. Thankfully, his sister Martha must have been watching for them. She opened the door and instantly threw her arms around him.
“Jacky!”
“Hey sis,” he mumbled into her hair, holding her tightly.
“Martha, give the boy space to breath,” Henry scolded.
“Oh nonsense, daddy,” Martha laughed. “I haven’t seen Jacky since Christmas.” She pulled away and fixed John with a warm smile. “He can put up with a few hugs.”
“Even if they do bruise my ribs,” John teased, smiling for the first time since stepping onto the plane.
“Well you better get used to it.” Martha jabbed him in the arm. “Mary and Huck are inside waiting to see you.”
“Why must you still call Henry Jr. by that name?” their father grumbled, opening the door for his children.
“Because, it’s his nickname,” Martha stated.
It’s what mama called him. John wanted to say.
“Jacky!” Before John could dwell, his youngest siblings threw themselves at him, hugging him tightly. John did miss his siblings. He loved them. Martha, at 20 and in college herself, was always his closest friend growing up. Huck, at 18, reminded John of himself at that age; eager to leave and ready to start his own path. And Mary, at 15, was still innocent despite the losses their family had taken over the years. Despite losing mama and Jimmy. Despite their father.
John pushed himself to stay in the moment and to ignore his father. The man rolled his eyes at the way the siblings hugged and fumbled over each other in their eagerness to greet their brother. John tried not to look at him. He wasn’t important. His siblings were.
John spent the evening with them, shooting hoops outside and lounging on the porch. Their father remained locked in his den working until the cook called them for dinner. He could no longer ignore his father there, not when he picked up with his criticisms once the pork loin was placed in front of him. John heard everything from ‘why is your hair so damn long’ to ‘what’s wrong with find yourself a nice girl at the country club’ to ‘if you could spare us some more time in your busy schedule…’”
John yawned loudly as soon as he finished his meal. “I hate to ask, but do you guys mind if I skip out on the dessert? I’m pretty wiped from travelling.”
“John I—”
“Dad, let him rest,” Martha interrupted, earning a scowl from their father and a grateful smile from John. “Besides, you said you want to take all of us out for breakfast in the morning. That means he’ll have to get up early.”
“Fine,” his father relented, rubbing his temples. “But don’t forget to set an alarm.”
“Yes sir.” John excused himself and all but ran to his room. He shut and locked the door behind him, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he went. He was always grateful that his bedroom was on the third floor of their house, the farthest away from their father’s quarters. He flung himself on his bed and dialed Alex’s number.
“Well hello my dear Laurens.”
John’s face broke into a smile at Alex’s voice. “Hey.” The words came out as a relieved sigh.
“You okay?”
“Hmm…I guess. Just the usual dad stuff.”
“I’m sorry. I know he can be intense. What has he been talking about this time?”
“Let’s see, my hair’s too long, my career ambitions are all wrong, I need a girlfriend, I don’t need to spend so much of my time with friends like you guys, I don’t need to have a summer job that keeps me in New York, and—”
“Fuck,” Alex cursed.
“And that was just during dinner alone.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Six more days.”
“It’ll go by fast. Then we will have the rest of the summer together.”
“So ready for that.” John shifted his pillows so he could sit up in bed. “I wish I could be there for tomorrow.”
“Me too. I was really hoping we could do our first march together.”
“Same. Are the others ready though? It should be fun with them.”
“Yeah. Laf is going all out. You know how he gets.” Alex chuckled into the phone. “I’m pretty sure he managed to find a rainbow tutu in not only his size, but also Herc’s.”
“You have to take pictures of that for me.”
“Of course! The girls are going too. I think Angelica even convinced her boyfriend and Aaron to tag along. Should make for an interesting experience all around.”
“Again, pictures.”
“Of course. You want me to text pictures or just wait to show you when you get back?”
“Texting is fine. Just wait til the evening if you don’t mind. Dad’s being strict on the phone thing this time around. He got annoyed at me for spending so much time texting back at Christmas.”
“Will do,” Alex replied around a yawn.
“You should go to sleep. Lafayette will have you up at the ass crack of dawn to help him get ready for the parade.” Alex groaned. “You’ll have fun.”
“Would be more fun with you.”
John smiled sadly. “Love you lots.”
“Love you too. Good luck with your dad.”
John ended the call and tossed his phone onto the nightstand. He ran his hands over his face. He dreaded tomorrow...
xxxxxx
Things were the same at brunch as they had been at dinner. Only this time, John had mimosas to keep him company while his father rambled off everything he thought John did wrong. John longed to be home with Alex, watching Lafayette boss everyone around to prep for the parade and taking part in the general chaos that was their friends. He couldn't even check in to see how everyone was doing that morning. Henry has banned cell phones from brunch all together, forcing all of them to leave the devices behind in their respective rooms. It was a miserable brunch that turned into horrendous hours of mingling with his father's club friends, hearing one after the other ask him if he remembered their daughter and would go out with her while he was in town.
John had never been so happy as to see his parents’ estate looming in the background come that afternoon.
"Jacky? Will you watch movies with me?" Mary asked once they family finally pulled into their driveway. It was just past two in the afternoon. John wanted nothing more than to go check his phone, but that wasn't his sister's fault.
"Yeah. Sure. What do you want to watch?"
"Jacky, never ask her that," Huck teased, clapping him on the shoulder. "You'll get stuck watching the girliest of crap!"
John laughed at his brother. "I'm sure it will be fine." He tweaked his sister's curls. "Go pick out something. I'll set the TV up."
Mary bounded towards their DVD case and began sorting through her options while John turned on the TV. The room filled with the sound of a news station his father had been watching that morning.
“Violence broke out in New York City early this afternoon at the pride parade.”
John fell back on his haunches and stared at the screen in shock. He didn’t hear the rest of his family come into the room. He didn’t see anything other than the screen cut from the newscaster to images of the New York streets.
“Witnesses state that protester, Charles Lee, was seen throwing full water bottles at marchers in the street. One clipped Columbia student Gilbert Lafayette above the eye as he marched past. The group of marchers with him stopped to confront Lee and report him to security.”
“Serves them right,” Henry muttered somewhere in the background.
“Mr. Lafayette’s friend and fellow Columbia student, Alexander Hamilton, soon took the brunt of Lee’s attack. Witnesses report that Mr. Hamilton civilly confronted Lee and did nothing to instigate the violence that soon followed.”
“Hmph, doubtful,” Henry grumbled again. John heard none of that. His ears rung with the words from the news report. Alex took the brunt of the attack…
“Lee was seen jumping over the barricades and attacking Mr. Hamilton, first with fists and then with a hunting knife he had concealed in his backpack along with the water bottles. Security and police intervened, arresting Lee. Mr. Hamilton was ambulanced to the hospital in critical condition. We will follow this story with more information…”
Critical condition…
John’s head spun at those words. His legs gave out from under him and he fell the rest of the way to the floor, landing on his butt with a harsh thud.
“John?” Martha gently prodded.
“Dude, was that your roommate?” Huck questioned gently.
“Hmph,” Henry sighed. “I wouldn’t be surprised. That boy is nothing but trouble.”
“Daddy!” Mary gasped.
“Don’t daddy me, young lady,” he spat back. “Anyone who goes to one of those events should expect something like this to happen. Why I—”
John managed to get to his feet and rushed out of the room, not hearing the rest of his father’s tirade. He needed his phone. He needed to talk to his friends. He needed to get back to them. He needed to be there for Alex.
He stumbled up the stairs and into his bedroom. His phone blinked with missed calls and unread texts. He didn’t bother sorting through them. He clicked on the most recent missed call so that his phone would dial the number back.
“Thank God!”
“Aaron?” John sighed. He ran around his room as he spoke, grabbing the few items of clothing he had unpacked and throwing them back into his duffle bag.
“We’ve been trying to reach you for two hours! Where the hell have you been?”
“Fuck,” John cursed. “My dad made a no cell phone rule this morning. Shit. I just saw the news. I –fuck!”
“Hey, it’s okay, man. It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”
“What if he’s not? What do I do?”
“Shh…let me talk for a minute, man. It’s okay. Alex is in surgery right now.”
“How bad?”
“He’s banged up pretty bad. Lee managed to bruise his ribs, break his wrist, and got a knock to his head. Alex fought back…got a few hits of his own in. Think that is what pissed Lee off more. He grabbed the knife after Alex retaliated.”
“Fuck—a knife?”
“Yeah, John, a knife.” John could hear Aaron swallowing thickly on the other end of the phone. “Got him right below the ribs on his left side. Doctors don’t think it hit anything vital but they’re checking now and patching him up. Laf is fine. He’s got some bruising and cuts, but nothing major. Same with the rest of us.”
“Damn, how does this happen?”
“I don’t know John. Look, can you come back? I think Alex is going to need you.”
“Yeah, I’m going to call the airport as soon as I get off here.”
“Good. I’ll let you go. I need to call Theodosia back. She’s freaking out.”
“Thanks, Aaron. If you see Alex before I get there, tell him I love him.”
“Jacky?”
John hung up the phone and turned around to face Martha.
“Jacky, are you okay?” She crossed the room and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re shaking? Is this about Alex?”
“Now’s really not the time, sis.” He tried to shrug out of her arms so that he could go back to packing. “I need to call the airport and—”
“Airport? Are you leaving? I—”
“I need to go back. Alex is…” His voice trailed off, tears filling his eyes.
“Jacky, you’re scaring me.”
“Alex is in rough shape. You saw the news. I need to be there for him.”
“Bub, I doubt there is anything you can do right now. He has his other friends there. I know you’re not his only friend. I get it. I know you care about him but—”
“Fuck, Martha, I love him, okay?”
“You what?”
John froze at his father’s booming voice. He hadn’t heard him approach. “Dad I—”
“No, tell me what you just said.” Henry stalked into the room. “Martha, leave now.”
“Daddy I—”
“I said—”
“Dad!” John yelled. “Leave her alone.” He grabbed his sister and pulled her towards him, sliding her behind him just in case. His father never hurt her, but it was better safe than sorry. “I said I love Alex. And I do.”
“John, you better think about what you are saying to me.”
“No,” John stood up straighter. He could feel Martha’s nails did into his back. “No, I’m tired of this bullshit, dad. I love Alex. You aren’t going to change that. I’ve loved him for a long time now and I need to go be with him. He’s in bad shape and—”
“Serves him right! You are not to go back!”
“I am twenty two years old! You don’t get to decide that!”
“I—”
“No! You don’t.” John grabbed his duffle and phone. “I need to call the airport and—”
Henry grabbed him by the back of the shirt and shoved him towards the wall. The shock of it had John freezing. His father had never touched them. Never physically hurt them.
“If you walk out that door, that’s it. You will never be allowed back. There will be no more support. You will not be apart of this family.”
“Dad!” Martha screamed.
“Stay out of this,” Henry warned.
John took a deep breath and shoved his father’s hands off of him. “Martha, I love you. Tell Huck and Mary I love them.”
“John!”
He didn’t stop. He ran down the stairs and out the door. He could hear his father yelling behind him, throwing slurs and curses his way. He could hear his sisters crying. But he couldn’t stop. He walked to the edge of the estate before he stopped long enough to call the airport. He managed to get his tickets sorted out and a cab sent to him. He made it all the way to the airport without shedding a tear. He had to stay strong.
xxxxxxx
John moved through the airport in a daze. He bumped into others trying to find their way out and earned more than a few curses as he went. He had his eyes on the door and the door alone.
He felt someone grab his arm and tug him. He swung out, not knowing what was happening. “Woah! Hey! John! What the hell!”
John blinked and took in the face that belonged to the voice and hand. “Aaron?”
“Shit.” Aaron shrugged away from John and straightened his shirt.
“Sorry,” John muttered. “Little distracted.”
“I noticed.” Aaron leaned down and grabbed John’s duffle. He hadn’t even realized that he had dropped it. “I’m just here to update you and bring you to the hospital.”
“You?”
“Oh don’t sound so shocked,” Aaron snapped as he guided John towards the doors. “I’m the only one who has his own car.”
“That’s because no one else sees the point of owning a car in the city besides you.”
Aaron breathed in deeply as they hopped on the shuttle headed towards the parking lot. “Do you really want to bitch me out about my car right now?”
John sighed. “No. I’m sorry. I do appreciate you coming.”
Aaron nodded. “He’s doing okay. You should know that first of all. Surgery went fine. Missed all major organs and arteries. Tore the shit out of the muscle and will hurt like a bitch for a while. They repaired the damage and are giving him blood transfusions to make up for what he lost.”
“Has he been conscious?” John asked as the shuttle came to a halt. They stepped off and Aaron started leading the way to his car.
“Not really. He woke from the anesthesia for a few minutes in recovery from what the nurses said. He was mostly asleep when he was brought to his room though. No one’s texted that anything has really changed.”
“Oh.”
Aaron pushed John into his car before climbing into the driver’s seat. “He’s okay, man, promise.” John bit his lip and just nodded. Aaron turned the engine over and pulled out of the parking lot. “What did you end up telling your family?”
John ran a hand through his hair, mussing it out of the bun in places. “The truth.” Aaron’s hands jerked on the wheel at John’s words, causing the car to swerve for a moment. “Dude!”
“Sorry!” Aaron quickly apologized, focus fully on the road. “But for real? You came out to them?”
“Wasn’t on purpose but yeah.”
“Shit.”
“Basically.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah,” John huffed. He slid down into the car seat. “I turned on the news and saw about…it. I panicked and ran upstairs to get my phone. They all heard Alex’s name in the report. My sister came to check on me. She was upset that I was leaving and kept asking me things. I ended up blurting it out that I loved Alex.”
“Damn.”
“That’s not even the worst part. My father was in the doorway when I said it. I didn’t see him.”
“How’d he take it?” Aaron turned onto the road leading to the hospital.
“Well, I think he disowned me.”
“John I—”
“Let’s just focus on Alex for now, Burr.” The car came to a stop in front of the hospital. “I’m okay. It’s not like I was close to my dad. He’s always been an asshole so this is nothing new. I’ll figure out what it means with my siblings later. I’m okay financially and all too; my mom fixed all that when she got sick for each of us. It’ll work out. I’ll be okay.”
The two men climbed out of the car and began walking to the entrance. Aaron squeezed John’s shoulder as the walked. The action was so unlike the man that John nearly startled at the touch.
“Thank god!”
John smiled a little at Hercules’s familiar, booming voice as he rounded the corner of the hallway. Aaron had guided him up to the unit, assuring him that everyone would be in the small lobby on Alex’s floor. The Schuyler sisters were sitting off to the side, Angelica’s boyfriend talking to them quietly. Hercules walked forward, pulling John into a tight hug. Aaron slid into the room and sat next to the girls.
“Hey, Herc,” John mumbled into the man’s shoulder.
“Hey, kid. Happy to have you back with us.” Hercules pulled away, clapping John on the shoulders.
“How’s Alex?”
“He’s doing okay,” Hercules replies. “Laf and Eliza are with him right now. Doctors only want a few of us in at a time.” John’s face fell at the words. “We’re all going to head home soon though, give you time with him. The docs said you could stay with him over night if you want. They fixed him up in with a private room. Something about the organizers of the parade or something doing it. I don’t know. I wasn’t really listening to much past how Alex was.”
“Thanks,” John sighed.
“I’ll take your stuff back to your place,” Aaron said as he stood.
“One of us will come in the morning to relieve you and take you home too,” Angelica added.
Hercules gently pushed him forward. “Go on. Room 432. Right down the hall there.”
John smiled at the group and thanked them one last time before turning in the direction of Alex’s room. He knocked gently and opened the door.
“Johnny boy,” Laf greeted in a soft voice. He had a small Band-Aid above his eye but was smiling at John nonetheless.
“Hey, how are you?”
“Pfft.” Lafayette waved him off. “I am fine, mon ami.”
“I’m staying the night with him,” Eliza added. “Just in case.”
“Good.” John leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How about him?”
“He woke for a few minutes,” Lafayette replied.
“He was a little panicked but okay,” Eliza continued. “He was better once he saw that everyone was fine. I think he’ll be happier to see you though.”
“Definitely,” Lafayette smiled. “The doctors think he should start to be more coherent when he awakes again.”
John nodded, letting his eyes drift over to Alex. He looked pale, with the bags under his eyes darker than normal. An oxygen cannula snaked around his face and connected at his nose. His left arm was in a cast off to the side of the bed. His right was bandaged; covering what John would assume was defensive wounds from Lee’s knife. His neck and chest sported bruises of their own from what little the hospital gown left uncovered. The thick blankets hid the real damage.
“John?” Eliza called. “We’re going to head out.”
He nodded. “Thank you guys for being here for him.”
“Always, mon ami.” Lafayette stood and hugged his friend. “Call us if you need anything.”
Eliza followed suit, hugging him and leaving behind Laf. John settled down into the chair she had vacated and continued to take stock of Alex’s condition. He looked bad. Not as bad as John’s mind had pictured, but bad nonetheless.
John ran his fingers along Alex’s arm, gently rubbing at the cold flesh above the bandages. He stayed there, watching Alex and rubbing his arm for he didn’t know how long. Eventually, Alex stirred slightly under the touch. His breathing picked up and his brow knit before his eyes blinked open. He let out a moan and his breathing continued to quicken.
“Hey, Alex, shh. It’s okay, babe. You’re okay.”
“H’rts.”
John fumbled for the control for Alex’s pain medication. He clicked the button on the pump and placed it in Alex’s good hand. “There you go. It’s okay. You’re okay.” John kept one hand around Alex’s with the control and used the other to smooth out the creases on his forehead. “Just breath with me, babe. That’s it. You’re okay. It’s safe. Everyone’s safe.”
Alex screwed his eyes shut as he rode out the pain and waited for the medicine to take effect. After a few moments, he slowly opened them again. “J’hn?”
John smiled at Alex. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the man’s forehead. “I’m right here.”
“Mmm.” Alex extracted his hand from John’s and rubbed it over his face, knocking the cannula askew.
“Easy there.” John straightened it back out.
“How’d you get here?” Alex asked, his voice still slurred, but slightly better.
“Changed my flights as soon as I heard what happened. How’re you feeling?”
Alex reached for John’s hand. “Been better.” He gave John a watery smile. “Happy you’re here though.”
“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He kissed Alex’s hand.
“Your family?”
“What about them?” John asked nervously.
“How…” Alex paused to lick his cracked lips. “How’d you get away?”
“Don’t worry about that right now.”
Alex blinked his eyes and focused on John’s face. “John?”
“Really, it’s not important.”
“But—”
“No, John.” Alex started to push himself up in the bed, but quickly fell back with a pained grunt.
“Yeah, let’s not do that,” John warned. He helped Alex settle back in the bed and pulled the covers over him. “In case you have forgotten, an asshole stabbed you in the side and I’m betting you have a shit ton of stitches.”
“Eleven.”
“Fuck,” John cursed.
“John?” Alex fixed him with a look. “What’s wrong?”
John sighed. “I told my family. Dad reacted about as well as I expected.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alex mumbled. “My fault. I—”
“None of this is your fault.” John ran his knuckles along Alex’s cheek. “You aren’t responsible for my father. Or for the actions of Lee. The only thing you are responsible for is taking it easy and getting better.”
“Hmph, not so good at takin’ it easy.”
John laughed at that. “Well, good thing you’re stuck with my ass then.”
Alex gave him a slightly dopey smile. “Worse asses to be stuck with. Yours is pretty fine, you know.”
John shook his head fondly at his boyfriend. Maybe they would be okay after all.
xxxxxx
Alex spent the following days drifting in and out of sleep in the hospital. He woke in pain and panic for the first two, but slowly started to progress. He was sore and tired, but was less unnerved with each day. By the time he left five days later, he was itching to get back to his apartment and his life. Itching to work…
“If you so much as move a muscle off that couch one more time, I’m calling Angelica to sort your ass out!”
Alex froze.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” John smirked and walked back to their sectional. “What part of ‘take it easy’ and “no work’ is not getting through.”
Alex groaned, taking the mug of tea from John and allowing John to sit by his head. “I feel useless.”
“Well, if you don’t let your body heal, you will be.” Alex pouted for a moment. “Don’t give me that look.”
“But John—”
“Nope.” John ran his hands through Alex’s hair. “Not going to win this one. Sorry. But you’re going to have to accept that you need to take it easy for a few weeks. You already managed to pull stitches out when you were still in the hospital.”
“That was a total accident.”
“One that was caused by you deciding you needed to get out of bed by yourself.”
“I—”
“What are you going to do next week when I start my job, huh? Am I going to look up from my tablet to see you being carted into the ER again? I don’t think I can take that.”
“I’m sorry.” Alex leaned over and kissed John.
“Just, please try? I know you hate this, but I don’t want to see you land yourself back in the hospital. You’re still in pretty rough shape, babe.”
“Sucks.”
John smiled and pulled him into his side. “I know. But, look at it this way, this is probably the only time in your life that you will have Burr waiting on you hand and foot.”
Alex laughed hard at that, then immediately regretted it as it jarred his injured side. “Ow. Fucking Lee.”
“I know.” John rubbed his arm. “Have you decided what you want to eat tonight?”
“Whatever is fine, John. I’m used to grabbing whatever as I head out to work.”
“Yeah, but you need healthy foods right now.”
“Fine,” Alex relented. “Can we have pasta? I don’t really care what sauce. Just sounds good and is easy to eat.” He held up his cast. “I’m sorry I’m a pain right now.”
“Never.” John kissed him on the lips before getting up from the couch. He helped Alex lay out on the cushions and settled a blanket back over him before heading towards the kitchen. He grabbed a pot and set about getting the water to boil. No sooner as he had turned on the stove, the doorbell rang.
Alex moved as if he was going to get the door. “Nuh huh,” John scolded, turning the burner back off. “Stay.”
“Not a dog,” Alex sighed.
“Then stop giving me the kicked puppy eyes.”
Alex groaned and flipped him off as he went to the door. John expected to find one of their neighbors or friends on the other side. Needless to say, he was incredibly shocked when he was proven wrong.
“Martha?”
“Hey Jacky.” She leaned up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I—what?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Hello?”
“Martha?”
“You said that already, John,” Alex teased. He grunted as he sat back up, his hand placed firmly on his side. “You might want to let her in.”
“Oh, shit, yeah.” John stepped aside, nearly tripping over his feet.
“Hey Alex,” Martha greeted, sliding past John and making a beeline for the couch.
“How’re you, girl.” Alex gave her a small hug once she was on the couch with him.
“I’m doing fine. Don’t worry about me. How’re you?” Her eyes dragged over his body, as if taking stock of all his injuries.
“I’m getting there.”
“Good.” She gave him a slight peck on the cheek as well. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No,” Alex replied.
“What brings you here, sis?” John asked shyly. He crossed the room and sat on the coffee table in front of her and Alex. “I mean, not that it isn’t great to see you, but I kind of figured that I wouldn’t be seeing you after everything with dad and—”
“Dad’s a dick,” Martha huffed, earning a snort from Alex and wide eyes from John. “No, I mean it. He shouldn’t have acted that way towards you.”
“I knew he would, Martha.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t do that to your kids. That’s not what dads are supposed to do. I mean, I know he was never the most loving, but…”
“Yeah.”
“So,” Martha continued, her voice shaking a little, “I decided I couldn’t stay there. Not after it all, knowing how he was. I mean, yeah, it’s like you said. I knew he wasn’t the most affectionate or understanding of men, but I never thought he would do that to you. Not to his own son.”
“You didn’t have to do that. What about your school? And—”
“I’ll go back to Virginia Tech in the fall. But for now, I thought I may stay and help you guys out. If you’ll have me.”
“Martha—”
“I don’t want to put you out. I just remembered that you were supposed to start your job next week and it sounded like Alex would be laid up for awhile. And I figured that room you always said was Alex’s is really just a spare room.”
“She’s not wrong,” Alex teased.
“Fooled you guys for awhile though,” John replied with a tentative smile.
“I can’t believe I missed it. You two were always cute…just didn’t realize why.” Martha bit her lip for a moment. “I’m really sorry, Jacky.”
John leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t be. Just glad you are here. Thought I lost all of you.”
Martha returned his smile. “Not quite. Huck wanted me to give you this.” She pulled an envelope from her backpack and handed it to him.
John opened it and pulled out what appeared to be an acceptance letter. “New York University?”
“Huck has a full ride. He just turned in his acceptance. Dad doesn’t know yet; fully assumes he is headed to Duke. Huck wanted you to have it, kind of as a promise. He wanted to come with me today, but didn’t want to leave Mary to pick up the pieces. Not yet at least.”
“I don’t know what to say,” John replied.
“Thank you,” Alex said to Martha.
“Yes,” John added. “Thank you. And yes there is a spare room. You are welcome to it.”
“Thank you both.” Martha’s eyes caught sight of the pot on the stove. “Oh gosh, I didn’t mean to interrupt dinner!”
“Hadn’t made it past ‘let’s eat pasta’ so don’t be,” Alex said. He adjusted himself back on the couch to relieve the pressure on his side. “Though I wished you had come earlier, before I got lectured on resting. You should give this one that same lecture.”
“John never rests,” Martha snorted.
“Right!”
John rolled his eyes. “If you’re going to gang up on me, then that spare room offer can be reneged.”
“Even if I agree to make mom’s spaghetti for you two?”
“The same spaghetti John references every time we go out for Italian?” Alex questioned.
“The very same,” Martha giggled.
“When you put it that way,” John teased.
Martha rolled her eyes at him but hopped off the couch and towards the kitchen. She started banging around in there, finding tomatoes and cans of paste and pasta as she went. John took her place on the couch, pulling Alex into his side as his sister took over the cooking.
“You okay?” Alex asked.
John turned towards him, looking him in the eyes. “I think so.”
For the first time in a long time, he actually believed everything would be okay.