Nate fell asleep on the recliner next to the couch, where Molly had not moved from all night. He woke up to the sound of the familiar ear-piercing whistle his dad had worn when coaching lacrosse. He bolted up and looked around in a panic, his heart automatically racing at the go signal that had trained him well to wake immediately from a dead sleep. When he realized the only other person in the room was a wide awake Molly, he put his hand on his heart to still the rapid jumps. “Sorry. Flashbacks. Did you hear that whistle, or was that my reoccurring nightmare?”
Molly shrugged. When she saw nothing outside the living room’s picture window, she got up and limped to the kitchen, using the counter for support. She set about making Nate a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, unsure how to properly thank him for staying with her when she was too lost to find herself. He’d climbed from the ranks of one of her brother’s friends to actually becoming one of hers. She didn’t have many friends, and wanted to make sure he understood how much she appreciated him.
The metallic shriek sounded again, bringing Nate to his feet. He went to the garage where the source of the noise came from and tore open the connecting door. “What the—”
The sight that greeted Nate was too confusing to make sense of. There stood his hulking brother, hovering over a barely lucid Kyle. He had their father’s whistle around his neck, a bullhorn in one hand, and the garden hose sprayer in the other. “On your feet, Luco!” Liam yelled into Kyle’s ear.
Kyle responded by rolling forward into his own vomit, the pink and brown sticking to the side of his face as he struggled to sit up. “What’s going on?”
Liam shouted into the bullhorn. “Get up, you lazy waste of space! You’re lying in a pile of puke, and you’ve got a whole list of chores to do today. Now, move!”
“What? Liam?” Kyle put his hands over his ears, finding more sick dried there. “What happened?”
Nate watched the exchange unfold with wide eyes, wondering if his brother had finally lost it, or at last had found it. He heard Molly ambling toward him, her mouth dropped open and eyes finally focusing. Nate moved quickly toward her before she could hurt her ankle further. He helped her to the doorway of the attached garage, where he sat down next to her on the top step. He kept one arm wrapped around her and wore a mirrored expression of shock to hers as they watched in awe while Liam tore into Kyle.
When Kyle balked at cleaning up his own puke, Liam sprayed him full-blast with the high-pressure hose, soaking him in two seconds flat. “What was that? I think you meant to say, ‘Yes, Liam. Right away, Liam.’ Anything else, and I’ll beat you down for every mark you left on Molly.”
Kyle sobered as much as he was capable. “Molly’s fine.”
“Wrong answer!” Liam sprayed Kyle again, hitting him in the gut. “Now, clean!”
Kyle set about the impossible task of attempting something he had never done before. He had no idea how to clean up after himself, as that expectation had never been put upon him by the people in his life. He kept his gripes to a minimum to avoid further castigation as he tried to figure out how to clean the vomit off the concrete floor.
Liam walked over to the two gawking in the doorway. He pulled out a list from his pocket and handed it to Molly. “This is what Kyle’s going to do for you today. Anything I should add to that?” He turned and judged that Kyle was not cleaning fast enough. “Move your fat ass, Luco!”
Molly could scarcely understand the words on the paper – so floored was she by the whole thing. Kyle did not know how to do half the tasks on the list. She was not sure if she was terrified or thrilled he would have to do them all. She motioned for a pen, and Liam pulled one out of his pocket. She scribbled down feed and let out the neighbor’s dog three times daily.
Liam looked over the addition and nodded. “Good. I’ll see it gets done today.” He pulled Kyle’s credit card from his pocket and handed it to Molly. “And you get to be in charge of this. Buy yourself the pony you always wanted, but never thought you were allowed to ask for. Kyle’s done using this. I’ll stop by the bar tonight and talk to the bartender, making sure Kyle’s tab is closed and the card is taken off file. It won’t keep him sober, but it’ll limit the number of nights you have to go out and pick him up.” He leaned down to speak in her ear, inhaling the soft feminine scent he sorely missed throughout the night. “If you don’t want a pony, maybe you’d be interested in buying a solar panel instead? My dad said you could store it at our house until you want to move it. He’s got plenty of space in the rafters of the garage.”
Molly stared at the worn card in amazement. Thanks, she mouthed.
Liam’s heart sank when he saw she was still not talking. “And don’t let me off the hook, either. I yelled at you last night. I said horrible things and made you think all this was your fault. You’re plenty strong, and I can’t believe how smart and determined you are. I’m a tool, and you shouldn’t forgive me until I make it up to you.” He stepped back to examine Kyle’s shoddy work. “Clean up that puddle over there, and then you’re washing Molly’s car for her. You puked on her tires, so I want to see them shine for her. You got that?”
Kyle opened his mouth to cuss Liam out, but Liam was ready with the hose. Kyle held up his sopping hands in surrender. “Fine, Officer!” Kyle shouted.
“I mean it, Moll,” Liam said, turning back to her. “Really make me work for it. You’re worth a little groveling. I’m sorry for everything I said last night. Those were my issues, not yours. I shouldn’t have put all that on you.”
Molly shook her head, but Nate gripped her shoulder firmly as he spoke for her. “I’ll be the judge of the groveling,” he informed Liam, nose in the air. “Molly likes books. What’s that math guy you love? Archimedes? Dumbledore?”
Molly rolled her eyes and wrote on Nate’s hand.
“Euclid! That’s the guy. She likes the dusty Euclid math books that no one’s touched in a century. Probably hard to find. Start your groveling there. Use your fancy doctor dollars to buy her everything he ever wrote.”
Molly’s phone rang, and Nate scrambled to get it for her, handing it to her on the fourth ring. Molly shook her head and motioned for him to answer it. “Molly’s phone… sure… hold on.” He covered the mouthpiece to speak to Molly. “Some patient just called, and she’s on her way to the hospital to have her baby? They’re wondering if you’re free for some overtime. The other guy can’t make it in.”
Molly nodded emphatically as she gripped the doorjamb to stand up. She hobbled over to the counter and pushed the plate of eggs toward Nate. She jangled the car keys and mouthed, twenty minutes?
“Nah. Don’t worry about me. I’ll hitch a ride with my sister or someone. Visiting hours aren’t for a while.” He scooped the eggs into his mouth, moaning at the goodness. “I love your cooking. Screw Liam. Marry me.”
Molly responded by throwing the dish rag at his head. She took the quickest shower she could manage without slipping in the tub and dressed in record time. Delivery jobs could be stressful, and she hoped she could stay on top of this one without dwelling too much on Liam’s sudden mood shifts.
She hopped down the stairs and wrestled her shoe onto her swollen foot, trying not to make a face at the pain. Without a sarcastic word, Nate offered his arm to her and helped her to her freshly washed car. Liam had a ladder out and was barking at Kyle to clean out the gutters. Kyle had never looked more pathetic. He was dripping wet and sallow-skinned. Finally, he was the submissive sibling. Molly stood a little taller. She motioned to the car, offering Liam a ride.
Liam waved her off. “No, thanks. You’re letting me off too easy. You can’t be doing me favors the day after I was terrible to you. I don’t deserve to ride in your car. My family’s picking me up to take me to the hospital around noon. Plus, Kyle’s got a lot of work to do.” He fiddled with the whistle around his neck. “Could I text you later, though? Would that be okay?”
Molly nodded and answered in sign, but Liam shook his head and called over his shoulder to Kyle, “Hey, dead weight. Come translate for me.”
Kyle slumped down the ladder and dragged his feet over to them. “She’s saying you can text her, but she’ll be in a delivery room most of the day, unless the baby comes early. So if she doesn’t get back to you right away, it’s just because she’s working.” Kyle turned to Molly and signed morosely, I’m sorry I hurt your foot. And for puking on your car. And for Gina.
Molly was about to tell him it was no big deal, but instead she held her chin up. Thank you.
Nate gave Kyle a stiff nod before shutting Molly in her car and waving goodbye to her.