Traylor followed the doctor through the double doors, and Warren turned back to his kids. Mrs. Traylor went over to Betsy and shook the girl’s shoulder.
“Wake up, darlin’. Time to go home.”
“Warren, is there anything we can do to help?” Bradyn asked.
Warren looked at me and then at Bradyn, but it was Mrs. Traylor who spoke. “This is a family matter, Bradyn. We don’t need to be airin’ our laundry in front of a stranger.”
The expectant look on Warren’s and Mrs. Traylor’s faces made me think they were waiting for the same thing. For Bradyn to tell them who I was and why I’d come with him. I was kinda curious myself about what he’d say, but I wouldn’t press him to give an answer. It wasn’t like I’d be able to answer it any better. And honestly, I didn’t know what I would’ve wanted him to say. It was all still so new.
It seemed like everything between Bradyn and me just kept getting crazier. It should’ve made me wonder if anything was worth all of this, but for once, all those voices in my head kept quiet.
Nineteen
Bradyn
“I. Said. I. Want. Ice cream.”
Betsy had her dad’s teal eyes, but when they were narrowed and annoyed like they were right now, she looked exactly like her mother. People rarely took into account how much attitude came into play when it came to resemblances between family members.
“And I said that you have to eat your lunch first.” I kept my tone calm but firm.
I was still a little confused as to how I’d gotten here, but kids were like horses. They could smell fear. I had to pretend that everything was as normal as possible. Les was a good, compliant kid. It was Betsy I had to watch out for.
She crossed her arms and gave me a pout that was all Ashley.
I understood why she thought she could test me. I’d never babysat for them before. Even before the shit hit the fan with my parents, I’d avoided family time as much as possible. I loved my sister and parents, but I didn’t like them very much. Ashley and I had been butting heads since I was old enough to talk.
That was one of the main reasons I was completely baffled by the fact that I was at Warren and Ashley’s house, watching Les and Betsy while their parents were at the hospital with Clancy. I assumed my parents were there too. I couldn’t think of another reason why I’d be with the kids. It made sense. Me watching the kids kept the adults from having to deal with bored kids and also kept me from showing up at the hospital uninvited.
“Uncle Bradyn, when did you say Clancy was coming home?” Les spoke up from his seat at the table. “I want to write it on the calendar.”
I doubted Les actually needed me to remind him. He was the sort of kid who came up with schedules of his own and followed them to the minute. The quick glance Les shot toward his sister confirmed what I was already thinking. He was trying to change the conversation, either to distract me or to distract Betsy. The way he did it made me think that he’d done it before, probably on a regular basis.
I wasn’t going to call him on it, though. I was a one-time babysitter and an uncle. Dealing with stuff like this was his parents’ department, not mine.
“It all depends on how quickly he recovers. It’ll probably be at least a week. He won’t be playing right away, either. Your parents might have a specific date when they get home.”
Les nodded. “Do you think he’ll be better in time to go trick-or-treating? We already got our costumes.”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Maybe you two can come up with a way he can still have some fun even if he can’t go out.”
“We can give him some of our candy,” Les suggested.