little buddy, but you do. It might just be a cold, but you know we can’t take chances with those fevers,” Blaze responded. “It’s always better to be safe than sorry.”
“Can’t you take me? I don’t want to go with Gammy. She always gets nervous and stuff.”
“I can’t today. I’m too far behind. We even brought in extra help. That’s why Clutch is here.”
“If you want to take him, I’ll cover you. Don’t mind staying late,” I offered.
“Please, daddy,” Kevin pleaded.
“I’ll go with you to the doctor, but when we’re done, you’re going home with your grandmother.”
“I can do that.” Kevin grinned. “Thanks, Clutch.”
“No problem, little man. Good luck at the doctor’s.”
On their way out the door, Blaze turned back to me and said, “I should be back in about an hour. Call me if you need anything. Lowball has my number.”
I spent the next few hours finishing up on the Ford’s engine, and once I had it up and running, I headed over to Blaze’s Chevy. He’d been working on the carburetor, so I finished the disassembly and was just about done cleaning it when Blaze walked back into the garage. The minute he hit the doorway, I could see that something was wrong. He came over to me and said, “I’ve got it from here. You can go on home if you want.”
“Nah, I’m good for another hour. Is everything alright with Kevin?”
He let out a deep breath. “No … no it’s not. He tested negative for the flu, and the doctor couldn’t be sure why his fever was so high. There’s a small chance that his cancer is back, so they are running some more tests. We won’t know anything for sure until tomorrow.”
“That’s rough, man. How long has he been in remission?”
“Just over a year. He had a hard go of it. Spent almost a year in and out of St. Jude, but he finally beat it. I don’t think I could take watching him go through all of that all over again.” He ran his hand through his hair and sighed as he said, “He’s been through so much already. Lost his mom a couple years back, and just when he was getting past it, we found out he had Leukemia.”
“Fuck, man. I hate to hear that. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened with his mother?”
“Car accident. She was hit by a drunk driver … killed her instantly. She meant everything to me and losing her just about did me in, but having Kevin around got me through. Don’t think I would’ve made it without him.”
“Bet he’d say the same about you. It’s good you’ve got each other, and if the cancer is back, it’ll be tough, but you’ll get through it. There’s no other choice but to get through it, and you’ve got brothers who have your back when things go south.”
“Been lucky there. Couldn’t ask for more.” He looked over at the old Ford and said, “Let’s just call it a night. I’ll come in early tomorrow and catch up.”
“Sounds like a plan. I need to stop and grab some paint on my way home anyway. Need to get there before the hardware store closes.”
“What kind of paint do you need?”
“Got a little project going on in my neighbor’s bathroom.”
With his eyebrow raised with suspicion, he smiled and asked, “What kind of project?”
“Man, you don’t even want to know. Let’s just say that I’m helping out a damsel in distress,” I chuckled.
“I bet you are!” He laughed. “We’ve got a couple of cans in the back from where Gus had the boys paint the office. Nothing fancy, but you’re welcome to it.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that. Shouldn’t take much.”
“Take all you want, and there’s paintbrushes and rollers back there, too,” he let me know. “I’m heading out. Just lock up before you leave.”
“Will do. Thanks, brother.”
By the time I’d gotten everything strapped to my bike and back to the apartment, it was after six, which didn’t give me much time to finish up the bathroom before Hazel got home. I hauled everything upstairs, and when I knocked on the door, Cindy shouted from the other side, “Who is it?”
“Clutch,” I answered.
She opened the door with a huge smile on her face and said, “Hey. What’s up?”
“Gonna finish the bathroom, but I’m going to need an assistant. You up for a little painting?”
“I’m not sure if I’d be any good at it, but I’ll give it a shot,” she