was a fourth cup on the tray. For him?
“Hello, Ross,” the woman said as she turned to him. Her resemblance to Jody was so startling that he blinked. “I’m Joelle, Jody’s mom. We never had a chance to meet.”
His throat more parched than ever, Ross nodded and replied, “Um, hi, Mrs. Lassiter.”
“Joelle,” she corrected him as she handed him a cup. “Jody said you were finding alcohol disagreeable and you didn’t like tea but you often drank coffee, so I went with that.”
She included him automatically? He took the hot cup she offered and nodded gratefully but he felt so mixed up, he was at a loss over what to say to her.
Clumsy and awkward didn’t begin to describe how he felt and even his limbs seemed extra heavy and beyond his control.
He sipped the black coffee, not really wanting it, but her gesture meant much more than he could articulate in his brain. Maybe because this stranger was trying to make him feel more comfortable. How unusual for him to experience.
Only Jody did nice things like that. Her goodness toward him and everyone she encountered never ceased to impress him. And look what he did to repay her.
Jody sat on the couch and pulled a blanket over her and her mother who sat close by. Joelle rubbed Jody’s calf muscle when she placed her leg over her mother’s lap. Nick sat on the opposite couch, busily staring at his phone. Ross observed the family with quiet reverence. He could see how much they liked each other and he wondered what that felt like?
Nick sat back, his phone still in his hand near his face. “Okay, so, we have a few options for testing, even the ones that have rapid results. A swab from inside your cheek, I think, or a blood test and…”
“Dad?” Jody interrupted and Nick glanced at her. “Let’s not do this tonight. It’s a lot to take in when it’s up close and personal.” She tilted her head towards Ross.
Nick glanced at Ross and set his phone down. “I just need to know the basic facts, see what we’re up against. Jody… mainly because it’s you.” His voice cracked when he said you. He cleared his voice and crap, if he wasn’t blinking back tears. Fuck. The guy obviously loved his daughter and his family.
“No. It’s okay. I mean, I get that,” Ross suddenly interjected, unsure of what else to say. “I want to know the results for her too.”
Nick blinked and sniffed as he pinned Ross with a glance. “And you? Don’t you want to know for your own benefit? Have you researched anything at all about it?”
Ross shook his head. “I came straight here. I guess I was too afraid to learn all the ramifications.”
“He means straight from his hometown in Indiana, not from my apartment.”
Nick nodded. “How much do you know about it, Ross?”
“Not a lot. I mean, it first got attention in the eighties, right?”
“And the nineties and since two thousand began…” Joelle said softly. “Around the world, it is still a huge problem, but here we have a lot more therapeutics. You will be okay. Both of you. No matter what the results are.”
Ross shrugged. “I learned about it at school but I can’t rely on my memory…” He shook his head, staring down at his now clasped hands. “Honestly, I didn’t listen to much about it, figuring it wouldn’t ever apply to me. As if I were immune from it.”
“It’s not a death sentence. Not like it used to be. So get that into your head. I’m not denying how freaked out I am too for my daughter. But whatever happens, you will be given some type of effective treatment,” Joelle replied.
“I don’t have any health insurance,” Ross announced shamefully as he stared down and snorted. “That’s another thing that never occurred to me.”
“You’ll need to get it,” Nick said.
Right. Why was her father talking like this to him? Guiding him? Reassuring him? Advising him?
Jody lifted her head up, snorting. “Oh, that’s fair. I’ll receive the best care and be able to afford whatever I need. But Ross won’t? That isn’t right, at all.”
Joelle smiled at her daughter with a tender look. “Why, Jody, you have the kindest heart behind the toughest talking exterior. And you can feel anxious tonight, no matter how rich we are.”
Jody’s gaze wandered over to Ross. They glanced at each other momentarily and then looked away. The strange tension between them filled the room, and