Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
I stand back to let Brenda go in first, and then Rick waves for me to go in. “How’s the hip doing?”
“I have nothing to complain about,” he says.
I nod and stand awkwardly at the entryway. “I’m sorry for dropping in so early, but I wanted to talk to you before Abby and Alexis get here.”
“Is it Zach? Is he okay?”
I put my hand on Brenda’s shoulder. “He’s fine. I talked to him two days ago, and he was giving me shi—” I cut myself off. “Sorry. He was giving me crap for not coming to see you all.”
Rick grunts. “Good for him. We’ve missed you around here. Now what do you want to talk about?”
I open my mouth to speak, but Brenda puts her hand on my arm. “Well, we’re not going to talk standing here. Let’s go to the living room.”
I walk into the living room and take it all in. It’s exactly how I remembered it. Same pictures on the mantle, including the one of me and Zach when we were stationed in Afghanistan. There are new pictures of Abby and Alexis, but everything else is the same. When I sit on the edge of one couch, Brenda and Rick sit on the other one, facing me.
“All right, son, now what is it? Does this have something to do with why we haven’t seen you in the last two years?”
I nod at Rick, grimacing. I know the best way to do it is to just get it all out. “When I was hurt, I didn’t want anyone to see me like that.”
Brenda smiles sadly. “Oh, we understand, Davis. We weren’t mad about it or anything.”
I take in a deep breath and let it out. “There’s more. Zach didn’t tell you because I begged him not to. I couldn’t stand the thought of letting you down or disappointing you.”
“You could never—” Brenda starts, but Rick interrupts her. “Let him talk, honey.”
She purses her lips and nods her head. “Sorry, go ahead.”
I run my hand through the scruff of my beard. “The pain was unbearable. It’s not an excuse, but I just want you to understand…”
I stop, and Rick leans forward. “Just say it, son. We can handle it.”
He’s always done that. Called me son. I never realized how much it meant to me until these last two years. “I got hooked on pain medicine. It was ugly, and I did things I’m not proud of. It pushed back my rehabilitation with my prosthetic and basically everything else. I was a mess.”
Brenda, unable to hold back, asks, “Is that why you wouldn’t see us the last two years?”
I nod. “Yeah, I didn’t want to bring any of this to your family. For a year, I didn’t even recognize what I’d become. I couldn’t do that to Abby, Alexis, and you guys. I’ve been clean for a year.”
Rick is watching me closely, and I’m not sure what he’s thinking. “And now you’re doing therapy at the new center at the edge of town?”
“Yeah. It was Zach’s idea, actually. I was behind on therapy for my leg, and when he found out they required you to do mental therapy too, he thought it would be a good idea.” I clear my throat. “Yeah, and Walker offered me a job too.” I hold my hands up. “It’s just temporary. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”
Rick just nods his head.
I push the hair off my face. “Anyway, I wanted to come here and talk to you about it. I understand if you don’t want me around or if you think it’s a bad idea for me to be around Abby and her daughter.”
Brenda is shaking her head and seems beside herself. Rick is still staring at me quietly.
I put my hands on my knees. “If you want me to go—”
I’m about to get up when Rick’s voice rings loud in the quiet room. “Sit down, son.”
I stay where I’m at, unable to look either of them in the eye. This was a bad idea.
Rick is the first one to say something. “Look at me, Davis.”
I raise my head to look at him, and he has so much compassion on his face, I’m sort of unnerved by it.
“We would never turn our backs on one of our kids. You went through hell, son.”
I shake my head. “But I’m not—”
He raises his hand up. “Stop. Don’t finish that sentence. You might as well be my son. Do you think of Zach as your brother?”
I nod. “Yes, sir.”
“And Brenda and I have always thought of you as part of our family. I’m sorry we weren’t there for you. We should have pushed harder. We should have made you see us.”
I wince thinking back on the days I spent in a stupor, not even knowing where I was half the time. My hands fist in my lap, preparing myself for the next question. “And Abby and Alexis? Are you okay with me being around the two of them?”