When he put it that way, I did have to laugh about it a little. Something had to give about today.
We hung out in the cafeteria until my family arrived. My mom came running to me and wrapped me in a tight hug before turning and freezing when she spotted Chase.
“Chase?”
“Hi, Mrs. Grant.”
It was at that moment that I realized that my whole family must have known about his parents because she flung her arms around him and pulled him in for the most ridiculous of hugs. She rockedhim back and forth and petted his hair while he mouthed the words ‘Help me’ over her shoulder.
Aiden stood by my side, and we laughed at the theatrics of the situation. When Mom finally let go of Chase, she looked him up and down before giving him a smile. “I’m glad to see you again. Nathan hasn’t been giving you too much trouble this summer, has he?”
Chase laughed and shook his head. “If anyone has been giving him trouble, it’s been me.”
Aiden made a vulgar motion, like someone giving a blow job, and I shoved him. He doubled over in laughter, and I showed my parents how to get to Uncle Drew’s room. On the way there, Mom asked if he’d still been smoking. I told her about the few times that I’d seen him doing it, but that it wasn’t like back when I’d been growing up and he’d go through a pack or more a day.
“He shouldn’t have been doing it at all.”
I sighed. “I’ve told him that. But he’s not going to listen to me.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “Drew never listens to anyone.”
She pushed open the hospital door and froze when she spotted Gabriella, who stood from the chair in the corner. She was the only person who looked out of place, but now that I knew the secret, I could see the small bits of resemblance between her and my uncle. They had the same color eyes, and she had a dimple that popped on only the right side whenever she smiled. Maybe thosewere insignificant things to some people, but they were traits that mattered when you were related to someone.
The room was silent as the world’s most awkward staring contest continued.
“Drew?” Mom asked as she looked between her brother and Gabriella. I wanted to laugh because this was probably the worst time for the family to learn about this secret.
“Would you relax, Casey? She’s family.” Drew waved her off and Gabriella sat back in the chair quickly. She shifted in her seat, watching as everyone filed in. It was like waiting for a bomb to go off. The tension was so thick that one false step and everything would explode.
“Should I...”
“Nonsense.” Uncle Drew cut off Gabriella before she could try to make her escape.
Yeah, things were about to get real interesting up in here for my family. Welcome to the Grant/Morris gang. We were all sane once. It left back in 2019 before the virus came and wiped out a majority of everyone’s sanity.
Mom sat on the edge of her brother’s hospital bed and reached for his hand. The IV made it hard for her to wrap her fingers all the way around it, but she still tried. “Now tell me, what the hell happened this time?”
Uncle Drew’s laughter was broken up with coughs. His eyes were droopy by the time it all passed like he was ready to go to sleep.The doctor hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that Uncle Drew would be weak. “Nothing crazy. Gabriella gave me the wrong cough medicine and when I tried to go back to work this morning, I was too damn stubborn to listen to my own damn body.”
“You can’t give regular cough medicine to people with high blood pressure.” Gabriella shrank back in her seat when everyone’s eyes flipped in her direction. She fidgeted with the hem of her dress and looked out the window as if it would rescue her from their scrutiny.
“And who is she?” Mom asked.
The hush that fell across the room was almost deafening. The term ‘You could hear a pin drop’ wouldn’t even cover it. You could hear that pin drop from three miles away, it was so damn quiet.
Gabriella stood and straightened her dress before standing next to the bed. “I’m Gabriella Murphy.”
“Murphy? Wasn’t that the last name of that girl you used to have a thing for a long time ago?” Mom asked, looking at her brother. Her eyes searched his face as he looked up at his daughter.
“It sure was.”
It was like it all clicked into place at that exact moment.
Chapter 35
Chase
You’d think I hadn’t fed Oreo in a week when I opened the door to the camper. Well, it had been two days, but she certainly wasn’t about to die in that amount of time. If anything, my cat knew how to be dramatic. Her yowls were loud and echoed in the small space as I hurriedly reached to open a cabinet to grab a can of food.
