Just Three Words

by Melissa Brayden

  Sam gulped in a breath and nodded. “I think so.”

  “Well, are you gonna tell us about it?” Mr. Turner asked, in exasperation. She knew that, with him, the exasperation was really just code for concern.

  She glanced at the faces all around her, the whole gang blinking back at her expectantly. “Well,” she began. “I guess seeing that wonderful scrapbook reminded me how much I’d like to have a life like Mr. Earnhardt’s. Full and rich and filled with love.”

  Suddenly everyone was talking at once.

  “You can have that.”

  “Just gotta fall in love and settle down.”

  “I got divorced three times and turned out all right.”

  “Can we turn Pitbull back on?”

  But she noticed Mr. Earnhardt quietly trying to ask her something in the midst of the mayhem, so Samantha held up her hands to obtain everyone’s attention. When the room fell back into silence, she turned to him. “What were you saying, Mr. Earnhardt?”

  “Do you love somebody, Samantha?”

  If it was possible, it seemed like everyone leaned in a little closer at the question, eagerly awaiting some sort of hint to the answer. And after Mr. Earnhardt had shared the details of his life with her, she felt like she owed him an answer.

  “I do.”

  “It’s babelicious, isn’t it?” Mr. Glenville asked.

  The ends of Samantha’s mouth turned up at the nickname, and she felt the blush the second it touched her cheeks.

  “It is!” Mr. Earnhardt shouted, and the two old men high-fived each other with a loud smack.

  “And does she love you back?” Mr. Earnhardt asked.

  “I think it’s possible. But I don’t know for sure.”

  “Then you have to find out,” he said simply.

  The others all chimed in, agreeing with him, murmuring and nodding.

  “It’s not a good time,” Sam explained. “She has some things going on in her life. Her mother isn’t well.”

  “Well, then you should be there for her,” Mrs. Potter said.

  “She needs you,” said Mrs. Guaducci.

  Mr. Earnhardt stared hard at her. “What are you waiting for?”

  It was a valid question.

  What am I waiting for?

  Chapter Sixteen

  “How about another bite of Jell-O, Mama? For me? Just one.” It was getting late in the day. Hunter could tell as she glimpsed the sun on its final descent through the blinds. She’d been at the hospital since the doors had opened at seven that morning, and they’d been at this Jell-O thing for a good portion of the afternoon.

  “No,” her mother said, shaking her head and turning away. “No more.” Her spirits were low and Hunter understood that this whole ordeal had taken a heavy toll on her. While her mother was out of the woods for the most part, she wasn’t bouncing back as fast as the doctors had hoped either. Her progress seemed to have plateaued.

  “Okay. Maybe later, then.” Hunter sighed and set the dish down in defeat. While the week had brought with it a medical status downgrade from critical to fair, it had also presented its share of challenges. After she’d been removed from the ventilator, her mom’d had trouble swallowing, which was a side effect of the intubation. Now she wasn’t getting the nourishment she needed. Not only that, but she was less than thrilled with the oxygen mask the doctors required her to wear and wasn’t so enthused about the laps around the unit the doctor had prescribed to get her up and moving again. In fact, she was irritable, argumentative, and downright unhelpful. It turned out that Hunter’s warm and wonderful mother was quite possibly the worst patient in history.

  “I know today is hard, but I need you to work on meeting me halfway. I’m going to let you rest, but we need to go for a walk in a little while.”

  “I hate it here,” her mother said sadly.

  It about broke Hunter’s heart. “Then we have to do everything the doctor says so we can get you home.”

  “I’m supposed to be taking care of my family, not the other way around.” Her voice was still raspy from the many days of intubation, and it seemed to take a lot of effort for her to explain herself.

  Hunter was as gentle with her response as her frayed nerves would allow her to be. She was running on so little sleep, it was a wonder she could string a thought together. She also couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a meal that hadn’t come in a cardboard container. “No one loves to be in the hospital. And what we’re trying to do is get you out. I love you, Mom, and I want to get you home.”

  Her mother raised her hands which was clearly a struggle in and of itself. “Then let’s go.”

  “Not so fast there, superstar. One thing at a time. You think you can rest?”

  She nodded, looking about as forlorn as Hunter had ever seen her.

  “Claire is going to come sit with you in a bit, once the twins have had their dinner,” Hunter said. “And I’ll be back this evening to take you for that walk.” She kissed her mother’s cheek, which elicited a smile. As she turned to go, her mother grabbed her wrist.

  “Thank you, Hunter. I love you.”

  The sentiment slammed her with a jolt of emotion, as Hunter recounted just how close they’d come to losing her. “I love you, too, Mama.”

  “Your father?”

  “Doing laps. You know him. I’m sure he’ll be by soon.” It was the only thing that seemed to make him feel better. He was definitely an interesting guy. In the time that Hunter had been home, they’d talked only about her mother’s progress. But to his credit, and this was hard for her to admit, he’d been there every step of the way, for Kevin, for Claire. Even for her. It mattered.

  On the drive back to her parents’ house, Hunter nearly fell asleep twice. She knew she should catch a few minutes of rest before going back to the hospital, but at the same time, there was laundry that needed to be done, dishes to be washed, and if they didn’t do something about their nutritional situation, her mother wouldn’t be the only one with heart problems. Her dad and brother were virtually no help around the house, as they depended so heavily on her mother, who’d always handled all things domestic.

  So though her coping skills were at an all-time low, sleep would have to wait.

  She took out her key as she made her way up the walk, but was surprised to find the door unlocked. A quick glance at the front yard, which contained Kevin’s overturned bike, told her he was back earlier than expected from his junior-year orientation.

  What she wasn’t prepared for, however, were the mouthwatering aromas that accosted her senses upon entering the home. She froze in the entryway, closing her eyes in surrender, because, good God, it smelled wonderful in here. Only when she opened them again did she also marvel that, in a shocking turn of events, the place was gleaming.

  “What in the world?” she asked Kevin, who was kneeling next to an end table with a dust rag and a bottle of Lemon Pledge. She scanned the space. Every surface shone brightly, the clutter that had piled up to embarrassing heights over the past few weeks was completely absent, and soft music soothed from the stereo system. It was like stumbling upon heaven on Earth.

  Kevin shrugged and went back to work on the end table. “Don’t look at me. All her doing, and she doesn’t mess around.” He inclined his head in the direction of the kitchen. While Hunter was curious as to how Claire had so effectively propelled Kevin into action, her venture into the kitchen, let’s face it, was inspired by her appetite.

  “Hey, the kid is working like a rock star out there and I need to know what you’re making, when I can have some, and—” She stopped short.

  Samantha closed the oven door and turned to Hunter. She seemed to consider the question as Hunter took a step backward in surprise, her mind scrambling to make sense of the visual. “A: He just needed a little direction,” Sam said. “B: Roast beef, mashed potatoes, salad, and sourdough rolls. C: Give me about ten minutes, and then grab a plate.”

  “Hi,” Hunter said. It was the only word
she seemed to have access to, and the smile on her face was automatic and huge. Samantha was like some kind of beautiful mirage standing there in her mother’s kitchen. And she was responsible for all of this?

  “Hi,” Sam said back quietly. God, she looked good, so much so that Hunter wondered if she was even real. But there she stood, fresh faced and together, in capris and green top—a reminder that the real world was still out there in the midst of her family’s turmoil. “I hope it’s okay that I’m here. I thought you could use a hand.”

  Hunter wanted to cry in relief, understanding that she wasn’t on her own anymore, but there’d been so much crying lately.

  “Oh, and before I forget, there’s someone else who wants to say hi, too.” She opened the kitchen door that led to the backyard and Elvis ran in, stopping at Hunter’s feet and shrieking in excitement at his discovery of her.

  Okay, too late now, the tears sprang into her eyes as she knelt down and buried her face in his fur. “Hey, buddy. Oh my God. I missed you so much.” He fell into her lap and then flipped onto his back, wriggling frantically as she scratched his stomach, all the while continuing his shrieking celebration.

  “He missed you, too,” Samantha said. “Talked about you nightly, before and after staring time, of course.”

  “I can’t believe you brought him,” Hunter said, standing. “And I can’t believe you’re here. The house, dinner, it’s all just…” Her exhaustion got the better of her and she was no match for the overwhelming emotion.

  Sam didn’t hesitate, and pulled Hunter to her, wrapping her arms around her and holding on as she cried. “Shh. Everything is going to be okay,” Sam said. “Have you slept?”

  Hunter wiped her eyes, smiling through the remaining tears at her ridiculous behavior. “No. Part of the problem here,” she said, pointing at her face. “No coping skills.”

  “Okay,” Sam said calmly. “Dinner first, followed by a nap. Go tell your brother to wash up, and I’ll finish up in here. And take Elvis, he keeps giving me puppy eyes and that’s wildly distracting. He’s already had some roast beef scraps, haven’t you, little El?”

  Hunter did as she was told and in just a few short minutes enjoyed one of the best meals of her life. And though Kevin headed to his room with his plate, Sam ate with her, catching her up on all the latest happenings back home. The news, no matter how trivial, was a more than welcome distraction to the kinds of things she’d been dealing with. Never before had Brooklyn’s office antics seemed more hilarious, or one of Mallory’s pep talks more inspiring. Hunter couldn’t help but notice that Sam never once touched on the issues that had been at play between them when she’d left. It was Samantha at her most thoughtful, making things as low stress for Hunter as possible. And while they steered clear of all romance-related discussion, damn it if her heart didn’t clench with startling relief just to be in Sam’s presence again. Talking to her, looking at her, all of it.

  Sam tore off a tiny piece of bread from the roll on her plate and Hunter couldn’t help but smile at the move. “What?” Sam asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Because no one on the planet eats bread the way you do. In tiny, tiny little pieces.”

  “And you happen to be up on the bread habits of the rest of the planet?”

  “I am. And you win at bread.”

  Samantha paused and a small smile touched her lips. “So this is a compliment? You’re giving me a bread eating compliment?”

  “Well, let’s not get carried away.” That earned her a tear-off of bread in the face and that was okay, because this felt good. All of it.

  “Tell me the latest about your mom,” Sam said as their laughter receded.

  Hunter blew out a breath and adjusted to the topic shift. “Well, she’s depressed. She wants to go home, and honestly, it’s getting in the way of her progress.”

  “Can I see her?”

  The sentiment warmed Hunter. “I think she’d love to see you. You want to go back with me tonight?”

  “I do.”

  Behind them, the front door opened and her father entered, regarding them tentatively from the entryway. He nodded once. “Hey, there.”

  “Richard, come over and eat something right this minute,” Sam said. She really was taking charge, and it was kind of awesome.

  He glanced at the kitchen and then over at them. “I think I’ll grab a quick shower and then take you up on that. Kevin get you everything you need?”

  Sam smiled. “He did.”

  Her father nodded a couple of times and headed off to his bedroom. “Smells great,” he said absently over his shoulder.

  Samantha turned to her. “He didn’t know what to do with me when I showed up on the doorstep and demanded entry. I kinda had to bully him to let me come in and help. How have things been with him?”

  Hunter shook her head, not really sure where to start. “He’s so bizarre, Sam. Honestly. It turns out he’s quite capable of positive emotion. It just makes him wildly uncomfortable and then he has to leave the room quickly after.”

  “He’s trying,” Sam said. “Sounds like he’s pushing himself outside of his comfort zone.”

  “Well, he loves Mom. That’s for sure. Doesn’t like leaving the hospital unless it’s for a shower, like now, or a meal. But he’ll be up there later tonight, walking the halls in some sort of self-imposed hallway therapy. It’s how he copes.”

  Samantha nodded. “Everyone handles things differently, don’t they?” She said the words pointedly and their meaning wasn’t lost on Hunter. Sam brightened, switching gears. “Finished?”

  “Yeah. I can’t tell you how much I needed that. And hey, let me do the dishes. You’ve already taken over the world in the short time you’ve been here.”

  “What do you think I’m here for? To stare at your beautiful face? No way. Go take a nap so we can go soon.”

  “Bossy. At least let me clear the dishes.”

  “Nap.”

  Hunter held up her hands. “Okay. Geez. No need to use your aggressive accountant voice.” God, she’d missed their banter. And while she never would have asked Samantha for help and would have even refused her coming if she’d mentioned it, Hunter was beyond grateful to have her here now. Exactly the shot in the arm she needed to get through all this. And when she drifted off to a much-needed sleep, it was with a peaceful smile on her face.

  *

  Samantha fed Elvis a little bit more of the remaining roast beef and then used the time Hunter slept to put the kitchen back in order. She had been nervous jumping in the car and driving eight hours with a dog watching her every movement, but she felt reaffirmed that the trip had been a worthy one. The Blairs clearly needed an extra hand, and she could be that for Hunter and her family.

  In fact, she was happy to be.

  She and Hunter could press pause on their personal complications. Not that it was easy to be in the same room with her and behave as any ordinary friend would. Just seeing that smile again had her heart in overdrive. But there’d be a time down the road to sort all of that out, and Hunter just happened to be worth the wait.

  “Hey,” she said to Kevin as he snagged a soda from the fridge. “Your mom is feeling a little down. What can you do to cheer her up?”

  He stared at her like she’d asked him to work a Navier-Stokes equation. “I don’t know.” He turned to go.

  “Freeze. Yes, you do. Think harder and dry this.” She handed him a skillet and a towel. He stared at it a moment but then slowly went to work. You just had to be extra direct with this kid. He was a good egg.

  “I guess I could tell her about my day. I got the teacher she wanted me to get for history. She always says I don’t tell her things.”

  Sam grinned and faced him. “Perfect. I think we just found your lead. See? She’s gonna love that.”

  “Really?”

  She tossed another dish towel at him playfully. “Really. You’re going to make her very happy with the story of your day. Toss in little details
. Women love that.”

  He nodded and went back to work drying the dishes she handed him, but if she wasn’t mistaken, traces of a smile surfaced there. She liked this kid. He actually reminded her a lot of Hunter, which was a total bonus.

  Once they’d finished, she stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the state of things.

  Dinner complete.

  Dishes done.

  And after checking in with Brooklyn to get the lowdown on anything pressing at the office, she checked the time. Hunter had been asleep for two hours, and as much as she wanted her to catch up on her rest, she also knew that it was important to Hunter to make it back to the hospital.

  The door to the bedroom was cracked a bit when she knocked quietly. When Hunter didn’t answer, she peeked her head around the corner. Out like a light with Elvis sleeping at her feet. As it should be.

  “Hey, sleepyhead.” Nothing. “Hunter?”

  With still no response, Samantha came into the room and sat on the bed alongside Hunter. She paused for a moment before waking her, utterly entranced by the visual of the woman who slept so peacefully before her. God, she’d missed her. Awake, Hunter was beautiful, but asleep she was undeniably an angel. With her hair fanned out across the pillow, and her full lips pursed just slightly, Sam felt her heart flutter in appreciation. While she wanted nothing more than to snuggle in alongside the curve of Hunter’s form, she fought the urge, knowing that things were different between them now. Tenuous. She was here as Hunter’s friend and support system and should honor that.

  Instead, she touched Hunter’s cheek and with her thumb stroked gently. “Hey, you,” she said softly. Hunter’s eyes fluttered a moment and as she stared up at Sam, a smile took shape on her face in recognition. She covered Sam’s hand with hers.

  “Hi,” she said softly.

  “Hi.” They stayed like that, staring at each other for several long moments, the connection between them alive and well.

  “I wanted to let you sleep, but I know it’s important to you to head back to the hospital.”

  Hunter blinked as if emerging from a wonderful dream into reality. The smile faltered and she withdrew her hand, seeming to remember herself and the facts in the scenario. She glanced at the clock and pushed herself into a seated position, facing Sam. “I can’t remember the last time I slept so well.”