Page 209 of Buried Too Deep

“It is. I can leave if you want me to, but Phin asked me to stay.”

“Stay. You got him to call me. You can stay forever.”

Phin choked on a laugh, then moaned. “That hurt.”

“You deserve it,” Scarlett said crisply, and then her voice gentled. “I’ve missed you.”

All the laughter was gone. All he felt now was a profound sadness for the years he’d stayed away. Cora took the fingers of his IV hand.

“Be here,” she said quietly. “In this moment.”

He nodded, his throat thick. “I’ve missed you, too, Scar. So much. All of you.”

“I have a lot to tell you. I’m going to need hours and hours. You’re an uncle.”

“I know. I look at every photo you send me. I kept that phone number just so I could see the pictures you kept sending. She’s beautiful, Scar.”

There was a moment of silence. “Will she get to meet you?”

“Yes.” The word flew from his mouth, sure and certain. “I was going to come for Christmas. I don’t know if I still can come then, but as soon as I can travel, I’m coming.”

“Should…should I tell Mom?”

“Will she be…”

“Will she be mad? Oh yes. Will she want to smack you? Yes. Will she love you and hug you and never let you go? Also yes.”

He heard the conviction in his sister’s voice, but still he worried. “If she doesn’t want me to come, I’ll stay away. I don’t want to cause a commotion.”

“Phineas Butler Bishop. Don’t make me come down there and smack you for her. You will come home. We will fuss over you. There will be commotion. Good commotion,” she added, her voice breaking. “I can’t believe I’m finally talking to you again.”

“I’m sorry, Scar,” he whispered, closing his eyes and concentrating on the deep, even breathing of his dog.

“I know,” she whispered back. “You can tell me about it when you’re ready.” She cleared her throat. “We’re proud of you, Phin.”

“I’m not perfect,” he blurted out. “I have…issues.”

“I know,” she said again. “I’m not perfect, either. None of us are. We’ll work with your issues. You’re really coming home?”

“For Christmas, yes. Or maybe New Year’s, if I have to wait to drive.”

“But you’ll go back to New Orleans, after.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “That’s okay, Phin. We know you’ve built a life there, but you will always have a place here. In our house. In our hearts.”

Phin shuddered out a breath. “Love you, Scarlett.”

“Love you, Phineas. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay. Tell Mom…I don’t know.”

“Tell her yourself,” she said softly. “Recite a poem, tell a joke. It won’t matter what you tell her. Only that it’s you doing the telling.”

Phin had to breathe through the tightness in his chest. “Bye, Scar.”

“Bye, Phin.”

She ended the call and Phin lay there, unable to stop the tears that kept running down his face. Cora leaned over him, dabbing his cheeks dry, and he breathed her in.

“You’ve been here for three days,” he said. “How do you still smell so good?”

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