Page 55 of Devoted

Chapter 16

Brooks

“Is she okay?” I burst through the front door of my mom’s house, catching my Aunt Liz sitting on the couch with her hands folded in her lap. But when her head pops up, the lines of defeat around her eyes staring back at me worry me even more.

“Yeah, she’s alright. I’m sorry I called you at work, Brooks. I just wasn’t sure what to do.”

I set my keys on the kitchen counter and then take a seat next to her.

“You did the right thing. I was almost done anyway.” The exhaustion I felt earlier was replaced with energy as adrenaline raced through my veins while I drove to my mom’s house in a panic. “She was only out for a few seconds though, right?”

My aunt nods and then lets out a heavy breath. “Yeah. It was like five seconds, but it still freaked me out. I know the doctor told us to be prepared for fainting as a side effect of the chemo, but it still terrified me nonetheless. Again, I’m sorry for calling you, but I thought you’d want to know.”

I reach for her hand and put it in mine. “No. I’m glad you did. Like I said, I was almost done with my shift anyway. I’m just glad you were here when it happened.”

Aunt Liz nods. “Yeah, and she was about to sit down, so she sort of just fell onto the couch. She was trying to help me with chores and I told her not to, to just rest. But you know how stubborn your mother is.” I’m sure no one knows that better besides me than her own sister.

“Yeah, sounds like her. I know she must feel helpless right now, but she needs to accept our help and the fact that she shouldn’t be overexerting herself.”

“I’m trying, Brooks. I am,” she says with emotion in her throat, tears building in her eyes before they fall down her cheeks.

“I know you are, Aunt Liz. And thank you. I can’t be here like I want to be with my job. And now Jess—oh fuck! Jess!” The realization dawns on me that I forgot about our meeting as I reach for my phone and see a text from her waiting to be read. I click through and hear her words in her voice as my eyes float across her message, wondering where I was. “Fuck. I was supposed to meet up with her at the end of my shift.”

“Just tell her what happened. I’m sure she’ll understand,” my aunt says in the most carefree way.

I grimace and then shift my eyes away from her which apparently was a mistake. Suddenly she swats at my arm and then leans forward so she can see my face. “Brooks Bennet. Have you not told that woman what’s going on with your mother yet?”

I run my hand through my hair and then down the back of my neck, leaning back into the couch cushions. “No.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“Because how do you just bring up the fact that your mom is battling breast cancer in casual conversation?”

She lifts one brow at me, not buying my bullshit. “You’re telling me that you two haven’t discussed your families yet? Or the reason why you moved back home?”

“Well… not blatantly.”

“Brooks—you need to tell her. Keeping secrets is not the way you want to build a relationship.”

I take a deep breath and then close my eyes as I exhale harshly. “I know. I just—being with her helps me forget about what Mom’s going through, you know? She makes me smile, makes me feel alive. She renews the energy that depletes the second I remember that my mom might die in a matter of months. I guess—I guess I just wanted to hang on to that a little while longer because once I tell her, I know the pity that’s going to develop in her eyes will only make things worse. She’s going to want to help, and I can’t ask her to do that.”

“Did you plan on asking her to?”

“What? No. But she’s going to want to.”

“How do you know that?”

I grin, thinking about how Jess would react. “Because that’s who she is. She’s a nurse. It’s in her blood to help people. But I don’t want our relationship to be based on these uncontrollable circumstances and her sticking around for fear of hurting me even further. So, yeah. I haven’t told her. And I’m not going to until I absolutely need to.”

My aunt’s face softens at my reply. “Okay. I guess I can understand that. But if you’ve already considered this, does that mean you’ve considered her being around for a while?”

“Yeah,” I smile reflectively. “I’m gone for that woman, Aunt Liz.”

“Oh, boy. Both of my boys are falling in love.” She brings her clasped hands under her chin and bats her eyelashes.

“No. Not love. Yet. But definitely feelings.” Yeah, pretty strong ones at that.

“You look tired. Maybe you should go lie down.” She stands from the couch and moves into the kitchen. I tilt my head down the hall where I know my mother is sleeping and the guest bedroom is just feet away. I’m flipping exhausted after my shift and now even more so once my blood pressure spiked and then dropped as soon as I knew my mom was alright.

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