Page 7 of Tortured Whispers
“Please don’t. We’ve been okay on our own all these years. Brooklyn will be fine. I’ll be fine. Enjoy being around your family and don’t turn us into patients, okay?” His voice was gravelly like Dad’s. He was grumpy like him too. I was always the optimistic one like Mom.
“Okay. Sure. I’m still going to get Brook to warm up to me,” I smiled.
“She hates being called Brook. Strike number one,” Anthony chuckled and shook his head. “Hey, how does chicken tenders and mashed potatoes sound for dinner?”
“Sounds a lot like you need to learn how to cook. How have you survived all these years without a woman, Ant? Chicken tenders and mashed potatoes? Seriously?”
“I manage just fine. I’m not dead, am I?” He quipped. I laughed a little and shook my head. Same old stubborn Ant.
“I’m gonna go see if I can coax Brooklyn out of her room,” I announced, feeling pretty confident.
“Yeah, good luck,” my brother snorted and put on a small pot of water to boil for the potatoes. At least they weren’t from a box.
I headed down the hallway to my niece’s room and knocked. There was no answer. I leaned against the doorframe and knocked again. Inside, I could hear her scrambling around. She was hiding something.
When she opened the door and realized it was me, her hazel eyes took on a green glow. “Hey, kiddo. Can I come in?” Her gaze dropped to her bare feet. I looked at them too. She wiggled her toes then sank them into the carpet She repeated the motion over and over.
“Can I come in? I’ve been here for four days and I haven’t seen you at all.” She took a step back and gestured inside of her room.
“Sewer,” she said, reluctantly. I knew she meant to say sure but I also knew she struggled with speech apraxia so I didn’t pretend not to know what she meant. I treated her like her speech was normal as anyone else’s.
“It’s good to see you again. I think the last time we saw each other you were four. You wouldn’t talk to me then either,” I frowned.
“I’m quiet,” she told me, sitting on the floor cross-legged.
“I see. Can I sit down here with you?” I asked.
“Sewer,” she nodded. Her shoulders dropped away from her ears a little and it made me smile.
Sitting directly across from her made me realize how much she’d grown up. I should have been there for her. She needed somebody. “Wow, you’re all grown up.”
“Yeah…” She nodded and tucked away a stray lock of hair. Her eyes dropped to the carpet then darted over to the black box a few feet away. She looked everywhere but at me.
“Must be weird having me in your space, huh? I must feel like a stranger. You haven’t seen me in years then I just pop the hell up.” I chuckled and she gave me a half smile. Even that little smile lit her face up. She stole a glance at me then looked down at the floor again.
“You look diffwent.” The space between her brows creased in frustration.
“I look different? Man, how do you think I feel sitting across from you? It’s like you’re not the same person anymore.”
She stole another glance at me then nibbled on her sleeve. “Dad is happy you’re hew.” She frowned at herself again and my chest squeezed.
“I’m happy I’m here too. Look, I know you have speech apraxia, and it’s okay. You don’t have to get upset because your words aren’t coming out the way you want them to. You don’t even have to call me Uncle Caesar if you don’t want. If R sounds are tough for you then,” I reached out and held her dainty hand in mine. Her skinny fingers were cold to the touch and she was stiff as a board while I tried to connect with her.
“You’ll be Brook and I’ll be Cease. I promise I’ll leave you alone if you call me Cease,” I assured her. Her hazel eyes widened with uncertainty and I could see something happening. The wheels in her head were spinning out of control. It was the same look she had at the front door before she rushed in here to her room and closed the door.
It was the look she got before Anthony said she’d disappeared into her head. I gave her hand a squeeze and she locked eyes with me. Her palm heated a bit in my grasp and I offered her a kind smile. I wanted her to know I was trustworthy.
“Okay, Cease,” she whispered before slipping her hand from mine.
“Perfect, Brook. Will I see you at dinner?” I asked, standing up. “I want all the family time I can get.” Brooklyn gave me a slow nod as her eyes traveled to mine. “Cool,” I nodded then showed myself out and closed her door.
It wasn’t a full-blown conversation but it was a start.
**
Brooklyn…
I didn’t want him to leave. I just didn’t know how to say that. From the moment I came in the house and he walked around the corner to say hi to me, I felt different. I’d been avoiding him for four days but once he stood in front of me, I wondered why.
