Page 108 of Sing it, Sam

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“Hey,” I say, and sigh when Ben opens the door.

He stands there in a blue T-shirt, which is soaked down the middle. By the pull of his brows, he’s not happy about something. “Hey, Jane. Nice to see you survived the drive to the city.”

“Barely. Let me tell you, city drivers are frickin’ lunatics. God forbid you let anyone into your lane. Ever.”

He snorts. “You got it in one.”

“Is Sam responsible for this?” I point to the wet fabric which clings to the defined muscles of his chest.

“Ah, yeah. Come on in.”

“So, he’s alive and well, then?”

Ben shuts the door behind me, turns the handle lock, and secures the silver deadbolt above it. Sometimes I forget to lock my house, but it’s never been an issue.City life, huh?

“He’s alive, alright. I can’t guarantee for how long, though. I might just strangle him yet.”

I chuckle as I walk beside Ben down a tiled hallway. “Please don’t.”

Ben guides me into a brightly lit L-shaped kitchen, which has a timber dining table with four chairs on the other side of the bench. A corner lounge is at the far end of the room, facing a flat TV fixed to the wall. Sliding doors open onto a small balcony overlooking the street.

“How did you find out about the fall?” Ben says in a quiet voice and leans his hip against the bench. “I’ve been racking my brain since you rang. Kind of freaked me out, really. Sam made me swear not to tell you.”

I move into the kitchen area, not quite knowing where to stand. “Oh, did he now?”

“Yeah, he did. So, how’d you find out?”

Is this the part where Ben is going to think I’m cuckoo? I fiddle with the strap of my bag, hitching it higher up my shoulder. “Um, I have a friend who is spiritually aware. That’s what she told me.”

“And you believe in that stuff?”

I chew on the inside of my cheek. “I dunno. She was right, though, so that’s something. Now, before I go and beat up Sam, what happened exactly?”

“He said he slipped getting out of the shower, but I reckon he collapsed because it took him a bit to come to. Sam was groggy when I peeled him off the floor. He finally admitted that the steam made him dizzy and he passed out.”

Here’s hoping it was just a slip and nothing more serious. “I’m still not happy he kept it from me. Ben, I need to know this stuff.”

“I was going to tell you tomorrow. He’ll have a few bruises for his troubles if that makes you feel any better.”

“Ha. Not really.” I take a look around the kitchen, and the doors coming off the room. Is Sam’s room farther down the hall, or is it through the back of the lounge room?

“Hey, before you go see him, have you got a sec?” Ben asks. “He’s probably sleeping anyhow.”

As much as I’m busting to be by Sam’s side, the forlorn look in Ben’s pale blue eyes has my feet rooted to the spot. They silently beg me for my time. He needs to talk, and one thing I’m good at is listening.

“Course,” I say with a nod.

“Coffee? Tea?” he asks, motioning towards the coffee machine.

“Coffee, two sugars, please.”I’ll definitely need it to keep me alert for the drive home.

As he watches the coffee drip into the second cup, his shoulders drop with a mammoth sigh.

“How are you coping, Ben?”

He lifts his head and grants me a weary smile, positioning the next cup beneath the spout. The frown lines across his brow seem to carry the weight of the world. “Okay, I guess. Sam is being an arse.”

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