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“Do you need something?” I ask after a several second pause.
“Yeah, I have a few things that I need to go over with you,” he says, not offering any specifics.
“Okay, I’m going to be flying for the next hour, so I have time to talk.” I walk to the back of the plane and take my usual seat.
“There are things I would like to discuss in person. What time do you land?” he asks, seeming rather edgy. “Have you had a chance to talk to your brother?”
“They are keeping him sedated, so no, I haven’t talked to him. Why?”
“I was just wondering if he had come around at all. Vanessa hasn’t been answering her phone,” he says nervously. “I thought maybe he had come out of his coma.”
“Her and Mom have been taking turns staying with him, so she’s probably trying to get some sleep. She’s been staying nights and Mom has been taking the day shifts.”
“Okay, maybe she was just sleeping then. When are you going to be back?” he asks for a second time.
“I’ll be landing at JFK in a little over an hour,” I tell him, lying through my teeth.
“Okay, do you need a ride?” he asks eagerly.
“No, everything is covered. Can we meet at the office tomorrow morning?” I ask, not wanting to meet with him on a Sunday evening. “I’m assuming you will be there.”
“I would rather meet privately,” he says suspiciously. Leaving me wondering about his true intentions.
Right from the start this conversation has been giving off a weird vibe, so I continue to follow my gut. “I’ll stop in at eleven thirty tomorrow. That way if you don’t want to talk in the office, we can go have lunch somewhere quiet.”
Tommy pauses, making it obvious that he is trying to think of a reason why that won’t work. “So, you are busy tonight?”
“More tired than busy, but if I do anything it will probably be going up to the hospital,” I reply, curious to see what comes out of his mouth next.
“Where are you staying?” he asks sounding even more pensive.
“I think we’ll stay at Dad’s place, since it’s been sitting empty.” There is silence again at the other end, so I add, “I hope to be there by about ten o’clock tonight. Why?”
“Oh, no reason. I was just wondering if you needed a place to stay,” he replies, seeming a bit distracted. “If you’re sure we can’t get together tonight, I’ll plan on seeing you for lunch.”
“Sounds good. By the way, I think you should quit calling Vanessa,” I tell him, considering how conflicted she has become lately. “She’s got enough going on right now, she doesn’t need you messing with her mind.”
“You have no idea what is or isn’t going on between us, so why don’t you just mind your own business,” he snaps. “I’ve always considered her a close friend.”
“Well, I’ve known her since fifth grade and I can tell she is really in a bad place right now. She doesn’t need any additional stress,” I blast back at him.
“If she wants to get rid of some stress she needs to dump your brother,” he counters snidely. “He’s a fucked up mess.”
I click the hang up button, ending the call. I’m not going to listen to him taking shots at my brother. We all know that Tyler needs some help, but Tommy doesn’t need to kick him while he’s down. I’ll bet he has been putting ideas in Vanessa’s head. That would explain why she has been acting so weird lately. I send Vanessa a quick text telling her to call me when she has a moment. My phone rings before I even have a chance to get up out of my seat.
“What’s up?” she asks, sounding as if all is well.
“I don’t know. I just got off the phone with Tommy and our whole conversation just left me with the weirdest feeling. Have you been talking to him lately?” I ask, still feeling uneasy as a result of my conversation with him.
“Yeah, I talked to him on Saturday. He was just wondering how Tyler was doing and whether or not you were at the hospital. I told him that Tyler was still in a coma and that I didn’t know where you were,” she explains.
“Why was he wondering about me?” I ask, hoping she might be able to provide me with a little insight.
“I don’t know. He just was wondering if either of us had talked to Tyler,” she further elaborates.
“He asked me the same thing. That’s a little weird.” The sick feeling in my stomach begins to return. “Are you with Tyler now?”
