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Bolt and Gator drop their hold on one another and snap to attention. “He was braggin’ that he could take me,” Bolt says, explaining the situation.
“I would’ve had you if we weren’t interrupted,” Gator snaps back, picking up his baseball cap and strategically positioning it back on his head.
“Awww, that was the most excitement I’ve had in months,” Nana says with a genuine look of disappointment, holding Misty in her left arm.
“Yeah, it was just getting good,” Vanessa, adds, waving her hand at Anthony.
“You’re such a fun killer, Anthony,” I tease him as he looks around in bewilderment.
“Whatever!” Anthony rolls his eyes and holsters his weapon. “Where is Crusher?”
“Silvia wanted to run an errand, so he went with her,” Bolt answers. “I think she has a crush on him or something.”
Trey clears his throat, looking up at the ceiling. “You are talking about my mother for God’s sake.”
Everyone breaks out laughing, including me. “She is a single woman,” I remind him. “Although, Dad is probably going to be pretty jealous if he hears about this.”
“Yeah, he’ll be hopping the next flight.” Trey laughs, along with the rest of us.
Trey
Hearing the laughter, Aileen and Nolan come out into common area. Nolan looks like he hasn’t had much sleep and Aileen looks even worse. She still has the same smudged eyeliner that she was wearing yesterday and her hair is starting to look matted.
“On top of everything else, Mom is driving us insane,” Aileen says as she shuffles toward us. “Please tell me it’s safe for us to go home.”
“When Crusher gets back, I’ll have Gator escort you home,” Anthony tells her, reaching out to put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure she wants to make arrangements, so that’s understandable.”
“Unless you’re Irish, you don’t know the half of it,” she says with a small sigh. “She’s very traditional and the fact that she isn’t by Dad’s side and preparing for the wake is driving her nuts.”
“Tell her to get her things ready,” Anthony reaffirms, leading to a look of relief from both Aileen and Nolan.
“Do you think we’re safe at this point?” Nolan asks as soon as Aileen disappears from view.
“No, I don’t,” Anthony, replies bluntly. “We need another day or two for everything to resolve. That’s why Gator will be staying with you.” Gator comes over to join the two men.
“Good,” Nolan says, wringing his hands. “I don’t want to end up in another dumpster. I had to throw away those clothes.” He literally cringes at the thought.
“Yeah, you were definitely ripe,” Anthony acknowledges with shake of his head. “They should’ve used you in a Febreze commercial. Of all the places I’ve been, few things can compete with a dumpster at an Asian Market after a warm day.”
“On that note, how is Tyler doing?” I ask Vanessa after noticing his absence.
“I honestly don’t know,” she says with a crack in her voice. “He stopped taking the antidepressants because they were making him feel weird.”
“So he is acting more like his old self?” I ask, hoping to find some glimmer of hope.
“The anger is back, but he’s acting like he is in high school.” She gives me an unsettled look. “He stayed up until three o’clock playing video games last night and hasn’t gotten out of bed yet.”
That’s exactly what he did when he was in high school,” I comment, thinking back to how annoyed Mom used to get with him. “As soon as his football career was over, he blew everything off and would just play video games for hours and hours.”
“I don’t think that’s uncommon for someone who has had a brain trauma,” Bolt says after overhearing our conversation. “Immature behavior and personality changes are pretty normal. If someone had hostility prior to the injury, it can be magnified dramatically. I’ve seen guys get really nasty after brain trauma.”
“Can you imagine if something like that happened to Crusher?” Gator asks, just as the elevator dings and the doors open. Crusher and Mom step out of the elevator, shopping bags hanging from both of his hands.
“What?” he asks, coming to a stop in front of Anthony.
“Nothing,” Anthony replies. “We were just talking about brain injuries and you showed up. At least I see you are making yourself useful.”
