If At First

Part 20 - Chapter 19

19

I blinked, squinting into the dim light. My head was pounding, and my view was full of my brother's face.

"Andy." I mumbled, wrinkling my nose.

"Yup."

"Bucket?" I rolled onto my side. My face, ankle and wrist caught fire at the movement and I flinched, falling onto my stomach, which didn't appreciate the pressure any more than any other parts of my body seemed to.

"Here," he answered, instantly producing a bucket and washcloth, and helping me into a more comfortable position.

I did not vomit. But the stillness of the bucket and the reverberating silence inside it tried to steady my brain. "I want to die."

"I sorta thought you did."

"Is it too late to choose that route?"

"I don't think you're going to want to."

"What's that noise? Nevermind. Where am I? No, shut up." I lifted my head out of the bucket and looked around, trying to gather myself. I took in the sight of small, rounded windows in a narrow room. I was in a bed and Andy sat in a leather chair immediately next to it. The room was very dim. "Andy?" I asked, confused, "what are you doing here? What happened?" I sat up slowly and looked around more closely.

"I was on my way back to Townsend when I got a call from Doug to see if I was okay."

"Townsend? Why were you going back to Townsend? What about Thumper?"

"Sara is back at home with her parents for now." He said with pride, "We're moving in together."

"Changed her mind about the mime?"

"Yeah. As soon as she saw him again she knew she didn't want anything to do with him. I found her at the airport on her way home, and Haven arranged for her annulment without a problem. I was coming back to take you home."

"Has it been a week?"

"No."

"Good. I'm starting a job tomorrow, you know."

"You mean today. But, about that..." Andy said, "I've got some good news and some bad news." I sank back into the pillow. "Mr. Treane's office called home looking for you and dad gave them Nana's number."

"I know," I stared absentmindedly at the chair behind him. My entire body throbbed. "What's the bad news then?"

"Mr. Treane sold the business. He can't offer you that job anymore. He made a ton of money and wanted to retire."

I looked at him and tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks. I wasn't even sure why. "Sold it?" I repeated, "To Haven?"

"Not that I'm aware of, no."

"Then what's the good news?"

He smiled enormously. "Well, it turns out Mr. Treane wasn't the only owner of his business. He had a partner. A silent partner."

"So what?"

"Mom was the silent partner."

"What?" I asked, exasperated and confused. "How?"

"When mom and dad got married, Nana panicked. Grandfather cut mom off completely, so Nana went behind his back and saved Mr. Treane from bankruptcy with the understanding that if he ever sold the business, seventy five percent of the profit would go to mom. It was sort of an insurance policy I guess, in case she ever decided to leave dad. And it might have helped that Nana threw Mr. Treane in the way of all her friends. He was incredibly successful."