Safer This Way

Chapter 40

Yes, it is I, not dead and with an nice long, sweet chapter for all you Sean lovers out there :) Thank you for waiting as always and...Happy Reading!!

*Sang*

The soft strains of the studio symphony filter through my headphones as I wait for Phil to come back with my x-ray results. I can't help the goofy smile that comes over my face as the music fills my ears, taking me back to Saturday night when Victor and I danced in the park.

This morning I'd woken up nervous to go back to the hospital for a check up, worried that Phil might tell me that I'd never speak normally again, or that something inside of me would never heal quite right. Then my phone buzzed on my nightstand, signaling a text from Victor that had contained the audio file for the beautiful song we'd danced to and I'd been all smiles from then on. I'd lost track of how many times I'd hit the little arrow to replay the music, and Phil had teased me relentlessly on the drive to the hospital about the stars in my eyes. Then the others had all started texting me, asking me if I wanted company today, telling me that everything would come back fine with my tests and that they loved me and the stars had turned into hearts.

Deducing that Phil is likely going to be a while, I stand from the ridiculously comfortable chair to wander around his office. It's the first time that I've been here and haven't been in massive amounts of pain. Sure, I'm still healing, that's why I'm even back here in the first place, but not I'm coherent enough to actually satisfy my desire to snoop into his life. I want to learn as much as I can about the man who's saved my life, about every member of my new extended family, really.

First I check out the framed degrees and certificates that occupy the wall behind his desk, noticing he's not only a doctor, but a licensed psychologist as well, which makes a lot of sense now. The dates on the diplomas are surprisingly close together as well, reminding me of my other genius doctor that sped through all forms of education.

Moving on, I can't help but smile when I stumble across a photo of a much younger Phil and Uncle who are smiling into the camera with their arms around each other all while holding a giant catfish between them. Next to it is a series of photographs featuring the boys at different ages either in small groups or all together.

One is of Nathan, Kota, Gabriel, Luke and Victor who couldn't have been older than five covered head to toe in mud and looking incredibly proud of themselves for how dirty they are.

The next is probably the only photo in the world where Silas and North could be called small, but they're still the tallest preteens I've ever seen. They're sitting back to back on a boat I've never seen, both holding fishing poles with lines cast, looking so focused I can't help but laugh. I remember North telling me that Phil and Uncle would take them out on the water when they first moved here to try and get him to open up and talk to the others. For that reason, this picture is all the more special.

Another photo shows Sean and Owen glaring at each other, proving there was actually a time when those two weren't as thick as thieves. Sean wears a big black hoodie, his sandy curls long and shaggy, nearly covering his eyes, and Owen looks even more uptight than usual in suspenders and a bow tie. If it weren't for how well I know their eyes, I would say I didn't recognize the boys in the photo. I frown and wonder why in the world Phil would keep this picture.

Then I see the Halloween photo with all nine of them at 13 or so and I snort. Luke looked like an extra from Magic Mike–a movie I had seen in bits and pieces over the shoulders of a group of girls in middle school and blushed for days afterward. Silas went as a player for the Red Sox, Nathan a ninja, Gabriel a pirate, Kota as Albert Einstein, Victor as a nerd. Sean, no surprise, was dressed as a doctor and someone drew whiskers on Owen, who looked entirely put out, but it was North who made me smile the most. His wore a black shirt that simply said "NO." in bright pink letters. I wondered if he still had it, and if I could maybe steal it to cherish forever.