Page 135 of Fierce-Matt

“Your brother was here earlier and has worked your father up. We asked him to leave, but your father won’t calm down.”

“My brother is in town? EJ Emerson?”

“Yes,” Madelyn said. “He was here for about an hour. Your father said he had a son and we let him in. We didn’t think there’d be a problem. Then your father got worked up and we asked your brother to leave. We are struggling to calm him. Your mother has asked we don’t medicate him for it.”

“I’m five minutes away,” she said. “I’ll try my mother again. I think she had an appointment this afternoon. Her phone might be off.”

She hit the gas to get there faster.

“Thanks,” Madelyn said. “I enjoy sitting with your father. He reminds me of my grandfather some. I thought I could calm him, but it wasn’t working.”

“Can you let him know I’m on the way, please?”

“I will.” Madelyn hung up and Anya found her brother’s number in her phone scrolling through the dash and called him. Of course he didn’t answer. Asshole.

“I know you’re in town and just left Dad all worked up, EJ. Call me backnow.”

She called her mother and got her voicemail and left a message to call right away, that Dad was worked up, but she was taking care of it.

No reason to leave a message EJ was in town.

She knew her mother was going to reach out to her brother, but she hadn’t heard a word that he’d replied.

She pulled into the parking lot, parked in the first spot she saw, shut the car off and speed-walked toward the entrance.

She gave her name, signed, saw her brother’s name on the list and might not have noticed it if she hadn’t gotten the call, then was buzzed in.

“Dad,” she said, moving into the room at a normal pace.

She learned to not look anxious. He’d only feed off of it.

“Anya, thank God. Your brother was here trying to get me to sign something.”

“What?” she asked. She was ecstatic that he was aware enough to know who she was. The first day here, he was more confused than normal, but each day he was progressing much better than they’d hoped.

He still had his moments, sure, and thankfully now wasn’t the time for one.

“I haven’t seen your brother in over ten years,” her father said. “He comes in here like it was yesterday and wants me to sign some paper.”

“EJ moved a few years ago, Dad. Not ten years ago.”

Her father waved his hand at her. She knew it was best not to argue with him, but she always tried to correct him first to see his reaction.

“Then it wasn’t long enough since I saw him.”

She held in her laugh. “You might not be the only one that feels that way. Can you tell me what happened? What did he want you to sign?”

“I don’t know,” Elliot said. “I asked where your mother was. Why isn’t she here with me? And why am I still here? I want to go home.”

“Mom had an appointment today. She’ll be here soon.” She hoped.

“When can I go home?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I can talk to the doctor if they are around. You have to get up and walk on your own, Dad. Or you have to go in a wheelchair. Is that what you want?”

“No,” her father said. “And I’m sick of having someone in the bathroom with me. I want to take a piss and a shit on my own.”

Her father was back in some ways.