Page 103 of The Other Brother

“What’s he doing here?” Frank asks. I seize up.

“We were together when you called me,” Cody says.

Frank looks between us, his eyebrows bunching together in a scowl.

“The receptionist won’t tell me anything,” Cody says.

“I’ll try to find a doctor.” Frank moves briskly away.

“Do you want me to go?” I ask Cody when Frank has disappeared.

“No. Stay. Please.”

Cody leans his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. He seems to be offering up a silent prayer.

All the words I want to offer—It’ll be okay. I’m sure it’s nothing serious. Your mum will be fine—they dry up on my tongue when I see the look on Cody’s face. Because I can’t offer him any guarantees. And I know that’s all he wants right now.

Frank comes back into the waiting room.

Cody snaps his eyes open. “Did they tell you anything?”

“No. They’re still evaluating her.”

Frank sits down on one of the plastic seats, then jumps up almost immediately and starts pacing. He glances a few times at us, but not for long. It’s like he can’t bear to keep his eyes on us.

Mel arrives in a fluster of tears and questions. She gives her dad a hug then Cody before turning to me.

“Hey, Ry.” She gives my shoulder a squeeze.

Somehow Mel’s arrival makes me feel even more out of place. Which is weird because Mel is part of my family. But it just highlights the fact that I’m not part of this particular family.

Who should I be offering comfort to?

My boyfriend, whose mother is sick? Definitely.

My half-sister, whose stepmother is sick? Probably.

My mother’s ex-husband, whose wife is sick? Maybe. But I’m the last person in the world he wants comfort from.

And I can’t think of any words that will help anyone. So I stay mute.

Mel takes a seat against the other wall. Her eyes dart between Frank and me.

Frank’s eyes narrow.

Is he wondering why Mel hasn’t asked why I’m here? Is Mel’s acceptance of my presence with Cody automatically making Frank suspicious about the true nature of our relationship?

Damn, there are so many layers of complications between us all.

A doctor comes into the waiting room, and Frank strides over to her. Cody jumps up too, and Mel follows with an anxious look on her face.

I stay on the cold, hard seats.

“Heather Abbot’s family?” The doctor is in her mid-twenties yet wears a tired expression of someone a lot older.

Frank’s face is a combination of anticipation and fear. “Yes, I’m her husband. This is my son and daughter.”

Even if I was standing right there, I don’t think he’d acknowledge me. Because I’m no one in this scenario.