The Last Hour (Thompson Sisters) by Sheehan-Miles, Charles (reading well .txt) 📕

much blush and didn’t look much at all like I remembered her. Andrea slipped off the stool. I put my hands on her shoulders and stared in her big brown eyes and said, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too, Carrie,” she said. She stumbled a little on her words, as if speaking English had become out of the ordinary, just a slight Spanish accent. I pulled her to me, and she said, “I’ve really missed you,” and sniffed as if she were about to start crying.

“How is Grandmother?” I asked.

“She’s doing well,” she replied. “She asked me to tell you that she wants you to come visit. When you can.”

“I’d like that,” I said. We stepped back from each other, but I didn’t take my hands away from her arms. I couldn’t believe how different she was. “I’m so sorry I haven’t come before now ... it’s been ... too many years, and we hardly got to talk at all at the wedding.”

I met Julia’s eyes. Sad eyes. I reached out and took her hand, but didn’t say anything. My sisters meant the world to me, and it was hard to believe that we’d all drifted in so many directions that it took a tragedy to put us all in the same place again.

Julia slipped off her stool, and put her arms around us both. And I was mortified, because suddenly I wanted to cry again. I bit my lip, hard, trying to push back the grief that was overwhelming me.

I think Julia sensed what was going on with me, because she let go, and said, “Let’s eat. And then we’ll head over to the hospital.”

I knew if I insisted on leaving immediately for the hospital, I’d have a fight on my hands from everyone. So I sat down and mechanically started to eat. Someone had called room service and ordered a huge amount of breakfast food, piled on platters on the coffee table. It was tasteless, but I suppose nourishing, and as I ate, it occurred to me that I might end up having to worry about eating for two. That Ray might never even know he was a father. I had to squeeze my eyes shut at that thought to keep them from overflowing again. Once I felt like I had it under control, I opened my eyes. Everyone was staring at me. Like I was a ticking bomb about to explode, or a delicate vase that had fallen from the mantel and cracked, but not fallen apart yet. I ignored them and started to mechanically stuff my face again. Maybe if I pretended they weren’t there, they’d all go away.

It didn’t work. I finished eating in silence. By that time Crank had come back in, and he sat down next to me and said, “You hanging in there, chica?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Trying to hold it together.”

“We’re here for you,” he said. “Whatever you need. Whenever you need it. I don’t care if we’re in Africa or some place, you call, we come running.”

I swallowed and tried to keep my chin from quivering.

“Right now, I just need to get to the hospital and check on Ray and Sarah, okay?”

“Gotcha. I think we’re all ready. Just say the word.”

I stood up. “Let’s go.”

So everyone got up, and we picked up Ray’s parents across the hall. After introducing them to my parents, we all headed downstairs and out on to the street. Andrea and Jessica walked together, ahead of the rest of us, both of them talking in an animated way that made me ache for Sarah. Behind them walked Michael and Kate, both looking uncomfortable in the crowd of my family. Alexandra and Dylan were behind them, Dylan limping just a little bit, Alexandra holding his arm.

I walked with Crank and Julia on either side of me. We talked about inconsequential things, things that were far away from court-martials and accidents and ethics investigations. Julia told me a crazy story about the girl in New Zealand who had evaded security and tackled Crank on the stage in Wellington last month. The poor girl fell off the stage when the security guards grabbed her, and ended up breaking her leg.

“Oh my God,” I said. “I saw something about that in the news.”

“We went to visit her in the hospital,” Crank said.

“I thought she was going to have a heart attack,” Julia said. “Crank signed her cast, and then gave her a kiss on the cheek. She’s been posting the picture all over the internet.”

I laughed. And the hell of it was, it felt good to be walking with them and talking. I missed my family terribly sometimes, and walking with Julia reminded me so much of that summer ten years ago, when we drove across the country together, it almost brought tears to my eyes.

She took my arm, and said, “Do you remember when we visited the Grand Canyon?”

“I thought you were going to push Crank off the edge.”

She snickered. “I almost did. But ... I was just thinking about how little I get to see you now. I’m sorry it took ... all of this ... to get us together.”

I sniffed and tried to suppress the emotions that seemed to be running through me out of control. But our conversation got cut short a moment later, when Crank muttered, “Fuck me dead.”

Ahead of us at the entrance to the hospital, were three news vans, and reporters were crowded around the front entrance.

“Just ignore them,” Julia said. “Dylan!”

Dylan turned around at her call.

“I want you, Crank and Dad to escort Carrie into the hospital. Don’t pause, don’t speak to any of them. Mom, you come with me. Mr. and Mrs. Sherman ... I’d suggest you go in with Carrie. We don’t want to feed the press any more than necessary. I’ll get rid of them. Alexandra, you take Jessica and Andrea with you.”

Michael and Kate looked rattled. I don’t think either one of them had dealt with anything