Begin Again

| Chapter Thirty-Four |

Telling the girls everything—minus the sex stuff, obviously—had been much easier than telling Uncle Rickey.

Ruth worriedly watched him pass through the seven stages of grief in his recliner before he lurched forward and took her in his comforting arms. She relaxed against him and let him comfort her long enough for her to notice that the man had gotten some more meat on his bones in the time she'd been MIA.

Though he was still obviously sick, there was a glow to his face again, and his body took on the food he'd been eating. The new medication gave him a new flush to his cheeks and a chance to be the Uncle Rickey she knew and loved. He was resembling his old self again, and it excited Ruth to talk about it. But he'd been so preoccupied with her and what she had going on, he refused to talk about himself.

"I'm sorry, Honey-Bee. I knew something was off with that girl, but I never imagined it was that. You didn't deserve it," he spoke up, sympathetically.

Ruth sat back down on his couch. "Thanks, Uncle."

"I already told Ruth it's on sight if I see that girl," Jana boasted, showing off her arm muscles for us.

Uncle Rickey, on the other hand, didn't look as impressed. "The only thing I'm seeing 'on sight' are those damn noodles you call arms. What the hell are those supposed to do?"

Terry barked out a snorting laugh alongside Ruth's amused giggle. Jana on the other hand, wasn't so amused and balked loudly, moving her hand to squeeze her biceps.

Jana scoffed out, "They aren't noodle arms! They can do a helluva lot too. Just ask E—"

"Anumpulit issa! I don't want to hear that shit," he exclaimed, slamming his hands to his ears. (Stop talking!)

Jana crossed her arms, boasting. "That's what I thought. Now, what time is our man of the hour coming?"

Ruth glanced at her phone's time and the text informing her he had just left work about ten minutes ago and that he would be there soon. "In the next ten minutes or so. Just enough time for you to talk about how you've been feeling," she demanded.

"Nothing to tell," Uncle Rickey admitted. "The medication's been helping with the nausea, and the chemo is doing its job. I've lost a bit of hair and I feel like hell some days, but I'm good, Honey-Bee."

"When's your next checkup?" she questioned.

"Next Friday."

"Perfect. I expect another full update by then."

"You sound like your auntie," he grumbled dryly.

She shrugged, unashamed. "Anyway, is Rose coming to the wedding? I know her and the kids are in Texas now, but did they RSVP?"

Jana made a face but nodded anyway. "Her and the brats are coming. So is my dad and Terry's mom."

Despite all three of their parents being siblings, their parents didn't speak to each other very often. Ruth couldn't remember the last time she'd seen them, honestly. Maybe her first year when she first moved out to Oklahoma? They hadn't been able to make it to the wedding party, but they could make up for lost time at the wedding.

"Y'all need anything for it?" Uncle Rickey asked Jana, referring to her big day.

She tossed her dark braid over her shoulder. "Nah, everything's already set. Just need the day to arrive and our family not to act like fools. I don't know how possible that one is, but here's to hoping."

"That's the spirit, Jay," Terry interjected, patting her on the shoulder.

Ruth's phone went off and all eyes fell to her. She nibbled at her bottom lip and glanced down at the screen, ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks. She couldn't stop herself from lighting up at the test from Raffo informing her he just pulled into a parking spot out front.