A Touch of Fate (BWWM)

3 | Family Business

──────※ ·❆· ※──────

Garrett

Garrett didn't like nursing homes. Those scents. The illogical progression of incidents. Staff and nurses. The walls looked sterile, with cheap coastline and yacht images and tiling. The trip to Alabama had not boosted his mood, but now that his grandfather was in Montgomery after a seizure, things could change.

Just then, his phone rang, and he shot an apologetic look at the nurse behind the front desk, whose name tag said "Yolanda." He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and proceeded upstairs. It was his brother, Grady.

Garrett softly said, "Yeah," pressing his large frame against the wall.

"Have you seen him yet?" Grady asked quickly.

"I'm right down the hall."

A pause.

"Oh. I wasn't able to come, Garrett."

"Bullshit, Grady."

"No, you're right."

Garrett groaned and mumbled when talking to his older brother. "About what?"

"I didn't buy a plane ticket to go down there. Grandpa told me after our last visit that I would die young and not to call him when it happened. I told him it would be hard to do because I would be dead by then. He made his usual sound before taking a business call. After that, I left. He probably had no idea I had been gone for months."

Garrett let out a long sigh. "Not to sound like I'm picking sides, but your last fight was a son of a bitch." Grady enjoyed MMA tournaments and overtaking rookies. The family's loyalty ended with his UFC title.

"The other guy had no chance against me. A few bruises were all I got."

"Things worked in your favor."

"Whatever. Stop talking about the past. I didn't want to waste your time with small talk when I called." Grady exhaled and spoke softly. "Tell me how the old man is doing."

Garrett eyed the exit. "The nurse said he's breathing."

"So, you have nothing new to tell me?"

"I'm about to check on him."

"Okay." Grady sniffed. "Have you spoken to Gavin?"

"Briefly. We spoke before I left Maryland. His first preseason game is Friday in Vancouver."

"Big league moment for our younger brother. Who knew?"

At five, the youngest Beaumont enjoyed hockey. Their Canadian mother took them ice skating in her hometown. Helen Beaumont supported her boys' activities. Garrett stopped playing sports after her death. But not Gavin. Hockey helped him mingle and avoid his difficult family situation. Over time, their father lost interest. Gerald Beaumont gave the kids shelter, food, and clothing. That was it. He kept the family in Alabama with their grandfather, who refused to move.

The Beaumont brothers' early years were not always luxurious.

Garrett shook his head, trying to forget a terrible memory. "I'll give you an update later."

"Okay, then. I have to travel to New Jersey for a fight. Not my fight, though."

"Okay. Travel safely."

His older brother laughed. "I always do."

Garrett put his phone in his pocket and returned to the fourth-floor hallway. He gave the nurse a nod and kept walking down toward his grandfather's room. He let himself in through the open door.