Indestructible: Reinforced

Chapter 48

Chapter Forty-Eight

     September 2012

     Present Day

     “Is she alone?” Drake asked as he came to a halt infront of Avy’s room. He looked at me and Josh through half-mad eyes, and his hair was messy and unruly. The man was headed towards a very serious mental breakdown.

     “No.” I frowned. Josh stirred behind me and woke up. I’d wanted him to get some rest, but I didn’t think that was on anyone’s agenda tonight. “The doctor and Mom are inside with her now. Avy wants to see if there’s any progress.”

     “And is there?” He ran his fingers through his hair and messed it up even more. “Is there any progress?”

     “We still don’t know.” I said slowly. “The doctor is yet to come out. Drake, how many cups of coffee have you had?”

     “What?” He asked absentmindedly. “Oh, six or something. Espressos.”

     “I’m pretty sure that’s not healthy.” Josh shook his head. “At all. You should get some rest, Drake.”

     “And give your brother the chance to sneak past me and go see Avy?” He shook his head, his tongue running across his upper teeth malevolently, but it just seemed comical. “I don’t think so.”

     “Okay, Drake.” I got up and grabbed his arm. “Why don’t you sit down? You can wait with us, and if Jake tries to sneak in you’ll see him.”

     “Yeah.” He nodded and sat down. I sat between him and Josh and kept my hands on his arms. “I think I should do that.”

     “And maybe you should cut down on the espressos.” Josh said. “We don’t want you going loco on us before your kid pops out.”

     “Shit!” Drake clutched his head and he started hyperventilating. “Shit! I’m going to be father!”

     “Good job.” I hissed at Josh then rubbed Drake’s arm soothingly. The man needed a tonic or something. But Avy had once mentioned that he was going to be sober till the baby was born, I didn’t know if that still applied, since they’d broken up and all, so I didn’t know what to do. “Calm down, Drake.”

     “How the hell am I going to raise a kid?” He asked, his eyes roaming the corridor crazily. “I live with a bunch of college kids who like to get high. I can’t raise a kid in an environment like that.”

     “It’ll be fine.” I squeezed his arms, he’d been working out. I had a feeling that what I’d noticed had shown on my face, because Josh cleared his throat and gave me a look. “You can stay with us till you get a place of your own.”

     “Damn it, how did I not think of that earlier?” He ran his fingers through his hair and rocked back and forth. “Oh, God. I’m going to be a horrible father.”

     “No, you’re no-shit.” I sighed as Jake rounded the corner and walked down the corridor towards the three of us.

     “You.” Drake growled and was on his feet before I could stop him. “You just ruin things. Why the hell are you here? Why today? Why do you have to mess everything up?”

     Jake frowned and looked at Josh and I. “What’s going on here?”

     “Too much espresso.” Josh answered. “Best if you leave, brother.”

     “I mean,” Drake continued. “you just show up here with your hair, and your muscles, and that grin of yours that makes girls forget their dignity and their reason. And you mess everything up either by pretending to be some goddamn tortured soul, or the bad boy, or the goddamn hippy. Who the hell do you think you are, Jake Anderson?”