Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Seven: Homecoming #12

 Shaelynn was awake when they got home. She greeted them at the door in flannel pajamas. "Where the heck have you been?" she demanded of their brother.

Before he could answer, she caught sight of Sophia. She blanched, and her lips pursed. "I don't know if this is such a good idea," she said. "After the fight you and dad had."

Sophia threw a thumb in Brevick's direction. "It was his idea."

"Where is Mom?" he asked.

"In bed."

Brevick pushed past Shaelynn and disappeared down the hall. She looked at Sophia. "What's going on?"

Sophia quickly told her about Dad's visit and then Brevick's. "He wants to try one more time to convince mom. I just want to say my goodbyes. He says he'll take me down to the bus station after. I'll grab the first bus out of town."

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea. If Dad found out . . ."

"Is he here?"

Shaelynn shook her head. Sophia headed down the hall toward the master bedroom. She stopped by the door and listened. Shaelynn came and stood beside her.

Brevick had one weapon that none of the others had—he was the baby of the family. They could hear him sobbing, and there was little doubt they were genuine tears. "Mom," he said through sobs, "I need you."

"What do you mean, you need me?" Mom's voice was sleepy.

"I need you to not die."

"Oh, honey, it's not that simple."

"Yes, it is," he insisted. "Up on that station, they can help you."

"Zach is gone. And you heard what Dad said."

"I don't care what Dad said! And Zach is not gone. I brought him back. But he has to go now. And you have to go with him."

"You brought Zach . . .?"

Sophia decided that was as good as time as any and pushed the door open. Mom was in bed, wearing flannel pajamas that matched Shaelynn's. She looked up at Sophia, smiling through tears. "Hey," she said.

Mom sat up in bed and made room for Sophia and Shaelynn to sit on the foot of the bed. Brevick sat on the floor next to his mother, gripping her hand. They all three took turns talking to her, emphasizing that they only wanted what was best for her.

But mostly it was Brevick. He was not above just about any emotional guilt trip, no matter how ridiculous, if it got their mother to agree. "I'm failing high school," he said. "I'm terrible at math, you know that. How will I ever pass without you tutoring me?"

"Oh honey," she said with a laugh. She kissed his forehead and then looked at Sophia and Shaelynn. "What am I supposed to do? All my babies are against me."

"We are not against you," Shaelynn insisted. "We are for you."

"Okay, okay," she said, holding her hands up. "I give up. Or rather, I don't give up. You kids won't let me. But how? When?"

It was Brevick who answered. "The station. And right now. Dad threatened Zach. Told him to get out of town." Mom looked at Sophia in alarm. "He's going tonight on the bus, and you gotta go with him."

"No bus," Shaelynn said. "And I'll go too. Micah will drive us. It's only four hours. If we leave now, we can be there by morning."

Sophia looked at her sister, pleasantly surprised. It would be nice to have her there. Sophia turned back to her mother. "The treatment will be quick and painless. They put you in a tank filled with special chemicals. They can send signals into your body to tell this tumor to stop growing. That part of the treatment shouldn't take more than one time, but they'll also have to use other chemicals to tell your body to reabsorb the cancer, get rid of it. That might take longer, a few treatments, a couple weeks."

"A couple weeks?" Before Sophia could say anything more, she went on. "I thought chemo took months?"

Sophia laughed. "We have much better technology up there. Trust me on this."

"You talk like you're one of them," Brevick said.

Sophia shrugged. "I guess I sorta am. I mean, I want to be a healer. I want to have the training they have. And at this point, I don't really plan on coming back to the surface, ever. Maybe to visit," she added.

He smiled, the first genuine smile she had seen on his face in a long time. "I think I'd like that. Dad, not so much."

"What about Dad? He's not going to be happy," Sophia said.

"Aww, I can handle him," Brevick said. "I'll tell him Mom's not feeling well if he shows up. He doesn't come around that often. I can probably buy you a few days. After that, I don't know if he'll follow or just let it go and be pissed."

"If we're going to do this, we should get started right away," Shaelynn interrupted. "I've still got the bag packed from when I went to find Zach. I'll just add a few things. You help mom get packed, whatever you think she'll need."

Sophia held her hand out for Mom. "All you really need are a few changes of clothes. Indoor clothes. It's all climate controlled. Come on, let's get packed."

Mom took her hand and let Sophia help her up. She leaned in and kissed Sophia's cheek. "Thank you, for everything."