“Next time, I’m making it.”
Jake shakes his head and there’s something about it that makes me think George isn’t getting back out on the field. I take his hand and spread his long, graceful fingers. There’s paint dried to his nails. “At least you didn’t injure your panting hand.”
He smiles lazily. “True. That would be a crime.”
Raised voices carry from the hall—loud and agitated.
“Someone’s pissed,” George says.
Definitely. A woman’s voice rose above the rest and the hair on my neck prickled. There’s no doubt the woman is Sierra. We share a look. Dexter walks over to the door and peeked outside. His face pales and he glances back at George. To me and Jake he says, “Stay here.”
The voices get louder—now a man and… “Is that Charlie?” I ask. Jake nods. What the hell?
“I don’t give a damn who you are or what paperwork you have. I’m his father and you can’t stop me from seeing him.”
“Yeah right, like you’ve been a father to either of us these last two years. Why the hell are you here now?” Charlie says, his voice echoing down the hall.
“Don’t question me, son. You’re the one that walked away.”
“Because you and George fight all the time. Because you’re like…this!”
“And you picked your brother over your father.” There’s a pause. “And obviously this pathetic woman over me.”
“Hey! Don’t talk about my sister like that.”
I feel nothing but fear when I hear Dexter speak. I look at Jake. “Go get him. Now.”
“On it.”
I stay by George’s side while the argument goes on out in the hall. I pray Jake gets to Dexter in time. George squeezes my hand and looks up at me. “Is that my dad?”
“Sounds like it.”
“I haven’t seen him in…months? I don’t know.” He peers at the door. “What’s he doing here?”
“I guess he wants to see you?”
Two security officers rush by the room and I’m just relieved I haven’t heard Dexter say anything in a few moments. “I’m going to go look, okay?”
George nods.
At the door, I peek out and see that there are no signs of a fight and with security there, the argument has lowered in volume. Dexter and Jake are nowhere to be found, thank god, and the officers speak quietly to Sierra, Charlie, and his dad. I take a second to study him—I see an older version of the twins. Tall and thin, except with a small, protruding belly. His hair is gray. His glasses thicker than Charlie’s. He’s dressed in workman-type clothes; matching pants and a shirt. Charlie told me he’s good with his hands and wanted to be an engineer.
“I just want to see my son.”
“You’ve had plenty of chances,” Charlie says. “You’re the one that opted out of visitation.”
“I’m here now. Doesn’t that count?”
“Sir, this woman has the legal guardianship of these two boys. You need to adhere to the visitation rules determined by the court.”
“He’s seventeen. Doesn’t he get a choice?”
The officers pause. I look back in the room at George. “Do you want to see him?” I ask.
He doesn’t even think, he just shakes his head no. I walk out of the room and down the hall. “He doesn’t want to see you,” I say to the circle of people.
“Told you,” Charlie mutters before walking back to his brother.