Her Best Men

My biological mother was nice, much nicer than I had imagined her. When I was a kid, I pictured someone mean. Cold. I thought she was the kind of woman who just wasn’t meant to be a mom. It turns out, I was wrong. Sheila was warm and nurturing. When we finally went back to see Josh, she immediately sprang into action. She smoothed out his sheets and brushed back his hair. She fluffed his pillow and sat inches away from his bed, holding his hand until the sun came up.

“You should get home,” Sheila said around seven the next morning.

“I’m okay here,” I said. “I want to be here when he wakes up.”

“It could be a couple of days,” Sheila said. “The doctors say he’s going to be just fine, Michael. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

I nodded but still didn’t move. The idea of leaving before Josh opened his eyes just didn’t feel right.

“We were fighting,” I said weakly. “Before his accident. We’ve been fighting.”

“About what?” Sheila asked kindly.

“A girl,” I said. “Julie? Did you ever meet her?”

“Yeah.” Sheila smiled. “I always liked Julie.”

“Me too…” I trailed off, suddenly afraid that Sheila might judge me for dating my brother’s ex-girlfriend.

“Oh,” Sheila said. “So, you two were together?”

“Yes,” I said. “I know it sounds bad, but—”

“Hey,” Sheila said with a laugh. “Joshua broke up with her. She’s fair game as far as I’m concerned.”

I laughed with relief. We’d only just met, and I didn’t want to get on Sheila’s bad side already. I felt better knowing that she didn’t care if I dated Julie, but my stomach was still tied in knots.

My brother was lying unconscious in a hospital bed after being in surgery all night. He was broken and injured. He would be okay, but his recovery was going to be hard. I wanted to be there for him but, after everything, I knew he hated me.

It was amazing how immediately my anger disappeared the night before. The second I found out about Josh’s accident, it was like everything else just vanished. I didn’t care that he tried to sabotage my relationship with Julie. I didn’t care about all the horrible things he said to her about me. All I could think about was whether he would survive. I hated myself for fighting with him, for not making things right before his accident.

“He’ll forgive you,” Sheila said wisely. “You’re brothers. That’s what brothers do. You fight.”

“We’ve never fought like this,” I said.

“Because you didn’t grow up together,” Sheila said sadly. “And that’s my fault. You and Josh missed out on so many years together. I’m sorry for that.”

“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “I wasn’t saying that—”

“I know,” Sheila said. “But it’s the truth. You and Josh are just catching up. You’re building a relationship and it’s hard. You’re bound to fight, but you’ll make it better. You’ll both forgive each other, and everything will be fine.”

“You really think so?” I asked.

“I do,” Sheila said. “But for now, you need to go home and get some rest. You’re exhausted.”

I nodded but still didn’t move. My eyes returned to Josh’s sleeping face. What if he woke up and I was gone?

“I’ll call you if anything changes,” Sheila said. “I promise.”

I nodded again and, this time, I left. I walked slowly down the hallway. It wasn’t until I reached my car that I realized my phone was dead. I hadn’t brought a charger with me to the hospital and, until that morning, I didn’t bother to look at my phone.

My thoughts turned to Julie as I drove toward home. I knew she was confused and probably hurt, but I didn’t have a choice last night. My brother was in critical condition. I had to get to the hospital. I wanted to call her, but then Sheila appeared. I came face to

face with my biological mother for the first time in my life. I didn’t know how to act or what to think.

Still, I felt guilty as I sped down the highway. I wanted to go straight to Julie’s house, but I was too tired to think. I let my body go on autopilot. It wasn’t until I pulled into my driveway that I realized where I was.

“Home sweet home,” I said under my breath.