Black Forever (Obsidian 4)

“I have?” she whispered.

Calloway nodded. “I’ve read the first half of Harry Potter to you over three hundred times. It’s your favorite book.”

The pained expression returned to her face. She pressed her thin lips tightly together in distress. “I feel like… Were you just here?”

Maybe this was going somewhere. Maybe seeing her so often had given her memory a positive push.

“Yes.” Calloway’s voice grew stronger, filling with hope. “I was here two days ago. And I was here the day before that.”

Theresa turned her gaze on me, studying my face like she recognized it. “There was another young man with you…I think.”

Now I could hardly breathe.

Calloway’s chest stilled in reaction, floored by what he just heard. “Yes. That was my brother.”

“I think I remember him…” Her hand immediately went to the necklace around her throat, feeling the gold chain. “Very handsome…very nice.”

“Yeah,” Calloway said in agreement. “Do you remember anything else?”

She stared at the wood floor beneath her feet, her fingertips still stroking the chain. “No…just that he was a fine young man.”

I turned my face to Calloway, silently asking him what we should do. I wondered if Calloway would ever tell her that he was her son, that she lost her memory due to illness, but he was still there for her. Would that just upset her? Frighten her? There was no way to know.

Calloway pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Call him.”

I followed his instructions immediately and returned to the lobby where I would have privacy.

Jackson answered almost immediately. “See? I told you that you would feel better. You’re a new man.”

I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but I didn’t care to find out. “We need you to come down here to see your mother.”

Jackson paused over the line. “Rome?”

“Yes,” I said in frustration. “Now can you come down here?”

“Why? Is she okay?” Alarm shot into his voice, turning protective just like Calloway.

“She’s fine, but she claims to remember you. If you come down here, maybe it’ll help her memory even more.”

Another pause. “She remembers me…?”

“Yes. Could you please come down here?”

Jackson’s hesitation was obvious over the phone, even in his silence.

“Get down here, or I’ll come get you. What’s it gonna be?” Jackson was twice my size and a much bigger pain in the ass, but I would make it work somehow.

Jackson probably didn’t take my threat seriously, but he must have realized he would have to deal with Calloway if he didn’t come down there. “Alright. Give me five minutes.”

“Thank you.”

“And by the way, stop calling me from Calloway’s phone. Don’t wanna say something I shouldn’t.”

“Maybe you should just say hi first instead of blabbing everything that comes to mind.” I hung up and crossed my arms over my chest. I was furious with Jackson even though he’d done nothing to deserve my wrath. I was anxious about Theresa and wanted Jackson there as quickly as possible. Every moment wasted was a moment we may never get back. She might lose her train of thought and forget what she said altogether.

I needed this to work for Calloway. I knew what it was like not to have a single parent. Christopher and I did just fine, but it was still a lonely existence. Calloway’s father was an asshole, but his mother contained the innocence of an angel. I wanted Calloway to have this, to have something to counteract all the bullshit in his life.

I would do anything to make it happen.

Jackson walked inside an eternity later. He wore a blue suit with a gray tie, showing distinct similarities to his brother. They were both tall and muscular, being the definition of masculinity.

“Alright, I’m here.” He adjusted his cuff links like he was about to walk into a business meeting. “What do I do?”

“Just walk in there and be normal.”

“How can I be normal when my mother has no memory of me?” he snapped. Without waiting for further instruction, he headed to her room.

I followed behind him until we reached the balcony. Calloway was sitting in the exact same position as he was before, gazing at his mother with a hopeless expression.

Jackson took the seat directly beside him and rested his hands on his knees. He stared at his mother blankly, not having a clue what to say. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but he quickly shut it again.

I sat beside Jackson and waited for something to happen.

Calloway took the reins. “Theresa, this is my brother Jackson.”

Theresa stared at him with the same empty expression. Slowly, recognition spread across her face. “Yes…I remember you.”

My hands moved together, and my fingers interlocked just to remain steady.

Jackson held her stare, no longer the macho man I heard over the phone. When Jackson was faced with his mother, he turned into a vulnerable and compassionate man, something I didn’t think was possible. “It’s nice to see you again. Your hair…looks nice.”