After All (Cape Harbor 1)

She nodded. “She’s dying, Bowie. How am I going to tell Brystol?” She covered her face and started to weep. Without hesitation he pulled her into his arms. He fought back his own wave of tears while she poured out her own. He cradled her head, feeling the smooth chocolate strands of her hair. A flood of memories came rushing back.

“What do you think?” Brooklyn asked as she pushed up the ends of her hair. Bowie smiled because it was the right thing to do, but she had cut her hair, chopping off her long locks. Gone was the ponytail he loved to tug to get her attention.

“You look so much older,” he said. It was something his mother always said each time he, Austin, or the twins cut their hair.

“That’s good, right? Like in my early twenties? Not thirties?”

“Definitely not.” He stepped forward and rubbed a strand of hair between his thumb and index finger. It was soft and silky and had a little curl to it. He was going to love it because he was in love with her. “What did Austin say?”

“I haven’t shown him yet.”

“Am I the first?” Bowie wanted to be her first everything. That ship had sailed after Austin told him about their first time together. He knew Brooklyn had cried and that Austin had just sat on the edge of the bed. Bowie wasn’t sure what he would’ve done but knew in his heart he would’ve held her and maybe cried with her. He liked to think that he would’ve cared for her and told her how much he loved her, how he saw them having a future together. He knew he wouldn’t have been like Austin and handed Brooklyn her clothes. If he had, he would’ve dressed her just so he could feel her skin against his flesh.

She smiled. “I figured you’d tell me the truth. Austin will tell me I look good, but he won’t really see me. You, though, you always tell me when my butt looks too big in jeans.”

Never, because you’re perfect. He couldn’t say those words out loud, but he wanted to. He wanted to tell her that she should dump Austin because he didn’t deserve someone like her. He couldn’t, though. Austin was his best friend; dicks before chicks and all that stupid shit he was forced to follow. He would stay in the friend lane, being there when she needed him. He hated it, though, because he was madly in love with her and knew he’d never have the chance to show her.

“I can be there with you, if you want. Or make sure Luke is there. She’s grown very attached to my dog. I’m afraid that when you leave, he’ll want to go with her.” He was opening the door for her to tell him that she wasn’t leaving, that they were staying. But she remained silent except for a small chuckle. Brooklyn pulled away and wiped her eyes. He wanted her back in his arms; it was where she belonged, at least in his mind.

“Brystol wants a dog.”

“Sort of need a house for a dog.”

She eyed him. “You pump my daughter for too much information.”

He smiled. “It’s the only way to find out where you’ve been for the last fifteen years.”

Brooklyn rolled her eyes and looked away. “I don’t want to talk about the past right now.”

“Brooklyn Hewett?”

Both Brooklyn and Bowie stood as her name was called. Bowie honestly thought he would see Jason again or he’d at least come out with the doctor, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Briggs. I wanted to talk to you about your mother.” Brooklyn hadn’t bothered to correct the woman. “As you know, she’s battling stage four breast cancer, and the scans show it’s spread. I’m sorry, but your mother doesn’t have much time. We are moving her to a room now; you’ll be able to see her in a little bit.” The doctor put a reassuring hand on Brooklyn’s arm, smiled softly, and left.

Bowie caught Brooklyn just as she was about to collapse. He helped her over to the sofa and sat them down, refusing to let go of her. “It’s going to be okay,” he tried to reassure her.

“It’s not,” she said. “None of this is going to be okay.”

TWENTY-FIVE

It took over an hour, but the hospital staff finally put Carly into a private room. The first room she was assigned to had another person in there, along with their family. The room was small and crowded, and Brooklyn couldn’t think with all the noise. She asked that Carly have more privacy, demanded it. Told them cost wasn’t an issue. Carly was dying, and Brooklyn wanted her death to be as peaceful as possible. She wanted their small family to grieve together without others looking on. She wanted to tell Carly how much she appreciated her, loved her, and wished things could’ve been different. Most importantly, she wanted to tell her goodbye without strangers lingering around them. That was exceptionally important considering she never had that chance with Austin.