Birthday cake baking is well underway. I keep giving Ben tiny chores like fetching the flour or washing the measuring cups and turning on the oven light and after looking at him sideways one too many times thinking he would revolt he finally asked if I was okay.
Yes. Are you?
I'm fine. Bee, I'm just happy to be standing here right now. You know how long it's been since I could properly hold you?
(By properly he means nakedly, of course.)
I nod. Not going to cry. Dammit. No no no no no don't. Daniel needed-
Daniel has Schuy. You needed the reassurance. I would have kicked him out but he was asleep too fast.
He's your brother.
You're both my family-
Blood is thicker-
Thicker than us, Bridge? No, it's the same. We're family, same as Dan and I are brothers, you and I are forever together.
I wish this hadn't happened to you, Benny.
Sometimes bad things are just a reset button for a new direction.
What direction are we going in now?
Forward. We've been sideways for too long. He grins his big goofy nerd grin at me and I burst into tears.