Randy laughed.
“See,” David rolled his eyes. “He is enjoying this way too much.” He walked toward the bathroom to see what he could do to help his brother.
“Get out of here,” Grant insisted as he slammed the door on David.
“Grant, are you okay?” Nora called.
“Fine,” Grant laughed.
Hailey, Jessica and Emily walked in the back door, shivering as they took off their coats.
“It is really getting cold out there!” Emily announced.
“Where’s Grant?” Hailey asked.
“His nose is bleeding,” Nora sighed.
“Not again,” Hailey sighed as she rushed toward the bathroom. She gently tapped on the door. “Baby, are you okay?” she called.
Grant didn’t answer. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror trying to get his nose to stop bleeding when he noticed a nagging pain in his chest. He rubbed his chest with his hand and winced to himself. Curiously, he lifted his blue Tar Heels hoodie he was wearing and stared in horror at the purple and black bruises that David’s punches had left behind. For a moment he stared into the mirror, then softly he asked, “Hails, can you ask my brother to come in here for a minute?”
“Let me in, Grant,” Hailey gulped.
“Hailey, don’t come in here,” Grant insisted. “I need David.”
“David!” Hailey called. “Come quick! Grant wants you!”
David hurried over and knocked on the door. “Let me in, Grant!”
Grant turned the knob, and David slid inside the bathroom. Grant stared wide-eyed at his older brother, his nose still bleeding. “Why are you looking at me like that? What’s wrong?” David begged. “Won’t your nose stop bleeding?”
“Look at this,” Grant whispered as he slowly lifted his shirt.
David stared in disbelief at his brother’s chest. “I didn’t do that!” David said defensively. “Have you lost your mind? What did you do, stand here and beat on your chest? Do you want Mom to strangle me or something?”
“I don’t know what to do, David,” Grant sighed, and David could hear the fear in his brother’s voice.
David swallowed hard. “Take your shirt off,” he said, assisting his brother in pulling his shirt over his head. David stared at the similar bruises along Grant’s shoulders and down his arms. “Oh… my… gosh…” was all David could say.
“What is going on?” Grant gulped as he wiped at his nose.
“I don’t know,” David shook his head, but his words sounded ominous.
“David, what is wrong with me?” Grant begged, wanting his brother to offer him a simple answer. “I am exhausted.”
“Grant, I think Dad needs to see this,” David said with a look full of mounting concern.
Grant held on to David’s shoulder for support. “David, something’s really wrong. I feel so weak.”
David reached for his brother, scared he would pass out again. “Why are you so warm? Did you just get hot while we were horsing around, or do you have a fever?” David felt his own forehead, trying, with no luck, to assess the situation.
“I don’t know,” Grant swiped at the dried blood around his nose out of habit.
“Dad!” David called as he stuck his head out the door. “Come in here, please!”
Randy stood. “Let me go see what this pow-wow in the bathroom is all about,” he rolled his eyes. “I guess I’m gonna have to teach these rookies how to stop a dang nosebleed. Anybody got any tampons?”
“What?” Jessica exclaimed.
“Oh, Dad…please don’t give all the military’s secrets away at once,” Emily rolled her eyes.
“Dad?” David called again, more insistently.
“Okay, what is wrong in there?” Joanna followed her father down the hall.
Randy opened the door to the bathroom and stared at his son, sitting on the bathroom counter, bruised and breathless.
Nora gasped when she saw Grant. “Randy, get him in the car!” she cried. “We’re going to the hospital right now!”
David walked out of the bathroom, allowing his parents to take over. He put his arm around his wife, and she rubbed his arm, sharing in his concern. “Mel, I don’t think that kid ever had the flu,” he whispered, closing his eyes, no need to finish his thought.
Jessica put her arm lovingly around Hailey. “He’ll be okay,” she nodded.
Grant lifted his eyes, looking past his mother toward Hailey. “Come here,” he motioned. Hailey eased her way toward Grant. “I love you,” he said confidently. “Everything will be fine after I go to the doctor and find out what’s wrong. Don’t worry, okay?”
Hailey nodded.
“It’s snowing!” Wally called boisterously from the front door, startling everyone.
