Subtle Reminders

by D. J. Pierson

“I would never blame you for something I asked you to do.”

  “I can’t believe you aren’t over her.”

  “Would you ever be over Vince if he left you?” She started to say something, which probably would’ve been similar to “his loss”, but I didn’t want to hear it. “You can spew any bullshit you want right now, but I know damn well he wouldn’t be over you if you were the one who took off.”

  “Here’s what I’ll do,” Lex said, rubbing her head as if she had the worst migraine. “Let me talk to Brie. I’ll feel her out and see what’s going on. It’ll be easier to read her in person than it is on the phone. I’m not making any promises, Sully. It’s hard enough to get her to come visit. There’s no way in hell I want to be a part of anything that will make her leave early. Do you understand?”

  “Loud and clear, boss.”

  “I’m serious.” She glared directly at me, which was frightening.

  “I get it, Lex.”

  “Why the hell do I let myself get involved in other people’s drama?”

  “Probably because you think she belongs here just as much as I do.”

  “Go to work before I change my mind.” Groaning, she reached for the vibrating phone in her pocket. “Who needs something from me now?” Looking at the screen, she shook her head. “Looks like you’ll have your answer a day early. Brie’s on her way home now.” How the fuck was I supposed to concentrate through my whole shift knowing she’d finally be back in town? “Are you okay? You look like you’re going to vomit.”

  “Who died and made you a nurse?” I teased, getting up. “Thanks for doing this. I owe you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. Brie’s a tough cookie. I’m still thinking this shit is going to backfire and blow up in both our faces.”

  Ignoring her comment, I glanced back. “I have one more question.”

  “Don’t push your luck, Sullivan.”

  I laughed. “It’s just a question.”

  “What?”

  “Do your parents like this doctor guy?”

  She grinned and shook her head. “Not at all.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Why is that perfect?”

  I smirked. “Because they love me.”

  “Arrogant bastard.”

  In record time, I packed three bags of outfits complete with shoes, stripped and remade my bed, took out the garbage, confirmed the post office was holding my mail, paid a few bills online, and loaded up the car. More than likely, the burst of energy came from the leftover aggravation from Aidan’s bipolar mood swings, along with the fact I had to finish what he started. He never acted that way before and the whole thing had me twisted. I considered texting him to let him know I was leaving earlier than planned, but decided against it. He’d be busy for the rest of the night, so it wouldn’t matter one way or the other. After walking through my house one more time, I locked up tight and hit the road.

  Traffic was light through Connecticut, but sucked in New York. The only good thing to come from that was it delayed me long enough to miss rush hour on the New Jersey Turnpike, so it was smooth the rest of the way. The normal four-hour drive stretched into nearly six, but once I reached the exit that would get me to my parents, I couldn’t have been happier. Then my phone rang.

  Looking at the display, I groaned. “Hey,” I answered. Talking to Aidan wasn’t what I had in mind, but it was better to get it over with before I got to my destination.

  “Hey. Where are you? I’m outside your house and you’re not answering the door,” he said.

  “I thought you were going to dinner.”

  “I did. Roger isn’t the kind of guy to stay out very late, so I figured I’d surprise you.” Roger Morris was the head oncologist at our practice, and was old enough to be my grandfather. If he wasn’t so dedicated to helping people, he’d retire.

  “You should’ve called first.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Fifteen minutes from my parents’ house.”

  “What?! I thought you weren’t leaving until tomorrow morning.” He sighed, sounding annoyed. In my opinion, he had no right to be that way.

  “You said you were busy tonight. I finished packing, so why hang around?”

  “Did I do something?”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Because you sound pretty pissed. That’s not like you.”

  “And it’s not like you to have multiple personalities.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Since when do you refer to me as ‘your girl’, practically beg me not to leave, then bolt out the front door as if you would’ve rather been anywhere than at my house?”

  “Sometimes I wonder if you ever listen to a damn thing I say,” he blurted out, frustrated.

  “I listen to everything you say.”

  “Why are we fighting anyway? Is it bad I didn’t want you to go away for two weeks? Is it so hard for you to believe I’ll miss seeing you every day? Are you even going to think about me while you’re gone?”

  “Where is all of this coming from?” Time ticked by as he didn’t respond. “Aidan?”

  “Nowhere. Forget it.”

  There wasn’t an ounce of me that wanted to argue. In all the time we’ve been together, I don’t think we’ve disagreed on anything…except sports. My family was born and raised in Jersey, and his was from Massachusetts. There was bound to be some kind of rivalry between us. It never went any further than that, though. We didn’t have the normal fights like most couples. To be honest, I was okay with it. I didn’t want to be anyone’s girl. Being on my own worked for me. It was comfortable.

  “I’m sorry for getting upset. It was probably just from the stress of trying to get everything together and having to drive home. Can I call you after I get settled tonight?”

  “Yeah, okay.” I heard his car starting up in the background. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “’Bye.” Without allowing him to say another word, I disconnected the call. The music came back on and I gladly let it play, hoping it would clear my head.

  By the time I parked in the familiar driveway, the sun had begun to set on the beautiful spring day. My parents had made sure to pull over far enough so there was room for my car and it didn’t have to be left on the narrow street. I only had time to unplug my phone and reach for the handle before the storm door flew open and the bride-to-be came running down the steps. Instead of taking the walkway that wound a curved path to the driveway, my sister leapt over the flowers Mom had planted. Luckily, I was able to get to my feet and steady myself a fraction of a second before she plowed into me. She squeezed tightly, and I held her a little more snuggly than needed.

  Without releasing me, she mumbled, “If I would have known getting married was a way to bring your ass home, we would’ve done this years ago.”

  Her words made me giggle. “If you got hitched years ago, I wouldn’t be standing here now.” I kissed my sister’s head, since she was a little shorter than I was, and let her loose.

  “Don’t be so sure. We would’ve come up with something. I’m trying to figure out a way to keep you here permanently.”

  “My turn,” my dad announced, two steps ahead of my mom. When they sandwiched me in between them, it comforted me and brought a tear to my eye. It felt so good to be home. The anxiety of this afternoon melted away as if it had never existed.

  “Hey, Daddy.” He smiled a little more.

  “How was your drive?” Mom asked, taking my hand.

  “Long, but worth it.” I leaned over to kiss her cheek.

  “We waited for you so we could all eat together.” Of course they did. No one ate alone at the Watson house.

  “Good. I’m starving.” Dad motioned for me to pop my trunk, and my sister helped him with my bags.

  “What the hell did you pack in these damn things? A body?” Lex snapped.

  “There better not be. I’d hate to have to haul your ass into the station the first night you’re back in tow
n.” I turned at the sound of my future brother-in-law coming up the lawn.

  My mom released me for a second so I could return the hug he gave me. “Hey, Vince. Good to see you.” When we met back in eighth grade, I never would have imagined he’d become part of my family.

  “You didn’t think I’d miss this, did you?”

  “Miss what? Me coming home? Or dinner?” I joked.

  “Both.” He winked, then took the bag from my sister. “Hey, beautiful,” he whispered, lighting up her face. It was humbling to watch the two of them together. He seemed as excited as she did about next week.

  “Hey. Catch a bunch of bad guys today?”

  “Always,” he said before tilting down to kiss her. “Save any lives today?”

  “A few.” After my sister graduated from nursing school at the top of her class, she landed a job in the local trauma center. The girl thrived off the rush working in that kind of environment gave her.

  “That’s enough for me,” I said, tugging on my mom’s arm.

  My dad led the way, holding the front door open for us. He laughed as I walked by him. “Thank goodness I have one of my daughters back.”

  Stepping through the entryway of the house was the icing on the cake. Despite the repainting of the living room, a new floor, and the new furniture for the upcoming special day, it still felt like home. I was afraid it wouldn’t. Our senior portraits hung in their spots on the far wall, and the fireplace was still the focus of the room. We had plenty of family nights sitting in front of that thing. Mom’s curio, displaying all the knickknacks we had given her over the years, stood in the same corner it always had. The front window was covered with brand new curtains.

  “Wow,” I breathed out, walking into the room. “It looks great.” Mom had been talking about the renovations for months…well, more like bitching about it because she and Dad did everything themselves. They never got along when they worked on big projects. It took them forever to agree on a paint color, and the wood stain they wanted for the new floor almost caused a divorce. I had no clue why my dad even bothered to give an opinion because he always did what my mom wanted in the end anyway.

  Dad smiled. “It does. Your mother did a fabulous job.”

  Smart move, Dad.

  “Dinner’s ready, so go wash up.” She laughed all the way to the kitchen.

  I took the longest to get to the dinner table. Since the car ride was exhausting, I splashed some water on my face. Having the windows down for most of the way destroyed my hair, so I attempted to fix it. Figuring I looked as presentable as necessary for a late dinner with my parents, I headed toward the kitchen. Mom was mashing the potatoes, so I picked up the vegetables and brought them to the table. A loaf of bread sat next to the cutting board, so I sliced that, too. Lex was in the middle of telling Dad about one of the patients she had in the emergency room, and Vince started fixing his plate. When Mom walked in with the bowl of potatoes, she glanced around and smiled.

  “What’s that for?” I asked.

  “Everyone’s here,” she said, giving me a one-armed hug. Great. She was going to get all sentimental on me. I had no doubt tears were moments away.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Lex stood up, pulled money out of her back pocket, and handed it to Vince before sitting back down. He laughed and shoved it into his pocket. “I get that back if it happens before she leaves.”

  “What did you two bet on this time?” Mom asked, shaking her head. Vince would place a wager on anything. Sports, our friends, grades. Apparently, my sister had fallen into his habit. At least they were only passing their money back and forth. I couldn’t fathom how much they’d bet on the gender of their first child.

  “Whether or not Brie was engaged.” I choked on the iced tea which had only made it halfway down my throat. “Damn. I could’ve sworn she was coming home with a ring on her finger.” Laughing, Dad patted my back. Lex looked over at me. “Are you at least pregnant?”

  “Alexa!” Mom shouted. “Brielle, please tell me you are not pregnant.”

  “I’m not pregnant. What the hell, Lex?”

  Sighing, she stood up again and pulled out more money. “I’m going to have to pick up another shift.” She dropped into her chair and gave the bills to Vince, which he took without even batting an eye. “How did you know she wasn’t?” she asked him.

  His eyes met mine across the table, giving me one of those obnoxious “I know more than you do” smirks. “Because sometimes things are meant to be a certain way.” I would’ve questioned what the hell he meant by that, but figured it would be best to keep my mouth shut.

  Alexa looked at me. “How is the doctor? Has he at least spent the night yet?” Mom dropped her fork and it clanged on the plate. She glared at her youngest daughter, but she didn’t even flinch. “What? I’m just wondering. Is he still coming next weekend?”

  “Yes, he’s still coming. He should be here Friday afternoon before we go to rehearsal.”

  “We’ll see,” Lex mumbled. Did they have a bet going on whether Aidan was going to show up? “Pass some of that bread over here, sis.” I threw two slices of it at her. She caught them both and bit into one, a huge smile on her face. “What’s your problem? I’m the one who just lost a hundred bucks.”

  “That’s what you get,” I snapped. “Anything else you two need to know? Or can I eat my dinner in peace?”

  “We’re good…for now,” my bratty little sister said, shoving another bite of bread into her mouth. I hoped she realized payback was a bitch.

  We were able to eat the rest of our dinner without anybody else passing money or asking me senseless questions. Aidan’s name didn’t come up again, which was for the best. Mom and Dad must really not like him. They never had a problem with any of my friends in the past. They had always respected my choices on things like that, but Aidan Collins evidently rubbed them the wrong way. I wondered if he’d be able to change their minds. Something told me it would be a hard sell. Deep down, I hoped he failed because if my parents had any kind of attachment to him, it would make things harder.

  After devouring the delicious meal, my dad, sister, and Vince went to watch television, and I helped my mom clean up. While she put away the leftovers, I washed the dishes. She told me she’d take care of everything, but she had done enough for one day. I usually spoke to her three or four times a week, but it didn’t compare to standing beside her in the same room. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment how much I missed being with her. Watching how she reacted to the things I told her made me see how interested in my life she really was. She appreciated hearing about the progress of my patients as much as I did. She wanted to know about Laney. She asked how my townhouse was and if I needed anything updated in it. I mentioned how I wanted the door separating the garage and the house replaced, but thought that was way out of my area of expertise. She agreed, telling me not to attempt doing it on my own. She promised she and my dad would come visit and he’d take care of it for me. Then she reminded me that my bridesmaid dress was hanging in the closet upstairs and she needed me to try it on in case she had any altering to do.

  Mom and I eventually made it into the living room. I curled up next to my dad on the couch just in time to watch the eighth and ninth innings of the baseball game. Shortly after it ended, Vince left, but my sister stayed. Before heading up to bed, the four of us had a cup of hot chocolate. My childhood bedroom was exactly how I left it after college. The light gray walls matched the gray and pink comforter on the bed. My parents didn’t want me to take the white furniture when I moved out, so they purchased another set for my house. When I redid my room years ago, the posters I had on the walls as a teenager were replaced. The top of my dresser was bare, except for the jewelry box my grandmother had given me. I didn’t have to ask to know my mom had cleaned and pressed the pale pink curtains covering both windows.

  Still in the clothes I put on after work, I stripped out of my yoga pants, leaving on my tank top and panties, then climbed into the que
en-sized bed. Once I snuggled in, I checked my phone for messages. There was a text from Laney saying how happy hour sucked without me. She also sent a second telling me to ignore the first one because I was supposed to be forgetting about her and everyone else in Connecticut. Feeling exhaustion creeping in, I figured I’d call Aidan to say goodnight before falling asleep.

  He answered on the first ring. “Miss me yet?”

  “Maybe a little.” I heard him chuckle.

  “How is everyone?”

  “Deliriously happy I’m here.”

  “I know the feeling.” I wasn’t sure how to reply to that. He was really confusing me lately. “Brie, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry, too. You caught me off guard, I guess.”

  “Are we good?”

  “Yeah, we’re good. How was dinner?”

  “It was a meal with Roger.” I laughed, needing no explanation. “Marion asked when I’d put some effort into finding a wife.”

  “What the hell is with people today? First, Mrs. Harrison, now this? When did it become acceptable to say that kind of stuff?”

  “They don’t mean any harm, Brielle. They’re from an older generation. When they were younger, everyone got married earlier in life.”

  “Did no one have manners back then?” He chuckled. “I’m serious. My parents would never ask things like that. Why do older people think they can say whatever they want? Are they under the assumption they’re entitled because of their age?”

  “Probably.”

  “Well, they need to mind their own damn business.”

  “You’re so adorable when you get fired up. Not so much when it’s directed at me, but hysterical when someone else is on the receiving end.”

  “You’re an ass. I’m not fired up, but if you’d like me to be…”

  “No, thanks. At the risk of setting you off again, I was wondering if you’d think about something for me while you’re gone this week.”

  “Why don’t I like the sound of that?”

  “Because you know I’m going to ask you to do something which will require you to step out of that comfort zone of yours. I thought I’d be able to talk to you in person, but you left before I could.”