On that day Danny had just watched his best friend being taken away in handcuffs, his father was in prison and he was on a mission to bring his little sister to a mental health facility. Two months later, I would return to find that our mother had moved out, Trent Cassini had been sent away to reform school and Jules had given up her college dreams to watch over us. But that day, with Jules behind the wheel, Danny in the backseat and Abigail Fisher’s voice filling my ears, my brother gave me the same crooked grin of encouragement.
“I love you, Dan-O,” I say to him because I do and because I worry that I didn’t say it often enough to Jules.
“Love you too, Gretch,” he answers.
Trent takes my hand while keeping the other on the steering wheel. He has yet to comment on our decision even though he must have some thoughts. After all it was Liam, motivated purely by cruelty, who deprived Trent of the chance to say goodbye to his father. I wouldn’t blame him for disapproving of the fact that I’m honoring his brother’s last wish. I hope he understands no one is doing this for Liam.
Trent notices that I’m staring at him and lifts my hand to his lips. “Just because Liam did the wrong thing doesn’t mean everyone should,” he says, putting to rest my worries.
“I love you, Trent.”
He smiles and brakes for a stoplight. “I love you too, Gretchen Aaronson.”
On the way, I send a brief text to Barbara Bianco and she waits for us with freshly brewed cups of coffee. The girls are sleepy and confused but they are thrilled to see their Uncle Danny and full of questions as I hurriedly help them on with their shoes.
“But why are we going to the hospital?” Mara asks. “Who’s sick?”
Telling them is nowhere near as painful as telling them of their mother’s death, however in the years ahead they will remember this night. The truth is best, terrible as it may be.
I sit on the sofa bed and pull them both to me. “There was a fire tonight. A man was badly hurt. So badly hurt that the doctors will not be able to save him. The reason we are going to see him is because he is your father.”
Immediately, they are puzzled. And they are upset. In the same minute they have been given their father and learned he will be taken away. They have already lost far too much in their young lives.
The only bright point comes when Trent kneels in front of the girls. He smiles at them and says this news means that he is their uncle. And he is so very proud to be their uncle. He promises to forever love them and take care of them.
Hearing this takes some of the sting out of being told their father has lived here in town the whole time and now he is dying. But we do need to go. We might already be too late.
Whitney waits at Liam’s bedside. When she sees the girls, she covers her mouth with her hand and chokes back a sob. But then she takes her hand away and manages to smile. She tells them she is pleased to meet them.
Liam’s face, which is not badly burned, is the only part of him we can see. His gruesome burns have been mercifully covered with a sheet, likely to spare the girls the trauma of seeing such a thing.
Caitlin doesn’t need any prompting. She walks right up to her father and stares critically at his face. His breathing tube is back in his mouth but he is able to turn his head just enough to look at her.
“I like cats,” Caitlin says. “And marshmallows. And now I like to have pineapple on my pizza. You should know that.”
Apparently, she thinks this is enough of an introduction because she steps away from the bed and goes to Trent. He whispers to her that she did a good job. Her chin trembles and she holds her arms out as a sign she’d like to be picked up. Trent lifts her and her little arms circle his neck.
Mara continues to hang back. She clutches her favorite stuffed dog and keeps looking over her shoulder to make sure I’m right behind her. I’m about to tell her she does not have to say anything if she doesn’t want to. However, she takes a tentative step forward and examines her father.
“I hope you have nice dreams.” She looks at her stuffed dog, comes to a decision, and tucks the thing into the bed beside him.
This is more than Whitney can take. She erupts into fresh tears, brushes past Danny, who waits in the hallway, and we don’t see her again before we leave.
Machines beep and the nurse who had been standing by steps forward to check Liam’s vital signs. No one has to be told that he doesn’t have long.
Trent chooses not to say any final words to his brother. Perhaps he doesn’t want to intrude on the girls’ moment or maybe he decides it’s an act of kindness to keep his thoughts to himself. He carries Caitlin out of the room as Mara and I follow.
In the hallway, Caitlin asks to be set down. She runs to her Uncle Danny and seizes his hand. With her other hand, she reaches for Trent and the three of them proceed down the corridor toward the exit.
“I have two uncles now!” Caitlin announces with pride to the world.
Sweet little Mara sighs beside me. I pick her up and kiss her soft cheek. She rests her head on my shoulder and lets me carry her outside.
Danny drove up here from the city in a rental car and he can’t leave it in the hospital parking lot. With a wave, he says he’ll meet us back at the house.
“I’m tired,” Mara tells me as I buckle her seatbelt. On the other side, Trent snaps Caitlin’s seatbelt closed.
I tug on the belt to make sure it’s secure. “You can go back to bed when we get home. I’m so proud of you girls. And if you have any questions or if there’s anything you want to talk about, just let us know.”
Caitlin perks up. “Can we get donuts later?”
I look to Trent. “What do you say, Uncle Trent? Are donuts in the future?”
He grins. “I can make donuts happen.”
“Uncle Trent!” Caitlin thinks this is hilarious. “We have to call you Uncle Trent now!”
“I’m Uncle Trent now,” he agrees and winks.
Exhaustion is beginning to catch up to me and I can’t stop yawning as Trent drives us home. The sky behind Rosebriar Hill is beginning to lighten as sunrise approaches, although the haze of fire smoke has yet to disperse.
Trent switches on the radio and the host is in the middle of a news briefing.
“The fire at Cassini Brewery in Lake Stuart is now under control, although the brewery itself has been completely destroyed by the blaze. And in entertainment news, celebrated singer Abigail Fisher has reportedly died at the age of seventy-nine. Fisher, known for such hits as Rose Nights and Whatever Will Be, began as a popular performer at various upstate summer venues and often headlined at the famous Rosebriar Resort just outside Lake Stuart. In honor of her legacy, stay tuned for this weekend’s Abigail Fisher music marathon.”
The loss hits me hard considering I’ve never met Abigail in person. Maybe I should have written to her more often and let her know how much I appreciated her for watching over our family. I miss her already now that she’s gone.
Both girls are asleep when we pull into the driveway. Danny has already beaten us there. He and Trent each carry a sleeping twin up the stairs.
I’d like to visit with my brother but we’re all too tired to do anything except sleep right now. Before Danny heads out to the carriage house, he says, “I heard on the radio that Abigail Fisher died.”