As I’d gotten older, I made a vow to myself to make the best out of the second chance my mother had given us. I graduated from college, earning a degree in health care, and had gotten a job at a nursing home, busting my ass in hopes of making my mother proud. I’d always hoped that my brother would do the same. Sadly, he hadn’t. He didn’t seem to care about anything, much less making anyone proud. I hadn’t realized how bad things had gotten with him until the day he almost got us both killed.
* * *
I was just about to get off work when my mother called my cellphone. Normally, I wouldn’t answer a call during work hours, but I’d already made my rounds and was gathering my things to go home. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Have you heard from Danny?”
“No. Why?”
Her voice was laced with concern as she replied, “I’ve been trying to get ahold of him for weeks, but he hasn’t returned any of my calls.”
“You know Danny. He’s probably just running around with his buddies or something,” I tried to reassure her. “Who knows? Maybe he actually got a real job.”
“I don’t know, Delilah. It’s not like him to go this long without answering my calls or texts. I’m really worried about him.”
I knew what was coming. She was going to ask me to go see about him. I’d been working all day, my head was pounding and my feet were aching, and the last thing I wanted to do was go check in on my big brother. Before she could ask, I suggested, “You know, you could just go over to his place and see if he’s there.”
“I know and I would, but he gets upset when he thinks I’m meddling in his life.” Knowing I’d failed, I cringed and waited for her to turn the tables on me. “I know you’re busy with work, and I really hate to ask ... but could you go over there and check on him?”
“Yeah, I’ll stop by his place on my way home from work.”
“And you won’t tell him that I sent you?”
“No, Mom, I won’t tell him.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I knew I could count on you,” she replied, sounding relieved.
“I’ll call you when I know something more.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I hung up my phone and slipped it into my bag. After I grabbed the rest of my things, I headed up front to find Janet, the lead nurse, to let her know I was leaving for the day. As luck would have it, I found her sitting at her desk, working on the next week’s schedule. She was deep in thought and hadn’t realized that I was standing in front of her until I said, “Hey ... I’m calling it a day.”
“Oh ... before you go, Carla has an appointment Tuesday afternoon.” Janet was in her late forties, heavy-set with jet-black hair that she colored way too often. Her makeup was a bit overdone, but she was still a pretty lady with a warm personality to match. She’d always been very kind to me, always treating me and the other nurses with nothing but respect, so it was impossible not to like her. She gave me a slight smile and said, “I was hoping you’d be able to work late on Tuesday?”
“Sure, I can do it.”
“Great!” She smiled. “I’ll put you down.”
“Sounds good.” I turned to leave, and just as I was about to step through the door, I turned back and said, “Have a great night. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You too.”
I got in my car and started towards Danny’s apartment. It wasn’t anything special, just a one-bedroom with barely enough room for a bed and a sofa, but I had no idea how he paid for it. He hadn’t had a real job in months, so I could only assume that my mother had been helping him out—which aggravated me to no end. Danny was more than capable of taking care of himself, and he certainly didn’t need our mother giving him handouts. The thought was weighing on me as I pulled up to his apartment complex. I got out of my car and took a quick glance around but didn’t see his truck in the parking lot. I was beginning to think I’d wasted a trip until I spotted his Dodge pickup parked a couple of blocks down the street. While that seemed a bit odd, I didn’t stop to think about it. I wanted to check on him as quickly as possible, so I could get home and unwind for the day. I made my way up to his door, then knocked and waited for him to answer.
I hadn’t been standing there long when I grew impatient and knocked a second time, only harder. I was almost positive that I’d heard him moving around in there, so I shouted, “Danny! I know you’re in there! Open the stupid door!”