“Good,” I said.
“Why don’t you just sit here with me for a bit?”
“Gladly,” I said, curling up beside her.
She lay down a bit, and I lay down with her, tucking her up close to me and leaning her head on my arm while I rested mine on the pillow in the corner of the couch. Grabbing the remote, she flipped on the TV and put on a true crime show.
“Do you mind?” she asked. “I know some people get weird about these.”
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “I like the ones without the reenactments.”
“I like the ones with the reenactments,” Dee said, coming back into the room with a large glass of wine, taking a deep sip and closing her eyes to enjoy it for a second before continuing. “The bad acting is the best.”
She sat down on the chair beside the couch, and I watched her for a moment. I was sure there would be a moment where she looked over and saw us curled up together and made a comment, but none ever came. She just accepted the situation as it was. I breathed a sigh of relief.
A while later, Dee picked up her phone and started fiddling around with it before turning to us.
“Pepperoni?” she asked.
“Hmm?” Malia responded.
“Pizza. From Sergio’s. You can order online now,” she said, turning her phone toward us. “Their website is wonky as hell, but I figured I’d give it a shot. Look at the cute drawing of a pizza when I add toppings.”
She pressed on a cartoon drawing of bell peppers, and they fell into place on the animated pizza.
“Cute,” Malia said. “Yes to pepperoni. Also mushrooms. Gerry?”
“That sounds fine,” I said.
“Pep and mushroom it is,” Dee said. “And cinnamon rolls. And breadsticks. And garlic sauce.” She looked over to Malia, who was staring at her. “What? I’m not kissing anyone tonight.”
We all laughed, and Dee went back to her phone, making the order. By the time the pizza arrived, I realized I was starving. I put away my fair share while Dee focused primarily on the cinnamon buns and her wine. When dinner was done, I excused myself to the bathroom and set up a bath for Malia. I knew it was probably a bit presumptive of me, but I wanted to dote on her.
“I prepared a bath for you,” I said, coming back into the room. “If you would like, I can carry you again.”
“Good night, sis,” Malia said, then turned back to me. “I can make it in there, thank you.”
I nodded and walked down the hall to wait for her as she made her way up off the couch and onto her crutches. As she reached the bathroom, she pressed a sweet kiss to my lips.
“Do you need any help?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t mind some.”
I grinned.
Malia sat down on the edge of the tub and removed her shirt as she looked down into the water. The bubbles were almost up to her backside on the edge of the tub, and she shut the water off. Pulling off her pants, she peeled them down off her foot and tossed them into the hamper beside her. I knelt down in front of her, and she smiled apprehensively as I reached for her compression sock.
I pulled it off slowly, then unwrapped her wrapping underneath. With that off, she was just in her bra and panties and staring up at me with a look of frustrated tension.
“I want you to join me, but…” she said.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I understand. I had an idea anyway. Why don’t you enjoy your bath and meet me in your room? If you need any help, call for me.”
“Okay.” She grinned. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Enjoy yourself.”
As I shut the bathroom door behind me, I noticed that Dee had moved herself to the couch. She was lying down, her body facing away, holding the remote in one hand and her glass in the other.
I made my way over to Malia’s bedroom and shut the door almost all the way. She had a spritz bottle beside her bed with eucalyptus spray, and I grabbed it, spraying the bed with a fine mist. There were also a few candles around the room, which I lit, giving the room a soft glow once I turned off the overhead light.
Folding back the corner of the bedspread, I heard the tub in the adjoining room start to drain. Malia had a chair next pulled up to her desk, where her laptop sat, and I sat down in it, waiting for her to either call for me or show up in the doorway. She chose to make it herself, wrapped in a towel, with another wrapping her hair above her head. She smiled as she saw the room and made her way across to the dresser, where she pulled out a pair of flowy pajama pants and a loose T-shirt.