sliceitwithwind

"They're taking care of funeral things." one of the nurses, Sanni, informs Aya, "They'll be here as soon as they can.

"I shoulda been here." Dilan whispers.

"Oh..."

"NO!" Aya's denial of Dilan's whisper was sudden and fierce. And maaaybe her grip was just a little tighter. "It's not your fault! Being here...no! You'll make yourself sick thinking that!" she knew. She had experience.

"She needed me."

Braig just keeps rocking him, soothing noises the best he can do.

"Not every minute. Not every day! You keep telling me it's not my job to look after my dad, so it's wasn't your job either! She was an adult!" Aya would probably say this a lot...it'd taken her years to accept it, so, yeah.

"I - yeah - I - " he can't really come up with anything else to say.

"Yeah." Aya reiterated, just to be sure. "We're here. We're staying here. We'll take over the big bed at home again okay?"

"Okay. Don't leave."

The adults look at each other helplessly, then one of them murmurs, "Braig's parents will be taking you in, Dilan. They've already made arrangements."

"Not gonna leave." Aya promised fiercely. "Ever ever. Except maybe to the bathroom but I'll come right back okay?" she'd stay glued to him in one way or another until he didn't want her too.

"And see? You don't have to move! We're still staying with Braig!"

Dilan keeps clinging to them, "Okay." he says softly, "Okay."

"Pardon, excuse me, the children are still here?" Nevada had come back from his appointment fully expecting to be bombarded by excited chattering and camping stories. It had been disturbing to be unable to find the children...and phone call to Braig's fathe's cell phone yielded strained and tearful results.

"Kids?" he called, unwilling to push through the crowd of nurses. "I'll take you home...please, ladies?"

"Uncle Nevada!" Braig calls, "We're here!"

Nevada was glad to hear Braig's voice, even if 'Uncle' still threw him. Several years and it still threw him. Regardless..."Ladies, make a path." he started stepping through the nurses, fully expecting the women to move.

Once he could stand over the trio, he knelt "Dilan? Dilan I'm going to carry you to my jeep. Are you alright with that?"

Dilan wraps his arms around Nevada's neck, nodding. Braig pushes nurses away, making the hole bigger for Nevada's sake. "You can call later. Tonight."

Nevada cradled the boy carefully, making allowances for the fact that Aya wasn't letting go of Dilan's hand. "Thank you, Ladies." he offered quietly, incredibly relieved that Braig was clearing the way.

"Brea, Braig...where were your bags left? I'll get them once you're all strapped in." because it seemed best to let them all stay together.

"They're under the bus." Braig says quietly, "I can go get them, if you want."

"Nu uh." Dilan says, "Don't go away. Please."

Jeeps had easy access, he just swung Dilan up and over the side to settle him in the backseat. "No, Braig, I can handle bags easily enough. You two get into the back, you're needed." he turned to lift Aya in, then offered a boost to Braig.

Braig accepted the boost with a sigh, he hates being so damn SHORT, and then cuddles Dilan close.

"Thanks."

Later this summer he'd take the doors off and Braig could practically jump in? That wasn't here or now though. "No need to thank me kids, you just need to get home." doing what needed to be done was just what one did.

There were still several bags under the bus, kids were milling around trading gossip and summer plans...it took him a few minutes, but finally he was pretty sure he had the boys bags. "Okay...would you like to go home kids or do you need some time elsewhere?"

"Home." Dilan says with a hiccuped breath, "And - I gotta - tomorrow I gotta clean the house."

"Home then." Nevada agreed, tugging each seat belt to make sure the children were secure before starting up the jeep. "Give me a list, Dilan. I will get you supplies as long as you promise to listen when the others tell you to take a break."

"Cleaning things should be there already." Dilan says quietly, "And I'll listen. I'll stop when I have to. I'm gonna need boxes. And tape. And labels."

"Oh f...eldspar." Nevada ran a hand over his head as the implications sunk in "Dilan? Why don't you leave that part to other people?" he asked as gently as he could.

"Because she was my mom." Dilan says, firmly, "And nobody else can - nobody else can know what I do about what she'd want where."

"I don't know how to put it any other way kid but...that's going to hurt. A lot. Why don't you at least give it a few days? Things...things can wait." he was honestly considering giving the boy a shot of something hard. Make him sleep for a day...

Dilan looks down and leans on Braig some more, "I can't. I loved her. I don't do well at not moving."

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