The chaos of Jessie headlocking me was thankfully a temporary moment. Veronica cleared the air the way she did, pulling me out of the fire with her coy demeanor that found a way to stretch the truth and leave out other key details. I could argue she saved me a third time though, as Jessie is the only person I could fear as much as Ryan. At least her reasoning was to make sure I didn’t act like Ryan, so I can’t be mad at her.

After we smoothed everything out, the evening was pleasant. It probably helped I cooked my beef stroganoff, Jessie’s kryptonite. Veronica got a bloody rare sirloin, which was the least I could do for her after keeping me alive for a couple more weeks than I thought I’d last. Despite Jessie’s apprehension, Veronica somehow charmed her way further into Jessie’s good graces with her wit and gift of gab. It probably helped that Jess could actually talk to another woman in a casual setting.

We all talked for a good several hours, chatting about the streets, favorite parts of the city, as well as how Veronica survived as long as she did. And just like our secret rendezvous at the motel, Veronica continued to subvert the topic any way she could. The way she weaved in and out so organically was fascinating. Each time Jess brought it up, Veronica found a way to talk about the Rat Pack or making a guessing game of her accent and completely derail it in a way you wouldn’t realize it.

We went late into the night, calling it past 1AM. Jessie crashed hard from exhaustion. Constant work shifts and a missing brother will do that. As for me, I pulled out the mattress from the sofa so Veronica could actually sleep on a proper bed. It was definitely showing its age, as it was something we found on the streets. We cleaned it up and it’s served us well considering. Ignoring the stains and lumps, it could have been worse.

As I pulled it out, I noticed Veronica staring at the picture next to our parents' urns. She reached out and grabbed it. She gave me a curious smile as she looked towards me.

“You two were fuckin’ adorable!” she exclaimed quietly.

I looked at the picture in her hands. I was about 5 and Jessie was about 9. It was back when we visited Coney Island. Jessie was outspoken and energetic, even back then, and it was visible with her proudly smiling with her arms crossed and a missing tooth in the frame next to mom. I awkwardly stood and smiled while my dad, a rather tall individual, had his arm wrapped around me.

“Glad someone thinks so,” I said quietly as I took the photo from her.

I stared at the photo with nostalgia.  It’s the last memory I had of us being really happy together. I don’t know why, but after a while, mom and I just drifted apart. My expression was numb, struggling to think of any happier moments afterwards. With dad, there were plenty of fun little instances here and there. With mom, all I could remember was her cold stare she gave me day after day.

I didn’t even realize that Veronica had leaned in towards me. I flinched when it finally registered to me. She gave me a warm smile as she took the photo from my hands and put it back on the shelf, carefully placing it evenly between the urns.

“I’ve seen that look in the mirror a lot,” she said encouragingly. “No point holding on to a memory if it hurts that much.”

I stared at Veronica before my head sank. I exhaled quietly as a pain started to grow in my chest.

“It was just some rough patches.”

“How rough?”

I was silent again. I couldn’t even hide it. Veronica sighed quietly as she moved closer to me and gingerly wrapped her arms around me. She rested her chin on my shoulder. My breathing eventually synced with hers as my eyes closed. Suddenly, the thoughts and memories began to fade, and I could feel myself calm down. I wrapped my arms around her, tighter than she held me. I never wanted to rag on my mom. She took care of me the way a mother was supposed to. But God, it felt so empty. When the only person you talk to is your sister, how the hell do you tell her that?

I started to realize how long we were holding each other. I gently pulled back, slightly embarrassed with myself. I smiled awkwardly as I ran my hand through my hair.

“You get some rest, okay?” I said quietly. “You can, uh, help yourself to anything in the fridge. Wake me up if you need anything.”

“You too,” Veronica responded supportively, giving me an amused smile as she sat on the bed.

I looked at her and nodded, giving her a small wave as I went back to my bedroom. I slept as well as someone on aspirin could. As rough as the pain was, I’ve gone through enough beatings to at least be used to the sensation. I tossed and turned throughout the night, though not because of the pain. Well, not the physical pain anyway.

Despite being exhausted from everything, I found myself waking up earlier than I would have liked. I trudged myself out of bed reluctantly, knowing that there was no way I’d be getting back to sleep. As I opened my bedroom door, I nearly screamed out. Resting against the way across from my door was Veronica, sitting in a curled up position with her arms around her legs. Her head hung low, resting on her knees; she was out cold.

“Veronica?” I whispered quietly.

She didn’t respond. I knelt next to her, reaching out to her. My hand recoiled, unsure of how she’d react if someone put their hands on her. I paused, thinking to myself. Leaving her on the floor felt equally uncouth (whatever her reason was for being there). After wrestling with the thought, I finally picked her up, wrapping her arms around my neck and hoisting her up. 

As I pushed myself up with all the strength in my legs, I found my knees almost buckled. Despite her small frame, she weighed more than I did. Suddenly, her knocking out Ryan made more sense. She had to have been almost pure muscle. No wonder she didn’t put up with anyone’s shit.

I brought Veronica back to the pullout mattress, laying her down as easily as I could and draping a blanket over her. She let out a quiet moan as she stirred before curling back up. I won’t deny, she was beautiful. But that moment was… kind of adorable. I smiled as I sat on the ground, taking a moment to wake up. After a few minutes, I made my way to the kitchen. I fired up the stove and did what I did best in the house and started breakfast for everyone, tossing in some eggs and ham onto some pans.

“Mmmm, mornin’,” a voice tiredly said behind me.

I looked over my shoulder to see Veronica shambling like a zombie towards me. It was an odd sight, seeing as she was typically more vibrant. I’m guessing she wasn’t much of a morning person. I smiled as I flipped the ham and grabbed a small dropper of food coloring, dripping several drops into each of the pans.

“Morning to you, too,” I said with surprising pep.

Veronica looked back at the couch before looking down the hall and then back to me. She pointed between the couch and hall in a state of sleepy confusion.

“Did you-?”

“Appreciate the lookout, but I figured the couch might have been more comfortable.”

“No funny business, yeah?” she asked jokingly. “Kept your hands at ten and two?”

I nodded with a laugh. Veronica smirked as she walked up to me from behind, sniffing the air. She let out a pleased sigh as she sat down at the dining room table.

“You know, you scared the hell out of me,” I said, looking back over my shoulder as I tried not to burn the eggs.

“Didn’t expect to have a guard outside my door.”

Veronica chuckled quietly as she gave me a two fingered salute.

“You get what you pay for,” we said simultaneously.

We both laughed quietly. I looked over my shoulder a third time. Veronica rested her head on her hand as she leaned on the table, her eyes slowly shuttering as she took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. I smiled, taking in her presence, before plating the food for the three of us. I brought two plates over and placed one in front of Veronica.

“Speaking of which, enjoy.”

Veronica opened her eyes as she looked down at the plate. I smiled at her initial confusion. In front of her were green eggs and ham. She looked at me with a bemused smirk. I chuckled quietly.

“Just a little Irish breakfast,” I joked.

“So that’s what you are?”

“Mostly,” I responded, digging into my plate.

“Funny. I thought getting dominated by a Brit would have come naturally.”

I nearly choked on my food. I coughed wildly, patting my chest. Veronica smiled deviously as she laughed and bit into her food.

“Saw your parents last name was Rhien. Got a little Gerry in you too?”

I was taken back by her use of the word. The only time I ever heard that was in World War II movies. She was spot on about where my name came from, but it was so antiquated, I didn’t know how else to react.

“Yeah. Dad’s side.”

“Mmm,” Veronica uttered with a long nod. She continued to dig into her food. “Comment still stands.”

“Fuck off,” I laughed.

I didn’t hear Jessie’s door open. I was surprised to see her already fully dressed and heading towards the door. It was a brief glimpse, but it was enough to get me to ditch the table and follow her.

“Jess, I thought you had today off?”

“You’re not the only one with priorities,” Jessie responded. “Besides, I have a promise to keep with Ryan.”

My eyes shot wide open. I could pick up the threat in her voice. I quickened my pace as I hurried after her and grabbed her by the back of her shirt.

“Jess-!”

“I’m just gonna talk with him.”

“It’s not worth it!”

“No one will ever know!”

“Jess, if you saw what Veronica did-”

“I told that fuckwit that I was going to bury him if he kept messing with you!” Jessie said angrily, spinning towards me with a look I’ve very rarely seen her made. “I don’t care what your friend did, he needs to know that when I say I’m gonna do something, I follow through!”

She was practically advancing on me, whether she knew it or not. I took a step back, thoughts racing on how I could get her to settle down.

“Get him, Jess,” Veronica piped up.

I spun around, seeing her lean against the wall with an enthusiastic glint in her eyes. I moved in close, hoping Jessie wouldn’t pick up our conversation.

“You promised!” I whispered.

“I just promised I wouldn’t bury him.”

Jessie smirked as she motioned towards Veronica. I spun between the two, unsure of who to talk down first. There was no winning this one.

“Motion settled, two to one in favor of kicking his ass.”

Jessie grabbed her keys off the key rack and hurried out the door. When her mind was made up, there was no stopping her. I groaned quietly as I grabbed my head. I wasn’t just scared of what she’d do to Ryan. I was worried she’d start asking questions after seeing the aftermath.

“Oh, I like her,” Veronica muttered.

I looked back towards Veronica, giving her an exasperated look. I let out a quiet groan as my arms dropped to my sides. I knew all I could do was wait. I sat down on the pullout mattress as I pinched the bridge of my nose. I really hoped Ryan was a man of his word and understood Veronica’s promise.