Page 20 of The Same Flesh
“Oh my God, Tean.I’m sorry.Wait, right now?”
“Earlier.My dad called while we were at Rainbow House.And you don’t need to be sorry, Jem.He was a difficult man.He didn’t particularly like me when I was a child, and he basically stopped talking to me after I came out.He and my father didn’t get along, to put it mildly, which might be the only thing that my father and I have in common.”In that same dry tone, he added, “Of course, my dad is furious that I didn’t drop everything the moment he called.According to this text message, Amos wants to know what’s wrong with me.Then he answers the question.Apparently I’m selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed, an emotionless robot—”
“I’m definitely going to fight him,” Jem said, but the joke felt flat now.He ran his hand down Tean’s arm, found his hand, and squeezed his fingers.“How are you feeling?”
“It’s typical Amos.His family motto is ‘bully and guilt.’”
Jem ran his thumb over the backs of Tean’s fingers.
“I don’t really feel anything,” Tean said.“I’m sorry he’s dead, but he lived a long life.He hasn’t been well for a few years, and his health has been particularly poor for the last few months.But I wasn’t close to him, and I don’t miss him.”
Jem thought about that for a while.And then he gave Tean’s hand a tighter squeeze.“Family is fucked up.”
That startled a laugh out of Tean, and he nodded.“It certainly is.”He held up his phone as it buzzed again.“Seth is trying to run interference, as usual.They’re getting together at my dad’s tomorrow to plan the funeral.He’s asking me to come because, quote, ‘We’d all love for you to be there, and I know it would mean a lot to Dad.’”
“Are you going to go?”
“I have to.”
“Well, you don’t have to.”
“Yeah, Jem, I kind of do.”
Jem was wise enough—sometimes—to know when to stop.
“Anyway,” Tean said, “that’s a problem for tomorrow, and we have more pressing things to worry about.”
“Like the fact that these psychos are definitely after Amy?”
“That’s at the top of my list, yes.”
Tean’s hand was warm inside Jem’s.The doc was so thin—everywhere, all over, but it seemed extra noticeable in his hands, like they were nothing but skin and bones.And calluses, Jem added with a mental smile as he found a callus in question and ran a finger over it.Because of course Tean had calluses.He was out roping moose and hogtying wild steers and wrestling polar bears.Maybe not polar bears.Grizzly bears.Did they have grizzly bears in Utah?Jem was pretty sure the answer was no.
“Why us?”Tean asked.
Jem ran his fingers over the ridge of calluses again.He followed Tean’s fingers with his own.So thin.If you caught him at the wrong angle, the doc looked like the wind might blow him away.Which was silly, because Tean was the strong one.
“It’s not fair,” Tean said.“I know that sounds childish.I know it sounds—well, selfish.”A brittle laugh slipped out of him.“Maybe Amos was right.Why us, Jem?”
“Because she’s scared, and she doesn’t know where else to go.”
“But we can’t do anything.We can’t help her.”
It was almost a shout.
Jem nodded.
“What are we supposed to do?”Tean asked.“Are we supposed to investigate?We’re not law enforcement officers.We don’t have the resources or the training or the authority.It’s not our job, Jem.This is the whole reason we have a police force.”
“She went to the police,” Jem said.“They think she’s making it up.”
“Then take them to her house.Show them what we found.”
Jem didn’t say anything.Because it was a fresh scratch on the doorjamb, that was all.And there was always going to be another explanation.
“And if we don’t help her,” Tean said, “if we don’t do whatever we can, she’s going to get killed, just like River.Those lunatics aren’t going to give up.They never give up.”
“They can’t give up,” Jem said.“She’s a threat, even if she doesn’t know why.They’ve got to get rid of her.”
