Work Hard, Love Harder

*****

Femi opened the door of the hotel room, wondering what mood Zoe was in now. He had some time to wander with her, maybe get to her home and meet her family, but he needed to get back to Boston and the internship waiting for him there. They had agreed to defer his start date by a few weeks so he could sort out ‘personal matters,’ but they wouldn’t wait forever. So, Femi wanted to get this journey over with; meet the brother Zack, maybe the mother too. And then get back to his own life. Zoe would take care of what she needed for the baby, and if she needed cash or anything, she could ask. Not that she should; after all, she’d withdrawn almost ten thousand dollars from his ATM. He still didn’t know how she’d obtained his passwords, but he wasn’t going to worry about it. He’d reset every single one of his passwords and upped security clearance on use of his credit cards. She shouldn’t be able to do it again.

The only problem remained was what to do about the baby. His mother would be perfectly willing to raise it for him if he asked, but he had no idea what Zoe’s plans were. Obviously, they hadn’t included staying with him since she’d stolen his money and ran away. Femi had been surprised by how much that hurt. He wasn’t going to let it interfere with his responsibilities though. He knew what those were and he was going to fulfill them. Whether Zoe liked it or not.

*****

Zack was home alone when they arrived. It was a good thing the door was unlocked because he was also too weak to get up. Zoe was horrified at how much he’d deteriorated. She’d been away just a year, and he looked a hundred times worse than when she left. The house smelled of pee and sickness, and Zack looked like he’d been wearing the same clothes for at least a month. Zoe was embarrassed for Femi to see their home and lives like this, but he kept his face impassive and whatever disgust he might have been feeling, he kept it to himself. Zoe was at least grateful for that. She took him aside to have a word.

“So, you should probably try and find a hotel if you’re staying. I’m gonna stay here and clean things up a bit,” she said to him sotto voce.

“Don’t you need help? What about your brother? Shouldn’t he be in hospital?”

Zoe turned her head to look at Zack, who was still lying on the couch, mouth open, drool seeping out of the corner. He was barely responsive, and she wondered when the last time he ate was. She was beginning to think going away to school had been the worst decision of her life. He definitely needed to be in hospital and she still had most of the money she’d swiped from Femi. She didn’t know if he would be asking for that back at some point, so she wasn’t sure if she should spend it.

But he was right.

Zack needed a hospital.

Fu*k it. She’d deal with if he wanted his money back later.

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess he does need a hospital. I’ll clean him up a bit and then take him.”

“Nonsense. He’s too heavy for you to carry and he can’t walk. Let me bathe him. I bet he’d be embarrassed if you did it. He is a man after all.”

Before Zoe could process that, Femi was already striding toward her brother and lifting him up into his arms with no strain. He turned to her face inquiring.

“Where is the bathroom?”

She pointed in the right direction, still rendered mute by his actions, and watched as he carried Zack away, long legs eating up the short distance in a flash and disappearing into the bathroom. There was silence for a bit, and then she heard the sound of water filling up the bath. She hoped it was hot. She wasn’t sure if her mother had kept up with the power bills. She stepped toward the wall and tested the light switch. Power came on no problem, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She could hear Femi murmuring words in the bathroom and thought about sneaking closer to eavesdrop, but the room really was a mess. She needed to clean up.

*****

“Zoe. When did you come in?” Her mother was standing in the hallway clad in a skimpy nightgown and shawl. Apparently, she’d been in the house this entire time. Perhaps the sound of the vacuum cleaner woke her up. She had some serious bed head going and she hadn’t put on her wig yet.

“I came in this morning,” Zoe replied. She could feel the lump in her throat trying to choke her. She didn’t know whether it was anger or sadness, but she could hardly stand to look at her mother right now. “Zack seems to be getting worse,” she ventured.

Her mother sighed. “Yeah. I swear sometimes I wish he’d just die already. It can’t be easy for him being this way.”

Zoe froze at her words, shock flickering through her system like an electric current.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked coldly.

Her mother shrugged. “Oh relax, I just meant it might be easier for him if he was dead.”

“Easier for him or easier for you?” Zoe asked, her whole body vibrating.

Her mother glared. “Don’t you take that tone with me, Zoe Isabella. I’m still your mother.”

“Yeah. Well why don’t you act like it?” Zoe murmured as she restarted the vacuuming.

“What was that? I didn’t hear you,” her mother said, and then she noticed the couch was empty. “Where’s Zack anyway?”

“Here he is,” a deep voice said from behind her, and she turned around to behold Femi with Zack wrapped in a towel in his arms, fast asleep. Instantly, Clare Monroque’s hand flew to her hair.

“Oh, I didn’t know we had guests,” she said.

Femi smiled humorlessly. “I am not a guest,” he said, walking forward to deposit Zack gently on the couch. “This boy needs medical care, and probably food,” he informed her.

Clare sighed dramatically. “I know. I try my best but…” She let the words trail away faux helplessly.

“Well, maybe you should try the best of someone else,” Femi said before turning to Zoe. “Is there any food in the house or should I go get something?”

Zoe was still speechless from what he’d said to her mother so all that came out of her mouth was a croak. Femi raised an eyebrow and then decided to go see for himself. There was some stale bread in the bread box and half a jug of milk in the fridge, which had gone bad. And a slab of cheese. Femi shut the fridge door behind him and turned to Zoe.

“I will go and get something,” he said. He snagged the car keys and was out the door before anyone had recovered their breath.

“Who is that?” her mother asked.

*****

Femi suddenly understood Zoe a whole hell of a lot more after being in her home and meeting her family. He understood her need to look after her brother by any means necessary especially after hearing her mother say that her brother might be better off dead. A wave of gratitude for his own parents suddenly swept over him, and he resolved that if he could help Zoe in any way, he would. Starting with getting her brother seen by a doctor, and getting them both out of that house.

He wasn’t a fool though, and he knew that Zoe wouldn’t appreciate being viewed as the damsel in distress. He would have to be subtle about it, make sure he didn’t make her feel like a charity case. Also, they were having a baby… they were having a baby. Since they were going to a hospital anyway, they might as well get her checked out too.