Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 179812 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 899(@200wpm)___ 719(@250wpm)___ 599(@300wpm)
All of that to say, I never really expected to have any more siblings either. But apparently, I do. A sister. A half-sister, Snow.
“It’ll be me,” I say and three pair of eyes focus on me, two blue and one dark brown like mine as they stop whatever they were discussing.
We’re gathered in the backyard: me, Con, Ledger and Callie. Stellan isn’t here because he’s keeping his promise. I told him I needed space and he’s giving it to me. I don’t like it, but it’s necessary. And as much as I wanted this—all of us together, just us siblings, like the old times—I don’t like this either.
I don’t like that we’re discussing something that shouldn’t be up for discussion.
“It’ll be you what?” Con asks from where he’s sitting in the rocking chair.
I’m too restless to sit though, so I’m standing off to the side, by the railing. Because again, I don’t like this. I don’t like being among people, even though those people are my family. I haven’t wanted to be near any people for the last three weeks.
“I’ll be donating the bone marrow,” I say.
Callie sits up in her chair right next to Con. “Hey, you don’t get to decide that. First, you have to be a match. And second, I thought we were going to take a vote, which is why we’re gathered here.”
Ledger is sitting on the steps, his thighs sprawled, his elbows resting on them. At Callie’s words, he chimes in, “If there’s going to be a vote, Callie isn’t a part of it.”
“Excuse me? Why not?”
“First, because you’re our little sister and we wouldn’t allow it. Second, your husband wouldn’t allow it either, because he’d lose his fucking shit if you had to go through another surgery. He still isn’t over your emergency c-section for Flora. And third, you have two kids who depend on their mother. So it doesn’t make sense for you to be laid up in the hospital again.”
Callie glares at Ledger. “First, you guys don’t get to tell me what to do, because I may be your little sister but I’m not really little anymore. Same goes for my husband. If anything, I tell him what to do. Case in point, he isn’t here, is he? I told him to stay away because this is between us, and we need to deal with this as a family, as siblings. And—”
“All right, enough. We’re not arguing about this,” Con goes, cutting Callie off. “All of us except Callie will take the test tomorrow and—”
“No, only I am getting tested tomorrow,” I declare, and when I have their attention once again, I continue, “And if I’m a match, then I’ll be the donor.”
“And what if you’re not a match?” Con asks me.
“Then you’re free to take the test and whoever is a match can donate. But if there’s more than one match, the decision on who will donate goes through me.”
“And why do you get to decide that?” Ledger argues.
I glance at him. “Because that’s how this works.”
“That’s how what works?” Callie chimes in.
“This.”
She frowns. “What does that even—”
“You do understand donating bone marrow means surgery, which means recovery time,” Conrad speaks over Callie, watching me carefully.
“Yes, I’m aware of that,” I tell him.
“And you also understand we have a season coming up in a few weeks.”
“Recovery takes about a week to ten days. So I’ll be back for the season.”
“You’ll lose practice time when you’re already falling behind,” Con reminds me.
I clench my jaw. My game’s better, but it’s still not where it needs to be when the season’s so close. Conrad has managed to convince the board to let me stay and play a few games before they take matters out of his hands and bench me for the season. And yes, having a surgery will be a wrench in the already fucked up game. I could lose my chance, my captainship, everything I’ve worked for my entire life. But it doesn’t matter. Because I’ll manage.
“It’ll be fine,” I tell the same to Con.
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “So tell me again why is it that you’re so hellbent on getting this procedure when we don’t even know if you absolutely have to yet, before the season you absolutely did not want to miss?”
Anger heats up my blood, but I keep my cool. There’s no reason for me to go off on my big brother when he doesn’t know the whole story and can’t see the entire picture. Because I’m not going to share it with him. I’m not going to share it with any of them. Just the fact that we’re standing here discussing this is making me lose my head a little bit, so there’s no way I will share anything else with them. Because it’s mine.