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If he’d actually had worse, that, too, had happened before I was born Because this was a er than life—laid low Frail and pale in a hospital bed

And right before Christ was terrible

There was only one thing to do

I pressed the phone button on the WhatsApp chat with my brother and sister

“Hey Ethan!” Kristen said “Long ti on her keyboard Constantly working,a total badass

“What the fuck do you need?” Matt asked He was a defenseo Warriors hockey team and I firmly believed his years in locker roo of his rown beard

“Jesus, Matt, that’s what you want to lead with? I’m your brother”

“Is there a problem?” Kristen said “I have a call in ten minutes”

“It’s alht,” I pointed out

“New York doesn’t care” I wasn’t sure what Kristen did, except that it was important and she was on her phone

“I repeat,” Matt said “What the fuck do you need?”

“We have a problem Dad’s hurt”

“Oh od,” Kristen said “What happened?”

I explained the wreath and the Birks and didn’t need to re is broken in two places”

“I’ll pay to have a nurse—”

“Jesus, Matt, that’s your solution to everything”

“Yeah, because ,” Matt shot back

“It’s not going to solve this” I took a deep breath and let it out slow “You guys need to come home for Christmas”

3

Of course Kristen, Daddy’s Little Girl, was ho Kristen, after she fawned on our father, who soaked it up like he was dying on the desert floor without the love of his children despite my weekly dinners with hiet to the botto at the inn