No Better Version of Me Than When I'm With You

Chapter 11

"I miss you too."

"Seeing my mum hurt like this, it scared me." Newt said, switching topics abruptly. His voice was quieter now, more drowsy.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Almost like. . .I dunno it reminded me of me. When I. . .y'know."

"Yeah, I know." Thomas replied quietly, heart twisting sharply in his chest at the reminder, images of Newt's letter and seeing him in the hospital flashing behind his eyes. "She's recovering though, and quickly. It was a clean break, and the doctor said she'll be back on her feet in no time."

"Right. Right. No time at all." He sounded distracted now, and Thomas knew he wasn't far from falling asleep. It wouldn't be the first time one of them had fallen asleep while on the phone with the other. The silence stretched so long, Thomas thought Newt had fallen asleep until his voice filled the line once again. "Tommy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too." A smile tugged at his lips as a kernel of warmth threatened to flood his chest when he heard Newt sigh, a smile plain in the sound of it. It wasn't long before his breath evened out, and Thomas knew Newt had fallen asleep.

------

"Hey, Chuck. How ya feelin?" Thomas greeted as he walked into his younger brother's room to find him sitting on the bed leaning back against the wall. For all intents and purposes, he looked fine; until he took a breath in too sharply and burst into a coughing fit. Thomas fought not to flinch at the sound and sat down next to him as it tapered off.

"Hi - hi." Chuck replied, giving him a too-bright smile and thumbs up that shifted dramatically into a glare down at his chest. Then he laughed, ending in another cough, before continuing his sentence. "Doing awesome, as you can see. Love hacking up a lung every time I laugh or breathe wrong."

"Fun, right?" Thomas scoffed, chuckling.

"The antibiotics are helping though." Chuck shrugged. "I just wish I could go to school tomorrow, but Mom wants me to wait a couple more days just to be sure I don't give this to anyone else. Like, I'm not contagious, but we can't be too sure, I guess."

"Really? I thought you'd've been ecstatic about staying home to play video games all day."

"Ha-ha. I'm missing two important tests in two different classes, and the first round of audition practice with Mr. T for honor band." Chuck gave him a pointed look, "I'd rather not have to make those up later."

"I forgot how much high school sucks." Thomas laughed. "At least you only have one more year, then you're free."

"Free as a bird!"

" . . .Until college."

Chuck pulled a face and repeated his words in a darker tone, "Until college."

"Can I play with you?" Thomas asked, pointing to the tv on a dresser at the end of Chuck's bed that had the Lego: Star Wars main screen pulled up.

"Sure." He picked up his controller and Thomas reached for one of his own, and they played and talked until their dad called from the kitchen that dinner was ready.

Feeling distinctly like he had gone back in time to the days when he, too, was a teenager playing games with his little brother, Thomas scrambled to race Chuck to the table to get the 'good chair' around the dining room table. Chuck preened as he slid into the chair after pushing Thomas so he'd lose his balance while they raced down the hallway. Thomas found the other one with a dramatic huff. They had been playing that game since they were kids, despite their relative age difference, it always seemed a fair fight for that chair. It was the one with one leg just a smidge shorter than the other, so it would rock back and forth, making an annoying wooden clunk every time it hit the tile. He wasn't sure why they both liked the chair so much, as all it ever earned them was a censoring glance from their dad and an exasperated comment from their mom to 'knock it off', but they did anyway.