Her Eyes 5

13 - "Lifeline"

The next person Lotus noticed coming out the vehicle was Ty'kerah. She wasn't running but it was closer to a sprint.

When she approached them, she stood under Lotus's frame by half a foot. Her eyes were red and tears rolled down her cheeks. One hand was in a fist against her chest and the other hand was over that one like a blanket.

Lotus handed Gene over to her and she held her son tight, crying into his neck. Gene was confused on what all the crying was about. He wasn't separated from them that long so he hadn't started to miss them yet, but they missed him severely.

"Mommy? No cry." Gene said, the red and blue coloring from the gummy worm in his palm now staining Ty'kerah's face as she rubbed her cheek.

Gia hugged Ty'kerah's leg, Lotus watching them. He noticed their grandmother was a no show, but saw the chauffeur walking over to them. The driver told him he had to make a stop at the hospital to drop the old lady off. She wasn't feeling too well.

It was then that Lotus remembered something like that going on with the grandmother in Dallas. Apparently she was sick but they couldn't find anything wrong with her so she would have to continually travel back and forth to and from the hospital so they could do assessments on her. Each and every time not finding anything. Her hospital bills were through the roof.

The maids came out the house to start getting everyone's luggage.

"Ty can I please hold him?" Gia said, tippy toeing and reaching her hands out.

Ty'kerah didn't want to give Gene to anybody. She had missed her son so much. But she understood how much Gia loved him too.

Reluctantly, Ty'kerah gave him to her. Once she did Gene put his head on her shoulder and got quiet. They were scaring him.

Tears fell down Ty'kerah's face while Lotus's piercing brown eyes met her's. He wanted to say something but was aware of Gia right under them, so he restrained himself.

He turned away from them and left them howling in the front yard. Lotus went up the stairs and toward the west wing on his house. He knocked on Dalton's door and he okayed the entry.

Lotus walked in and saw his mother sitting on the bed as well. He was gonna go to her room right after so it was better she was here anyway.

"Gene's mother and her family have arrived. They'll be staying here like I told you two earlier in the week." Lotus said.

The room was quiet.

This was how they were with him lately. He didn't think it was jealousy over Gene or anything of that nature. That was Locus's style. Disappointment maybe. They didn't really talk to him much since the he'd been exposed in Dallas. They did like Lisa since they knew her from high school, so maybe it was an attachment thing.

"Any questions, comments, concerns?" Lotus asked looking back and forth between the two, prompting them to say anything on their minds.

He didn't have a problem if his mother and brother didn't want them here. If they didn't he would find another solution. He was only thinking about his son. He was really attached to his mother, Gia, his grandmother and him himself. So Lotus was just trying to keep everyone Gene loved under one roof. The fact he was already blind, Lotus wanted to make him happy any way he could.

"No...I'm fine." Dalton said.

"Mother?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulder. "No, nothing to say. I'm okay."

They were obviously having a private conversation before he walked in the room. Lotus hid his annoyance and left them to continue. He walked off to his office.