My Brother Dr. Reese

Tea

^Mindy^

A few minutes later, we're waiting around for the kettle.  When it whistles, Chad goes to work making the tea. Soon it's fragrant and mouthwatering.

"Chamomile tea, here you are.  Good for headaches, insomnia, toothaches..." he seems to stress the last word, looking me carefully in the eyes.  

Oh, no.  He knows.  He totally does.

In order to avoid responding, I take a sip of the tea.  The boiling water sends a hot-knife-to-the-face pain through my jaw and burns my mouth.  Out of instinct, my hand comes to my cheek to somehow try to smother the burning.

Chad takes a drink, eying me around the mug.  He sets it down on the counter and looks up.

"You okay?"

I nod.  "Hot tea."

"Yes, because hot tea causes jaw pain,"

I pause for a moment, unsure if he's being sarcastic.  "Yeah..." I say carefully.

Chad leans on one of the bar stools and stares at his hands for a second before looking me in the eyes.  He seems to hesitate for a moment before sighing.  

"Minty, how long has that tooth been hurting?"

I gulp.  "Wha-I...I don't know what you're talking about.  I don't have a toothache, I'm fine."

He stands straight and approaches me.  "M, I know you didn't want me to know, but you're a really awful liar."

Chad takes my hand-which I realize was at my cheek again-and folds my fingers into a fist.  "How long, Minty?"

My eyes well up with tears.  "I can't tell you.  You'll be mad."

He shakes his head slowly, kissing the back of my hand.  "No I won't."  he pauses.  "Love, you've got to be hurting.  How 'bout if you tell me, I'll give you something to ease the pain?"

I hesitate.  That's a hard offer to refuse, and my tooth reminds me.  

I hang my head and the tears come.  "Seventeen days."

He lets go of my hand and his arms come around me.  "Aw, love, I'm sorry."

I lay my head on his shoulder, and we just sit there for a minute.  It's nice.  Chad's always been affectionate, but it's always been in passing.

"Mindy, I want you to come into the office with me tomorrow morning." he says softly.

I pull back, starting to feel sick.  "Chad, I-I really don't want to talk about that.  Can I have my pain medicine now?"

Chad nods and kisses the top of my head before leading me into the bathroom.  He hands me a pill and a glass of water.

I stare at the pill dully.  "Ibuprofen doesn't work anymore."

He smiles a little and pats my head.  "Oh, this isn't Ibuprofen, Minty.  This here's Vicodin, and from my experience, it's pretty much magic in a capsule."

Chad carries me to bed, and with the Vicodin, I'm able to sleep well for the first time in weeks.