Naya chuckled, that was a something they would definitely need to know about each other, especially as more cases came across their desk. “Two sugars, the real kind. You?”
“Black.” He winked over at her then turned his eyes back to the road. “Favorite donut?”
She giggled at that; this was the quintessential cop quiz. “Glazed, you?”
“Don’t laugh, but, pink with sprinkles.” It was his turn to break out into a grin. “And I eat them because I somehow always get left with them in the break room, understand? I If you ever insinuate otherwise to anyone in the precinct, you will find out just how sneaky I can be.” He mocked a serious face at her before they both burst into laughter.
“Alright, alright, point taken. My turn, favorite take out?”
“Chipotle, you?”
“Uh-oh, Qudoba.”
“Uh oh is right, seems like we will be rock paper scissoring a lot.” it unintentionally sounded like an innuendo and they both busted out laughing again. They were practically in tears when he choked out, “I did not mean it like that.” They giggled a little longer before finally getting their breathing under control.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be reporting you for sexual harassment. It’s not my style and I can handle myself.” Naya reassured, smiling as they pulled into the station parking lot.
“Well besides the takeout battle, I think we will get along just fine.” Atlas teased as he stepped out of the car.
“I agree.”
She pulled up in front of her house just as a man dressed in scrubs was stepping out of his car. Naya stepped out of hers and waved. He waved back and she could see the muscles flexing in his arm. He seemed strong enough to lift Vance, just as the representative had assured her. His dark hair was gelled back professionally so that strands wouldn’t fall in his eyes.
“Hi! I’m Naya Largusa.” She held out her hand as she walked up. He shook it, his grip was like iron, his handshake solid and professional.
“Hi, I’m Derek, from Home Health Care.”
She smiled. “I assumed so, come right in. Hopefully Vance is awake.” She slid her key into the lock and pushed the door open, heading inside, Derek followed her.
“Vance?” She called out.
“In here.” He replied from the den area, his voice scratchy.
They rounded the corner to find Vance sitting on the couch in the same place he had been the day before. Kevin was once again on the floor next to him and seemed a bit shocked to see a man walk in behind Naya. For a minute, Naya swore she saw an emotion cross his features but she couldn’t identify it before it was gone.
“Vance, Kevin, this is Derek from Home Health Care.”
The men greeted Derek.
“Well, since you’re here to meet Vance I’ll leave you two to talk and I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re finished.” She tried to keep her voice even as she excused herself, even though the fact that she was hiring a caregiver for her thirty-two year old brother was splintering her insides to pieces.
“Kevin, join me in the kitchen?”
Kevin paused the game they were playing and followed her into the tiny kitchen. Naya opened the fridge to find Vance hadn’t eaten lunch again. She took a deep breath and blinked back the tears that welled up behind her eyes before grabbing some leftover pizza for herself and turning around to face Kevin.
He clearly sensed something was up. “Who is that?” He asked, his tone slightly accusatory.
She grabbed a plate from the cupboard and began microwaving the pizza, swallowing the lump building in her throat and trying to keep her composure. She felt crazy, she could look at the dead body of an eighteen year old girl without blinking but couldn’t face he brothers illness.
“He’s from Home Health Care. I… I need help with Vance.”
Kevin was silent. She was sure he knew Vance’s condition, but she also wasn’t sure how much her brother had disclosed and didn’t want to violate his privacy.
But before she could stop herself, she felt the next words bubble from her lips, “He won’t eat unless I’m here, it’s getting harder for him to move, and I just—” She caught herself as a single tear slid down her cheek. She turned toward the sink to try to hide while she regained her composure. She felt embarrassed.
The microwave dinged, interrupting the moment.
Kevin took the interruption as his cue. “Is there anything I can do to help?” his voice was somber closer than before. He had stepped toward her but hesitated, his posture visibly unsure what else to do now that he was there.
She took another few seconds to breathe and got her emotions under control, before turning to face him.
“Well, Derek will be here a couple days a week now, but maybe when he isn’t, you could make sure Vance at least tries to eat lunch? I always leave it in the fridge, I can start making extra for you as well—”
Kevin held up his hand. “No need. But yes, I will encourage him to try to eat more often. I promise.”
Derek cleared his throat from the doorway. “Can I talk to you a minute Ms. Largusa?”
She nodded and Kevin took his cue and headed back into the den.
“Vance and I seem to get along alright.” Derek started.
“Yes?”
“Yeah, I mean it’s hard for any guy to admit they need help, but I explained to him that I want to be his friend not just his assistant. So, I can help carry him to use the facilities, but then we can also play video games the rest of the time if that’s what he wants.”
It felt so weird to be discussing her older adult
