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This time was different. This time, it was serious.

“Hey.” I didn’t mind answering the phone in front of Charlie. I trusted her and I wasn’t embarrassed. I was sorry that this happening, that this interrupted us, but I trusted her with my family.

“Alex?” The way Lily’s voice cracked made me tense.

I felt awkward listening to the pain my sister’s voice completely naked, but I also didn’t want to start pulling on my clothes while on the phone because I didn’t want to give Charlie the wrong impression.

“You need to come home,” she told me. “It’s serious.”

That was all that needed to be said. I looked over at Charlie and nodded my head. Then I remembered Lily couldn’t see me and cleared my throat.

“I’ll leave tonight,” I assured her.

When I ended the call with her, I looked over at Charlie.

“Is everything alright?” she asked. She had her arms crossed over her chest and I hoped she wasn’t doing that because she was suddenly uncomfortable.

“No.” I started putting on my pants. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole thing, I was conflicted. Part of me was worried about my mother, part of me was worried about telling Charlie. “My sister would never tell me to come home unless it was serious.”

She nodded her head, still looking down rather than at me. Finally, she picked her head up. The crystal blue eyes held hurt in them, I could tell. But she wasn’t indulging the feeling. Instead, I could see her put on a mask of silent strength. “You should go,” she told me. She forced a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I know,” I told her. “I was hoping you’d come with me.”

I was surprised that Charlie actually said yes. I thought that maybe she would make an excuse, or maybe she actually did have business back at her winery. It did take her a few minutes to think about it, but she nodded her head and said yes. She threw a bag of clothes together in thirty seconds, and she got dressed in under a minute. We were out the door within three minutes of receiving the phone call.

Since we were leaving late, the drive to Seattle was maybe ninety minutes. I also drove fast. I noticed the closer and closer we came to the city, the more nervous Charlie grew. It wasn’t obvious, but Charlie had her tics, just like everyone else. I was in such a rush to get out that I hadn’t grabbed my camera. I let out a grunt of annoyance, only because I would love nothing more than to have captured the look on her face. She was beautiful when she was ruminating over everything. That wasn’t something normal and I wanted to record it. The grunt, however, made Charlie jump.

I placed my hand on her denim-clad thigh. “You okay?” I asked. “You’re normally not this jumpy.”

She shook me off, pretending to fix her hair. It still looked like sex, but this was the sixth time she checked the mirror in the past twenty minutes.

“They’re going to love you,” I told her. I squeezed her thigh, despite her effort to try and push me off. She seemed to do that, push me away, when she was nervous about something…but I refused to let her do it now. “You have nothing to worry about.”

But she was.

It was ten minutes after we got off the freeway. My mother and sister lived in a small suburb just twenty minutes from the city. It was quiet there, trees and parks in the surrounding community. When I was a kid, I hated the dullness, the safety of the place. Now, I could appreciate the sacrifices my parents made to raise me in a safe neighborhood.

I pulled into the driveway in front of a grey house trimmed in white with a black roof. It was two stories - I could see my room, just over the garage. I wondered if my mother kept my sports pictures up still. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lily tore everything down and gave herself an office or a yoga room. Taking care of Mom was a full-time job. I wouldn’t blame her if she had.

I went around and opened the door for Charlie. As she stepped out, I saw her clasp her hands together, but I forced her to hold mine. I wanted her to know I was here for her and I wasn’t planning on letting her go, even if she wanted me to. Her jaw was tight and I knew she wanted to resist me, but she didn’t. She let me pull her to the front door and stood by my side after I pulled out my key and let myself in.

“Lily?” I called. The lights were still on. I could hear movement upstairs and then Lily bounded down the stairs in yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt. “Where’s Mom?” I asked.

She said nothing, just threw her arms around my neck and pulled me to her. I didn’t even think she saw Charlie. Lily wasn’t being rude on purpose. Her hug forced me to let go of Charlie so I could comfort my normally-stoic sister.

“Hey,” I said, trying to get her to answer me. “Hey. Is everything okay?”

Lily stepped back. It was only then did she realize Charlie was standing in the room, next to me. She immediately wiped her eyes and sniffles. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice still raw, probably from crying. “I didn’t realize you were going to bring anyone, Alex.”

“I’m Charlie,” Charlie said, sticking out her hand. The small smile on her face looked genuine which made me appreciate her and the position she was in more than she could know. “Sorry to meet you under such circumstances.”

“I’m Lily,” she replied, shaking Charlie’s hand.

“Lil,” I asked quietly. “Where’s Mom?”

I didn’t think it was possible, but Lily’s face was even more pale than before. “She’s at the hospital,” she murmured. “Alex, she fell.”