Page 65 of A Heart of Little Faith
“Gideon won’t let me out of bed.” Her head swiveled from Gideon to Samantha to the door as she judged the fastest route out of the room. Gideon could definitely overpower her if she ran past him, and Samantha might be able to block her if she jumped across the bed. She gritted her teeth in frustration.
Samantha stared at both of them for a minute. “Gideon, can I speak to you out here for a sec?”
Lily and Gideon protested. Loudly. Samantha stamped her foot.
“Enough!” Surprised at her outburst, both she and Gideon paused mid-yell. “Lily, he is my brother and I can talk to him privately anytime I want. Gideon, when your sister asks to speak to you, you don’t say no.”
Reprimanded, Lily flounced against the bed pillows while Gideon followed her out the bedroom door.
From the bedroom, Lily heard only quiet bursts of whispering. As she sat in bed, her annoyance built to frustration then to anger. Although she’d been relieved to have the room to herself, she hated being excluded. The only thing she hated more was being talked about. She got out of bed and tiptoed to the door. The two were so engrossed in their conversation, they didn’t notice her.
“…know you’re right,” Gideon whispered and ran his hands through his hair. “You have no idea how scared I was when I saw her lying in that hospital bed.”
Samantha met his gaze. “Yeah, I think I do.”
He flushed. “Okay, maybe you do. But you can’t expect me to just abandon her.”
“Gideon, letting her do things for herself is not abandoning her.” She kneeled and leaned into her brother. “Not everyone abandoned you, either.”
He stiffened and reversed his chair, dissolving the physical contact between him and his sister. “We’re not talking about me.”
Samantha stood and folded her arms over her chest. “Okay. But think about how you felt, how you still feel, when people baby you.”
“But I want to take care of her to show her how much I care about her.”
“Couldn’t you find another way to show her?”
The raw emotion in his voice tore through Lily, tamped down her anger and made her feel guilty for spying on his private conversation. She shut the door and hopped into bed to consider his words. She raised her head as he returned.
“I’m sorry I’ve been bossy,” he said as he approached the bed.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m just bored with lying here and I want to get up and do something.” She wasn’t used to lying in bed and being taken care of.
“I know. And I don’t mean to coddle you, either.” He smiled at her. “More than anyone, I should know better.”
She held out her hand. “Hello, kettle, I’m pot. You’re black.”
They shook hands with silly grins on their faces, and the tension evaporated. She stifled a yawn.
“Did I tire you out?” Concern etched his face. “I can’t believe how thoughtless that was of me. Here you are recuperating and…”
Lily covered his mouth. Gideon’s eyes flashed in anger, but then he licked her palm. She pulled her hand away quickly.
“That’s what you get for trying to shut me up,” he replied.
“I wasn’t trying to shut you up,” she retorted. “I was trying to end the self-flagellation barrage.”
“The what?”
Lily sat. “I’m fine. I was sick, but I’m not anymore, and you have to stop treating me like I’m an invalid. I think I’m quite capable of deciding what I can and can’t do. I appreciate your taking care of me, I do, but I’m not a piece of china.”
“I know.” His voice got hoarse. “You scared me though. When I saw you lying on that bed, something inside me just…” He cleared his throat and stroked her face. “I’m sorry for treating you like a child these past few days.”
Lily bit her lip. “Well, I don’t know if I’d describe it quite that way.”
Gideon hugged her. “Good thing. Seriously, I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” They hugged again, but the slam of Lily’s front door interrupted them.