Chapter 4: Then There Were Three

"You want the shower, Sis?" Brandon asked as they got ready for bed that night.

"No, you go first," she deferred to him. "I can wait."

Minutes later, he stood under the warm spray, letting the heat take the stress out of his muscles while he daydreamed of the coming days on the Wavelength. His first conclusion was that they'd have to find a new name for the boat. Wavelength just didn't sound right to him.

"Brandon?" Tracy's voice came from the door that she'd cracked open just enough to call her brother. He stuck his head past the plastic curtain in order to hear her over the water flow.

"Can I sneak in here for a minute?" she pleaded. "I've got to pee so bad, I can almost taste it."

"Sure, Pip-squeak. I guess that's something else we'll have to get used to, isn't it?"

"What? That I have to pee?" she teased him.

"No, silly girl. That we're going to be crowded in that little bathroom and we'd better get used to sharing small spaces."

Tracy said nothing, but a sly smile flashed at her brother as she came into the room, closed the door, then went to use the toilet. Brandon's head was still sticking out of the curtain as his sister turned to face him, hooking her fingers into the waistband of her panties before easing them over her hips and down her shapely legs. In his opinion, she did so a lot slower than necessary, treating him to a mini striptease in the process.

"Still like what you see?" she suggestively invited his assessment, then leaned forward to catch a view of him behind the curtain, naked.

Brandon pulled his head back in, then began to wash his hair.

"Goof," Tracy snickered as she finally sat, the closeness they were rekindling finding a happy place inside her.

He'd just finished rinsing the shampoo out when Tracy flushed the toilet – and he almost jumped out of the shower when the water temperature shot up.

"Ow! What are you trying to do, Sis? Scald me?" he complained.

"Sorry. I didn't think flushing a toilet would cause that drastic a change. You okay?"

"Yeah, other than some third-degree burns. Think I'd better get out of here before my sister," he emphasized that word, "does some major damage to her brother", and again, he emphasized the last word of his sentence.

Brandon turned off the water, then pushed the curtain back, only to be met by Tracy's eyes studying his naked body. She gave him a suggestive up-and-down, murmured that what she saw was "nice", then headed for the bathroom door. It was only when she opened it that Brandon realized she had his dirty clothes with her – and his clean ones, too.

"Hey! Tracy! What's the big idea?" he hollered to her, only to receive a warm giggle that became a sensuous laugh as she closed the door, still carrying the clothing she'd absconded with.

Brandon lay on his back in bed, his fingers laced together and his hands behind his head, daydreaming of all they'd seen that day. Most of his dreams were of days to come when he and Tracy would be living on the boat – their boat – and sharing the adventures of travel. His reverie was interrupted by his sister's soft voice.

"Brandon? Are you asleep?" she called to him softly.

"If I said yes, would you believe me?" he teased her.

"Goof! If you were asleep, you wouldn't answer me," she accurately analysed.

"Okay, you win. What's on your mind, Pip-squeak?" his happy voice answered.

"You remember that camping trips we went on with Mom and Dad up by Kenosha?" she took him back to a time over twenty years earlier. But he did remember it, because it was one of the last times he'd been with the family, and with Tracy. on a vacation.

"Yeah, I remember, Sis. Those were good times, weren't they?"

"Remember how cold it got at night? And how you let me crawl into your sleeping bag with you, then kept me warm until the morning? I was all of twelve or so, I think. And I remember how good it felt to be beside you, how warm you were, and how much I loved being your little sister. Remember that?"

"Yeah, I remember that, too. But if I recall, we both wore pajamas on those nights. Still, it felt good having you beside me and being able to protect you from the cold. That was something when we were still kids that I enjoyed the most; those times we spent together."

There were several minutes of peace and quiet between the two siblings before Tracy once again called out to her brother.

"Brandon?"

"Yeah, Sis?"

"Would you let me curl up with you like we did on that camping trip? Tonight?"

"What's the matter, Pip-squeak? Cold?"

"Not cold. Lonely," she informed him.

"Come over here, girl. There's always a place for you beside your brother. Always has been and always will be."

Tracy slipped out of her bed, then into her brother's, curling up with her head on his chest and one leg draped over his thigh while he held her shoulders in his strong arms. As soon as they'd settled in with each other, all the cares in Tracy's world seemed to dissolve and disappear.

"Brandon?" she murmured.

"Mmm?" he acknowledged her.

"I love you, you know."

"I know, Pip-squeak. I love you, too."

"Brandon?" she started again after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, Sis?"

"Good night, big brother," she whispered softly, then wiggled herself closer to his body.

"Good night, precious little sister," he returned, softly kissing the crown of her head. Within minutes, both were asleep, happily lost in their new-found closeness and budding intimacy.

The next day was one of discovery, excitement, and elation for the two. Their sailing trip had proven the Wavelength to be as nimble as she was beautiful. Even before they'd landed back at the marina in Naples, the two had decided that they'd submit an offer as soon as they got back.

"Let's try two hundred even," Brandon suggested to Brent Hemmings, the salesman, as their first offer.

"You want his shorts, too?" Brent sarcastically enquired.

"Just write it up and let's see what comes back as a counter," Brandon ordered the agent. Half an hour later, Brent came back with a smug smile on his face.

"Two twenty is as far as he'll move," he let Brandon know. "You can send him as many offers as you want, but that's where you're going to end up."

"Really? Then send him one for two-fifteen, and let's see if you're right."

Brent wrote up the offer, then left to present it. Fifteen minutes later, he was back, his previous smugness now replaced with something a little meeker.

"Okay, so I was wrong," he confessed to Brandon and Tracy. "Two-seventeen, five is what he'll accept. Did you want to go again at two-sixteen something?"

"Nah. I really didn't think he'd come down from two-twenty, and I'd have given him that much, too. But you just had to open your big mouth, so I sent in another bid. At two-seventeen, five, I'm a happy camper. Now, if you have a phone I can borrow, I need to call Chicago and get some money transferred. Which bank handles your trust accounts?"

Brent looked exasperated that Brandon had successfully called his bluff, as the agreed-on price would affect his commission, too. But the boat had sold, and everyone else was happy with the deal. Maybe after these city folk were finished with it, he'd get to sell it again for them, and possibly recoup some of the money he'd missed out on.

"The money should be in your bank sometime Monday," Brandon let Brent know when he hung the phone up. "I think we'll hang around until everything's taken care of. I'd like to get her re-registered before we leave. Oh, before I forget, is it possible to rename her? Wavelength might have worked for the previous owner, but not for us."

"When the title transfers, you can call her anything you want. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help out if I can. Have you picked out a new name for her?"

"Not yet," Tracy spoke up for her brother, "but I've got a couple ideas in my head. I'll have to talk to Brandon about them first."

The rest of the conversation was mostly pleasantries, although the two parties left on happy and friendly terms. It wasn't until they were back in the car that Brandon began to interrogate his sister.

"Okay, what's this idea for a new name that you're keeping from me?" he finally had to ask her.

"Well, when you think about it, two people setting out to sail around the world is pretty crazy, isn't it? But once we leave here, we're gone – and there's two of us. So, what came to my mind was something like the Gon Waki 2," she shared her ideas.

"Gon Waki 2, huh? Not bad! Not bad at all! You think that describes us pretty accurately?" he began to agree with her suggestion.

"Not even close. But who would name a boat Goof & Squeak?" she giggled.

"That's it, Girl! You're buying supper tonight!"

"No problem – but can I borrow some money? I'm a little short," she tried to weasel out of spending money she didn't have.

"Of course you're short. That's why I call you, 'Pip-squeak'," he teased her right back, then pulled her into his arms and held her close.

Ever since she'd begun sharing her brother's apartment, and his life, Tracy had found their time together to be as enjoyably special as any they'd ever spent before he'd left home, seventeen years earlier. Now lost in her brother's embrace, that same feeling returned again and she melted into his arms.

"I just had a weird thought," she confided in her brother.

"So what's new? Most of them are," he ribbed her warmly.

"Shut up, Idiot Brains!" she verbally disciplined him. "But do you realize that when we leave the States, we'll be living in a world that has a population of two? Just you and me?'

"Like Adam and Eve, you mean?" he tried to get his head around her idea. "I think you'll look cute in just a fig leaf, Pip-squeak."

"Me? What about you? And what are you going to do when the leaves fall in the autumn? Hmm?"

"Now who's being the idiot brains?" he chuckled before giving her head one more kiss. "If we're both wearing fig leaves, what's supposed to cover you?"

"Goof," she affectionately called him, then pushed deeper into his embrace.

"I can't believe it!" Tracy's surprise rang out for the umpteenth time that day. "You bought a boat!", and she raced up the stairs to their little apartment.

"No, we bought a boat, Pip-squeak. It's in both our names. Remember?" Brandon corrected her.

"It was your money," she gave as an excuse.

"Maybe, but it was you that came up with the new name. Gon Waki 2. I kind of like that one. Do you think we have?"

"Have what?" Tracy sought clarification for what might be on his mind at the moment.

"Gone wacky. It's kind of a crazy thing to do, but I'm looking forward to this. Just you, me, and the open ocean."

As they approached the apartment's door, the sound of a telephone ringing inside caught Tracy's ear.

"Phone's ringing," she stated the obvious. "Who would be calling at two in the morning?"

As soon as Brandon unlocked the door, she raced to answer the phone. The voice on the other end sent a chilled shiver of fear and worry up her spine and through her chest.

"Thank God you're home," a weak and tired voice greeted her.

"Celeste? What's wrong, Sis? Where are you?"

"Is ... is your brother there?" the woman avoided answering the questions.

"Right here. Are you okay?" Tracy's worry rushed to the surface.

"Can I speak to him? Please, Sweetie?" Celeste ignored another question.

"It's Celeste," she identified the caller to her brother as she passed him the phone. "I think she's in trouble."

"Hello?" Brandon spoke into the receiver.

"Brandon, it's Celeste. Do you remember saying that if I ever needed somewhere to stay, I could come over to your place?"

"I do, and the offer's still open. Where are you? Can we come and get you? Are you alright?"

"I'm on the corner of Monroe and Morgan, in the 7-Eleven. Any chance I can stay with you for a night or two?"

"You stay right there, Celeste," he ordered her. "We'll be over in a couple of minutes."

Explaining the call to his sister as they ran back down the stairs, Brandon raced to the car, unlocked the door for her, then shot out of the lot to the sound of squealing tires. Minutes later, they were at the 7-Eleven. As soon as he saw Celeste, it felt like deja vu, for her face was covered in bruises and she delicately nursed her right arm with her left. Tracy jumped out and opened her arms to her lover, who winced in pain.

Now sitting in the car, Celeste let her fear and humiliation come out, breaking into unchecked sobs and tears as they did.

"Darryl?" Tracy wanted to know.

"I think he broke my arm – again," the battered woman whimpered through her sobs. "I ... I can't take him any more, Sweetie. I thought he was going to kill me tonight! I really did! He went crazy!"

"We're taking you to the hospital," Brandon told the woman, not leaving her much choice.

"No!" she was adamant, and it reminded him of an identical conversation he'd had with Tracy on that fateful night, weeks earlier, that had seen the two find each other again. "I ... I don't have the money for a doctor. If I can find something to make up a splint, I'll be fine."

"Celeste, you're going to the hospital, and that's final!" Brandon said forcefully, leaving no room for further discussion. "That's going to need a cast, by the looks of it, and unless you're left-handed, you'll need that arm."

Without another word, he slipped the car into gear, then headed straight for the nearest hospital. Ironically, it was the same one that he'd taken Tracy to that fateful night when he'd found her so badly beaten and bruised. It was also the same doctor. And like the previous visit, they were discharged within two hours, with Celeste now sporting a bulky cast from her shoulder to her wrist. By four-thirty that morning, they were back at Brandon's apartment again.

Tracy and Celeste sat at the little kitchenette while Brandon made coffee. By the looks of their guest, it was going to be a long night anyway, and he had decisions to make, although he had most of the answers in the back of his head already.

"I really appreciate this, Brandon," Celeste expressed her gratitude, "but I hate to impose on you. It's just that, with Tracy living here instead of with my brother, I had nowhere else to go and no one to call."

"You're staying for as long as you need to," he reassured her. "It's going to be a little crowded, and I apologize for that. But if we have to, we can get a bigger place. I'd ask what happened, but after Tracy's run-in with her husband, I have a pretty good idea. Right now I'd love to get my hands on the son-of-a-bitch that did this to you and let him know what it feels like."

"Brandon! No! You promised me!" Tracy was insistent.

"I promised that I wouldn't kill Darren. But this asshole deserves what he's going to get, Sis. When I'm finished with him, he'll never harm another woman again. Ever."

"I'd rather just leave him alone, if you don't mind," Celeste advanced. "He's hurting badly and probably in need of another fix. Junkies get crazy like that, sometimes. But he's not worth the crap that you'll end up going through, Brandon. And once I'm healed, I think I want out of Chicago. I have no idea where I'll go, but anywhere has to be better than this."

"Can she stay on the boat until we're ready to leave?" Tracy offered as one solution.

"Not while it's in the boatyard, but you just gave me an idea, Sis. You and I are heading out after hurricane season is over, so why don't we move down to Florida a little early? If Celeste wants to start a new life somewhere else, Naples is as good as anywhere." he redirected his attention to the injured woman before continuing.

"Think you could handle that Florida sunshine?" he posed to her.

"Florida? That's so far away! I don't know anyone in Florida," she gave as a feeble excuse.

"And how many people do you know in Chicago, other than us?" he countered. "Besides, if we're in Naples too, you'll have two friends to start with."

"So what's the attraction in Naples?" she came back.

"He ... we bought a boat!" Tracy's exuberance returned as she answered her sister-in-law's question. "Sis, you should see it! She's gorgeous!" and Tracy emphasized the feminine reference to the ship that her brother had once corrected her on.

"So you're really going? You're taking off to sail around the world?"

There was a melancholy to Celeste's voice as she found herself forced to accept that the woman she loved was leaving. Both Tracy and Brandon felt her trepidation, and Brandon remembered one of the reasons he'd buried his feelings. But on this occasion, he felt glad that he could feel at all. It wasn't a sensation that he enjoyed, this empathy with someone else's sorrow. The fact that he felt anything, though, caused him to pause for a moment, almost revelling at the return of his recognition of an emotion.

"We really are, Sis! I'm excited about it, too!" Tracy let her exuberance come out.

"Pip-squeak, she's feeling kind of lost right now," Brandon put his newly-rejuvenated empathy into words. "Maybe you might want to save the news for later? We've got to get her over these injuries first, before we go anywhere. And tonight, I think Celeste should have the bed. You take the sofa and I can sleep on the floor ... Let's get through tonight, then wait until morning to decide what we're going to do next."

The mood changed in that small apartment instantly. Tracy's elation dissolved. Celeste adopted an air of confusion. Only Brandon had the ability left in him to see some possible routes to pursue. But first, he found it important to get their guest back on her feet and onto a path that would lead towards some inner peace, for reasons he didn't quite understand.

"You going to be okay, Celeste?" he enquired. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want, you know. You'll have to excuse my sister, but she's on a bit of an emotional high right now.'

"I hate to impose on you like this..." Celeste started to excuse her intrusion.

"No you don't," Brandon cut her off. "If you didn't need somewhere to go and someone to talk to, you wouldn't be here, and you wouldn't have called. So don't give me excuses. You need help, and you think I'm the guy that'll give it to you. And I'll tell you a little secret. You're right, because I will. You've given my sister something she's needed over the last couple of years. That gives you the right to ask the same for yourself. She thinks the world of you, which makes you important to me, too."

"I ... I don't know what to say," she sputtered in response.

"Then don't say anything," he jumped back in. "Let's work with what we know, then figure out what it is that you want, including where you want to go. We're both here to help you get as close to that point as we can. And as a guess, I'm thinking that where you want to be is anywhere but where you've been. Am I right?"