"Sleep is for losers who have time on their hands." Babe said simply, yet another phrase that appeared to be some sort of mantra. "I can sleep when there ain't somethin' better t' do."
"And this is why you passed out in your cereal this morning." Kai said, rolling his eyes. "Listen to the guy, Babe. He knows what's up."
"Sleep is for people who want their ankles to heal so they can play hockey full time at a professional level. Sleep is for people who need to rest their amazing vocal cords for karaoke night. Sleep is for people who don't want to fall asleep in the first class of the day. And for people who need to eat more cereal." Henry said, slowly listing each thing with one hand, while using the other one to steer. "Also, that food smells amazing."
Babe blinked, trying to take in all that information, and oddly enough, there was a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. "That's uh, a lot to unpack." She finally squeaked out, ignoring her brother poking her arm that was out of Henry's view. "I don't sing, I'm shit at it, and it was a one time thing, falling asleep. I actually hate cereal, it was just all we had, and I can't-can't play pro. My family-and the injury, not to mention-" She cut off, eyes flickering to Kai, who narrowed his eyes at her. What she hadn't said, that was a secret nobody was going to find out. "It's a good thing you're staying for dinner then, huh?"
"First, you sing beautifully. Second, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Third, you can go pro. You have the skills, Babe. If you don't, none of us do." He turned the car into her driveway as he spoke, parking gently and taking out the keys.
"Too many things in the way, Jacobs." Babe said with a sigh, slipping her shoes back off and climbing out of the car. "I wish the world was that clean cut."
"You have to…talk to mom or something." Kai said suddenly, eyes flickering to Hugo, who was painting on the lawn, too absorbed to even notice them. "Convince her you-" He looked at Henry, and then back at Babe. "You know."
Henry stood up, folding his arms and glaring at the two of them. "You're obviously not telling me something. And you definitely won't tell me here." He looked over at Hugo quickly before grabbing both Babe and Kai and pulling them inside. The food came with them.
Babe stumbled, trying to get her feet under her as she let Henry drag her and Kai. "It's not something you should worry about, Jacobs." The kitchen was empty, but it looked more lived in than it had last time he was here.
"Too late." Henry said simply, letting go of them and unpacking the food on their table. He opened each carton, lining them up quickly and efficiently. "Plates?" He asked Kai.
Kai nodded, pulling a stool over to the fridge to pull paper plates down. "Up here." He looked over at Babe as he set them down, raising an eyebrow at her.
Henry took the plates, stacking them by the food. "So, once we have our food, which of you is going to tell me what's going on here?" He asked calmly. "And Kai, where do you keep silverware?"
Babe didn't answer, just limped her way over to the wall. She pressed what looked like an intercom button on the wall, speaking into the speaker. "Dinner, nerds!"
"Drawer to the left of the stove." Kai said with a sigh, sliding the drawer open to pull out silverware. "And that's more Babe's job, since hockey is her thing."
Henry pivoted to face her. "You're telling me. Tonight, preferably. Or tomorrow night. Or any of the other night's I'll be tormenting you until you do tell me." He helped Kai with the silverware and set it out, handing Babe a plate.
Babe's shoulders slumped, and she tugged a hand through her hair. "You're the absolute worst at letting things go." She said, forgoing the plate and just grabbing an entire container of seafood fried rice.
Henry laughed. "That's very true." He quickly filled a plate, leading Babe upstairs and into the privacy of her own room. "So, spill." He raised a spoonful of rice to his mouth and started eating, still watching her intently as he sat on the floor.
Babe sat on her bed, shoving a pile of textbooks out of the way and crossing her legs. Her ankle's swelling had increased. She set the takeout container on her knee, pulling the chopsticks apart and poking at the rice instead of looking at him. "Spill what?"
Henry mock glared at her, tilting his head. "Whatever you wouldn't let Kai tell me." His eyes flashed to the ankle, and he stood quickly. "Scratch that, you can tell me once you have something frozen to put on that ankle. He jogged back to the kitchen and dug around in their freezer for a few minutes. Once he'd found his frozen vegetables, he quickly ran back and handed it to Babe.
Babe blinked, accepting the carrot and pea mix. She set it lightly on her ankle, a small sigh of relief slipping from her. "Thanks. You gotta stop worryin' about me though." She plucked a shrimp from the rice, popping it in her mouth to buy her some time.
"Good luck with that. I'm a worrier, it's what I do. Gonna tell me now?" His eyes never left her face, blinking occasionally as he kept on chewing his rice methodically.
Babe was quiet for a bit, before she reached over to her jacket, where she'd tossed it on her bed. She pulled an old and folded piece of paper from the pocket, and held it out to him. "You already know why dad left…"
Henry took the paper, unfolding it gently. It crinkled softly, the creases each well worn into the paper. The edges were soft and almost slightly worn.
It was a letter. More specifically, the letter Babe's dad had left, the night he'd left her family.
"Dad and I were close." Babe said, once again poking at her rice. "He and Hawk taught me to play, and the letter…he left mom one, but the letter was more for me."
Henry looked up from the scrawled words, letting the silence stretch out to leave room for her words. Questions blinked through his mind, none of them quite right. He folded the letter again, having read enough. He handed it back quietly, careful not to crumple it or damage it further.
Babe took the letter back, unfolding it to read over the words she'd read so many times before. She could recite the letter perfectly at this point, without even looking at it. "I miss him." She said quietly, setting her food aside to curl up a bit. "And mom is scared-that I'm going to turn into him. That I'll leave. And…she blames him, for my injury."
Henry nodded slowly, watching her carefully. He kept eating, but slower now. "She can't keep you from something you're so good at. You're meant for hockey, Babe. You can't do anything else with the same kind of talent and skill you do hockey with."
Babe shrugged a shoulder, lips twisting up to one side. "I'm lucky I've managed to keep playing at all. It's only a matter of time before she finds out, and I can't-I can't do that to her."