Dinner the next night was quiet but uneventful. Luke, for once, had very
little to say about his latest train of inquiry (he'd moved on from the
rail gun and was now waist-deep in the nature of superposition as put forth
by Schrodinger's cat model). Kevin smugly concluded that his little
brother really had been listening when he told him that, while not
everything had to be about sex, it was also true that not everything was
about science. Joan focused her attention on sculpting mashed potatoes.
After dinner, she voluntarily washed all the dishes for the first time in
weeks before steeling herself to knock on Luke's door.
"Come in."
Luke stood up from his computer when he saw his sister's frame in the doorway. "Um, have a seat."
"I don't do heavy conversations with you, Luke. This. . . this is weird."
"Yeah. But it's not any weirder than. . . after the accident. You know, when. . . . when I walked in on you crying in the hospital chapel."
"Yeah. What the hell were you doing in there? You're, um, you're not religious." It felt easier than she had expected, talking to him like this.
"No atheists in the foxholes. I was going to do the same thing you were doing."
They let some time pass then, as she settled herself on the edge of his bed and he hit 'stand by" on the computer before swiveling the chair towards her. He took a deep breath before breaking the silence.
"So."
"So, why do all those people know who I am?"
"Yeah. Pretty much."
"You have to promise not to tell anyone."
"Even if. . .even if you're in danger?" He didn't know why, but he'd been troubled for weeks by that idea. Things that didn't make sense were, in Luke's opinion, not safe.
"I'm not in danger, dumbass! And. . . you have to promise, or I'm walking away."
"I promise."
"Swear up and down on a stack of. . . of something. Of those things," she continued, gesturing at his bookshelf. "Of all the scientific stuff that makes it all make sense to you."
"I swear on Newton's grave that I will not tell anyone", he said, with a self-conscious chuckle.
"Geek." They both smiled.
"Now tell me."
"Come in."
Luke stood up from his computer when he saw his sister's frame in the doorway. "Um, have a seat."
"I don't do heavy conversations with you, Luke. This. . . this is weird."
"Yeah. But it's not any weirder than. . . after the accident. You know, when. . . . when I walked in on you crying in the hospital chapel."
"Yeah. What the hell were you doing in there? You're, um, you're not religious." It felt easier than she had expected, talking to him like this.
"No atheists in the foxholes. I was going to do the same thing you were doing."
They let some time pass then, as she settled herself on the edge of his bed and he hit 'stand by" on the computer before swiveling the chair towards her. He took a deep breath before breaking the silence.
"So."
"So, why do all those people know who I am?"
"Yeah. Pretty much."
"You have to promise not to tell anyone."
"Even if. . .even if you're in danger?" He didn't know why, but he'd been troubled for weeks by that idea. Things that didn't make sense were, in Luke's opinion, not safe.
"I'm not in danger, dumbass! And. . . you have to promise, or I'm walking away."
"I promise."
"Swear up and down on a stack of. . . of something. Of those things," she continued, gesturing at his bookshelf. "Of all the scientific stuff that makes it all make sense to you."
"I swear on Newton's grave that I will not tell anyone", he said, with a self-conscious chuckle.
"Geek." They both smiled.
"Now tell me."