MY PHONE CALL FROM MOM
Spoilers from "My Big Brother."
Disclaimer: Characters owned and created by Bill Lawrence, Doozer, Touchstone Television and NBC. I'm just doin' this for fun!
One week after Dan's visit:
J.D. – I couldn't get Dan out of my mind, and everything I'd said to him. Sure, maybe he was happy like he'd said, but not satisfied. I kept wondering if I really should have apologized about how I'd acted around him in front of Elliot, instead of shooting my mouth off. And then my doubts were put to rest…
The phone rang at 8:30 that night. Turk and Carla were still working at the hospital, and J.D. was enjoying the empty apartment. He got up from the couch and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" he answered.
"What did you do?!" a familiar female voice demanded on the other end.
"Mom?" J.D. asked. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"
"I'm talking about your brother!" she yelled. "He moved out this morning!"
"He what? He moved out?" J.D. repeated dumbly.
"Yes! What did you say to him?" she demanded.
"What… makes you think I said anything?"
"How about the fact that his last words before walking out the door were 'J.D. is right'?"
"Oh…"
"Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
"Mom, look—Dan is a bartender. All I said to him was that he could be so much more."
"Because you think he's a loser for living with his mom," she retorted.
"No, that's not what I meant!" J.D. snapped defensively. "He's got to grow up, Mom."
"No one said he had to move out!"
"But—"
"Did it ever occur to you that I didn't mind him living with me?" she asked. J.D. could almost hear the tears in her voice.
"No," he replied quietly. She sighed heavily.
"Look, sweetie, I know you meant well, but I'm alone here. You've moved away and you've got a great career, and I'm happy for you! But I miss you and Dan was great company."
"I'm sorry, Mom," J.D. apologized. "But I still think it's for his own good." She sniffled.
"All right." Pause. "I'll let you know if I hear from him."
"Thanks, Mom." J.D. said good-bye to his mother and hung up.
J.D. – It had never even occurred to me that Dan still lived at home because our mom wanted him to. I wish I'd never opened my big mouth.
Still, maybe this would be good for both of them. Maybe my mom had somehow been holding Dan back. Maybe Dan allowed himself to get too comfortable. Maybe he did have little dreams and goals he wanted to accomplish. Maybe now he'd get to do them. Lots of "maybes" there. I hope everything works out for him. I really do.
*~*~*~*
Three weeks later:
J.D., Turk and Carla were sitting at the table eating the breakfast they'd brought home from a restaurant. The three had just gotten back from the hospital after working the night shift. All three were exhausted and could barely pick up their cups of coffee. The phone rang. Carla looked at Turk.
"Honey, could you please get that?" she begged.
"Nah, baby, I can't even pick up my fork," he whined and slumped his head on the table.
"I'll get it," J.D. sighed and got up.
"Thanks, Bambi," Carla said. J.D. picked up the phone after the fifth ring.
"Hello?" he said.
"Hey, bro," a familiar male voice said quietly.
"Dan!" J.D. cried, suddenly waking up. "How are you? Where are you?"
"I'm all right," Dan answered somberly. "I've been staying with a friend." Long pause. "I thought a lot about what you said."
"Listen, man, I'm really sorry about all that," J.D. apologized. "I shouldn't have ripped into you like that. I had no business telling you how you should live your life."
"No, actually you were right," Dan said.
"Excuse me?"
"I got a new job."
"Dan, that's great! What are you going to be doing?" J.D. asked.
"Still tending bar," Dan answered.
"What?" Even J.D. could hear the disappointment in his own voice.
"It's a bar in Boston called The Rack. I hear it's pretty popular; even celebrities hang out there," Dan explained. "Bigger paycheck, too."
"So you're… moving to Boston?"
"Yep."
"Good for you, Dan."
"Thanks." The two brothers didn't know what to say to each other.
"Are you gonna be OK?" J.D. asked.
"You mean, am I gonna be OK with ought my mommy and so far from home?" Dan retorted defensively.
"That's not what I meant."
That's exactly what I meant.
"Yeah, J.D., I'm gonna be OK," Dan replied.
"Keep in touch," J.D. said.
"Yeah," Dan said, and hung up.
J.D.— I was glad to hear that my brother was moving out on his own and had gotten himself a better-paying job. The thing is, that man on the phone didn't sound like my brother. The laughs were gone. I knew I couldn't still see him as Mr. Popular anymore. High school was long over. Like I told my mother, Dan needed to grow up. And slowly but surely, he was doing just that.
THE END