Almost Easy

Liz’s POV

I quietly followed Zack up to the room where my dad was sitting alone, my mother was still being tested and wouldn’t be back for a while. My mind was fogged between the whole Matt debacle and what was currently unraveling in front of my eyes.

“Did dad tell you anything else?” I asked Zack quietly before we entered the room, grabbing his arm to stop him from walking all the way in, “Like… did anything else happen that he didn’t tell me?”

“Liz-“

“Zack I’m not ten!” I hissed, “Please… She’s my mom too.”

Zack sighed and stepped away from the door, “She’s been… she hasn’t been the best health-wise lately. I guess she’s just been in a lot of pain and her body’s just not what it used to be, obviously, but he’s worried. She hasn’t been taking the best care of herself either.”

“Ok, thanks.” I exhaled, “I uh… let’s go in and see how dads holding up.”

“Yeah.” Zack opened the door and walked in, sitting on the couch at the side of the room was dad, “Hey dad.”

He looked up, smiling up at us, “Zack, Elizabeth… I didn’t know you two were coming right away.” He stood and embraced me tight, it had been a pretty long time since I’d seen him, “Mom’s just having a few tests run and she’ll be back and we’ll know what’s going on hopefully.”

“So what exactly has been happening?” I asked as the three of us sat down, Zack and I both staring at Dad, “Has she seen a doctor recently?”

“No,” Dad sighed, “She hasn’t felt the need she thinks it’s just the process of getting old. I told her it’s not normal but she doesn’t listen-“

“Well, now we know where Liz and Liddy get it.” Zack smirked and I shot him daggers, “Has she been eating healthy at least? Walking?”

“Somewhat, she’s active. She does things, she goes for walks with her friends, goes on trips to the library and stuff. She eats healthy but not all the time, and she doesn’t drink nearly enough water.”

“She could just be dehydrated.” I shrugged, staring at the floor.

“I heard you’ve had a rough day, Lizzy?” Dad reached out and took my hand in his, holding it comfortingly and I knew Zack had told him, “How’ve you been? How’s Matt? We miss seeing the two of you around.”

“My day’s been crap, honestly. But we’re good, we’re ok.” I ignored the baffled look from Zack and continued, “He’s fine, busy with work, all the guys are. I’m just around the house all day, doing little things here and there but it’s good.”

“Oh.” Dad nodded, looking at Zack thinking I didn’t see him, “How’s Jacky? Liddy?”

“Jacky’s good, exhausted but good. Liddy’s stubborn.”

We all laughed at Zack’s answer, picking up conversation revolving around Liddy until finally a doctor entered the room with a chart in his hands, “Uhm, Mr. Baker?”

“Which one?” Zack smirked, “You want him.” He gestured to dad as I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, what’s going on doctor?” Dad stood and approached the man, a lump formed in my throat for what reason I wasn’t sure.

Zack’s sixth brotherly sense kicked in and he slid over next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as the two exchanged hushed words.

“You can talk about it in front of them, they’re my children, Maria and my children. This is my son Zack and my daughter Elizabeth.” Dad turned finally, I could see tears in his eyes and I felt Zack give me a small squeeze.

“So, your mother seems to have a small blockage in an artery. We’re going to go in and clear it out, all should go well. Fingers crossed.” He offered a small smile, “If not, the surgery will take longer than we expected and we’ll have to keep you updated at a different pace.”

“So she’s going in now?” Zack asked, a nod was his response, “How long will the procedure take if it’s just clearing the artery?”

“An hour maybe two.” He answered, “I would suggest coming back in the morning, she’s going to be sedated and quiet out of it for a while.”

“Ok.” Zack nodded, “Uhm, I’ll get you home then Liz and I’ll pick you up again in the morning and we can come back.”

“Shouldn’t we stay with dad?” I asked, staring in to Zack’s eyes as tears threatened my own, “I mean like..”

“I’ll be fine, Liz.” Dad smiled, “It’s ok, go home and get some rest, relax. Come back tomorrow she’ll be able to talk and visit you.”

“Ok.” I nodded as Zack stood up, “I guess… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow kiddo.” Dad pulled me in to a hug and kissed my cheek, “If she’s up when she gets back I’ll let her know you’re coming.”

“Ok. Love you.” I whispered and waited for Zack to quickly say his goodbyes before we began the descent down the hall towards the elevators.

We both kept quiet the entire walk and partially the ride home until Zack decided to break the elephant in the room loose, “So you and Matt are good, huh?”

“I’m not in the mood, Zack.” I rested my head against the window.

“Oh is that so? I thought everything was going to be good after you two talked the other night. What happened, Liz? What’s going on with you two?” Zack took a turn, and I groaned, he was taking the long way to my house.

“It’s just stuff, ok? He suggested the other morning that we have a baby-“

“FUCK!” Zack slammed his fists in to the steering wheel.

“Was that your idea?!” I screeched.

“No! The exact opposite! I told him specifically not to say that, having a baby doesn’t save shit! Having a baby is so hard, Liz, I would never have suggested he say that. Being so sleep deprived has given Jacky and I our fair share of almost-divorce moments but we’ve always been too stubborn to let it get to us. You and Matt are both so emotion driven I think it would honestly be the end of you two for good.”

“Thank god, I was about to literally end your life.” I laughed, “No he suggested that, then made a rude ass comment about our marriage, it’s really complicated but… Today he was great, like… I felt like such a spoiled wife him coming to save me like a knight in shining armor and then he handled the whole phone call thing for the credit cards. It was so awesome, then he brought up something about Brian’s tonight and how I should go with him and I was annoyed because he was going regardless of if I went. So I had a bitch fit.”

“Yeah I heard.” Zack shrugged, “He texted Brian, Brian texted me, it’s a whole thing now.”

“Am I going nuts, Zack? Should it not bother me that he spends zero percent of his time with me?” I asked, now turned in my set looking straight at Zack, “Am I nuts, Zack, please tell me and be serious.”

“Liz?” Zack glanced over at me as he continued to drive, “I don’t fucking know what to tell you. You’re nuts, you’re nuts for putting up with it this long but he’s not helping at all. You both suck at relationships and I’ve been weary of this since the beginning when you two were banging in the van on Warped Tour.”

“So what are you saying?” I asked, feeling immensely confused at the path the conversation was taking.

“I think this might be where you two step off the train, Liz.” Zack ran his hand over his face, “I don’t know what else to say. I’ll have your back either way, you know that right? You’re my sister and I’ll support whatever you want to do but… I think this might be where one of you pushes the other to call it quits. For good, and I’m scared at which one it’ll be.”

I sat in silence watching him speak because the words leaving his mouth had been the words in the back corner of my brain covered in cobwebs for the past few months. The look on Zack’s face gave away that he hadn’t just thought of this tonight, either, we were always too far on the same page.