Invincible Summer(15)

Claudia’s looking at me blankly. “What about people without beach houses?”

The turkey’s twenty minutes burned before the fire alarm clues us in. “Shit!” I shout, wafting smoke out of the oven while Claudia stands on a chair and engages in combat with the alarm. “Christ, Claude, you’re a girl! Aren’t you supposed to have a gene for this?’

“Ask Gideon! He’s the one with heightened senses!”

Leaning out the window and aiming his water gun at the constellations, oblivious to the noise, Gideon looks about as heightened as a headless chicken.

“Okay,” Claudia says, covering one ear with her shoulder.

“Um, we can just eat fruit for dinner?”

“Or cake,” I say.

“Shitdamn!” Dad’s voice goes. “What happened here?”

“Dad!” Claudia and I shout, and Claudia throws the lid of the smoke detector’s battery compartment toward Gid so he’ll turn around.

Dad stumbles in from the landing, unnecessary jacket halfway off.

“Turns out none of us have the cooking gene,” I say.

Dad stands beside me and peers into the oven. “Shit.

Damn. Was there food in here, or did you start off baking soot?”

“Okay, I know, fail. I guess we could—”

“How’s Mom?” Claudia says.

“Juuust fine.” Dad wipes his hands on his jeans. “She’s still got quite a while left. We should have time to do your birthday and still all get over there. And without making Gid bear the waiting room for too long.”

“Any news from Noah?” I say.

“Not a word. That cell phone plan was just money down

the drain, eh? Gideon!”

He’s standing on a chair to reach the counter, eating frost-ing off my cake. I say, “Grab him, Claude!”

She scoops him up and smacks his back systematically until he cries.

“Can’t you shut that off?” Dad asks, and I hope he means the smoke detector, not Gid, or he’s going to have tons of fun having a new baby around. Thankfully, he breathes his sigh of relief when I find the right wire to pull, even though Gid’s still hollering.

“Look,” I say. “Let’s just go to the hospital. There’s a little cafeteria there, yeah? We can even find some cake or something there, I bet.”

“You are not eating hospital food on your birthday.” Dad pulls me under his arm. “Come on, kids. Let’s get out of here before the fire department comes. Who wants pizza?”

I sign Pizza, one of the best signs, to Gideon, and he stops crying and squirms out of Claudia’s arms so he can dance.

Dad laughs. “Well, you’ve told Gid. It’s set in stone now!”

In the car, I turn on the summeriest radio station I can find and let the wind blow my sweat off. None of us talks, but it’s like we’re buzzing; I can see Newbaby Newbaby Newbaby vibrating in all of our minds. Well, maybe not Gideon’s, since he’s staring out the window signing pizza to himself.

We pass by the first three pizza places without even slow-ing down, and I don’t understand why until I look at the clock. eleven fifteen. On a Tuesday, nothing’s open.

“We can just go to the hospital,” I mumble to him.

“It’s your birthday, Chase. I’m not ruining it.”

“It’s Newbaby’s birthday too.”

Dad looks at me and wrinkles his nose. “What’d you call her?” “It’s Noah’s name.” I close my eyes. “Seriously. I don’t want to do this. I want to be at the hospital.”

“This selfless thing is not going to work on me, kid.”

“You know I’m not selfless.” I’m just like him, after all.

We park outside the greasiest pizza place, and Claudia and Gideon and I lean against the building while my father pulls on the door. “Come on,” he growls to the lock. “Come on.”

“It’s closed.” I say.

“We need pizza.” He keeps tugging. “It’s your birthday.”

The streetlights shine on his cheeks, highlighting his laugh lines.

“It’s closed!” I step into the dark, away from the restaurant. “It already . . .” Noah’s gone. “It’s already been ruined, Dad. It’s over.”

Claudia picks up Gideon like she’s preparing to run with him.

Dad drops his hands to his sides. “Chase . . . ” he starts, quietly, then raises his arms and drops them again. “Chase.”

I wipe my nose. “Your cell phone’s ringing.”

He digs his phone out of his pocket, and we all watch his face melt into the—“Darling, I’m so sorry, I so meant to be there—” and then relax and smile as he goes, “Okay. Okay.

We’re coming.” He slaps the phone shut and cuddles us up. “She’s here,

kids! She’s here!”

Claudia translates for Gideon as fast as she can. Gideon jumps up and down and signs Bye hospital more baby here!

“Don’t be upset, Chase,” Dad whispers to me.

I’m smiling and crying all at once, and it’s so hot, but the wind’s taking tears away like they’re sweat.

“She’s healthy?” I say.