Coughing from Mollie and Max's room woke Geo up early a few days later. It was Saturday, so Geo wasn't worried about school. When he entered the room, he found them both sick in their beds. He got the thermometer from downstairs and checked both of them. "Minor fevers, that's good. They should be better by Monday. I guess I am making chicken noodle soup for dinner. For now I need a blue and white gatorade, some beef jerky, and some crackers." He nodded to himself and got to work.
The twins watched, half coherent, watched him as he took care of them. "GeGe..."
"Shh, It's ok Mollie, just sleep, you will feel better soon," Geo said as he put trashcans next to their beds. "I doubt you will need them, but if you need to throw up, do it into the trashcan. Don't worry I am here to take care of both of you." He pet both of their heads before heading downstairs to make the soup.
"Max...when did our sweet, spoiled, little brother grow up?" Mollie asked with tears in her eyes.
"I...I don't know...He is in high school now and we didn't even notice..." Max covered his eyes in despair.
In their delirium, the twins realized a truth they had been ignoring. They had both been working so much that they had missed out on so much family time. They rarely saw Geo...The last time they truly looked him in the eye, he was still in elementary school. They had missed him growing up because they were too occupied by the fame their talents gave them.
"He looked so sad...so lonely... Max, what have we done? How do we fix this?" Mollie asked in between sobs.
"I...I don't know...I don't know..."
—
When Geo returned, he found that both of them had cried themselves to sleep. He smiled sady as he used a wet rag to wipe their tears away before placing them on their foreheads to help the fever go down. He left the warm soup on their side tables next to their beds. He tucked them in, before heading back downstairs to show Simon how to make the Mexican chicken.