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Even though Booker had been accepted back into their group again, Joe still found it hard to be around Booker. No matter how hard Joe tried, he couldn't forgive Booker for being the cause of Joe almost losing Nicky. Whenever Joe and Booker were left alone, Joe simply refused to be in the same room as Booker, resulting in Joe locking himself in the room he shared with Nicky.
It was only because of Nile that Joe ate dinner with her and Booker today. Like the rest, Nile also tried her very best to get Booker and Joe to talk together, but no one had come up with a solution that worked.
"So?" Nile asked as she looked at Booker. It was a nightmare trying to have two conversations at once. "What did your new therapist say today?"
Joe didn't even look at Booker or Nile. All Joe did was look down at the food he was eating. Like the rest, Joe knew Booker was on his sixth therapist in 124 years at the moment.
"Something that can't be done," Booker replied. "She said I needed to visit my family grave to get some closure."
"May I ask why it can't be done?" Nile asked. She saw that Joe had stopped eating for a moment before he returned to eating. "Don't you know where they are buried?"
Booker leaned back on the kitchen chair.
"All I know is they went into a communal grave when they died," Booker replied. "It was and still is the case with poor people or without family. And they don't mark graves."
Joe stood up and took his plate.
"Excuse me, I'm going to bed," Joe said. "Thanks for dinner."
Joe threw the plate in the sink before returning to his room. He lay down on the bed and decided to call Nicky. Nicky and Andy were on a mission in Africa, trying to convince a warlord that it would cause fewer problems by letting the Red Cross work in peace. Yesterday, Nicky didn't pick up the phone, but today, he did.
"Hi," Nicky said. "Sorry about yesterday. I wanted to talk with you, but it was late."
"You don't owe me any explanations," Joe replied. "How is the mission going?"
"I told Andy that if she had used her female charm," Nicky replied. "We would have been done yesterday with the mission."
"I refuse to do something that stupid," Andy shouted in the background. "If he doesn't come around by tomorrow, I'll use my axe on him."
It made Joe smile for the first time in days. He missed the banter between Andy and Nicky.
"Tell me," Nicky asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Who says there's?" Joe asked. "All I need is a good night's sleep, which I'll get once you're back again."
Joe rubbed his face.
"I know you, Yusuf," Nicky said. "Even on the phone, I can hear that there's something wrong."
It took a moment before Joe spoke.
"You know me too well," Joe said. "Okay, at dinner, they talked about the Le Livre family. That he should visit them according to his therapist."
"Then take Booker there since you know the way," Nicky replied. "Joe..."
"He doesn't deserve that," Joe cut in. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."
Nicky gave Joe a moment to take a couple of deep breaths.
"Listen, Joe," Nicky said. "Booker's family doesn't bear no guilt in his actions."
"You have been saying that for years," Joe replied. "And it can wait until you get home. Then you can take him there."
Joe took more deep breaths.
"Joe," Nicky said. "You need to do it. So Booker can get the closure he needs. I'm not asking you to stay when you have taken him there."
"Fine," Joe replied. "But I still don't think he deserves that."
Neither Nile nor Booker expected to see Joe anymore that day.
"Don't ask," Joe ordered. "Get dressed and come with me. I'll wait outside."
It didn't take long before Booker and Nile joined Joe. They knew it was better to follow orders when Joe was in that mood.
"I don't care who drives," Joe said. "Wake me when we reach Marseille."
Joe lay down on the back seat with his back to them. He ignored the talk and music because he was reminding himself of what Nicky had been saying for years: "Booker's family doesn't bear no guilt in his actions." Nicky was right, as always, but it didn't help with the anger Joe was still dealing with.
"Joe?" Nile said when she placed a hand on Joe's shoulder. "We're in Marseille."
"Park the car," Joe ordered. It only took a couple of minutes before Nile found a parking spot. "Follow me."
Nile and Booker exchanged glances but followed Joe in silence. They walked for an hour before reaching a cemetery, where Joe led them to the old part. Booker couldn't believe what he saw in front of him. His family, he thought, was lost for good.
"How?" Booker asked. "Why?"
"You can thank Nicky for it," Joe replied. "If it stood to me, you wouldn't be here at all."
Booker sank down on his knees and placed a hand on the tombstone. He ran his frozen fingers over the names he knew so well.
"How did you do it?" Booker asked. "And why?"
"When you first joined us, Nicky and I made sure they didn't miss much while they were still alive," Joe replied. "When they died, Nicky sat with each of them until their last breath. What they told Nicky you need to ask him. To them, Nicky was just a priest who took his time to care for them and be there for them. We bought this funeral plot for them and have looked after them ever since."
Booker stood up, but when he wanted to shake Joe's hand, Joe placed his hands behind his back.
"I can never thank you enough for this," Booker said. "You have...."
"As I said, you can thank Nicky for it," Joe cut in. "I'll find my own way back."
Joe didn't make it far before Nile caught up with him.
"This is what Booker needed," Nile said. "Thanks for showing him that his family is safe."
"I only did it because Nicky said it," Joe replied. "Or else I wouldn't have come here."
Nile looked at Joe and all the anger on his face.
"Please tell me," Nile said. "What will it take before you'll forgive Booker?"
"When I know the answer to that, you'll be the first to know," Joe replied. "Staying or coming with me?"
"I'll stay," Nile replied. "But Joe..."
Joe was already walking away, so Nile walked back to Booker and placed an arm around him. Joe didn't care about what they talked about that night.
"Hi," Joe said when his phone rang. "Will you be home for Christmas?"
"Yes," Nicky replied. "Thanks to Andy, who decided to use her female charm for once."
Joe could hear that the phone was taken from Nicky.
"I'm telling you this, Joe," Andy complained. "In the future, your boyfriend can be the one wearing the black dress when we need to use female charm on a warlord."
"Well, Nicky does have prettier legs than you ever will have," Joe smirked. "And when he wears high heels, it does wonders to his ass."
"I don't want to know more," Andy replied, irritated. "I need to sleep tonight."
Joe could hear Andy shout at the sky as she handed the phone back to Nicky.
"Did you do it, Joe?" Nicky asked. "Did you take Booker to see his family?"
"Yes, I did," Joe replied. "And I didn't stay. I would rather use my time to find a Christmas gift for you."
"One day, you'll see why it was you who needed to do it," Nicky said. "I promise."
Right now, Joe was sure Nicky was wrong about everything. It would take another 27 years before Joe understood why he had to take Booker home to his family.