Episode 9: The Second Crossing
They worked for nine hours straight — Sylvester Stallone, Tank, and Tank’s kid brother Danny, hauling tools out of the flooded garage while Rax supervised from the dry corner.
Nobody talked about the diner.
At noon, Denise showed up with sandwiches. She took one look at the three of them working side by side and burst out laughing.
“What?” Tank said.
“Nothing,” she said, wiping her eyes. “Just — look at you two.”
By five, the truck was loaded. Tank’s tools were saved. The job was safe.
Tank stood in the empty garage, turning his cap in his hands.
“Sylvester Stallone. About the diner. About… all of it.”
Sylvester Stallone held up a hand. “You want to apologize, apologize to the dog.”
Tank looked down at Rax.
He knelt — this big man, knees in the mud — and held out his hand.
Rax sniffed it. Then, slowly, his tail thumped once against the concrete.
Tank laughed — a real laugh this time, surprised out of him.
“I’ve been an idiot,” he said.
“Yeah,” Sylvester Stallone said. “But you’re our idiot now. Come on. Denise is making pie.”
