Damaged (Boys of Winter 2)

I roll over, curling into his side and raising my head to meet his broken stare. “I haven’t met your little brother, but from what I saw of Caitlin last night, it’s clear that she’s strong just like you. She’s a survivor. She’s going to be alright because she has you watching out for her, and honestly, I couldn’t think of anything better.”

King’s arms just tighten around me, holding me as though I’m his only lifeline. “I don’t know about that,” he whispers into the quiet room before dropping the softest kiss to my temple. “I couldn’t think of anything worse for them.”

“You’re wrong,” I murmur. “They’re going to lean on you. They’re going to need you more than ever before, and you’re going to be everything they need. They know you’re hurting because they feel it too. They don’t need you to replace your father, all they need is for you to tell them that everything is going to be alright, wrap your arms around them, and tell them that you’re never going to leave them.”

“What if I let them down?”

I shake my head. “That’s not possible.”

King lets out a sigh and buries his face into my hair. He’s so fucking broken that it kills me, and seeing him like that last night just proved to me that I’d do absolutely anything to make sure that he never has to feel like that again.

Taking his hand, I scoot to the edge of the bed and pull him up beside me. “Come on,” I tell him, getting to my feet and turning around to look at him sitting on the edge of my bed, looking exhausted as shit, while also knowing that he’ll refuse to sleep until he physically can’t stay awake anymore. “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“The hospital.” His brows furrow as I cross my room and grab a pair of pants and a tank. I quickly pull them on before looking back at him and explaining myself. “You said that your mom is going to have to tell them this morning, so now is your last chance to see them before their worlds change for the worse. Put on a smile and go tell Caitlin how fucking strong she is and how proud you are of how she handled herself last night. Soak up her light and laugh with her because for a little while, you might not get a chance to hear it again.”

King just nods and offers me his hand. I take it and give a light tug and he gets up beside me, dropping another kiss to my forehead. His hand falls away from mine as he crosses the room and grabs the sweatpants and shirt that he left here last week.

Within seconds, he’s walking out the door and I follow him out, knowing that while we have every intention of going to the hospital to make his little sister laugh, it might just be one of the hardest things he’ll ever have to do.

With his car still parked in his garage at home, King goes straight for my bike and hands me my helmet. I know better than to argue with him, so I pull it on and climb on behind him, curling my arms right around his waist.

We pull up at the hospital within the space of five minutes and make it up to her room before breakfast is even served. King stands outside her room, peering in while desperately trying to find the strength to give her what she needs.

He lets out a shaky breath and instantly takes my hands. “You can do this,” I tell him. “I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

He shakes his head and pushes the door open, tugging me in right along with him. “Hey Caitie,” King beams, slapping on a fake smile and striding deeper into the room, seeing that she’s wide awake and looking up at the cartoons on the TV. “What’s going on? Are these doctors treating you alright or do I need to kick their butts?”

Her leg is held together with pins while her hand is completely casted, and I’m sure also filled with little pins holding everything together. It kills me. No little girl should have to suffer through this. They should be out in their yards playing and having the time of their lives. She shouldn’t have to look back on her childhood years and remember going through months of physiotherapy to retrain herself how to walk and run properly. She should get to remember the times her big brother threw her so high in the air that she accidentally threw up all over him.

She must be in so much pain, but hopefully there’s enough meds pulsing through her little system that she can forget about being in the hospital.

“Move,” Caitlin screeches when her big brother walks right in front of the TV, blocking her view. “I can’t see my shows.”