Childstar 3
“Don’t take it personally. Besides, your boyfriend apparently has powerful friends here.”
Noah.
I didn’t care that I was crying or in pain or that I most likely looked like something out of a horror movie. I just wanted to see him.
But for now, I needed to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
Noah
Stepping into the hospital room, I felt nothing. I didn’t need to think this over. I needed it to come to an end.
“Noah! What is this?” Bo struggled, pulling against the restraints. “Bro, help me get out of this.”
Walking over to his bedside, I took a seat, staring at him as he was strapped into the bed.
“Noah—”
“She was in car accident—bloody, bruised—and you kidnapped her for Frank,” I whispered, sitting on the edge of my seat. “You know I love her. That she’s mine. And you did it anyway.”
“I wasn’t gonna hurt her, I swear. I was trying to make you do the right thing—”
“In what universe is saving Frank—after everything he did to us growing up, after he almost killed your mother—the right thing? When did you stop hating him?”
He was quiet, falling back against the bed and staring at me, tears in his eyes, as if that would save him.
“You left me, Noah,” he whispered. “You just up and left me for your big fabulous life. You never looked back. I didn’t want your money ... Frank was messed up, but for the most part, he and I started over. He ain’t perfect, and he’s a still a mean drunk, but he was tryin’, and you just kept shuttin’ us out. We’re family, and you hated us. You think it ain’t hurt? I couldn’t let you just throw Frank to the wolves. He’s still blood. You’d regret it.”
“No,” I shook my head. He really didn’t get it. “I wouldn’t regret it, I don’t regret it. With Frank gone, I’m so happy, Bo. I’m so happy I’m serious when I say I want to cry.”
“What did you do?” he asked, trying to sit up.
“The Callahans have him. The official story is that he died in the raid, but what the Callahans choose to do with him after that is their business.”
“Noah! How could—”
“Nothing you say will change his fate. I just wanted to know if you have any last words.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“You’re gonna kill me now?”
“No matter what, you will be my brother, Bo, but you chose Frank and not me. And so I’m going to choose the people who have always asked nothing of me. Since I was child, Bo, I’ve been looking after you. My big brother. It should have been the other way around. But I could never look up to you for anything other than how to steal cars and screw women. I’m tired of carrying you, Bo. I’m tired of you selfishly needing to be the center of the universe when you offer nothing to me. It’s out love for your mom, respect for our past, and the daughter you have that I won’t kill you, but I won’t call this living either,” I said, pulling the syringe given to me by the Callahans from my pocket.
“Noah, please, I swear I’ll change my life around. I swear I’ll—”
“You took my girl. There is no mending this bridge,” I got up and injected the drug into his IV.
“Noah. Noah, please no!”
When it was in, I sat back down, “I’ll stay here until the rest of your family shows up. Sadly, you won’t be able to move or speak. You will spend the rest of your life just watching others live. I’ll visit. I promise to keep taking care of your daughter and her mother. But you … this is it.”
“No ...” he trailed off as his mouth opened and closed. However, he didn’t say anything, and as each minute passed, his body relaxed more and more before he stopped moving altogether, the only proof that he was alive being the beeping of the machine right beside me.
“….” I exhaled looking up to the ceiling. It was over.