“You fucking come here again, I’ll kill you. You try to undermine me, I’ll kill you. You touch Mina ever again, I’ll kill you. Understand, you cunt?” he snarled.
Dana, still sobbing, nodded and stumbled after her companions, her nose dripping blood on the ground the entire way.
Shay watched her go, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to storm after her, until James called out to him. “Shay!”
His tone was filled with warning, and looking like it took all the effort he could muster, Shay listened to his father, and stiffly let his arms relax until his friends released him. Everyone watched the girls disappear down the driveway and when they did, Shay glanced over at us as James finally turned back to me, buckled me in, and shut the door. Shay and his friends headed over as Mum climbed in the passenger side, her wedding dress filling up the space as she tried to move around the material to buckle in. James stopped before the boys. Mum’s window was down, and I could hear him murmur something to them, but it was spoken too softly for me to make out the words.
“Don’t. The bitch fucking deserved it and more,” Shay spat at his father and cast a deadly look at the spot where the girls had disappeared to. “I don’t give a shit if she’s a girl. I should have killed her for what she did.”
James murmured something else. He didn’t sound all that angry that his son had punched a girl in the face, but more like he was trying to diffuse the situation.
“If the police show up, I’ll tell them she attacked a kid, and I stepped in to protect her. They won’t do shit to me,” Shay said in response to whatever his dad had said to him. He nodded to his friends, “I have several witnesses that will back me up if there’s a problem. Now, take Mina to the hospital. I’m going to Cody’s for the rest of the night…” He nodded to his friends and with a last, concerned look at me, the boys headed around the back of the club, most likely to grab some beers and then take Aron’s car to Cody’s place to hang out.
James didn’t argue, nor try to tell Shay what he could or couldn’t do. Instead, he just rounded the truck, climbed in the driver’s seat, and we tore off to the hospital.
It was late at night when we finally made it home. We were exhausted, and still in our wedding attire. We’d caught a lot of looks in the waiting room at the hospital, what with mum in her wedding dress, and tattooed, scary looking James in a black suit. Then there was me, in my frilly dress that was now stained by the amber alcohol and covered in dirt and leaves. Luckily, I hadn’t consumed more than a few sips worth, and my ribs were a little bruised. I’d been given some pain medication and sent home.
Mum took me into the bathroom, removed my ruined flower girl dress, and gave me a hot bath before changing me into a nighty. She tucked me into bed and James gave me two of the pills the doctor had prescribed before turning on my nightlight. They both kissed my forehead and left.
But now I was awake, my room dark save for the dim, warm glow of my crescent moon-shaped nightlight. For a moment, I wondered what it was that had awoken me, but then the stumbling sound happened again. It came from the hall, the footsteps heavy and uneven, as they approached. I held my breath, briefly uncertain and afraid, wondering if a monster was shuffling to my room. I gripped my stuffed bunny tight as it paused outside my closed bedroom door, but then it moved away, going into Shay’s room.
Shay. I exhaled a long, deep breath. It was just Shay, probably just returning home after hanging out with his friends. I could hear the sound of his door as it thudded shut, and then the muted sounds through the walls of him shuffling around, getting ready for bed. I sighed and relaxed back onto my pillow, looking out the window by my bed for a minute as I took in the sight of the stars above the trees, before closing my eyes as I let myself relax again into sleep.
I couldn’t have been out for very long when I started dreaming. I thought Shay was there in my room with me, sitting at my bedside while I slept. I peeked through my lashes, smiling a little as I whispered his name. My big brother, my defender; I was so grateful for him for saving me today. Mum may have been fuming about him hitting a girl, but I felt a strange satisfaction from it. He’d been looking out for me, eliminating a threat to his family. Now, I dreamed that he was watching over me as I slept, like my own personal guardian angel, and any thought I’d had before of monsters was wiped from my head.
I dreamed that he had knelt beside my bed and started to gently stroke my hair. But when he leaned over and kissed my forehead, I realized I wasn’t dreaming at all. He was actually here. I stirred, forcing my eyes to open a bit more. “Shay?” I whispered, confused. Why was he in here?
“Hey, Sweetness, didn’t mean to wake ya. Just wanted to check and make sure you’re okay. Are you hurting?”
I yawned huge, my eyes drifting closed again. “The doctor gave me some medicine,” I mumbled as drowsiness overcame me.
“Get some rest.” He kissed my forehead again and I allowed myself to drift.
“You need to rest, too,” I whispered to him.
“I was trying to, but my bad dreams kept waking me up…” he said in a hushed tone. I knew about Shay’s nightmares and his inability to get a decent night’s sleep. Over the past month, I’d heard him up in the middle of the night, pacing his room, or calling out in his sleep. He sometimes would just get up and watch a movie out in the family room, or play some games on his computer, the sounds muffled through the walls separating our bedrooms. He told me he had insomnia… something that kept him from sleeping, some nights only getting two or three hours. The days after these stretches were always when he acted out the worst, when he got into the most fights. For a time, he said he’d tried pills, hoping they would help, but they stopped being at all effective as of this summer.
I guess tonight was just another night of sleeplessness for him. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed since he had arrived home, but I could smell alcohol on his breath. I groggily looked up at him and noticed how haggard he looked, his dark hair a mess, and he had dark bags under his shadowed eyes. Why he came into my room, I didn’t understand, but I wanted so desperately to help him the way he had helped me.
“Want to try sleeping here?” I asked him.
One of his dark brows rose high on his forehead. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Sweetness.”
“Why not?” I yawned again, “It will be like a sleepover. My bed is big enough…” I shuffled over, the effects of the painkillers hiding any discomfort in my ribs, and pulled the covers back a bit so he could slide in. Shay hesitated, his silver eyes flicking to the doorway that was closed, and back to me again. Finally, mind made up, he climbed in and tucked my pink comforter around us. He curled up beside me, and after a minute, I could feel the tense way he’d been holding himself slowly ease up. I rolled onto my side, facing him, and closed my eyes, letting my mind wander off into sleep again.
“Shay?” I whispered as I snuggled up to his side. I felt his arm wrap around my shoulders.
“Yeah?” He yawned, relaxing even more.
I bit my lip, hesitant. It was my fault that all of this had happened today. And he was the one who had gotten into trouble for it. I felt sorry, and the feeling was gnawing away in my stomach, making me feel awful, “I’m sorry I brought those girls to your secret spot.” I inhaled deeply, trying to be brave as I tried to make things better. “I thought it would make you happy to see them. That it’s what you would have wanted. But, I made a mistake. So, I’m sorry.”