Shay steps up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder as he hugs me against his chest. “You okay?”
I try to say ‘yes’, but my voice catches in my throat. Swallowing back the sob that is fighting to work its way free, I just nod instead. James steps around us, carrying my hospital bag in one hand and heads down the hall to my room. Having gathered myself, I try to follow, but I’m not used to using these stupid crutches yet, and I sway a little as I unsteadily move out of Shay’s arms. He swoops in to catch me.
“Don’t,” I tell him. “If you keep babying me, I’ll never get the hang of this.”
“Mina-”
“No. Let me do this, Shay,” I plead to him. I can’t stand how vulnerable I feel right now… physically and mentally. And Shay has been treating me like I’m a delicate little flower these past five days. Every stumble I make, his hands are on me, righting me up. Every time I feel an urge to cry, he embraces me tightly and rocks me like a baby. As nice and as comforting as it is, I need him to step back a bit. “I need to figure out how to do this myself. You can’t be with me when I go back to school, or on nights when you’re needed at the club.” Knowing that James has put in a new security system helps reassure me a bit about the notion of being home alone. Even if the thought does actually scare the shit out of me, I need to get over it. He said they had caught the guys. Shay left the hospital on day two to “deal” with them, as he put it. It was over and done with. But we still have no idea who sent them. Even with the new security system, I can’t help how afraid I’m feeling. Just being back in this room again has my head reeling and my emotions are twisted in a jumbled mess. I even feel a wave of nausea wash over me as my gaze swiftly takes in the polished floorboards beneath the kitchen table.
I start to take another step forward and hesitate, unsure of myself as I stare at the hallway before me. Huh, I don’t remember it being this long before. Nervously, I peer over my shoulder to see Shay still standing incredibly close, his eyes watchful of every movement I make. “Maybe, if you could just… stay close? Just in case?”
The anxious expression on his face instantly melts and softens. “Of course, Sweetness.” He walks behind me, his hands extended as he prepares to jump in and catch me should I fall. His presence gives me that bit of strength I need to move forward, but soon, I get the hang of it. Slowly, I make my way down the hall to the back of the house, where both our bedrooms are. When I enter mine, I note that it’s been cleaned and fixed up. I have a new bedroom door, my clothes are all neatly hung up in my closet again, and my bed is back together and made up with fresh sheets and blankets. James has unpacked most of my stuff, and is currently putting my toiletries from my hospital bag away in the washroom Shay and I share, as well as getting together my laundry to clean.
I feel my cheeks turn pink at the thought of him seeing my underwear, but ignore it as I sink onto the edge of my bed with a grateful sigh. I’m too tired and mentally drained to really care about things like that. After all, he’s cleaned my clothes for years, since I was seven. I drop my crutches onto the floor and lie back against my pillow. As nervous as I am to be back here, I gotta say, after being in a hospital bed for nearly a week, it feels amazing to be back in my own once again.
“Are you hungry?” Shay asks from my side. I open my eyes and look up at him as he stands beside my bed, looking around as though searching for a sign of a threat.
I shake my head. “No, just tired. Still drugged out…”
He smirks a little at that. I’ve been heavily medicated and I guess I’ve been making an ass out of myself at the hospital. Apparently, I hit on one of the doctors, telling him that I was going to bake us a wedding cake, and I told everyone that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to play soccer again with my busted leg, even though I’ve never played it in my life. Shay’s been teasing me relentlessly for it.
He reaches out, and with a single finger, he brushes a lock of my hair off my forehead and tucks it behind my ear. “Your phone is just on your bedside table. You need anything, you call me, okay?”
“Are you leaving?” Oh God, my anxiety spikes at the thought of being alone in this house so soon.
“No.” Shay’s silver eyes flash and his jaw clenches tightly. “I’m just going to start on some dinner for tonight. Dad’s already told the club that we’re taking a hiatus for a bit.”
Relief. I mean, if they went right back to the club again after what happened, I’d have even more of a reason to hate that place and everything that it stands for. The guys are always at the club… that’s where they were the night of the attack. If they left me now, it would only cement my resentment for that place. Right now, they’re all I have left, and I need them.
“Okay…” I breathe a sigh and sink back into my pillows again, closing my eyes. If Shay and James are here, I should have no reason to be afraid.
Shay lingers at my bedside for a minute before taking one of my soft, plush throw blankets and covers me with it. His soft lips kiss my forehead, then the tip of my nose before he tenderly strokes my cheek and leaves me to rest. Thank God for James and Shay.
The Past
Mina: Seven Years Old
August
Ever since that fateful car crash on the highway with my mother, we had officially moved in with the O’Hares. James brought Mum home later that night, which was about a month ago, and she looked terrible when I saw her the next morning. She’d sustained worse injuries from the crash than I had, and looked incredibly disoriented. James had put her in the bedroom upstairs and locked it, informing me that my mother needed time to recuperate from the accident. In the meantime, he had arranged for our things to be moved over from our old bungalow, and he and Shay helped me set up my own bedroom across the hall from Shay’s. James even took me out and got me new bedding, which I picked out myself, and he bought me a dollhouse, too.
While my mum recovered, the guys spent almost every hour with me. James made me pancakes for breakfast, while Shay showed me the house and the property.
They lived on acreage, and the surrounding area had endless trees and a small creek that flowed nearby. They had a workshop, a garage, and way in the back, was a small shed that had a lot of old tools, tubs of cleaning supplies, and other equipment I had never seen before, but assumed was meant for maintenance on their bikes. The cabin itself was cozy. The main floor was long and had a huge stone fireplace, a comfortable sitting area with a huge TV, and an open kitchen. The back of the house had my room, Shay’s, and a bathroom, which we shared. Upstairs was the master, a guest room, and a private bathroom for the adults.
Mum was kept in the master bedroom for a whole week before James pulled me gently aside and murmured that I could see my mother, but I had to remain at the doorway and not approach her.
“She is very hurt, Baby Girl… she needs the rest. But you can see her and talk to her. I’ll be right beside you."
When he unlocked the door and opened it, I saw Mum laying upon the bed, her body covered with a patchwork quilt. She really did look horrible. Her face was bruised and her hair matted, but when she saw me standing in the doorway, she lurched forward, as if she was trying to get out of bed, but couldn’t.