Chapter 10 #2
Quick as a flash the girls climb up, mindful of Joe’s injuries and snuggle up as close as they can without outright touching her.
I raise my brows at Justice who waves a hand at me.
He always was good with the little kids when we were younger, keeping them occupied and out of trouble.
I let his voice fill the room with fantastical stories while I check on Joe’s vitals and refill her water glass, along with giving her more pain killers.
The girls are mesmerized by the story Justice weaves, and I can’t miss the fact that my friend seems just as enamored.
I take a seat at the foot of Joe’s bed, mindful not to disturb her battered body, and I let Justice’s words wash over me.
The cadence of his voice helps soothe my mind, stopping it from racing.
All the things I had in my mental checklist just seem to fade into insignificance.
I know that the list hasn’t fully gone away, but the urge to stress and overcompensate just to make sure everyone is happy and well doesn’t seem to be crushing me like usual.
It could be because I’ve met the original DRMC members.
I’ve seen their dedication to making the Keep a success.
A place where people can feel safe and for some of them, hopeful.
I know I am. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel hopeful for my future.
My history and trauma haven’t gone away, always on the fringes of my mind, but I’m hopeful of the new experiences I’m having, new memories forming, with the new people I am surrounded by.
“Hey, whatcha thinking so hard about?” Joe whispers, poking me with her toe under the covers, the twins asleep next to her.
Looking around I notice Justice somehow snuck past me. Which is crazy considering he isn’t a small man. Joe lets out a quiet snort before grimacing. I open my mouth to chastise her but she gives me a look and I clamp my mouth shut.
“Must have been thinking pretty darn seriously to not notice that fine man leave the room.” She waggles one eyebrow before hissing and gingerly touching her forehead,
“First off, stop moving. Especially your face.” She rolls the one eye I can see, then ignores me by giving me a smirk. “Secondly, Justice is not a fine man. He’s my brother-cousin.”
Her face lights up, and I know she’s about to bombard me with questions, and honestly? I welcome it. It means that whatever happened to her at the hands of that murderer hasn’t broken her.
“A brousin! Wait, so do you think of him more as a brother or more as a cousin?” She wriggles slightly, getting comfy between Addy and Bree.
The poor little things would be exhausted after being plagued with nightmares last night. I lean forward to gently brush the hair out of Addy’s face, before doing the same to Bree, mulling over Joe’s question.
“Well, I’m not too sure what I think of him as.
He never lived with me growing up so not quite a brother.
But at the same time, he seems closer than a cousin.
” My brows pinch in concentration. “I’d probably say he’s my best friend.
Well, one of two, now.” I smile gently at Joe, softly patting her foot.
She sniffles, snuggling down a little deeper under her covers. “Loyal?” she asks quietly.
“Yeah?” I whisper back.
“Thank you. I knew that I needed help and I knew that you wouldn’t turn me away. You’re more than a woman I met on my course; you’re my best friend, too.”
I scooch up the bed, reaching for Joe’s hand, wrapping it in mine. “I love you, Joe. I’ve got you.”
She gives my hand a small squeeze, sighs and leans her head back. Her one good eye flutters closed, and I watch as her breathing synchronizes with the twins for a moment. Moving to stand my head snaps up when I see Justice in the doorway, his gaze on Joe.
Moving toward him I gently guide him to the hall, not wanting to wake anyone up.
“She doing OK?” he murmurs, eyes still on Joe through the open doorway.
“She’s strong, and she’s got us,” I answer, giving him a tight smile.
He nods jerkily, before blowing out a breath. “Good, that’s good.” He rubs the back of his neck, as if trying to release the tension he was holding.
“Did you need something?”
“Hmm? Oh no, just wanted to let Joe know that her dog, Mosely, is out in the common room with Greer. The little girl seems to have taken a shine to the pup.”
A smile grows on my face. Greer is such a ball of sunshine, it doesn’t surprise me that she’s taken a shine to Joe’s little dog.
“I might go see how they’re getting on.” I move to walk down the hall in search of Greer and Mosely, but I stop when Justice calls my name quietly.
Turning to look over my shoulder, my gaze meets his.
“I don’t think of you as my cousin.”
“Oh, did you hear what I told Joe?”
He nods, a smile playing on his lips before his expression turns serious. “You’re not my best friend either. You’re my big sister. You’re my protector.”
“Justice, I did what anyone -”
“No!” he hisses low, so as not to wake Joe, stepping closer. “No one helped. Not one of those righteous holier than thou fuckers in Eden’s Keep helped me when I was hurt and bleeding. Not one of them stopped him from entering my body over and over again -”
He gasps when I pull him into my arms, holding him as tight as I can possibly hold him, just like I did the day I found out what had been happening to him since he was a little boy. He gulps down air before burying his face in my shoulder and wrapping his long arms around me.
“I did what anyone should do, Justice,” I whisper.
“And yet they didn’t. You did. You saved me, Loyal, and for that I love you,” he pushes me back and tries to smile, “as a sister-cousin.”
I smile back. “A sister-cousin.”
“And protector.” He brightens a little more. “Like Batman.”
I roll my eyes. “Get outta here before I kick your butt.”
“Oooh, someone is getting sassy hanging out with these men.” I move to swipe at him but he dodges my hand and rushes into Joe’s room, slowing as he quietly moves to sit next to her.
I watch them together for a moment. One I’ve known most of my life, the other feels like I’ve known her my whole life. Smiling, I leave them to it, knowing that Joe is in good hands. Now, to find something to do until the man who means more than I ever thought I deserved returns.