4. 4
4
D awn
I walked into the house and went straight to my room and locked the door. I knew that my brother would want to know why I stormed out, but I didn’t know what to say. It’s not like Cole and I were romantically involved or anything. Hell, I knew he probably just had morning wood this morning and it had nothing to do with me being pressed up against him in my sleep. What the hell was I thinking crawling into his cot with him in the middle of the night? I don’t think I realized that I had developed feelings for him until I heard him say I could leave. He sounded eager for me to vacate his house, so I ran out like a scalded dog with my tail between my legs. With a groan I laid across my bed and put my head in a pillow. I knew he was older than me, but I wasn’t a child. I was about to graduate with a law degree and take the bar exam. I was intelligent and decent looking I thought. I heard the front door close and then Austin knocked on my door.
“Go away!” I yelled. “I want to be alone.”
“Too bad, you have exactly two minutes to unlock this door before I take it off the hinge myself.” Austin threatened. I knew that tone, he meant business. I got up and unlocked the door jerking it open.
“What, I’m home. Isn’t that what you wanted?” I hissed as I sat down on the bed and crossed my arms.
“I want to know what has been going on under that roof.” He demanded. “You both have been acting funny.”
“Seriously, Doc is one of your best friends. You have known him for years and you really think he would take advantage of your sister who had been raped only a week ago?” I spat out and he flinched. “You are being an asshole, Austin Wilson. I’m going to tell Sophie.”
I saw the fight go out of him and he sat down on the chair at my study desk. He cradled his head in his hands and rubbed his head. I could tell by looking at him that he had not been sleeping well. I felt awful because I knew he had been worried about me. I got up and went to kneel in front of him. I took his chin and raised his face to look at me.
“I’m sorry. I know you have been worried sick but that doesn’t excuse you for acting that way to someone who just took care of me. You owe him an apology. He was never inappropriate with me and treated me with nothing but respect.” I said softly looking him in the eye.
“Then why did you storm out earlier and look like he crushed your heart under his shoe?” He studied my face as he waited for an answer.
“I don’t know what to tell you. I’m very emotional right now and I guess I suddenly felt like a burden he didn’t want underfoot anymore. I owe him an apology as well and I will do it later. Right now, I need to do some schoolwork so that I can graduate on time.” I told him in a dismissive tone. I didn’t want to discuss this anymore. I was still trying to figure out what I was feeling. “I will fix myself a sandwich in a little while. You should go to work.”
Austin looked at me for a minute then kissed me on the top of the head and left the room. Hopefully he will go to work and leave me in peace today. I don’t need a damn babysitter. I didn’t have a nightmare last night. Maybe I won’t have one tonight. I’d see about counseling after I get caught up on my assignments. I only have a couple of weeks left and I will be done. I planned to take the bar in the fall after giving myself a rest this summer. Now I would be resting and getting counseling while I studied.
I finished the assignment I had started at Cole’s house. My stomach growled so I sent the assignment to my professor and closed my laptop. I stood up too fast and felt lightheaded. I waited a minute for it to pass before making my way to the kitchen to fix myself a snack. I didn’t really have the energy to do much, so I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry. There were bottles of water and juice in the fridge, so I got some juice and went to sit on the couch to watch television while I ate. I glanced out the window since the blinds were open and saw that Cole’s car was gone. I guess he couldn’t wait to get back to the hospital since he didn’t have to look after me anymore. I turned back to the tv and found some ‘JAG’ reruns. I curled up and nibbled on my food while I watched my show. I loved the chemistry between Harm and Mac, the two lead characters on the show. After I finished my food, I placed the plate on the coffee table and laid down on the couch to watch more.
I woke up to Austin and Sophie coming in from work. I sat up and blinked, realizing that the television was still playing. I turned it off and got up.
“You don’t have to get up. You look so comfortable.” Sophie said as she gently hugged me. “I was going to fix dinner. Is there anything special you would like to have?”
My sister-in-law was the sweetest. I liked her the first time we met. I smiled at her as I picked up my plate from the coffee table.
“I’ll eat whatever you decide to fix.” I put my plate in the dishwasher and then went back to the couch. I didn’t want to be cooped up in a bedroom again, even if it was mine. “How was work?”
I wanted to distract them, so I changed the subject. They had the most boring jobs on the planet but if it got them talking, I was good with that. They chattered on about their day while Sophie made some homemade pizzas. It smelled really good. I missed doing this with Austin when I came home for a visit. We had always been close but since they saved me from being sold, I have been feeling resentful that they didn’t get there sooner. I know that it wasn’t their fault, and I was a random choice of opportunity. It was just that if they had been there just fifteen minutes sooner, I would not have been raped by that nasty bastard. I knew that Cole ‘Doc’ had taken blood to be tested for anything that could have been given to me and the results came back clean but I was still scared because he didn’t use anything, and I was not on birth control since I had not had any intention of having sex in the near future. Thinking about it made me lose my appetite so I excused myself and went to my room. I looked outside the window and did not see a light on at Doc’s house. He must still be working, unless he has a date or something. I didn’t want to think about that.