53. I have brothers
I HAVE brOTHERS
“What the fuck?” I muttered, looking at the man standing in front of Dustin. I gripped the edge of the wall to steady myself. “No. No. You’re dead.” I breathed out, trying to wrap my head around the fact.
Older and wrinkle-filled with worry lines set in his brow, he stood there staring at me with tears in his eyes.
“I missed you little sunflower,” he whispered.
“What’s going on?” The man to my left asked. I ignored him walking towards the man on shaky legs.
“Uncle Ryan?” My voice came out barely a whisper.
“Oh shit,” Dustin said, and my eyes snapped toward him.
“You look just like your mother,” Ryan swallowed a tear welling in his eyes.
I wanted to scream, to yell, to cry, but instead I just stared. Dustin’s hand grabbed mine, lending me his strength. “I didn’t know.”
“What’s she talking about?” One of the men asked.
I hadn’t said anything. I didn’t want to face him, to be in the room with the man who’d left me. The one that couldn’t save me from Midas. He tried to reach out and grasp my hand, and I stepped back.
“How are you here right now?” I asked, and he swallowed guilt, crossing his face.
“When your mother and you didn’t show up I got worried. I was on my way back when I heard the police scanner. I’m so sorry I should have been there for you.” His voice was low, as if he had waited a lifetime to say that to me.
I just stared; he didn’t come back for more.
“Who is she Dad? Why is she calling you Ryan?” the younger man spoke, and I looked at him. They looked like Ryan. The same mouth, the same nose. It was scary, the resemblance, and I wondered if I looked the same.
“Boys, this is Summer. Your older sister.” He half heartily smiled and there was silence.
I looked down the hallway, wanting to escape the heated looks from everyone, but Dustin held me to the spot.
“Wait, what?” The one who’d called him dad asked.
There was a pause as I swallowed back tears. “You left us with him, you left me with that monster.”
Tears fell down my cheeks as I faced the hurt. The years and pain all coming down to this moment.
“When I was on the way to you, I was picked up by the FBI, they were following a group of criminals that included Midas, I did something I wasn’t proud of when I was young. They offered me a choice, help them or go to jail.” Ryan spoke.
“So what about our mother? Did you ever love her?” The older man asked.
“Yes, but I never planned to have you two. It just happened, by the time I met your mother I had been establishing C.O.R.E. and working under the alias Brian Lockwood for close to five years.”
“So it was all a lie? What even for? Midas is still out there and you have a whole other child we’ve known nothing about,” the younger spoke, his hands balled into fists.
“No, it was never a lie. I love you two and your mother, but she was not my first love.” He reasoned. I couldn’t listen to this anymore. I pulled my hand free of Dustin’s and walked back toward the bedroom. Slamming the door in the process.
“Hey,” Scott hummed, opening the blanket, ready to welcome me into his warm embrace.
“Hey,” I whispered back, still unsure of all the emotions I was feeling.
“Come here.”
And I did, curling into his embrace as he smoothed hair out of my face. My tears splashed against his chest, and he hugged me tighter. I stayed there because he was the safer option, and after everything that happened, he was the one who did me the least harm.