Chapter 21

Waking up next to Mia was ... different. When she was awake, she always had that distinct air of dominance around her. She was the Go-Getter type and I couldn’t dispute her having quite a few distinct character traits she shared with her mother in that regard.

But when I watched her sleeping next to me, she was simply cute. She had curled up into my side, in an almost fetal position with one of her hands holding on to my shirt, and her face buried into the side of my chest. When I placed my hand on her curved back, she let out a sleepy, unintelligible mumble in a high girly voice, asking me for five more minutes of sleep. Hearing it, my mouth stretched into a wide smile before I simply watched her sleep for another minute...

I leaned down while suppressing the pained groan to not disturb her too much, kissed the top of her head, and carefully extracted myself from the bed to visit the bathroom. The cane actually was a lot easier to handle than the crutch, though Claire was still right, as it didn’t give me quite as much support as the crutch.

Entering the living room, something felt off. It took me a moment to realize that I had grown accustomed to finding Claire already up and about when I got out of bed, but this morning the whole apartment was quiet. When I checked the guest room, I found Ava in bed. Just Ava. And there also were no sounds coming from their bathroom. It seemed like Claire never made it back from John’s.

A little worried, I grabbed my phone.

“Yes?” I heard Danny’s tired voice.

“Hey, it’s me. Is Mom still with you? She didn’t come home.”

There was a moment of silence before Danny answered, which made me nervous.

“Yes. She’s still here. She needs a little more time.”

“Oh, alright. Then I can stop worrying. Sorry for calling so early.” I apologized, and tried to end the call when I heard Danny call out to me.

“WAIT! Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“That you were worrying when you noticed that she never made it home.”

“Of course I did. Why would you think I wouldn’t be worried!?” I felt a little offended.

“Well, after yesterday... ”

“For fuck’s sake, Danny! I took on three armed men to protect the woman after she did nothing to earn it for years. You think now, after she started caring for me, I somehow wouldn’t give a shit if she went missing!? I said that we grew apart, not that I no longer cared, and certainly not that I wished she’d vanish.”

“Oh. OH!” She didn’t sound happy, or shocked, or surprised. It sounded like she realized something or had an idea. That was weird. “Alright. Thank you, Tim. I don’t know how long she’ll stay, but she’s safe.”

“Okay. Then ... Bye.” I ended this more than a little weird call and moved into the kitchen to start on breakfast.

When I had finished preparing the waffle batter, I didn’t want to disturb either of the girls in their slumber. While I might have been used to getting up in the early hours, they weren’t. And it was a Saturday, after all. So, as quietly as I could, I went into my bedroom to get a change of clothes and then took care of my morning routine myself. Surprisingly, I felt myself missing Claire’s help. It was surprising because I still remembered vividly how I felt about her seeing me so weak just a week ago. And now I was catching myself thinking how nice it would be to have her scrub me down.

After my morning rituals, I plunged down on the couch exhausted and started watching TV on low volume. Apparently the TV was still too loud, since, not even two minutes after I sat down, my bedroom door opened and a half sleeping MIa walked out. Dressed in only her panties and one of my T-Shirts, she trudged over to me, plunged herself on the couch to my left, and cuddled up into me. She didn’t even say anything before she rubbed her face against my shoulder, got comfortable, and closed her eyes as if to keep sleeping.

I wasn’t exactly against this. Quite the opposite. Seeing how much she enjoyed this physical closeness between us made me happy. It did get a little weird though, when, another minute later, Ava’s door opened and she basically repeated Mia’s actions. She also walked out of her room dressed in nothing but her panties and one of my shirts, before plunging herself onto the couch on my right. Ava, however, thankfully avoided cuddling up into my side. Instead, she lied down and placed her head on my healthy thigh.

Mia spontaneously woke up completely and looked at us with a peculiar expression, when Ava suddenly spoke in a sleepy voice.

“Don’t look so surprised. He saved me too, you know?”

“Oh.” Mia responded instantly as if what Ava just said made any sense, before her face took on a thoughtful look for all of ten seconds, she shrugged her shoulders, and then cuddled back into me again.

I sat there for about a minute trying to figure out what they had just talked about, waiting for them to say anything further that would make sense to me, but they seemed to be content with this situation.

“Okay, does anyone want to enlighten me?” I finally asked.

“You’re cute when you’re slow, little brother.” Ava mumbled, Mia chuckled, and then they went back to being silent.

I shook my head and decided to resume watching TV while attempting to move as little as possible to not disturb them in their slumber. After about half an hour, though, Mia started stirring.

“I hate to say it, but I’m kinda getting hungry.” she said in an annoyed tone.

“I have the waffle batter ready in the kitchen. If you want, I can get the iron out.”

“Waffles!” Ava suddenly shouted and jumped off my lap. “Are they as good as your pancakes?”

“It’s hard to screw up waffle batter.” I shrugged my shoulders, inwardly grinning because I knew that Claire only made regular Waffles.

“So...” Ava started while plugging in the waffle iron. “ ... where’s Mom?”

“John’s.”

“She Okay?” she probed casually.

“Yup. I’ve talked to Danny shortly before you got up.”

“When’s she coming back?”

“No idea.”

“Oh.”

Mia followed our exchange quietly sitting at the dining table, while her eyes jumped between me and my sister like she was watching a tennis match. I think she drew her own conclusions, given how much she already knew about my family life, but refrained from commenting until the food was ready.

“You know, I think I really need to rethink that whole marriage thing. They taste way better than regular waffles.” she said, earning herself an eager nod from Ava.

“They’re buttermilk waffles. I like the taste better.” I explained matter of fact. “So, want to tell me now what that exchange between the two of you was about?”

That caused them to exchange a quick look before Mia acted a little shy as she spoke up.

“Well ... remember the idea I had about how I could get Dad to ... help us spend more time together?”

I had to think for a moment before the conversation came back to me.

“Yeah. I think. You said something about needing me to stick around to calm yourself, after Campbell broke into your house.”

“Not exactly.” she corrected me. “I said I might need the guy who saved me to stick around, so I could sleep peacefully.”

“Oh!” I finally understood the meaning of her words and got a little concerned. “You have trouble sleeping?”

“Yeah. Though, you went through a lot more than I, how are you so cool with it?” she looked at me with a pleading expression. That must really bother her, and I had no idea.

“Well, I can tell you that alcohol doesn’t work at all.” I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “When we get asked that question by clients, we normally tell them to secure the house, talk with people, exercise, and get closure. We already secured your house and I assume you’re already talking about it with your parents. Personally, I’m simply too exhausted at the end of the day to think about it, but I hear Yoga works for people.”

“What do you mean by ‘closure’?” The tone of her voice told me that she already tried my first three suggestions unsuccessfully.

“Campbell was in worse shape than me. He was still in the ICU, breathing through a tube, when I was released. If you realize there’s no way for him to try that shit again, it should help you get over it. Even when he gets released from the hospital, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t going directly to jail.”

“Oh!” She got a thoughtful expression, like she was already starting to make plans on how to achieve that.

“Wait!” I said, turning to Ava. “You too!?”

“Three armed men came for Mom and me, and then I saw you get stabbed fighting them off. Of course I had nightmares for weeks after that.” she explained, like I had just noticed that fire was hot. “The only time I really slept well was when I crawled into your bed.”

She just admitted this like it was no big deal for an eighteen year old girl to sneak into her little brother’s bed to seek comfort. And right in front of her friend. Of course, for any normal person, it probably wasn’t a big deal. Mia didn’t know that I woke up kneading Ava’s breasts that day, while burying my hard cock into her asscrack. Nor did she know that Ava liked and even encouraged it.

“Maybe you should offer Mia to come around and sleep with you as well. At least until she gets her closure.” Ava suddenly proposed without even looking up from her plate.

I looked at Ava for a moment like she was joking, but when I turned to Mia, she had lowered her head a little closer to her own plate, every few seconds raising her eyes to see my reaction through that curtain of hair that now hung down freely. So much to her usual go-getter attitude I had admired just an hour ago. But I could hardly blame her. I never considered the effect this might have on her.

“Would that help?” I asked, and Mia shyly nodded her head in confirmation, before I gestured to the sling holding my arm. “Then, sure. For the next four weeks, you’d even be safe from me molesting you in your sleep.”

That made them both laugh, though I suspect Ava’s laughter was more about assuming I’d molest Mia regardless of my injuries, and Mia’s laughter was more an expression of relief. In any case, Mia quickly gathered her things and got dressed.

“I’m going home to tell Mom and Dad, and gather a few things. Thank you, Muffin.” she said, before planting a passionate kiss on my lips that ended way too soon, and left for her car.

I was a little taken aback by the pet name she had chosen for me, but the longer I thought about it, the more I liked it. Not just her choice, but the fact that she called me by a pet name in the first place.

“You sure you’re Okay with this?” I asked Ava as soon as Mia had closed the door behind her.

“Yes. Very sure. And the way she reacted to our cuddling on the couch tells me she will be too.” she answered, but turned and left with a smile before I could ask her what she meant.

The only thing I worried about was Claire, but she did not return that day. By the time Mia arrived with her overnight bag and made herself at home in my bedroom, Ava and I had already started on dinner, after which all three of us got comfortable on my bed to watch a movie.

That’s when I understood Ava’s words about Mia. Ava did not plan on leaving us alone. When we crawled into bed to watch the movie, Mia cuddled up on my left side so as to not aggravate my collarbone. Ava wanted the same, though in order to not hurt me, she had shifted down a little and placed her head on my stomach instead of my chest. Mia did not even bat an eye. Instead, she looked at Ava with a weird look of ... pity. It was that look in Mia’s eyes that finally made me understand how hard those experiences must have been for them, and got me thinking about Ava’s change of behavior after the incident.

Somehow, it made me angry at myself. After not noticing Tess’ cancer, I swore to myself to never overlook something so important again. And while, yes, I tried to get away from the family, and was still sure that I felt no love for them anymore, I was still trying to help them. I should have picked up on something like this if she actually had trouble sleeping because of it.

I suddenly found myself stroking Ava’s hair in an attempt to soothe her. I felt guilty for not noticing her fears. And I only noticed what I was actually doing, when I felt Mia’s hold on my arm tighten. Worried about her realizing how unusually comfortable I was with my big sister cuddling with me, I glanced over at Mia, but all I saw was a content smile on her face as she watched what I was doing. Apparently, she really understood.

As I felt Ava’s and Mia’s breathing slowing, I, too, fell asleep before the movie had ended.

The next morning, I was awoken by the smell of bacon. Looking around, I noticed the two scantily clad beauties still by my side, so there was only one other person who could possibly be active in the kitchen. I carefully extracted myself from underneath Ava and Mia, grabbed my cane, and made my way into the kitchen where I found Claire, who had finally returned.

“Good Morning, Mom.” I greeted her, but did not receive an immediate reaction.

She turned to me, but there was a sad half-smile on her face. Like she wasn’t sure if she was actually happy or not.

“Good Morning, Honey.” she finally replied, with a voice that lacked any hint of confidence, before hastily continuing her breakfast preparations.

“Mom. What’s wrong?” I stepped closer to her, as she stopped any movement upon hearing my question. I watched her stare at her hands for a moment before she spoke in a shaky voice.

“Let’s talk about this when your sister is up, and after your girlfriend leaves.” She took a deep breath to get her voice under control. “Just tell me one thing. Is there a chance for me to fix this?”

She still had not looked me in the eyes.

“Did you make a decision?”

“Yes.”

Going by her demeanor, I could already guess what she decided on, and while I wasn’t happy to see her so troubled, I also felt a strange wave of anxiety wash through me. Dare I hope to maybe, possibly, have a family again? I stepped closer to wrap my healthy arm around her and spoke in a quiet, soft voice.

“Just be my Mom. That’s what I’ve been missing.”

That was as far as I dared to go when asked about the possibility of reconciliation. I felt her tremble against my body as she tried to maintain control over her emotions. Then she rapidly nodded a few times before her shaking hands continued their work.

When Mia and Ava walked in, their reactions to seeing Claire were polar opposites. Ava immediately ran towards her mother, thoroughly happy to see her again, and embraced her in a tight hug. Mia, however, stopped dead in her tracks, and looked quite uncomfortable before rushing back into my bedroom to get properly dressed. Consequently, breakfast was a rather quiet affair with Mia avoiding Claire’s gaze, and Ava simply happy with enjoying Claire’s presence again. Soon after we had finished, Mia packed her things, thanked me for letting her stay with a quick kiss, and then left for her own home.

Claire maintained her silence even after Mia was gone. She cleaned up the kitchen without saying a word, helped me in the bathroom without commenting on anything, and finally just sat on the couch to stare into space. Ava looked pensive, obviously wanting me to approach this situation, so I sat on the couch to Claire’s right and directed Ava to sit on her left.

“Alright, Mom. Let’s talk. What’s going on?” I asked, trying to sound encouraging.

Claire took a breath so deep it caused her whole body to straighten up, before letting it out in a long drawn out sigh. Then she turned, used both of her hands to hold Ava’s, and spoke.

“I spoke with an attorney on Friday. I’m divorcing your father.” she said in the most caring and loving voice I had ever heard her use, looking directly at Ava.

“Good!” Ava replied, surprising everyone with how stern she sounded.

“You ... you’re not upset?” Claire asked, clearly taken aback.

“No. Why would I? If Christmas has proven anything, then that he doesn’t really care about me. Did you happen to notice that he NEVER apologized to me? He also never called me after we moved out. It’s like he doesn’t even care if we’re Okay. If he only cares about me as long as he gets to fuck me, I think we’re better off without him.”

“Oh god, I’m so glad, Sweetheart!” Claire suddenly called out, and embraced her daughter in a tight hug that lasted a good minute. When they separated, she looked at me. “So, there you have it, Honey. That’s my decision. I see it just the way your sister does, and I choose to try and get you back into my life. No matter how hard it’ll be, I will not leave you again.”

There were tears in her eyes, but it was the way she carried her body that was concerning. I couldn’t tell if she actually chose divorce to rebuild our relationship, or if she only realized that Aaron was an asshole and I was her only alternative.

“If you spoke to an attorney on Friday ... Where were you yesterday?” I asked, still attempting to not allow even a hint of accusation or displeasure in my voice.

Claire had obviously expected that question, and wasn’t eager to discuss it. But she knew that she had to tell me something if she wanted to erase my doubts, and I could see her physically harden her resolve.

“Honey ... after you left Johnny’s ... I wasn’t in a good place.” she started. She did not look like she was rehearsing something, or like she was looking for excuses. She simply wasn’t proud of what she was about to tell us. “I finally understood that I’ve ruined everything.”

At that point, she broke down in tears. I did not interfere with Ava’s attempt to calm Claire down, though I also didn’t assist her in any way. I was occupied with trying to figure out what my words in John’s house must have caused. I didn’t have to think long, though. I had, after all, relentlessly pointed out how this family was utterly broken. And, while I never outright said so, she knew that it might be Aaron and Logan who started to see the women of the family as their personal pleasure-dispensers, but she was the one who allowed it in the first place and then cultivated that mindset by participating unconditionally for so long.

As soon as she had calmed down enough to speak without being constantly interrupted by the sobs rocking her body, she continued.

“I allowed my husband to think of his family as nothing more than his personal property. I have spoiled my oldest child so much that he now thinks about nobody but himself. I allowed them to abuse my daughter to the point it almost ruined her life. And I neglected and alienated my youngest child to the point he no longer loves me. I don’t have a job, I don’t have a home, I don’t have a family. I ... I ruined everything.” she concluded in defeat.

Hearing her words soured my mood immensely. I had hoped she chose to work on our relationship because it would be what she truly wanted, but it sounded like she only came back to my apartment because I was her sole alternative. To my surprise, Ava’s mood had also darkened. She looked angry! And that anger was also present in her voice.

“Mom! How can you say you ruined everything? I think I turned out well! I don’t blame you for what Logan and Aaron did, because they didn’t do it when you were around. You DID look out for me. And don’t blame yourself for Logan being a selfish asshole, either. Yes, you spoiled him rotten, and it probably went a long way in forming his character, but you didn’t set out to make him a selfish asshole.”

“I know, Sweetheart. And you can’t imagine how proud I am of you.” Claire said, after taking a steadying breath. “But I reached a conclusion. I screwed up, so I have to fix it.”

With that, she turned to me and grabbed my hand as well.

“Honey.” she continued. “I know what I just told you sounds like I already gave up, and that I see you as some kind of consolation prize. But I promise you, I’m not! I will work on our relationship, not because I have to, but because I want to. I will be your Mom again, not to get a roof over my head, but because I want to be your Mom. And I will earn your love back, no matter how long it will take. But I will not start by lying to you, so I had to tell you how I felt after you left.”

She could see the doubt in my face, and immediately addressed it.

“I could try and get Aaron back, but I will not give you up in exchange for him. If he wants to be my husband and Ava’s father again, he first needs to be a father to all of his children.” she stated firmly. “I could try and make Logan come home, but I will no longer reward his selfish behavior. If he wants to be part of this family, then he has to treat us like one as well. Just like I will show you that I love you, so you will allow me to be your family again.”

I believed her. And as the realization that I believed her words set in, that strange wave of anxiety got stronger.

I had given her every reason I could possibly think of to go back to her easy life. Every incentive to collect Ava, drive home, and keep going like she had for the past four years while letting me live my life away from them. But she chose me instead, and I could not detect any sign of deception in her words, expression, or voice. She looked at me pleadingly, but I was convinced that was because she was pleading for me to give her a chance.

At that moment, I was glad I sat down on her right hand side. This way, my healthy left shoulder was pointed at her, so I could extend my arm and pull her into a hug. A gesture she gratefully accepted, and soon Ava joined in as well. We sat like this for a long while. It would be a long way before we would be fine, but this was the first time in almost half a decade that I was actually looking forward to living with those two.

We spent the rest of the day on the couch, enjoying the Sunday. We had said everything that needed to be said, and Claire was content with enjoying this new found peace with her children. Though, by the time I felt the need to lay down, and Ava wordlessly joined me, Claire seemed to remember something.

“Honey?” she called out so I would turn back to her. “Do you already know when your girlfriend will come back?”

“No. And she’s not my girlfriend. Right now, we’re just seeing where this goes. But, honestly, I don’t think we’ll get there.” I shook my head.

“Why not? She seems to really like you. And I don’t think you’d take a bullet for just anyone, so I’d say you like her just as much.” she explained with a one sided smile, no doubt remembering how I protected her and Ava as well.

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “But I’m not boyfriend material. She’ll notice soon enough.”

Claire blinked at me in confusion, but I was too tired to engage in a lengthy discussion at that moment, so I simply turned and left for my bedroom where Ava was already waiting for me.

The next day, Claire played every card she had to stop me from going to school, but ultimately decided to respect my decision. Though, even then she assured me that she would stay close by, so if my leg started making problems or anything else happened, she would be there to pick me up five minutes after I called her. I had to admit, that raised my mood significantly, since I was seriously unsure about what I should expect.

I had doubts about Mia’s claim in the hospital regarding my increased popularity after taking a bullet for her in front of witnesses. In my head, they all still saw me as the asshole who ruined their football season once, and even after that, I did not make any friends when I was attacking everyone after Tess’ death. So, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility for one or more of them to bump into me on purpose, despite the very obvious sling strapping my right arm to my torso, and the very obvious cane helping me walk.

To my great relief, however, most people simply ignored me. There were no attempts to exact revenge, though there also was no one offering to hold doors for me. So, while I wasn’t in any danger, I was already somewhat exhausted by the time lunch break came around.

I was just munching on one of the chicken ceasar wraps Claire and I had prepared in the morning, when Ava and Mia sat down on either side of me.

“Hey, Muffin.” Mia smiled, and even gave me a little peck on the cheek.

“Hey, little brother.” Ava joined, before she, too, gave me a peck on my other cheek. Then, however, she noticed my face and looked concerned. “You Okay?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, though I was looking around the room to check if anyone noticed that public display of affection and took offense in it. “Just a little tired from moving around so much.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to be back in class already? Can’t they extend that online thing you did before?”

“No. They told me from the beginning that those are only a temporary replacement for the classes themselves. I can’t take any tests at home without supervision. And even then, my attendance is already down a month. At some point they’ll tell me to just get home schooled or repeat the year.”

“Wow, that sucks.” Mia commented, before Joan and Jenny joined us at the table with some guy I didn’t know in tow, and looked at me in surprise.

“The hell happened to you!?” Joan asked, pointing at the sling holding my right arm in place, while her sister looked at me uncomfortably.

“Don’t you know what comes after No Nut November? I went a little overboard towards the end.” I deadpanned, and Jenny almost spat her drink across the table while Joan, Mia, and Ava burst out in laughter.

I also heard laughter from three members of the football team who were on their way to join our table. Looking around, I suddenly noticed how basically every seat in my direct vicinity had been filled within two minutes of Mia and Ava joining me. This was weird!

“Okay!” Joan commented after calming down. “That explains why your right arm’s in a sling, but what’s with the cane?”

“Wait, you haven’t heard!?” one of the jocks jumped in who was one of Mia’s guests that night. “He got shot at Mia’s party.”

“WHAT!?” Joan screamed, as the guy pulled out his phone and started swiping.

“Here. I got this from Jack.” he said after he found what he was looking for and placed his phone in the middle of the table.

It was the surveillance video of the Miller house. But I quickly noticed that someone had not just copied the splitscreen mainfeed, but actually cut a video out of the separate feeds. First, it showed the entertainment room with all of us sitting in that circle, until I got up and had my short conversation with Mia. Then it cut to Campbell jogging down the hallway, and then back into the entertainment room just as Campbell raised the gun.

I felt a curious uneasiness rise from my lower stomach to my chest. It felt ... weird. Especially in my chest. Like, you know you have to burp but it just doesn’t happen, so you feel a persistent pressure in your chest and throat. It unnerved me, and I quickly found myself fidgeting, running my healthy hand through the hair at the back of my head in an attempt to distract myself from it. I became antsy.

Next, the video showed me jumping in front of Mia, and, even though all we heard were the panicked screams of the room’s inhabitants, the way my body jerked back made it very clear that I got shot in the shoulder. Then I saw myself grabbing Campbell’s gun and pushing it downwards. We could clearly see the gun going off three more times before I dropped to my knees. The last thing I saw, before I had to look away, was Jack slamming the door shut.

This was the first time I saw this. Until now, I had very successfully avoided thinking about it in any mentionable capacity. It was actually quite easy to not bother myself with it. While I was in the hospital, I was safe. Then, when I was home, I had the family shit to deal with. But now I was just having my lunch, surrounded by a lot of people I wasn’t exactly emotionally close with.

Somehow, I didn’t feel hungry anymore. I actually felt kind of nauseous and could feel my heartbeat quicken in addition to that weird pressure in my chest. This was bad. I recognized that feeling now.

I pushed my left hand underneath the table and started tracing my fingers with my thumb, concentrating on getting my breathing under control. It didn’t work as well as when I did it with both hands, but the key was to concentrate on something other than the onsetting panic, and that worked. At least somewhat.

“Holy FUCK!” one of the Jocks laughed. “Was he just shot FOUR times!? And he still DESTROYED that Dude!”

That didn’t fucking help calming me down! Like, at all! Now I was thinking about Campbell. The police officer who visited me in the hospital told me that I probably didn’t have to worry about ramifications. That they thought my actions were within the bounds of self defense. But I hadn’t heard anything official since then!

I know it’s completely ridiculous, but I didn’t react to the footage of me being shot. What got to me was the part showing what I did to Campbell, and then not making sure he would be able to keep breathing. If he somehow got out, there would be hell to pay! What if he got out while I was still unable to move properly? I wouldn’t be able to keep the family safe! And what if they determined my actions went beyond self defense and he SUED me?