Heart of Their Jewel

Chapter 19

"Urgh, my fucking head. What the fuck?" she mumbled as she clutched her head. It was foggy and starting to pound. She sat up and looked around when it dawned on her that she was in a bed. "Where the..." It was a nice room, even if there were a bunch of boxes in it. Oh wait, Jace said they were going to their new place. Safe to say she was in her new room. It looked nice even if it was plain. There was a door that was open so she could see that it led to the bathroom and the door in there was most likely a walk-in closet since she knew that he knew she loved having a closet attached to the bathroom instead of the room, it just made more sense to her. There was a dresser across from her bed and a huge mirror attached to the dresser as well. Looking around, she also spotted a bay window with a seat in the window. A smile formed when she saw it. Jace knew she always wanted a window seat in a bay window so she could curl up with her books or crafts and be surrounded by windows. It was a dream of hers and the fact that Jace made sure she had it touched her. She couldn't wait to curl up in the seat and look out the windows with a book in her lap. Maybe she could do it later if she felt better.

As her head cleared a little more, she scooted to the edge of the bed. Testing her strength, she stood and grabbed the canopy bedpost to help her steady her balance. Just what the fuck was going on? A hangover was never like this before, she needed to talk to Jace about whatever medicine they gave her, she didn't like it.

A door opened and she looked up to see Jace standing in the doorway, "hey, you're awake," he smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Fuzzy," she whined, "I don't like it."

"That's probably because you barely ate yesterday," he chuckled, "but that's to be expected with everything you've been through. How about a nutritious breakfast? Maybe that will help you feel a little more like yourself. I'm making pancakes."

"Chocolate chip?" her eyes lit up in excitement.

He laughed as he shook his head, "As if I would make you anything else. Maybe that concussion really knocked you silly, Jewels."

"Concussion?" she frowned.

He nodded as he sighed sadly, "Yeah, that also might be why you are feeling off. The docs said you have to take it very easy and need lots of quiet so your brain can heal. Another reason why I moved us out here, nothing to disturb us while you take all the time you need to heal."

"Oh okay," she mumbled as Jace walked over to her. She hugged her brother and leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder so he could lead her out of the room. He helped her sit down in the kitchen and she smiled gratefully at him, "Thanks, Jacey."

"Of course, Jewels," he smiled as he headed over to the griddle. "We're family, I'll do anything for you, you know that."

She sighed, "I'm sorry I messed up."

He turned around to face her, "Hey, none of that. You did nothing wrong, Jewels. You deserve to have a night of fun after finals. That asshole is the one who fucked up by being a dick, he had no right to ruin your fun and he will get what he deserves. Don't let him win, you did nothing wrong, got it, Jewels?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, "got it. I'll try."

"Good," he smiled as he walked over to her with a plate in his hand. "That's all I ask. I know it's not easy but we'll get through this. Promise."

She reached up for the plate and gasped when she noticed something on her wrist, "I got a fucking tattoo?"

He shrugged, "I guess so," he said a little tensely, "I just figured you would tell me about it eventually. Why a phoenix? You're more of a unicorn kind of girl."

She looked down at the phoenix mark, barely ghosting her finger over it, "I don't know..." she murmured, "I don't remember getting it."

He sat the syrup in front of her, "Must be the concussion, don't worry about it, Jewels. Stress isn't good for you, we can always get it covered if you decide you don't want it anymore."

She nodded as she picked up her fork, there was a weird feeling in her chest as she thought about the tattoo. Something was off, but she couldn't really place it. Maybe she just needed to rest some more, she was still feeling a little groggy and tired. "Yeah," she murmured as she looked at it again before taking another bite, "I'll think about it. I just wish I remembered getting it. I hate having these blank spots in my mind."

He patted her back, "that's just your mind protecting you from the trauma you've experienced. Trust your mind, Jewels, some things just aren't worth remembering."

She leaned her head against him, "yeah, you're the best big brother, Jacey."