Reconnecting

Chapter 4

Jade P.O.V

John looks fine when you first look at him. He's sitting on the hospital bed with his knees up, his arms resting on his knees and his head on his arms. I was released from the hospital pretty soon after I got here. They just did all the scans and when they found no internal damage they bandaged the gash on my leg and gave me pain meds. John tips his head back to lean it against the headboard and spots me in the doorway. His position gives me a perfect view of the bruises on his face. He's still in hospital because after being hit on the head he had to have an IV put in his arm, so they kept him in longer. My aunt and uncle and my other younger brother, James, came over to see us. James went on a rant about how it was all John's fault that I got hurt.

Aunty Cathy then defended John. "It's not his fault! How was he to know they would be attacked? Perhaps it was just a random robbing and it just so happened that they were out at that time."

Aunt Cathy was the type of woman who never raised her voice and always believed the best of people. It was why she had never given up on John and it was why she had never given up on her own son. James is fuming and stalks out of the room, probably to facetime my parents. Blargh. I sit on the hospital bed beside John one arm wrapped around him. "Don't worry, it's not your fault, I don't blame you John."

"Of course it's not his fault!" Aunty Cathy appears looking the most unhappy I've ever seen her, which doesn't say much. James comes back and Cathy draws herself up as tall as she can. Which isn't very tall. James huffs when he sees me sitting on the bed next to John.

They used to be really close. James looked up to John as a role model and then things started going wrong and John started stealing and became an addict, leaving his baby brother without an older brother and without someone to look up to. I mean of course James had our dad, but his older brother had always been his first role-model. I guess it was because they were so similar, both in looks, similar in age and, at first, had similar personalities. Then John defected and James turned to our dad as a role model. All of this left James quite bitter towards John. The result being that he never has forgiven John for becoming an addict and bringing so much trouble before vanishing.

I push John to the other side of the bed, as best I can with him attached to various machines, and then shuffle over so I'm sitting in the middle and pat the bed for James to sit. Huffing, again, James sits beside me, leaning forwards to inspect the bandage on my leg, before pulling out his phone and going on facetime.

"Ja-de!" My parents appear on facetime on James's phone. Interference causing their voices to crackle and the picture to freeze before sorting itself out revealing my parents looking worriedly at me.

"Hey mom, hey dad. How are you?" I try to smile at them but end up wincing at the expression on my dad's face.

"How are we!? We're not the ones in hospital!" My mum shrieks down the phone her expression changing to match my dad's.

"I'm not in hospital anymore, mum. They just bandaged my injury and released me. If it weren't for John then yes I definitely would still be in hospital, but he took the hit for me." I don't know why I'm defending him. Maybe it's because I never knew the old him and I've always believed in not judging people by what you've been told but from your own experiences with them. And so far, John was giving me a very good impression.

"Is John there?" My mum has calmed down and now looks concerned for John. Both of my parents are at their most forgiving when it's about their kids. At other times my dad can be very stubborn and he does have a limit of forgiveness but my mum almost always forgives people, once they've proved they deserve it of course.

John turns to me as much as he can and I angle the phone so they can see him. "Hey mum. Hey dad."

My mum smiles down the phone at him. "Hello John, have you been looking after your baby sister?"

John looks unsure what expression he should have, so he goes with an uneasy smile. "As best as I can."

My mum is stopped from saying more when the sound of excited barking comes from the corridor followed by the yelling of a nurse. I look up to see Uncle Thomas holding the leashes of the two puppies with two pet carriers containing the kittens in his other hand. I wondered where he went.

"You're allowed animals in the hospital?" I frown in confusion sure that I read somewhere that you weren't allowed pets in a hospital.

"I'm paying extra and we just have to keep the doors shut and the animals quiet." My uncle lifts the pet carriers onto the bed as he speaks. He opens the doors and the kittens pad out coming over to cuddle up between John and I, while the puppies, now freed from their leashes, leap up and lick John and I vigorously. A nurse walks past and glares at the animals before slamming the door. Damn someone's had an increase of hours with no extra pay.

"What animals, Sweetie?" I had almost forgotten my parents were still on facetime.

"John's pets." I turn the camera around to show them.

"This cute kitten is Willow," indicating the kitten curled up on Johns chest. "This is Luna," moving the camera to show the kitten that has wedged herself between us. "This is Lyla, she's a golden retriever," Lyla tilts her head at the screen, probably confused why she can see and hear them, but not smell them. "And this is Angel and she's a husky," Angel blinks at the camera from her spot on my lap, looking very annoyed at having been woken up.

Mum aws at them and even my dad is smiling at us as James, reluctantly, takes the phone to show them me and John with all four animals.

"You keep all of them?" my mum looks suddenly cheerful. I can't be sure if it's because the animals are cute and she loves baby animals or because she's proud that John's taking responsibility of another living creature, let alone four baby ones. And me. Even James is looking slightly less sulky.

John smiles at my mum, "Yeah, I keep all of them. They're adorable!" He looks so young as he beams, rambling about how he got them, forgetting his injuries as he makes hand gestures enthusiastically telling funny stories of the kittens and the puppies.

James watches from my other side, in awe of how enthusiastic John is. James's mouth is hanging open until I push it shut with a finger murmuring that he's going to catch flies. Aunty Cathy and Uncle Thomas stand side by side. Thomas with one arm around Cathy as they watch John smiling wider than they've probably ever seen. My parents are beaming and I can't help but smile as I realise what this means.

My family is beginning to accept John back again.