Starting Line || Carter Grayson

(9) Curse

"I don't remember anything after hitting the ground that night..." I cried.

"It's okay. We're both okay. I'm back now. I'm back for good." Ryan whispered.

"I have missed you so much." I whispered.

"I know," he rubbed my back, "I missed you too. I thought about you every day."

"You're never allowed to leave again." I told him as I pulled him away and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm never going anywhere again." he promised me.

"Skye, I've already got Dana covering your rounds this morning. Why don't you go and catch up with your brother?" our father suggested.

"I hear that you're a hotshot doctor now. What a nerd." Ryan rolled his eyes.

"A doctor that knows exactly how to break your bones and repair them." I glared back at him with my tear stained cheeks and smile plastered on my lips.

"We'll all have dinner together tonight. If you guys see Nova, pass the invitation along." our father said.

"I will. Father..." I stopped him as he started walking away, "I'm sorry... for yelling at you."

"I deserved it. Go on now, you two have a lot of catching up to do." he smiled and slightly nodded at me before continuing to walk away.

"First - coffee." I looked at Ryan, "Then we can go back to my room and talk."

"You like coffee? Gross. When did you turn into an old lady?" he followed me into the galley.

"When you work long nights and don't get enough rest, coffee becomes your best friend. I haven't slept in days Ryan, coffee is a must." We stood in line at the machine. I looked forward, recognizing the red tucked in sweater and blue jeans standing in front of me. It was Carter in line.

"Well no one told you to get smart and become a doctor." Ryan muttered.

"Someone had to be the smart twin." I teased.

"Oh come on, we both know that was always me." he teased back.

The line moved and I was finally able to pour myself a cup of coffee to my liking before walking to my room with my brother. I had so many questions with him but I didn't want to pester him with any of them. I just wanted to know that he was okay after all of these years and that he was planning to stay at the Aquabase.

We settled down onto my bed, sitting across from each other and just admiring the fact that we were face to face. I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't know what he had been through and that made me feel terrible. I, out of all people, should know him better than anyone. We shared a womb for six months and then nine years together.

"Please tell me you're here to stay? Permanently at the Aquabase, I mean..." I took a sip of my coffee. It was still steaming hot.

"I'm not going anywhere... Hey, is that the firetruck grandma gave me?" Ryan looked at my desk.

"It is. When the-" I cleared my throat, "When the car went over the cliff, I grabbed it. I kept it all these years so that I could have something of yours."

"I have your keychain. The one with the little blue and green sea turtle on it." he stood up and pulled something out of his back pocket, "I don't know how I managed to find it after Diabolico took me. He would take me to the scene of the accident all the time until it was cleaned up. I dug around, looking for the firetruck actually, but all I found was the keychain. He never knew I had it. It was the one thing I kept secret from him because I didn't want him to destroy it."