Blind Love (Edited)

Chapter 49: Sister-Brother Time

"I know this. you were still hurt then and I tried to help you. It was probably the only thing that had kept me sane. But you were better in a while and I knew I was going to explode sooner or later so that's why I decided to leave. I know it was wrong, I know."

"Brett, I needed you. I wasn't okay. I needed my brother and you weren't there. You just left me."

By this time, the tears were starting to run down her cheeks steadily. She knew that she had forgiven him the day he came back, but it still stung. Everything about his leave of absence still hurt her deep to the core and there was nothing that she could do to stop that hurting. It made her upset at him and at herself for not being able to let it go.

Brett tried to be strong in front of her, but her tears were something that he just didn't want to see anymore. He had hated Clayton for making his little sister cry, and now he was hating himself, because he knew that the pain that he had caused her was much larger than the one Clayton had caused her as well.

"I'm so sorry," he broke down. "I was just so scared. I didn't know what to do. I know that I should have probably stayed and had a conversation with all of you but that never crossed my mind. I know now that it was the biggest mistake of my life, because I was away from my family, and mostly because I was away from you.

I should have known how much you needed me, I should have put that beyond anything else on my agenda and I am so sorry. I beat myself up about it every day. I should have been here to protect you, but instead I was gone. I'll never forgive myself for that.

I love you. I really do. How can I not? You're my baby sister. I love my parents as well. They're the reason I am the person that I am today. But really I owe who I am today in it's entirety to you, because you made me a better person without knowing it and you deserve better than me. I love you so much. You're my baby girl and I'm sorry that I hurt you in the way I did. I'm just so damn sorry. "

Lauren looked at him and her heart broke as she saw Brett break down like that. In all her years of life when Brett was in the house, he would never show any kind of emotion. And when she said never, it literally meant never. Her parents knew he loved them because he went to them every once in a while to ask for help or to as for advice. He wasn't the type to say I love you. Whatever he had seen when he was in the military had definitely changed him.

Her arms wrapped around him without her consent but she didn't mind. This was pure instinct and she knew this because it had happened ever since they were kids. Whenever she felt that Brett was upset she would run up to him automatically and wrap her small little arms around his neck.

"It's okay," she whispered. "It's okay. I love you,too. I'm sorry for making you upset."

Brett felt relief wash all over him when he felt Lauren's arms around his neck. He relaxed when she told him that she loved him too.

Brett stood up and lifted Lauren off of the ground. He needed to know that she had forgiven him for all of the hurt he had caused her.

"Promise me one thing." she announced as she looked at him.

"Whatever you want." Brett answered.

"Promise me that the next time you feel like you're having trouble i.e. want to leave us again, you'll come talk to me."

"I promise you I will." he answered with his right hand held in the air.

"Good."

"Why don't you come back home? Mom is a mess."

Lauren tensed up. She hadn't expected him to say that.

"I can't do that." she said quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because she humiliated me, she hit me, she shoved me away, she literally kicked me out of my own home, she humiliated Landon in the most horrible way. I know she's sorry but I can't just forgive her so easily."

Brett didn't say anything, Instead, he took her hand just as he had done so many times when they were much smaller kids and walked around the park.

"Remember when you used to beg me to take you to the monkey bars because you loved them, but you were too afraid to actually hang off from them?" Brett asked looking at the abandoned-for-just-today monkey bars.

Lauren laughed. "Yeah. But then I made you grab my legs so that I wouldn't fall. I was surprised you never said no."

"Well my job was to protect you and follow your lead."

"Most older brothers don't think protecting their younger siblings is their duty. Most of them think it is the complete opposite: teasing and hitting and fighting with their siblings."

"Well you're lucky that you got a brother like me."

Lauren leaned into him as she nodded in agreement, but of course he didn't notice it so she put it in words for him. "I am lucky to have had the best brother in the world---- then and now."

Brett stopped in his tracks. His eyes went down to look at Lauren's eyes. "You don't mean that."

"I do. You were always so supportive and you never once tried to kill me. Of course there was the oven incident, but I know that was just an accident because you weren't really going for my wrist."

"Lauren, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. I cried for days after that happened. I was so scared that you would die."

Hearing these words from Brett made her warm up inside. It had been a long time since she had had brotherly love and she realized now that it had been exactly what she had needed.

"It wasn't that bad, though. It wasn't even that deep." she answered.

"But I didn't know that."

"It's okay. I barely remember it."

They continued walking around the park. "Remember that time you threw me into the pool?"

Lauren said.

"Yeah. You learned how to swim that day." Brett pointed out.

"Yeah, I was kind of forced to learn. You just kind of threw it at me: swim or die." There was a pause then she said, "You're lucky I did not die."

"You are so right. Like seriously, I wouldn't have known what to do if I had realized I was the one who killed you."

"But hey," she changed the subject," I'm still here."

Brett smiled. "I know."

Lauren gasped.

"What?"

"We have to go eat ice cream like we used to. I know the perfect place." she added.

Brett followed her, knowing that this would lead to the way things used to be before he left. It was good knowing that he actually had another chance of being the brother she didn't have for the last five years. There was nothing better than spending some brother-sister time with Lauren. She was the best sister anybody could have.