Pucking Fantastic

Chapter 27: Guilty

I nodded as I carefully placed a hand on the gauze. "I just need some painkiller." I said as I got up from the bed carefully, in fears that any move would cause pain to my wound. 

Paulo nodded as he helped me up from the bed. He yawned as he sniffed a shirt from the floor. He made a face as he dropped it back to where he found it. "How about you wake him up." He said as he slipped on a clean sweater.

I eyed him. "You aren't going back to sleep, are you?"

He shook his head with a laugh. "I can't. You won't let me."

I smiled. "That's right, I won't," I said then walked into Jaimie's room. There, he was hunched over a desk reading some thick textbook. I wondered how long he had been up for. I was hurt that he didn't come into my room or at least Paulo's room. He should've heard us. "Happy Christmas Jaimie!" I said to him excitedly. I wrapped my arms around him but he quickly moved out of my grasp.

Jaimie stood up from his chair then looked at me with a nod. He was stiff and uncomfortable. "Happy Christmas."

I held back a frown, feeling rejected by my own brother. Jaimie was the one out of my two brothers that liked physical affection from me the most. But now, he never wanted to be near me. In fact, he had kept a healthy distance from all of us. "Let's go downstairs?" I asked, hiding the hurt from my voice.

He nodded. "Ok." He said and took the lead to walk out of his room.

We walked down the stairs in silence until we made it into the family room. There, under the tree were gifts and the stockings on the fireplace were filled. It was magical. But to be honest, this wasn't why I liked Christmas. The reason why this season rang so dear to my heart was because we were all together. The day would be full of food, games, and smiles. I knew that we needed this now more than ever.

"Merry Christmas!" mom said with a smile as she sipped some kind of hot drink from a mug. She looked comfy in her red PJ's and fur-lined slippers.

I heard the toilet flush and coming out of the bathroom was dad. He smiled at us. "I see El, forced you two up," he said with a chuckle.

Paulo and Jaimie nodded.

"Some things will never change will they?" Dad asked as he sat down next to mom. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. He nuzzled her neck and she smiled.

The relationship that my parents had was something of a romance novel. It was something that I wanted when I grew up. After 23 years of marriage, they were still completely and utterly in-love with one another.

"Before we open anything, we need a Christmas photo."

All three of us sighed loudly. This happened every year and by now we should be used to it. I looked at my wrinkled clothes, bed hair, and gauze around my neck. There was no time to look nice. She wanted this photo now. I was sure she wanted to see all of us at our worse or just our real selves. 

"Ok, guys, sit together," mom said as she got out her phone.

I chuckled lightly as I put my hands around my brothers. I sat down in front of the Christmas tree and forced my brothers to sit down next to me. The quicker we all cooperated, the quicker this would be over. I smiled at the camera.

"Come on Paulo and Jamison, Ellis is smiling, take her lead," mom said begged them.

I poked them quickly and instantly they smiled at the camera.

"Oh, this is a keeper. It's going in our photo yearbook for sure," mom said as she looked at her phone after she took the photo.

Paulo sighed, "these photos always go in your photo books."