Before You, He Had Me

Eight

"Hey, how are you feeling this morning?" Calum asks as Meg wanders into the kitchen, completely ready for the day.

"I'll be fine." She responds almost robotically.

"You know your boss would understand if you told her what happened this weekend, Megan. You don't have to be fine." Calum comments quietly.

"I'm fine, Calum. I want to go to work. I need to go to work. I need to be doing something." She sighs almost sounding irritated at his pestering as she pours herself a mug of coffee.

"I'm going to drive you, okay? And I'll pick you up. You do have my number right? In case you need out midday?" Calum settles his forearms against the counter across from her.

"Crystal put it in my phone when she transferred me contacts yes." She rolls her eyes.

"Don't take this lightly, Meg, I need you to show me you know how serious this is. You can't just blow it off."

"I know it's serious, Calum. But he already took part of me for himself physically. I don't want him to take this life from me too. The opportunity with Hillary, the life I have dreamed of building in LA. I don't want to go home. I like being here, I like being close to Mike." She sighs.

"I just want to make sure you're not suppressing too much."

"I'll be okay."

"You covered the bruising on your neck really well. I know it's there and I can't see it."

She smiles slightly, "It's stage makeup."

"Well at least that won't be something you have to worry about."

"You'll come get me if I get overwhelmed?" She sighs, looking at her hands.

"Just text me. I'll be there." He nods.

"Why are you being nice to me, Calum? We've fought for eighteen years straight."

"Meg," he frowns, lifting her chin softly so he can look into her eyes, "we might fight, but that does not mean I don't care about you. You are Mike's kid sister, as his best friend it's my job to make your life hell. But I'd go to war for you any day. Walking into that bathroom the other night, that was the worst moment of my entire life. My heart fell out of my chest seeing you like that. No one should ever have what happened to you happen to them. The shit that we fight about is nowhere near as important as making sure you're taken care of and getting the help you need right now. We can get back to bitching at each other once you are healed. When this is all behind us. Or, if it is too weird, when you decide to tell someone else what happened. I'm the only person in the whole world that knows that you're going through this, I can't be an ass right now. That would make me a real ass."

"It's just weird. I'm not used to it. You've picked on me since I was five." She sighs.

"Good weird?" He chuckles.

"Maybe... we should go. It's a little bit of a drive."

"Grab a protein bar from the cupboard, you need more than coffee to keep you going today." He nods, turning to grab his wallet and keys from the dish on the counter.

***

"Calum." Meg interrupts the quiet of the drive, turning to him as the radio switches from Green Day to All Time Low.

"Megan." He retorts, glancing at her for half a second before back to the road.

"Around the others, Mike, Crys, Ashton, everyone. You have to still banter and pick fights. They'll be weird if we are suddenly friends. Please."