(Skimmed over, never perfect 🤡)
Hayes didn't even attempt to mask her noise level as she turned the door handle and pushed the bedroom door wide open, the wood material making a resounding bang against the springy door stopper.
And why would she, when the whole purpose of the adventure was to wake her brothers up for school?
"Wakey! Wakey!"
Still cackling away, Hayes blinked as her eyes adjusted to the darkness before zoning in on the bed closest to her, which just so happened to be Francis'.
"Sunshine, be easy," Austin requested as he followed behind, a last attempt to calm her.
It didn't work.
Unable to thwart her evil plans, Austin watched as Hayes leaped onto Francis' bed, landing with a belly flop right on top of his bare back. The majority of his comforter was hanging off the bed, covering just one of his hairy legs.
It only hurt her a little, the middle of her chest just a bit sore from the game, but she didn't seem to notice. Hayes was riding a sugar rush so early in the morning because in a uncharacteristic move, Austin allowed her two whole spoon scoops of ice cream as a breakfast treat since she didn't get any dessert last night after the game.
Two spoonfuls!
Straight from the cartoon, too!
In his defense for the questionable parental choice, Austin was a bit tired today, which was understandable with all the stress he carried, and it was a fight he didn't want to have to start his morning.
Happens.
Poor Francis though, he groaned in pain at the sudden added weight. The high school senior was up even later than his baby siblings whom both promptly went to bed after basketball. He didn't have that luxury, instead studying for his math test until the wee hours of morning. Francis was under threat by Austin that if he didn't excel on this test, he'd be facing a more serious consequence than just being grounded.
According to his eldest brother, and reinforced by Austin's disapproval for his behavior yesterday, being a senior with college education already secured as a committed student athlete did not mean he could just slack off.
Humph.
Dakota probably snitched on him, that snake, because otherwise Austin would never have found out in the first place. Payback for something Francis probably did but couldn't remember.
Thanks, Dickota.
After all the focusing he had to do, Fran was now down to three remaining brain cells for the year.
Larry, Curly, and Moe.
Hoped they'd last.
"Franny, guess what, guess what." Hayes practically shouted in his ear as she bounced a little. She began poking his back with her index fingers in random spots. "Wake up, Franny, come on, guess what." The words were at rapid fire speed as she spoke as fast as she thought them.
"I swear to God," Francis grumbled, not a morning person in the slightest today. He did not get his necessary 7.5 hours of beauty sleep and boy, was he cranky. He shoved his head under the nearest pillow, nearly suffocating himself as his arms secured it down, blocking out any unwelcomed light and sounds and sister.
Taking pity on his brother, Austin swooped in and pulled Hayes off of him, plopping her back down on the floor. "That's enough, Hayes."
He continued on his routine path to the boys' master bathroom, switching that light on so he could see better while not blinding everyone.
Dramatically rolling her whole head around in a circle of annoyance, Hayes then exaggerated taking several large steps to cross the open floor so now she was at Glen's bed. Though, she didn't make a move to wake him up.
Her spidey senses were going off.
Glen should have already been awake by now, an early bird just like her.
She cocked her head to the side as she hesitantly poked Glen where she thought his arm lay. He was the opposite of Francis, completely covered by the comforter so only his face was seen. His blonde hair was scattered all over, some matted to his glistening forehead. His cheeks were flushed and his mouth slightly parted.
"Glennard?" Hayes whispered, unsure.
"Mhmm," Glen hummed unintelligibly. He was somewhat conscious from the sudden intrusion of their sister, but the pull for sleep was hanging on.
"G, you don't look so good," Hayes softly commented, her eyes roaming his sickly face.
Growing up, the two of them got sick very, very infrequently, thank the heavens, but when the rare occasion occurred, the kids got sick.
And it was always both of them, never just one.
But given they shared pretty much everything when living with their grandfather, it wasn't odd, just unfortunate. Made life extra interesting for the couple days until they recovered back to their spunky selves.
Hayes brushed off last night's emesis episode as a fluke from all the stress, but Glen seemed to really not be feeling well.
"What's that?" Austin gently hip-checked Hayes out of the way and squatted down by the bed. He laid his palm on Glen's forehead, then the back of his neck. "You feeling okay, Bud?"
The kid felt extremely warm and sweaty.
"No," Francis groaned from across the bedroom. "Go away. Sleep in peace."
"He wasn't talking to you," Hayes giggled as she glanced at Francis, the zombie, before returning to Glen's poor state. Her bottom lip jutted out into a pout as she chewed on the top one.
She leaned her head in close next to Austin's, her shoulder pressing against his arm, as she watched his fingers softly rake down Glen's messy hair in a soothing notion. The boy sniffed, his nose completely stuffed up, as he shuffled around in his sheets for a second before settling back down, his eyes not opening once.
Austin's lips were pressed into a thin line as he thought out the next steps.
Glen was most obviously sick, that was clear.
It wasn't that none of them had been sick before either. The tricky part in this deck of cards was Glen nor Hayes had never been sick, since they've returned, in Austin's care. He just had this tiniest of inklings that it wouldn't be as simple as when one of the brothers caught a bug.
"I think you earned yourself a 'get out of school free' card, Smiley," Austin stated, his hand flattening down a piece of the comforter before returning to Glen's head and resuming the scratching motion.
"Me too," Francis mumbled, flopping over so his head was pointed towards the wall now, his hands cuddling the pillow close to his chest. "Good night."
"Francis, get up and get ready for school," Austin barely glanced over his shoulder to check on the teen.
Francis yawned loudly before smacking his lips together, "Stay home and watch baby bro, okay."
"Now, Francis James."
The bedroom was silent except for Glen's mouth breathing and then there was a thunk.
Hayes switched to anxiously chewing on her thumb as she had watched Francis kick the comforter all the way off of him, letting it fall to the floor as he swung his legs off the bed to sit up, very unenthusiastic about all of it.
He roughly rubbed his face trying to wake himself up, before getting up, tugging up his gym shorts that had slipped down overnight. Then, huffing and puffing, he made his way to their bathroom. He pushed the door shut behind him with one final huff, encompassing the bedroom into relative darkness once again.
"Babe, hit the lamp switch for me," Austin asked his little sister, not bothered in the slightest by Francis' dramatics.
That was Franny boy for you.
Hayes perked back up, eager to do something to help, "Okay!"
Bouncing over to the wooden desk that was pushed against the wall in the middle of the room, she turned on the lamp, flooding the room with light. Then she scurried back to her brothers, completely invading Austin's personal space once again as she scooted in even closer to his side this time. The blonde little hairs on her cheek just barely brushed against Austin's as she leaned in.
"Hayes."
"Sorry," she muttered, taking the tiniest step to the left. There, an invisible sliver of space.
Then she just got too lazy to bother with standing and perched on the bit of space available at edge of the bed, pulling her feet up into crisscross applesauce to get comfortable.
She continued to analyze the situation like Austin was, though her focus kept switching between his face and Glen's.
Hayes already had the perfect solution to the problem, she was just waiting for Austin to reach the same obvious conclusion and say the magic words.
Two words.
Come on, guess.
No school...
... for Hayes, too.
Okay, five words.
"What hurts, Smiley?" Austin asked, laying his hands flat on the mattress. He balanced himself before switching to kneeling on the ground instead.
"Everything," was Glen's response.
Austin let out a brief chuckle. "Can we pinpoint that a little? Is it your head that's hurting?"
Glen squinted, finally revealing his blue eyes that were a little glazed over from being abruptly woken up.
"My head and my chest kinda hurts too." His voice was raspy as he broke off into a coughing fit. No longer was he just suffering with a fever and runny nose like the prior night. Oopsie.
"When did this start?"
"Umm," Glen hesitated, stuck. Wouldn't he like to know? "Yesterday," he admitted, closing his eyes so he didn't have to see the disappointment on his brother's face.
"Okay," Austin breathed out before scratching his fingers against his own forehead, "I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't realize. I would never have let you play last night."
"I didn't tell you," Glen pointed out. He kneaded his forehead into the pillow. "I was fine. I am fine."
Hayes winced when she bit down too hard on her thumb, having never stopped her nervous chewing. The pain was well-deserved as punishment for her wrongdoing. She had been selfish yesterday, too caught up in her own mental madness during school to think about anyone but herself.
She prided herself on knowing Glen better than herself, but yet here he was not feeling well and she hadn't even realized.
She was a fraud of a sister.
Hayes wrapped her arms around her knees and laid her chin on top of them. Her tongue poked her cheek as she rocked back and forth, her mind riddled with sadness as she got caught up in her own disheartening thoughts.
She was becoming on edge.
"You don't look fine right now," Austin sighed, blaming himself. "How can I help you? You won't take any medicine? Ibuprofen will help with the fever. "
Glen shook his head, snuggling the comforter under his chin. "No, no."
Hayes silently shook her head as well, which Austin caught out of the corner of his eye. He frowned, unsure if Hayes was answering on Glen's behalf or what.
Oh hell, what if she was sick, too?
She did vomit last night.
But the girl had been acting like her normal, childlike, hyperactive self this morning. He would think he'd have noticed, since they spent the time together.
Calm down, Austin.
One fire at a time.
Austin returned his attention to his little brother. "Alright, buddy. I'll go find the thermometer so we can check your fever and get you some Gatorade. Keep you hydrated and then you can sleep." Austin brushed his hand over Glen's hair one last time before pushing himself back up to his feet.
"Kay," Glen nuzzled his cheek against the pillow, already in the midst of falling back to sleep once again.
The toilet flushed and then the bathroom door creaked back open, reminding the eldest brother that he needed to WD40 the hinges sometime soon.
"Here."
When Austin turned his head in acknowledgement, Francis shoved a dampened washcloth in his empty hands.
"Thanks," Austin appreciated the gesture, instantly stepping up to the bed and using the cloth to wipe the sweat off of Glen's face. The boy wrinkled his nose as he tried to escape the treatment. "Stay still," Austin murmured.
The coolness was meant to be refreshing for the sickly boy.
Francis saw Hayes make a grossed-out face aimed at him so he made one right back at her.
"Did you even wash your hands?" Hayes spoke her unfiltered thoughts.
The girl definitely didn't remember hearing the sink be turned on at all.
"No," Francis instantly replied as he shoved his hands in her face just to torment her.
"Stop!" Hayes squealed, propelling herself backwards over Glen's legs making him wince. Her back banged against the bedroom wall. "You're so disgusting."
Francis rolled his eyes as he walked away from her and to his dresser. He began digging through the drawers for his school uniform pants and shirt along with socks and a clean pair of boxers. "It was a joke, Sissy, and now its time for you to go bye-bye." He tossed the clothes onto his unmade bed then bent down and yanked the comforter up, tossing it randomly onto his bed.
Eh, good enough. He'd make it later.
"What?" Hayes wrinkled her nose in confusion, not understanding Francis' words. She watched, wide-eyed, as Francis stalked back over to Glen's bed, a foreboding sense building. She flinched back, out of his reach, when Francis made an reach for her. He successfully grabbed her arms the second attempt and pulled her clean off the bed, just like a rag-doll.
"Austin, help," Hayes whined as she tried to break out of Francis' unforgiving grip. She sometimes forgot how strong any of her brothers actually were because their man-handling ways were always in a playful mood. Never out of anger.
Francis wasn't angry but he definitely had a purpose.
France had no trouble tugging her across the room to the bedroom door, planted a loud smooch on the top of her head, then gave her a little shove into the hallway. He left the door open as he escaped by her to go to the linen closet and grab a towel.
"Francis, don't grab your sister like that," Austin said, finally acknowledging all the racket his siblings were making. He had completely zoned the two of them out while talking quietly with Glen.
He made sure to inform the boy that he was most likely going to be home alone for a couple hours, if Glen was comfortable with that, hopefully able to sleep some more before Baker would come check on him around lunch time.
Though he hadn't alerted Baker to this plan yet, Austin knew there would be no objections from him. Baker was always there to step up for his siblings.
It just would be the day that Austin had to be at a required work meeting off-site.
Because, why not.
Nothing was ever simply easy.
Besides loving his siblings, of course.
Cheesy.
"Well I need to shower, so she needs to skedaddle." Francis stated as explanation for his actions, skirting back into the room, towel in hand. Without warning, he dropped his gym shorts so he remained only in his boxers. He used his foot to fling the shorts in the air, caught them, then chucked them in the general direction of the walk-in closet, where the brothers' hampers were kept.
Eh, good enough. He'd pick them up later.
"Well, I'm not leaving," Hayes asserted, finally shaking off the shock and marched right back across the room to Glen's bed. She was stopped by Francis' outstretched arm not even halfway.
"Yes, you are," Francis declared with dominance.
"No, I'm not," Hayes met his glare with her own.
Stubborn, meet Stubborn.
"Guys, come on. It's too early for this," Austin sounded fatigued as he walked back out of the bathroom after dropping the used washcloth in the sink. He forcefully separated the two of them with his body frame, each sibling on either side of his arms.
Austin addressed Francis first, directing him towards the bathroom with a guiding push of the shoulder. "You, go take a shower, and Hayes, go eat some real breakfast or get changed. I don't care which one, you just need to get ready for school."
"I'm not going to school," Hayes notified him with a shake of her head, disobeying Austin's order as she speedily ducked around him to Glen's bed.
But Francis hadn't moved far from his spot, and spun around just as quick to snag her by the shoulders. He once again pushed her to the doorway, this time forcing her to walk backwards as she struggled against him. She tried to kick him in the shin but missed. She would have fell on her butt if Francis didn't quickly adjust his hold.
"Stop, Francis! You're not the boss of me!"
"Excuse me?" Austin questioned, not appreciating the early morning rebellion to his authority. "Hayes, I'm not going to ask again. Stop yelling and go get dressed for school."
The young girl didn't have time to retort as Francis rudely shut the door in her face, solidified with a click. She immediately went to try the doorknob, but he had locked the door. In a burst of anger, Hayes kicked the bottom of the door hard with her socked toes. It sent a jolt of pain up her leg, making her clench her hands into fists.
Tears filled her eyes as she spun around and stormed off to the staircase, her eldest brother's voice fading behind the door as he reprimanded Francis.
Stupid, dumb Francis. Who does he think he is?
"Who lit a match up your ass?"
Dakota had walked out of the hallway bathroom just in time to witness his sister's spazz attack. His eyebrows rose, mildly intrigued by what was going down.
Certainly never a dull moment in the house.
"Shut up," Hayes snarled as she passed by him, making sure to stomp down every single step. No one or thing was safe against her rage.
"PMSing again?" Dakota asked, just to rile her up some more as he casually followed her down the stairs while keeping a safe distance away from the ticking bomb.
Hayes stopped on the bottom step, turned on her foot and glared up at Dakota. "I said shut. up."
Dakota lazily held up his hands, "Aye, aye Sunshine."
With a growl, Hayes turned back around, nearly slipping on the tile floor as she wasn't paying attention. She roughly wiped the annoying tears from her eyes as she walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. She didn't see her brother until she banged into their arm and stumbled to the side. Her left flank made painful contact with the corner of the counter causing her to hiss.
"Woah, Sunshine, where's the fire?" Colton asked as he made sure he didn't spill his coffee on his sister. It was an act of good luck and hand-eye coordination that he didn't lose a single drop from his mug. That would have burned. "Did I get you, kiddo?"
She didn't reply. The girl was on a rampage as her heart and emotions just took off, full steam ahead.
With one hand rubbing the pain away, Hayes harshly pulled out a chair from the kitchen nook, plopping down and laid her head on the table. A second later, she hopped up, the chair screeching backwards from the sudden movement. She flung open the fridge and then the freezer before letting them slam shut without taking anything out.
Colton watched with eyebrows raised, gobsmacked by the blatant aggravation radiating from his sister. Good morning to you, too.
Then his disciplinary teacher nature kicked in. "Sit your butt back down before something happens that you'll regret," He wisely suggested to the girl.
Her lip curled up into a sneer, but fortunately some part of her brain was working so no words were shared aloud. Colton studied her intently as Hayes smartly sat herself back down in the chair, making the legs of the chair scratch against the tile floor when she tucked under the table. Then she slouched until her butt was nearly reaching the edge of the chair so only her face was visible.
Hayes had the biggest pout on her face as she used her knuckles to rub her eyes. She didn't like it when Colton was tough on her like that.
Thankful that the tantrum seemed to have stopped for now, Colton glanced at Dakota for an explanation. "What'd I miss?"
Dakota wordlessly shrugged. Hell if he knew, he just followed her into the kitchen for the free entertainment.
Colton carefully put his coffee mug on the kitchen counter, out of harms way in case another fit happened. He approached the table, pulling out a chair so he could sit at an angle and face his little sister. He used his left foot to swing her chair out so that now his legs were spread and Hayes' knees were in between.
Her right leg bounced rapidly with nervous energy.
Colton leant forward, resting his arms on his thighs as he skimmed over his sister's appearance. Having been previously occupied by his phone and the coffee machine, he was oblivious as to what went on upstairs. Nor did anything look physically wrong besides her facial expression, as Hayes was still in her pajama clothes of a loose t-shirt and nike shorts.
Neither she nor Austin went on their daily jog.
So what was wrong?
Dakota leant his back against the counter, arms crossed, also having underlying concern for his firecracker sister. But God forbid he admit that.
"Are you hurt?" Colton asked her as she hadn't responded when he asked a moment ago.
Hayes shook her head no, sniffling as she palmed her eyes now, the tears still leaking out. She refused to look at him.
"Okay," Colton dragged out, still at a loss, "Well it seems like something happened. Can you tell me what's wrong, Sunshine?"
Again Hayes shook her head no, this time taking a ragged deep breath as she tried to control herself.
"I can't help you if I don't know what's going on," Colton spoke in a slow, hushed manner. "Do you want a hug to help calm you down?" From experience, they all knew hugs were a comfort to her. As he asked, he reached out and gently touched her left knee, trying to get her to look up at him.
This time it had the opposite effect.
Hayes flinched, turning her body away from him, toward the light blue painted wall. She started breathing quicker as her thoughts raced but she couldn't say the words that crossed her mind. Her brain and her mouth just weren't working together. It turned to gasps as she began to hyperventilate, the tears full-on spilling down her cheeks.
Dakota pushed off the counter and walked to the freezer where he got a single piece of ice out of the icemaker. He turned around and placed the ice cube directly on Hayes' neck, holding it there as it began to melt into a puddle from the body heat.
Hayes took a startled gasp and tried to wiggle away but Dakota palmed the other side of her neck so she couldn't move.
It did the trick and instantly slowed down her breathing.
Satisfied that his sister wasn't going to combust at this time, Dakota tossed the remaining piece of ice cube into the sink with a clang. Any other time, he would have shoved the ice down the back of her shirt to mess with her, but he knew that wouldn't have gone over well.
Look at that, his heart was working today.
Colton crossed his arms, his mind buzzing as he worked out this puzzle. Though he worked with fourth graders all day long who switched emotions faster than he could blink, Hayes still caught him off guard. It was mostly because her brain was wired differently than what one would expect for an average, teen girl.
Hayes was Hayes, she made up her own box.
He could have sworn he heard her laughing away like a hyena only minutes prior. Unless he dreamed it, which was a valid possibility since he still hadn't had his coffee yet.
He was about to reach out and grab one of her clenched hands but retracted the movement as soon as he began. He now knew better for this scenario and Colton didn't want her to freak out again.
"What happened, Hayes?" Colton asked softly, worried about this side of her. It meant the girl wasn't in the right headspace, lost somewhere between memories and reality. Why though, that's what he was missing.
He glanced upward to Dakota who remained standing somewhat behind her, his brain seeming to be on the similar track of Colton.
They were right to be worried, as their minds jumped to thoughts of the Bear. It was the only thing that made sense for what would make his sister so skittish as she was right now.
It saddened Colton, making him doubt they'd ever be free of the monster.
Trauma never died, even if the man was.
Colton could hear himself repeating the reassuring words that had become second nature to the brothers for the past three months now. "You're safe, Sunshine. No one can hurt you."
But his words were all fuzzy in her head. Hayes kept her mouth shut, bringing her legs to her chest as she curled in on herself, still pointedly avoiding all their gazes. She at least had enough control to recognize she wasn't angry with neither Colton nor Dakota.
Just wrong place, wrong time for the both of them.
Colton waited a beat, giving her time to respond but when she didn't reply after half a minute, he got up to continue his morning routine of making some breakfast and skimming the news on his laptop.
He paused when Hayes abruptly shifted in her chair, staring up at him with wide, panicked eyes. Even though she wasn't able to handle physical touch, she still absolutely, never wanted to be left alone, ever.
Don't leave me, she seemed to shout loudly at him without saying a single word.
"I'm making some eggs, do you want some?" Colton offered her, while at the same time letting her know he wasn't going anywhere.
Hayes shook her head as she hypervigilantly continued to track his movements around the kitchen.
"Yeah, scrambled, thanks for asking," Dakota said dryly. He abandoned the counter where he had been taking up space, appearing from behind Hayes and helping himself to Colton's seat.
"You have two hands, make them yourself," Colton retorted, pulling the egg carton out of the fridge. "Sunshine, would you like some chocolate chip waffles?"
Again, Hayes shook her head no.
"You got to eat something, kiddo. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Do you want a banana and yogurt?" There was some clanging noise as Colton ducked down, hunting for the pan to fry the eggs with.
"I already ate," Hayes spoke in a ghost of a whisper. She felt like there was a big ball caught in her throat, definitely unable to stomach any food.
"Oh yeah? What'd you have?" Colton asked to keep her talking. As long as she kept speaking to them, her mind would be distracted from her nightmares.
Hayes' eyes darted over to the kitchen entrance. She twirled her fingers together. "Ice cream."
"Austin knows that?" Dakota questioned, giving a low whistle when Hayes gave a single nod. "You got game, little girl. How the fuck did you manage to get Austin to give you ice cream at," he made a show of checking the time on the microwave, "6:23 in the morning?"
She shrugged.
"Ice cream is not going to be your breakfast," Austin interrupted the trio as he stepped into the kitchen. In a quick transformation, Hayes' face instantly hardened into her not-so-frightening glare, aimed at her eldest brother, which he felt but completely ignored.
He made a beeline to one of the cabinets, on a search for their first aid box. "Hey Colton," he rummaged through the clutter of one cabinet before moving onto the next, "Can you get a head start on the lunches? I'm dealing with Glen right now."
"What's wrong with Glen?" Colton asked, stealing a glance at Hayes as he opened the fridge again. His brain was making the final connections, putting two and two together.
If Glen was off, than Hayes was off, and vice versa. Their wavelengths were too intermingled to not have an effect on one another.
"Not feeling well," Austin replied, successful with finding the thermometer. He met Colton by the fridge, waiting patiently as the brother pulled open the bottom drawer, finding the deli meats and sliced cheese for the three teens' sandwiches. When Colton finished and slid out of the way, Austin reached in for one of the yellow gatorades on the side shelf.
"That's no fun," Colton commented. He tossed the plastic ziplocked packages on the free counter space before stretching over and grabbing a banana from the bunch.
He agreed with Austin. Ice cream wasn't breakfast.
The yellow banana landed on the table in front of Hayes with a simple request. "Eat."
Hayes shoved the banana across the table. She didn't want the dumb banana.
Dakota promptly dropped it right back in front of her, his hand quick to catch her right wrist when she went to push the banana away again. Not giving up, her left hand moved swiftly, but Dakota covered the banana with his large hand, removing it.
"Let go of me," Hayes tried tugging her hand away but Dakota's grip tightened. Her irritation was rising once again. Everyone was man-handling her today.
Her petite left hand grasped his giant hand, her short clipped nails digging into the soft spot on the side of his hand.
"What is wrong with you?" He honestly asked. Dakota overpowered her without having to think about it, yanking her out of her seat to him, managing to twist her around so her back was to him. He wrapped his arm around her, locking her arms in place as he trapped her between his legs. "Knock it off, little girl."
Hayes stepped forcefully on his foot and in return he poked her hard in the side, unintentionally hitting bull's eye on the fresh bruise.
Austin was aware of the siblings' action as he was leaving the kitchen with the thermometer and cold drink in hand; he had all the intentions of letting Colton and Dakota work out whatever was happening with Hayes. He fully believed they were more than capable of handling it.
Until she cried out in pain.
"My bad," Dakota instantly apologized, fixing his grip so she was in a suffocating hug instead. He nuzzled his chin on her shoulder, squeezing her gently but firm. It was a sign of his love but also prevented Hayes from any more attacks on him or the banana.
Colton also halted his movements, having had already focused his attention to making the numerous sandwiches. He spun around at the same time as Austin, though his gaze was on his older brother, not the younger siblings. He watched Austin take a mindful, deep breath so he didn't act on his frustrations.
Austin was mature enough to recognize when his overflowing patience was being tested, whether purposeful or not, and he had to remind himself which sibling he was dealing with.
Unlike his brothers whom enjoyed pushing his buttons on purpose every now and again, Hayes still had childish tendencies of no self-control, not malice intent.
It just so happened that in a mix of bad timing with Glen sick, the responsibility of getting his siblings ready for school and out the door in a timely fashion, and important meetings today at work, Austin had a low threshold for additional stress.
Austin looked at the thermometer in his hand then to his little sister.
"You go, I'll handle this," Colton offered him the easier job, trying to help his dilemma.
"No," Austin sighed, passing him the stuff in his hands "I have Hayes." He had a vague sense of understanding for the meltdown and took blame. Plus, she was his little girl. Obviously something was wrong, which hurt him too.
It just sucked that both his kids were hurting at the same time.
But, Glen was pretty much zonked out by the time Austin had left the bedroom so there wasn't much more for him to do upstairs for the time being.
Colton squeezed his shoulder as he escaped the tense environment. Dakota still had Hayes in a bearhug, the only difference from a few seconds ago was that the girl was accepting her fate now and slightly leaned into his frame, soaking up his comfort.
How quickly that changed.
Her mind was recognizing the safe space her brothers created.
Austin covered the kitchen in two steps and fixed the chair that Hayes had been using so he could sit on it.
Such a fun game of musical chairs this morning.
"Sunshine," Though stressed and fully aware of time ticking away, Austin retained his gentle tone of voice. "What's bothering you?"
Hayes needed a more nurturing approach whereas her brothers responded to a more direct, no-nonsense order... most of the time.
Acting like Austin didn't say a word, Hayes stared laser beams at Dakota's arm that was flexed against her waist.
"You're 14 years old, baby. As much as I would love to, I can't exactly read your mind. If something is wrong, if I did something that got you upset, you have to use your words."
She hated confrontation.
"I'm not a baby," She snapped with misplaced anger.
Dakota snorted. Yeah okay.
Austin's eyes flickered warningly to Dakota's before returning to Hayes'. They strayed down to her fingers that were fidgeting, pinching Dakota's arm hairs.
"You'll always be my baby," Austin said evenly. He held his hand out for Hayes to take, wanting to pull her close to his heart.
Her eyes glued to his hand, palm up, but she didn't make a move.
Austin felt the ping of rejection but didn't take his hand away. He licked his lips as he went with plan B - just wing it.
"Is this about having to go to school today?" Austin lobbed a softball of a guess.
"No," Hayes muttered.
He hid his shock that she actually responded. Austin tilted his head to the side. "But you don't want to go?"
"No."
Answers that made no progress were better than silence, he suppose.
"Sucks to suck," Dakota grunted, wincing when Hayes marked his arm with her nails again.
"Are you upset that Glen is staying home?"
"No," Hayes tried to push Dakota's arm down but he didn't budge. He could feel her heart begin to race as one arm was against her chest.
She wanted to flee as Austin got closer to the problem.
"Help me out here, Sunshine," Austin softly pleaded. He flexed his fingers on the hand that was still outstretched, waiting for something, anything. "Are you worried about Glen? It's just a cold, he'll be alright after he sleeps it off."
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
"But you're missing the point!" Hayes exclaimed, flinging her arms up, nearly smacking Dakota right in the face if he hadn't moved.
"Tell me then- " Austin started to say.
Oh, she'll tell him alright.
"Glen is sick, Austin! I can't just go to school and leave him. Are you CRAZY? I need to help him and keep watch for grandpa so we don't get in trouble because if the school calls him, he's going to get mad. But Glen can't do anything because when he's sick he doesn't move so I have to protect him. And we need to call Mama D so she can make her soup that has chicken in it because Glen won't eat anything else. And then... and then," Hayes squirmed in Dakota's loosened hold until dropped his arms, her bony elbows making hard contact against his throat. "I just can't go to school, okay? I'm not going!"
There she blows.
"Hayes," Austin called her name, "don't run, Hayes. Please, come here. Please?"
Hayes stopped, but stayed a good five feet away from Austin, her shoulders bent inward and her arms crossed up high on her chest in a defensive position. "I can't go to school."
"I hear you, Sunshine, I do, really. Everything you said is 100 percent valid. But will you listen to what I have to say? It's important." Austin was grateful when Hayes didn't make any more moves to high-tail it out of there, but if he said the wrong thing, she'd be gone up the stairs in a blink of an eye.
Dakota braced himself for the inevitable meltdown that was about to occur. He, for sure, thought Austin was about to tell her the news.
The Bear can't hurt you because he's dead. Surprise.
But you know, in a more articulate Austin way...
"Baby," the term of endearment slipping out. Austin quickly corrected himself for the sake of the sensitive little girl, "Sunshine... Hayes... He can't hurt you anymore. You know that. The Bear has no power over you or Glen or anyone else."
Hayes inched backwards.
Dakota sat up straight, his foot tapping with anticipation.
"And I can't even pretend to know what you've been through. You and Glen have relied on each other for what probably counts as your whole lives. I know that."
Dakota pursed his lips at the direction of the conversation. He just barely managed to control his eye roll. He knew the direction of this speech, having heard it plenty before whenever trying to calm the blonde babies down.
Austin was being a big, fat C H I C K E N.
"We've talked about this before and I'll repeat it for the rest of our lives. I have no problem with that. You're safe here. Anyone who's trying to hurt you will have to get through me and Baker and Colton and Dakota before they could even think about touching you."
He wasn't winning her over with the speech as both brothers watched Hayes take another single step back.
Austin bit the bullet, going with the direct approach. "Hayes, Glen will be perfectly fine, alright? Trust me, he's going to sleep the day away and Baker's going to check on him around noon. But I need you to go to school. I can't have you home alone right now with none of us around. I'll make you a deal though. I'll tell Baker to pick you up right after school is over. Then you don't have to stay for practice and can come home to be with Glen. How's that sound?"
Hayes and Glen home alone the entire day was a recipe for trouble. And if any more gloom and doom strikes this family and forces the kids out of school, they need those excusable days available. The absolute last thing Austin needed was DCF knocking on his front door.
Hayes' bottom lip wobbled. She thought that everything Austin said sounded absolutely horrible and that he didn't listen to a word she said.
Austin anxiously waited for Hayes to respond in any way. Yell, punch, run out of the room, he'd take anything — anything but stand there and look like her heart just broke into a thousand pieces.
Because of him.
He felt his heart plummet to his stomach.
Hayes crossed her arms tightly, her fingers grasping the sides of her shirt. She was half turned around before the urge to blurt out the final word was too strong.
Her glimmering blue eyes pierced into his soul.
"I don't like you very much."
Then she ran.
————
The sound of the cement road roller reverberated the surrounding acres, the newly laid foundation coming along quite nicely. The quaint suburban town of South Carolina was growing and more people meant more homes were needed. More homes meant new roads to get to the new homes.
Dakota was bored as all get out.
That's why he was so peeved yesterday, because he was reassigned from real manual labor of building the homes to this... watching cement dry.
Oh my God did he mention he was so fucking bored?
🎵"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And they're like, it's better than yours
Damn right it's better than yours
I can teach you —"
Saved by the phone.
His colleagues gave him some odd looks by his ringtone taste but he paid them no attention. He dug his hand into one of the many pockets of his black cargo pants and retrieved his cell phone.
He already knew who it was, based off the ringer. So without looking at the ID, he swiped right to answer the incoming call.
"Hey Kota."
"Sup bitch." Dakota readjusted the helmet on his head as he walked a couple feet away from his lingering, nosey AF coworkers for some privacy. For extra emphasis, he turned his back to them, nudging his boot into the ripped-up grass.
"Did you happen to read the messages yet?" Baker asked.
"No, what messages?" Dakota retorted, adding "I don't get paid to sit on my ass and eat donuts like you do." He kept his phone on do-not -disturb so only his siblings' phone calls rang through. No texts.
"Asshole," Baker guffawed, "I don't even like donuts."
"That's a fucking lie," Dakota exclaimed, "let me go throw out the powdered donuts you keep in our pantry so Peyton doesn't find out."
"Touch those and I kill you," Baker threatened.
"Give me $20 bucks." Dakota snickered, enjoying blackmailing his brother even if it was over the stupidest thing.
"You're a manipulative little bastard, little brother."
"Tell me something I don't know," Dakota smirked.
Baker chuckled then cleared his throat. "So did you read the messages yet?"
"No," Dakota rolled his eyes, "I'm busy. Just tell me what they say."
Dakota heard Baker's loud breathing through the phone, feeling a bit apprehensive all of a sudden.
"Well..."
"It's nothing bad, right?" Dakota rushed out. It's only been two hours since the morning throw-down. He thought everyone was at a standstill after that, the siblings taking a much needed breather at school and work and Glen recovering in his bed.
Poor Austin.
Dakota couldn't remember the last time Austin looked so absolutely devastated than the moment when Hayes fled the kitchen. It made for a very uncomfortable silence as her lasting declaration lingered in the air. She didn't say goodbye to them either, her face blank as she climbed into Colton's car to go to school.
"Well..."
Dakota stilled from picking at a scratch on his arm. "Fuck, what happened?"
"If you stop cutting me off, I'll fucking tell you, Jesus," Baker huffed.
Dakota scowled, "Don't twist your titties, and just tell me."
"Hayes had a nervous breakdown at school," Baker stated.
"Oh fuck."
"Yeah," Baker agreed, "Exactly. Francis was witness to the whole thing. Apparently he saw her in the hallway going in the wrong direction for her next class and went after her. Thank God, I don't even want to think about what would of happened if he didn't see her." Baker rambled on, a give-away for how worried he was.
"Is she okay?" Dakota asked. He turned his head over his shoulder to check behind him when he heard someone call his name. He waved them off, holding up his phone in the air as explanation.
And, surprisingly, they listened and left him alone.
Well, it should be unsurprising, actually. Dakota was high up on the hierarchy of construction, listed as assistant manager of sites. But he still preferred to get his hands dirty and work rather than sit on his ass like he had to do yesterday and today. There was only so much involvement for building roads.
"I don't know about 'okay' but Colton's with her. Anyways, that's why I was calling. She needs to be picked up from school." Baker finally got to the point.
Dakota stayed silent.
"We wouldn't ask if we didn't have too," Baker added, asking the unspoken question. "But Austin is locked up with his meetings and I can get her but I can't stay home with her. We're already short men today."
"I don't have my car."
"I'll pick you up and drop you at the station so you can have mine. But, only if you feel comfortable, you know, with driving."
Dakota crossed his arm that wasn't holding the phone against his chest. He twisted his lips as he thought about it.
Fuck.
If only he was like his brothers. This shouldn't even be a question.
He was 23 years old.
He'd been driving again for a month now, including trips by himself. Austin worked with him and had complete faith in his abilities.
He should be able to drive a car with his little sister whom was in the same horrific wreck all those years ago.
This shouldn't be an issue.
But it was.
"Dakota?"
He felt his hand make a fist, tucked under his elbow.
Fuck, why was this so difficult.
"It's alright, man. We'll figure something else out," Baker interpreted his silence as a no.
"No, yeah, it's fine." Dakota finally said.
"Huh?"
"I'll do it." Dakota stated. "Stop being a fucking pussy," he mumbled to himself under his breath.
"You sure? Think you can get off work?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm unionized, they can't fire me." Dakota shrugged.
Not like he could careless either. Maybe he should have just volunteered to miss work from the start and all this could have been avoided.
"That's not exactly what that means, but we'll go with it. I'm looking at your location right now. I'll pick you up in 10, is that good?" Baker asked. The background noise on his end increased as he began moving around. Dakota could hear Lindsey's voice asking if they were leaving wherever their lazy asses were chilling.
"Put the lights on and make it 5," Dakota bargained.
Baker laughed, "Maybe if you say please, I'll even hit the sirens when you're in the car."
"So fucking stupid," Dakota couldn't help but laugh as well.
————
Dakota smoothly pulled the truck up alongside the curb, parking in the carline right in front of the office. He switched gears into park and turned the engine off, but left the keys in the ignition for the moment.
Baker had brought up a good point, with good intention, but Dakota was determined to prove to his brothers that he was more than capable.
Until his balls shriveled up.
And now he was doubting that he was able to do this. God, what if he had a panic attack? What if she had a panic attack in the car which causes him to have a panic attack and then they crash because he couldn't focus and then, oh my God, what if he killed the both of them.
Fuck this!
Dakota scrambled to pull his phone out of the middle console cup holder, tapping the screen so it lit up. He had all the intention to call Baker and back out of this.
Staring back at him was the lock screen picture of him and his siblings in a cringe group hug mess of sorts that Francis made them take. It was a live photo, so his finger automatically pressed and held, playing the image.
It never failed to make him snicker, because the unfortunate soul who Francis recruited to take the family's photo had took several photos in a row and managed to catch the exact moment that Emerson turned and farted in Glen's face. Hayes' reaction was priceless as her mind couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or be disgusted by her brother and somehow ended up spitting up a bit of saliva.
Shit, never a dull moment.
Dakota bumped his forehead against the steering wheel, his hands tightly clenching his phone.
Fuck me.
Dakota ripped the keys out of the engine and threw the car door open. Hopping out, he pushed the door shut, and stalked up the sidewalk to the office door. Remembering to lock the truck, he pressed the key fob, hearing the two consecutive beeps.
The office was small, having a homey vibe to it. Nothing like what his prison of a high school was like. But he guessed since it served all ages from kindergarten to seniors, it had to be friendly appearing. Very vibrant.
There were a pair of couches in the corner with a matching coffee table as well as the classic trophy display case. He knew four of those trophies were because of his brothers. Emerson and Francis left their mark with baseball and Colton's basketball team was legendary.
His brothers worked hard for all they accomplished.
Compared to them, Dakota didn't know why Austin and Baker were proud of him. He didn't even go to college.
An elderly lady was sitting at the desk, her head popped up at the sound of jingling when the door had opened. Dakota approached, his hands nervously tapping the sides of his legs.
"Hello, honey. What can I do for you?"
"Hi," Dakota grunted, "I'm here to pick up my sister. Umm, Hayes Powers?"
"Sure thing. I just need to see photo ID, please." The granny smiled at him which he reflexively returned.
What, he could be nice if he wanted to.
Dakota dug his wallet out of his back pocket, producing his drivers' license. It was a couple years old, but he basically looked the same. Minus the hair. Once upon a time, he had hair that was close to being classified as a mullet.
It was a phase. One that he gladly let Emerson take over.
Never again.
"Thank you, dearie," Granny took the card. She read his name off of it before matching it to the list that she pulled up on the computer. Only the brothers and Peyton resided on that list for any of the three teens. She passed the ID back to him. "You're all set. She's in the nurse's room with Mr. Powers. Ah, your brother. I should have seen that right away, you look just like him. Both very nice boys and very handsome. My granddaughter should go for someone like you."
Dakota's cheeks flushed, embarrassed to the max. "Umm, thanks," He stumbled bashfully over his words as he took a step back from the counter, eager to go find his sister and brother. "Where is my sister, did you say?"
"The nurse's station," the granny scooted her rolling chair back so she could point down the hall behind her. "Just go straight down that way and make a left. It will be the second door on the left."
"Thank you," he murmured grateful while at the same time high-tailing it out of there before he felt even more uncomfortable. Dakota didn't like compliments. Or attention really, from anyone besides his annoying siblings but that was different. They forced their presence onto him, he didn't have a choice.
Dakota hiked down the carpeted hallway, his gaze skimming over the photos hung on the walls as he walked with a purpose. Following directions, he turned left, passed a closed door before reaching his destination.
This door was open, so he took a step forward, entering the room. There were two beds against the far end, and three chairs.
Only one of the beds had occupants.
"Hey," Dakota breathed, walking further to where his siblings were. Colton was sitting up on the bed, on top of the sheets, his legs crossed casually at his ankles with his leather dress shoes hanging over the edge. He was too long for the bed.
Hayes was curled up in his lap, with her brother's arms wrapped around her. She was wearing a sweatshirt that was way too large for her, one he didn't recognize as any of his siblings. It draped over her folded legs, keeping her warm and secure.
It had appeared that she was sleeping, but he was proven wrong when her eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice.
Colton greeted him with a grim smile whereas Hayes' face remained relatively blank.
"Where's Francis?" Dakota asked curiously, stopping at the side of the bed. He had expected to see his younger brother here as well.
"He's in class," Colton answered, where he should be too but his sister was his number one priority currently. The office sent someone to watch his students while he took care of her. Francis had called him in a state of panic, saying that Hayes was freaking out.
That was an understatement. By the time Colton was able to get to the two of them, Hayes had thrown up, once again though this time in the toilet rather than grass, and Francis was on the verge of vomiting, himself.
But thankfully, Colton was able to calm her down relatively quickly, and then they ended up here, in the clinic while awaiting for one the brothers to pick her up. Colton wasn't going to leave her alone until he passed her into Dakota's arms.
Guess she got her wish, she was going home... back to Glen's side.
"Hey," Dakota whispered, realizing he had just been staring mindlessly right back into Hayes' blue eyes. He was trying to read where her head was at but didn't gain any progress. "You okay?"
Stupid question, Dakota. Of course, she wasn't.
Hayes barely shrugged, feeling exhausted out of her mind. She couldn't even recall how it all happened. She had been debating whether to text Glen and then just all of a sudden it was like she couldn't breathe and then from there she didn't remember what happened.
"Come on, I'll walk you to the car, Sunshine," Colton said, rubbing his hand briskly on Hayes' arm to get her moving. She very slowly unbent her limbs, pushing herself up and onto the floor. Colton kept one hand on her arm to keep her steady as he got up too.
Dakota grabbed Hayes' backpack from the chair, slinging it onto his shoulder as he walked after his siblings. They were moving at a turtle pace back down the hall, but they were moving nonetheless.
He sent the old lady a parting smile as he walked by.
Dakota unlocked the car, waiting off to the side as he watched Colton help Hayes into the front passenger seat. The truck was a decent height, making it somewhat difficult for her to climb into. He made sure that her seatbelt was buckled before pressing a longing kiss to the side of her head.
"Love you," Colton murmured, "feel better, okay? I'll see you at dinner."
Hayes briefly leaned her cheek against the palm of his hand, whispering a silent "love you" back at him.
Colton squeezed her shoulder before stepping back and gently closing the car door, making sure it shut properly. When he turned around to face Dakota, he dropped his neutral expression, letting his brother read all the worry lines on his face.
Dakota felt his shoulders drop in sadness. "That bad?"
"Yeah," Colton replied, running a hand over his mouth. "She'll be fine, she's already much better. But yeah, it was bad. I've seen panic attacks, but Hayes was on a whole other level. I think we seriously underestimated the kids' bond. I don't think we'll ever be able to grasp whatever happened to them," Colton shook his head. "Now we know, in sickness and in health, the two of them cannot be apart. I'm not blaming Austin, but we definitely made the wrong call this morning."
A look of uncertainty crossed Dakota's face. "Are you sure you shouldn't go home with her? I mean, what do I do if she has a panic attack again? I'm not good at that shit. I don't know what to do."
Colton cracked a smile. "You'll be fine, D." His brother may not think so, but the three eldest knew Dakota was a natural with caring for his younger siblings in his own way.
"Glad one of us thinks so," Dakota kissed his tongue against his front teeth.
"When in doubt, just offer her ice cream," Colton joked, though seriously patting Dakota on the shoulder in support. "Seriously, it'll be fine. If you don't mind, just check Glen's temp too when you get home?"
"Sure," Dakota said.
Colton dropped his hand as Dakota started walking, going around the front of the car. If he didn't get going now, he'd never have the balls to leave.
Colton crossed his arms, taking a step back from the truck but not going back inside the office until Dakota and Hayes drove off.
After tossing the girl's backpack into the back row, Dakota hopped into the driver's seat, starting the engine before putting his seatbelt on. He rubbed his slightly perspiring palms on his cargo pants, taking in a breath before finally risking a glance at his little sister.
She still looked absolutely miserable.
Alright.
He could do this.
Dakota cleared his throat, shifting in his seat as he put one hand on the wheel and his right hand on the gear shift.
"Dakota?" piped up the young girl.
"What?" He immediately turned his head to look back at her.
"Thank you for coming to get me," she said, her voice soft and not at all like her normal cheery self. "I'm sorry."
His eyebrows furrowed together. "The fuck you apologizing for?"
Hayes shrugged, unable to hold his gaze anymore. "For being trouble." She knew he must have had to leave work early. Hayes didn't mean to inconvenience her brothers.
Dakota scoffed, "If you're trouble, than I'm a fucking p.i.t.a."
"What's a peeta?" Hayes frowned at her brother.
"Pain in the ass."
Hayes giggled, ducking her chin into her shoulder to hide the sound. It was like music to his ears.
"Hey," Dakota said suddenly, looking concerned again but for a different reason. "Are you even old enough to sit shot gun?"
"Yesss," Hayes even had the audacity to scowl at him.
"Just checking."
~~~~~
Hi, I'm a procrastinator and should be studying right now.