"Just leave, please," I mumbled from behind Kane, but I knew he couldn't hear me.
"Leave." That one word rumbled through Kane's chest as his whole body tensed. He sounded so strong and calm, with authority underlying the very word.
"Nah, see, I left last time, I think it's your turn. Want to leave? Walk back up to that bitch's little restaurant? Be my guest." I knew we would have to walk past Charlie in order to get there.
He did this to me once when I was trying to get to my room one day, he had thrown me and I had tried crawling toward my room, and he had stood in front of the door, asking me if that's where I was going. But I hadn't answered, just curled up in a ball as he kicked me.
Kane's voice brought me out of my memory, "No. We were heading the other way, you can leave now." Again, his voice gave me a calm feeling, it made me feel safe.
"It's your turn to leave!" Charlie's yell made me jump back, but Kane just steadied me and pushed me partially behind him again.
"No. We aren't going anywhere. You are however. Climb in your truck, and leave."
"No!" Charlie sounded like a little kid trying to fight a losing battle. His voice was weaker than Kane's and he yelled which made it even weaker. Kane's was calm but strong as he spoke. It made him fierce. 'I never want to be on the receiving end of that.'
"Go. Now."
"This isn't over!" He yelled, but he climbed into his truck and sped down the road.
I collapsed. Again. Everything went black.
I woke up in a booth, and grimaced when everything ached. I was throbbing all over and put my head down on the table.
"Are you okay Dani?" His voice had so much worry in it, as if he thought I was going to break. 'If only it was real!'
I hadn't realized Kat and Lily were here too. I looked up to see six eyes on me, Kane was across from me, staring right at me, Kat was beside him and Lily beside me. Her hand was resting on my back and as she rubbed slow circles, the bruise on my spine exploded with pain. I must have made a face because they all asked what was wrong, except Kane, he spoke, "Lily, she has a bruise down her spine."
"Oh! I'm so sorry Dani, I thought it was just your hip! I'm sorry!" She jerked back, moving further from me. "I'll grab you an ibuprofen for the swelling."
"Swelling?"
"Yeah, you fell and twisted your wrist," Kane said, his face was really sad, and I felt bad knowing I had caused it. I looked down. I had treated him like crap and he had still stood up to Charlie with the same anger as before. I knew that he wouldn't have let anything happen to me when he spoke with that commanding voice.
"How long have I been out?"
"Just under an hour," said Kat.
"What happened?"
Kat looked to Kane, and he told me. "After Charlie drove off, I turned to you but you fell. You just dropped to the ground. I had you on my lap for a couple minutes trying to calm you down as you started waking up mumbling and thrashing around. After you stopped, I carried you back to the diner, you were still asleep, so I told Lily what happened, she called the cops. They're going to pick him up and come over tomorrow. I told them to give us the night."
"You carried me all the way back?" I was shocked, we had walked over a mile.
"Yeah." He looked down, " I didn't know what else to do. Sorry."
"No, it's fine. I'm just shocked."
"You're pretty light, it wasn't hard."
"Good thing I don't eat." I meant it as a joked, but neither of them laughed.
"Here, I grabbed two, and some ice."
"Thanks Lily." I swallowed the pills, without the water she handed me, and placed the ice pack on my wrist, I winced as my other shoulder hurt. 'I'm so sick of pain.'
"Dani? Is it too cold?"
"What? No, just moved my shoulder funny."
Kane removed my hand, took the ice pack from it, moving it back so my shoulder didn't hurt, and held the ice pack on my wrist gently.
"Better?" He asked nervously.
"Perfect. Thank you."
"I'm going to lock the door, do the dishes and wipe down the tables," Lily said as she got up.
"I'll help," Kat said and placed her hand on mine, smiling.
"Thank you, both of you." They nodded and walked to the kitchen.
It was just Kane and I sitting there. He was holding the ice pack on my wrist, and our hands were in the middle of the table.
"Kane-"
"Dani-"
We both said it at the same time, stopping in unison as well.
"I'm sorry." I told him looking down as I put my free hand in my lap.
"No, Dani, I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about! You've stood up to Charlie twice on my behalf, and the only thanks I gave was not talking to you."
"No, Dani. I stood up to Charlie, but let you fall twice in the process. I hate what he did to you, but I'm not making it any better. I should be helping you, but I can't even stay focused around you. I just want to hold you and never let go. I don't even know what to do to make it right."
"That's just it! You don't have to do anything. You've already done so much." 'Even if it was forced,' "Charlie would've had me again if you hadn't have been there, I would have even more bruises if you hadn't of saved me from fighting the floor last night, and you carried me over a mile!"
"Dani." The way he said my name made me worry. He sounded really serious, and kind of nervous. It was a weird combination, and I looked up. He was looking at our hands, with his on mine as he held an ice pack on my wrist.
"What?"
"I need to know something. But I need an honest answer."
"What?" Now I was really worried.
"I just- Were you mad at me earlier?"
"No, I wasn't." But he didn't look like he believed me, "I was mad at myself."
"I'm sorry for whatever I-" he then realized what I had said, "Wait no? Mad at yourself?"
"Yeah."
"What? Why? It's not your fault."
"What? No, I was mad at myself, because of you." He looked really confused.
"So you were mad at me...?"
"No. I was mad at myself," I paused, this was way too personal, but after everything, he deserved an answer, "because I thought you wanted to be here, spending time with me. But when you said that Lily asked you to watch me it clicked that you were just doing her a favour. I got mad, because I wanted to spend time with you, but you had to spend time with me."
"No, Dani-"
But I cut him off, "I've told you more than anyone else, and care about you more than I want to admit. I still flinch when Lily, Kat or anyone else touch me, and I know it hurts them, but yours is fine. It doesn't bother me, even laying beside you. And it scares me that I care that much about someone who is only here doing someone else a favour."
He was stunned. He sat there with a shocked face and stuttered a couple times.
"I'm sorry," I got up to put the ice pack back and when I reached for it he put his hand on mine, stopping me. I looked up and he was looking right into my eyes. I felt as if he could see through me, not just into my eyes.
"I asked Lily, while we were hanging the lights, if I could stay with you today. She said that she trusted me because she knew you did, and that was more than good enough for her. She made me promise though, that I wouldn't let you do anything that required too much effort. It was one condition, we even shook on it. She said she was going to spend today with you, but I begged her. I couldn't leave you. Not even if I tried. I would've ended up coming back. I just wanted to hold you. After last night, and especially after you told me about him, I couldn't even think about leaving you." His face was bright red and his voice was kind of shaky.
"It wasn't a favour to Lily? You wanted to be here?"
"No it wasn't a favour. And yes, I wanted to be here, beautiful."
My cheeks heat up as Kane slowly wrapped his arms around me, almost asking if it was okay. I put my arms around him, and he pulled me close. I put my head against his chest and we just stood there.
A few minutes later he silently lead me upstairs and we sat on the couch. Lily had turned the lights on, on the Christmas tree and had decorated it. There were even several gifts under it. I told Kane I would be a second, and walked to my room, grabbing the two gifts and placing them under the tree, "Sorry, I didn't get you one."
"That's a relief, because it would've been awkward since I didn't get you one either."
"Good."
"We're good now?"
"Yes. Better than good."
"I'm glad."
I heard footsteps and Kat walked in.
"Did we wake you? I'm sorry."
"No, I just got out of the shower. Aunt Lily and I always pull an all-nighter Christmas Eve and open late on Christmas. We're only open for dinner, and we're closed Boxing Day."
"Oh. That's nice."
"Yeah, so we do our gifts Christmas Eve. She'll be coming soon."
On cue Lily walked in with a smile on her face. "Gift time!"
"You're like a kid on Christmas, Aunt Lily."
"It's the little girl in me." She said and laughed, we all joined in, even me.
"That's the first time I've heard you laugh. You have a beautiful laugh Dani," Kane whispered in my ear as I went bright red.
"Thanks." And we all sat down as Lily handed out the gifts under the tree.