My Future Stepbrother

Chapter 14

I told Brie all about what happened as she raced me to the hospital. I could see her mind flicker to May as I described how I had to wash Milos blood from my body after cradling his tiny head.

I’m not sure Brie would survive if anything happened to that little firecracker and I could almost see her well up at the image of it being May instead of Milo before pulling herself back together.

I stared out the window at the houses racing past. It felt like I was still but the whole world was running around me.

“I like that on you. Shows all that new definition you have going on.” I looked at Brie confused when I realised she was referring to my outfit. She was trying to distract me from what was going on and I appreciated the effort.

“I didn’t really have time to find anything tidy, I just grabbed the things at the top of the bag.”

I looked closer at Brie. She wasn’t in her usual Saturday evening class dance gear. She had a black trench coat on over whatever she was wearing, given I could see her legs in full I guessed whatever it was was short. She had on heels far too high to do street dance in and I could see her make up was much more glitter heavy than usual.

“Have you got a show tonight?” I asked knowing sometimes there were some crazy costumes when her and the kids put on a performance.

Brie stiffened before answering.

“No but I’ve got some other stuff to do tonight. May got a bit crazy with playing dress up earlier. I would have washed and changed but I wanted to get to you as quick as I could.”

Something wasn’t right.

Brie was an awful liar and I could almost see the sweat starting to form on her brow. Before I had time to question her further we were pulling into the hospital.

“Do you want me to come in with you?”

As much as I did want her with me I didn’t know how long we would be here and she clearly had somewhere she needed to be.
“No I’m fine babes, I’ll text you when I know anything.” I gave her a quick hug before rushing into the main entrance.

I hated hospitals.

I’d spent so much time in them with mum while she was ill I had started to consider them a second home at one point but now the smell of bleach and hospital food made me want to gag.

I approached the front desk where a large red headed woman sat, she smiled at me with no concern for the lipstick on her teeth.

“Can you tell me where Milo Thompson is please, he was brought in earlier by ambulance.”

The woman looked me up and down before asking “Are you family?”

“Yes, I’m his sister.” The words escapes me before I really had time to think about them. The woman stared for a moment at my exposed midriff before turning to the computer screen in front of her.

I reached into my backpack as she typed and grabbed the hoodie from the bottom.

“He’s still having investigations done dear. If you take the third turning on the left and follow it to the end then one of the girls there should be able to point you in the right direction.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. I really fucking hate this place and it’s fake-nice patronising bullshit.

I got down the hall before I dropped my bag to the floor and put on the hoodie. As I zipped it up I was overcome with the intoxicating scent of Jayce. I whipped around expecting go see him but there was no one.

It was then I realised in my haste to get here I had grabbed the hoodie Jayce had given me after the attack. The one I was supposed to give back to him but hid instead. Fuck.

I grabbed my bag from the floor and tried to ignore my overwhelmed senses.
I got to the bottom of the hall and went to the desk.

“Aleah?” Tara’s usually sickly sweet voice sounded so pained I barely recognised it.

I took in her dishevelled appearance. Her usually perfect hair was thick with grease from her running her hands through it so much. She was so red and blotchy her face seemed swollen. Her usually perfectly ironed cream dress was now littered with marks and stains. She was trying to work the coffee machine and failing miserably. 

“Let me do it." I said as I took the coffee cup from her hands. She sat down in the chair and rested her head in her folded arms.