Dressed For Death

CHAPTER 9

JULIETTE

"I'm not dumb you know," I said to Nathan. Hayden was gone to the restroom so I used the opportunity to talk to my brother alone.

"What do you mean?" He asked me with a frown.

"You were about to talk about our father to Hayden, but I stopped you before you could" I cleared my throat. It wasn't the right time to talk about this with Hayden.

"I didn't think it would bother you honestly. Our dad's a piece of shit and we both know it" I didn't respond to him right away. I stayed silent while we continued to play our card game.

I knew Nathan meant no harm, but talking about my father to Hayden scared me. I'm scared that if he learns about my entire family issues, he will leave me.

I did the mistake once in my life and I promised myself I wouldn't do it again. Maybe one day I'll tell him, but when the time would be right and also when I'll be ready to talk about it.

"I just want to have this conversation when I'll be comfortable opening up about it" I sighed and Nathan nodded.

We loved to tease each other, but when it came to discussions like this one, we could communicate very well with each other.

"Are you feeling alone here?" I said as I lifted my head from my deck of cards. Nathan shrugged and continued to play.

"Sometimes, but everyone's pretty chill compared to the last hospital we went to" He chuckled and I softly grinned at the memory.

We went to look for a place for him to stay day and night since I couldn't take care of him 24/7. That hospital honestly looked like a war zone and there was no way I was letting my brother stay there.

Sure, a private hospital like this one costs a lot more, but, with my job, I'm able to pay for his medical treatments.

"Her birthday is coming up..." Nathan whispered like he was scared to say it. He looked away and decided to distract himself by looking at the birds flying outside.

I put a hand on his shoulder, hoping this little touch could make him feel less alone in his pain.

"I might not say it very often, but I love you big sis" a tear escaped from his eye and he pulled me into his arms.

I was a little shocked but it didn't stop me from hugging him back. I knew it would be a difficult period for both of us, but at least we had each other.

"I'm always going to be with you wherever you go," I said while rubbing his back softly.

The day went by quickly. Hayden seemed to have bonded with my brother pretty quickly. I didn't hear the rest of the conversation earlier, but I had a pretty good idea of what it was about.

I didn't even notice I fell asleep on a chair until Hayden gently shook my shoulder to wake me up.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Normally, I would've been mad at anyone who dared to wake me up, but I didn't want to wake up Nathan.

"It's almost 10 o'clock" he whispered and I stood up from the chair. I folded the blanket and put it on the chair.

I walked towards Nathan's bed and kissed his forehead before leaving. I didn't want to, but I needed to rest too.