An unlikely friendship

part 19

"Oh Declan" Pat sobbed,while smothering her little brother's face in desperate kisses,their tears intermingling on their damp cheeks.

Anne stood a couple of steps back,allowing the two siblings to reconnect,but she was also in floods of tears.

"I'm sorry Pat" Dec sobbed as he clung onto Pat tightly "I'm so sorry"

"None of it matters now" Pat muttered into Dec's warm neck "none of it,all that matters is that you're here"

"Yeah" Dec sobbed,finding it impossible to stem the flow of tears,not that he really wanted to.

"Shall we go in the room?" Anne gently asked "rather than stand in a doorway where everyone can see the state we're all in"

"Yeah" Dec laughed tearfully,while glancing up and down the corridor,thankful that no one was around.

Anne sat down on the chair while Pat perched on the bed next to Dec,still clinging onto him desperately as if he would disappear in a puff of smoke if she let go.

He wasn't complaining though.

This was his beloved big sister and she was here with him and in that precise moment,nothing could have made him happier.

"Mam told me everything about what you've been through" Pat whispered while squeezing Dec's hand "I'm so sorry you went through all that,I wish I could have been there for you"

"It's all in the past now" Dec smiled,not really wanting to relive everything yet again "please don't feel bad for me,I'd rather just look to the future now"

"Good idea" Pat nodded "just know how much I've missed you and how much I love you...we all do"

"I know" Dec replied,while leaning in closely to his sister "and I love you all too and I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again"

"Do you feel ready for it now?" Anne asked while recalling the previous days conversations.

"I will be very soon" Dec beamed.

"I'm just so happy to see my eldest and youngest back together again" Anne smiled as she watched Dec and Pat cuddle close together "I didn't think I'd see the day"

"Me neither" Pat whispered and kissed Dec's forehead.

Dec felt so stupid though.

Stupid for wasting so much time,stupid for thinking his family wouldn't want anything to do with him and stupid for choosing Ali over them and he vowed to make up for it for the rest of his life.

"This is a nice room" Anne stated,jerking Dec out of his thoughts.

"Yeah,it is" Dec nodded "it's joined to Ant's room too,come and see"

Dec finally managed to tear himself away from his sister's arms and led Pat and Anne into Ant's room.

"Well" Anne grinned "whoever this Ant is,he's obviously a hell of a lot tidier than you"

"Most people are" Dec laughed "but you already know that"

"Yeah,I do" Anne smiled.

She had noticed how Dec's clothes had just been strewn over the chair and his other belongings had been dumped messily on the dressing table,but had resisted the urge to tidy up after him like she always did when he lived at home or had come to visit.

By contrast,Ant's clothes had been neatly hung up in the wardrobe and anything else put in its rightful place.

"Ok" Pat frowned "I don't think we should be in here,I feel like I'm intruding"