Letting Him In

Chapter-54

"Take my hand, now and forever
Where I stand, how can you live and let die?
Young man, look in the mirror
Take my hand and don't you ever let go"

-5 Seconds of Summer, Take My Hand
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Lily

Lily didn't realize she was zoning out until a voice from behind her pulled her out of her daze.

"I think that coffee has been stirred enough," Dean said, making her jump slightly and almost drop the cup she was holding. "Sorry, didn't mean to spook you." His chuckle sounded hollow, almost as much as Lily's heart felt.

Putting down the spoon she had been stirring with, she turned around to face him, bringing the warm drink to her lips. The bitter taste of the coffee made her cringe, but she hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in almost a week. She needed some caffein kick to keep herself functioning.

"Want some?" she asked. Dean looked like he could use some too. His eyes were red, probably from both tears and exhaustion, and from the way he was leaning against the counter, he was clearly tired. And a little small talk meant they could avoid the elephant in the room for a little bit.

Dean nodded gratefully. Setting aside her cup, she poured some coffee for Dean, handing it to him with the creamer and sugar.

"Thanks."

The stood in silence for a bit, sipping their drinks. Lily didn't know Dean all too well. She knew enough to know he was kind and smart, basically an all-rounder considering his skill in academics and sports. He even played the piano and could make a mean painting. But as a person, she didn't know him, other than as her brother's boyfriend. But she always liked him because he made Elijah happy.

Now, though, as they stood together in the kitchen, shoulders brushing ever so slightly, she felt a connection with him for the first time. They were both soon going to lose someone they loved, and neither of them was even close to being ready for it.

"Lijah's sleeping?" she asked after a few minutes, looking at Dean out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice soft. "He was exhausted, I didn't want to wake him up."

"Good. He hasn't properly slept in days."

They lapsed into comfortable silence once again. It didn't last long, though, as Kaeden walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. His hair was ruffled, and a small yawn escaped his lips as he headed toward the coffee machine.

"G'morning," he muttered when he noticed the two of them in the kitchen.

Lily hummed in response, and Dean gave him a small nod.

Glancing at the clock, she sighed. She would have to leave for school in another half hour, and she really, really didn't feel like it. Usually, Lily was one of those weird people who actually liked going to school. But these days, she didn't even feel like stepping out of her house. Every time she went somewhere, her mind would wander back to her older brother, and panic would grip her as her thoughts led her to assume the worst happening right at that moment.

The sound of glass breaking snapped them all out of their thoughts. It had come from upstairs, and Lily was the first to react. Almost instantly, she had put her mug down on the counter, and was hurrying out of the kitchen. Taking the stairs two at a time, she headed to Elijah's room, pushing open the door.

Elijah was hunched over the side of the bed, his arms clutching his stomach as he retched into the trash can beside it. A glass of water lay shattered on the ground. His eyes squeezed painfully, Lily watched her brother's body shaking in pain, and she resisted the urge to break down right there.

Instead, she strode into the room, maneuvering around the broken glass and the trash can, and perched on the bed beside him. She began rubbing small circles on his lower back the way he or her mother used to whenever Lily was sick. She continued doing that until Elijah stopped heaving. He finally looked at her, sweat beading his forehead, his skin pale.

Lily gave him a small smile, but even she knew it didn't look genuine. How could it, when it hurt enough to feel like she was the one dying instead of him.

The word dying hit Lily like a train every time it crossed her mind. The thought of Elijah not being around anymore, not there to cheer her on after any small achievement, not there to tease her for every little crush she had, not there to stand up for her to their parents when they were being unreasonable, not there for every little moment he should be there for- it made her hope this nightmare would be over soon, so she could wake up and hug her brother, know that he was right there and wasn't leaving her.

She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over, instead using the hem of her sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"I didn't want you to see me like this," Elijah mumbled, and Lily wasn't sure whether she wanted to give him a bear hug or smack him over the head. Leave it to him to worry about anyone but himself even now.

"Shush," she said softly, moving into the center of the bed and gently pulling him back so his head laid on her lap. Elijah curled up with his face pressed to her stomach, and she began running her fingers through his hair. It was longer than it had been in years, and under other circumstances, Lily could almost hear her mother chastising him to cut it.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, her other hand going to his forehead. He wasn't warm, so there was that, atleast.

He nodded, "So much."

She could hear it in his voice.

"Where's your painkillers?" she asked gently. She knew he'd been prescribed medication in case the pain got worse, she'd oberheard her parents talking about it- when noone ever told you anything, you figured out ways to find out.

"Don't want," Elijah mumbled.

Lily sighed, having already anticipated that answer. She glanced up to see Kaeden and Dean standing in the doorway, looking hesitant. She nodded at them, indicating for them to wait downstairs, and both looked reluctant to follow. A glare from her had them scurrying away.

"Lijah, it'll help," she pleaded, even though he wouldn't agree. It was clear where Lily got her stubbornness from.

Elijah shook his head. She let out a soft breath, lowering her face so it pressed into his hair.

"I love you," she said in a muffled voice, tears pricking her eyes.

Elijah hummed, mumbling something intelligible. It wasn't long before his breathing evened out, and he was asleep. Lily neither had the heart to move him down on the mattress, nor the will to get up herself. So she let herself drift off in that uncomfortable position, nor caring about anything but the fact that she was with her older brother in that moment.
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Hey guys

Ahhhh thank you so much for 26k reads!!

A chapter in Lily's perspective! Thoughts on it?

See you soon!
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