Lonely Nights

Chapter 2

Today of all days Tim and Ian have to remind me how worthless I am, and how most everyone here probably view me in this fashion. Today is the two year anniversary of the crash. I head toward the door, ignoring Molly, Axel, and Mr. Lang's calls for me to come back. When I reach the door, I almost run into a very tall muscular, naturally tan skinned, dark hair and dark eyed man.

"Sorry. Excuse me please?" I ask the new student who hasn't moved from blocking my way out of the room, and to my papa.

"Are you alright?" he asks curiously with a deep sexy baritone voice.

"Will you move, please?" I ask again, verging on tears as Axel grabs the handles of my wheelchair.

The guy in front of me finally moves, allowing Axel to silently push me out of the room, and towards papa's office which we reach several minutes later. When we reach his office, papa is already standing in the doorway with a worried expression. I don't have the time to lock the wheels before papa is pulling me up into his arms, and into a tight, bone crushing bear hug.

"You are not worthless, Mylo," papa murmurs into my ears as we cling tightly to each other.

Papa walks us backwards carefully further into his office, and shuts the door with his left hand as Axel waits in the main part of the office with my chair. Still standing and holding onto each other tightly, I sob harshly into his chest with papa gently rocking us side to side in small sways. He stays silent for a few moments as he let's me cry out everything that I am thinking and feeling.

"You are not worthless, my sweet son. You are more valuable as is everyone else in the world, but more importantly you are valuable to all of us in our family, and to Axel and Molly, too," he gently coos into my right ear as he continues to sway us, and I tightly cling to the material of his shirt just above his hips.

"I hate that Ryan has to take me to therapy. I hate that I am not fully healed, and that it is taking forever. I hate feeling like I am a burden to everyone around me, and I hate that I don't feel useful anymore," I hysterically sob into his chest.

"Mylo, none of that is true. None of that is true, and you are getting better every day. You are useful when you do chores around the house. You most definitely are not a burden on anyone. We love helping you if you need it, and Ryan begs us to take you when he can," papa softly, yet firmly tells me.

"Can I go home, and skip physical therapy today?" I beg papa as I don't feel like doing but lie in bed and cry.

"You can go home, and I will get your homework from your teachers, but you still have to go to therapy tonight," papa firmly states in a gentle voice.

Pulling away slightly to pout at him in hopes of changing his mind, but it doesn't work; "Sorry Mylo, you have to go."

"Fine," I grumble as my legs start to shake from standing still for far too long.

"Axel, could you please bring in Mylo's chair?" papa calls out to my friend, the door opening several seconds later with Axel stopping my chair right behind me, and I don't even fight papa when he lowers me into it.

"Axel, can you take him home, please? I will excuse you both, and I will also call your mum to let her know. I will grab your homework, too," papa asks him as I adjust myself in my chair.

"Sure, Mr. N," Axel responds, pulling me out of the office, and past the closed door of Mr. Wilson, the principle, and I wonder if he is talking to Tim and Ian.

"Mylo, I am going to call dad and Ryan too," papa says as Axel and I start toward exit the office.

"Yeah," I mumble just as the door to Mr. Wilson's office opens with Tim and Ian walking out ahead of Mr. Wilson.

"Mylo, hold on a moment, please," Mr. Wilson calls out causing Axel and I to stop, and turn around to face him.

"Yes sir?" I reply blankly as Axel and I now facing them with papa watching from the doorway of his office with a deep scowl etched over his face.

"Go on," Mr. Wilson instructs Tim and Ian, waving his right hand toward me as if instructing them to speak to me.

"We don't want you to die," they say together, and their body language to me does not match their words, but what the hell do I know.

Do I believe them? Fuck no I don't, but I reply with my own equally fake; "Thanks."

Leaving the office, Axel and I make our way to his truck where I climb into the cab while Axel folds the chair to place it in the back of the truck before climbing into the driver's side.

"You know what they said is not true about your, right, My?" he asks while driving toward my house.

"Sure Ax, sure," I respond, looking out the window as the scenery flashes by.

"I am serious. Ryan wouldn't do that to you," he argues. "The other driver is the one who is at fault for the crash, and your injuries."

When I don't respond, Axel sighs loudly, but doesn't say anymore, thankfully dropping the subject while the music fills the air from the radio until we reach my house. When he parks and cuts the engine, he doesn't move to climb out to grab my chair. He just stares straight ahead at the garage door silently. Shrugging my shoulders, I grab the door handle to climb out and grab my chair since I am not sure what's going through my friend's mind at the moment. I just hope he isn't having second thoughts about our friendship.

Placing my hands flat against the side of the truck to slide step to the back, slowly and cautiously; finally reaching the back as my legs start to shake but I make it. Holding onto the side of the truck, I pull my chair from the back and glad it is lightweight, and place it on the ground and open it. Instead of sitting down, I use the chair to steady myself as I walk toward the house slowly, despite my burning legs.

"Dude, I was going to help you!" Axel hollers as I reach the front door where I dig in my front left pocket to pull out my house key.

Unlocking the door, I turn enough to smirk at my friend, who is rushing up behind me; "I know you were. Don't worry about it, though, I have it under control. I made it just fine as you can plainly see."

As I take a step forward into the house, my knees buckle as I fall backwards, taking my chair with me. Before I hit the ground, Axel has his arms wrapped around me tightly, and keeps me from falling on my ass, or worse.

With the wind knocked out of me, I laugh out on a wheezed breath; "Thanks, I made it this far at least."

Axel chuckles, but his chuckle holds absolute fear in them; "Mylo, this could have been bad, don't make a joke out of it."

"It didn't though so laugh with me," I giggle out because if I know if I don't laugh, I might cry from frustration and anger.

Axel looks at me as if I have lost my mind as I laugh hysterically as he straightens my chair and places me in the seat; "Mylo, my man, I think you need some sleep."

"Sleep sounds good," I giggle out as Axel steers me toward my room which is on the main floor of the house, the floor we are currently on.

Myles and I share a room, Sonya and Ryder's rooms are upstairs where daddy and papa's room is too while Tammy and Kelley share the basement. Once Tammy and Kelley move out, Myles will be taking over their room if he doesn't attend an out-of-state college. Axel gently places me under my covers of the bottom bed of the bunk bed, covering me with my blankets once he has taken off my shoes are off.

When he turns to leave my room, I grab his arm while softly asking; "Cuddle me, please?

Being the awesome friend that he is, he lies down with me to become the big spoon to my little spoon, and within seconds, I am sound asleep. I love feeling safe, loved and warm, and Axel makes me feel this way.