Familiar Faces [a donnie darko fanfic]

Chapter Seven

As soon as we left the hospital, Donnie promised he would stay with us until our mom returned. "We can all make a late dinner together," he said, trying to put a smile on our faces.
"I've never really cooked before," Dylan admitted dryly. His eyes were still puffy and brimmed with a tired red.
Donnie had told him in the hallway that he needed to shape up. He needed to be the comforting male figure that our household lacked and that he needed to not be so selfish about what had happened.
"We still have some burger patties left... we could have that with some chickpea salad," I suggested softly. Dylan sighed at the mention of chickpeas.
"Why not macaroni and cheese?" he asked. I folded my arms and narrowed my eyes.
"Chickpeas are healthier, that's why." Donnie chuckled at my comment.
"Listen to the lady," he advised my brother and patted him on the shoulder. He turned to me with a smile. "Where might the chickpeas be?"
"In the pantry, on the second shelf," I answered. "It should be in a green can, if I remember correctly."
I reached in the freezer and pulled out the remaining patties. "Good, there's just enough for us." I got out a pan. Although it wasn't the most efficient way I liked to have my burger, but it made up for not owning a grill.
Dylan helped a little; he set the table but then went to the couch. I heard a familiar introduction; he was watching Back to The Future again. I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore him.
He only got up when he heard us by the table, setting the burgers and chickpeas out. "Do I really have to eat them?" he asked.
"You don't exactly have to but I would like you to. If mom made them, she'd want you to eat them, too," I pointed out. "Please don't give me a hard time."
Thankfully he ate all of them. He saved his burger for last, probably to get the other taste out of his mouth. "Thanks, April," he murmured. It wasn't sarcastic at all, it sounded appreciative.
At around 8:30, we cleared the table. I felt extremely tired and at that point, my head hurt so bad it felt like a drill was going through to the other side.
"Where are your blankets?" Donnie asked after we all took a shower. I now hung back in the kitchen, looking to find some Advil. He kissed my forehead softly before going to get them.
I swallowed two Advils, hoping the pain would stop soon. I called the hospital to see if my mom was still awake. I told her good night and that I loved her very much, which was hard to do without crying all over again.
When I entered the living room, there were blankets and pillows. Donnie grinned at me cheekily. "We can all lay out here," he explained. I pulled him into a hug.
"Thank you," I said, holding onto him tightly. He scooped me up and laid me down on the blankets. My head was still hurting, but it eased. Donnie squeezed my hand. "Good night," I whispered to him. "Good night, Dylan." He was a bit further away from me than Donnie was. "I love you guys." And then I shut my eyes and tried to sleep.

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I woke up to sunlight reflecting in my eyes. The second I sat up, everything came flooding back. All the feelings of guilt and sorrow smacked into me like a tidal wave.
Dylan was sprawled out a few feet away, the blanket hardly covered him. I turned over to Donnie who was on his back. I couldn't tell if his eyes were closed or not, so I didn't bother talking to him.
He stirred and turned on his side. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing his beautiful blue eyes. "Good morning," he whispered. He smiled at me with that irresistible smile that made my heart melt. I tried to smile back, but it felt forced.
"Morning," I whispered back. My lips quivered as my thoughts became rather overbearing. Donnie opened his arms and motioned for me to scoot closer. I laid down and rested my head on his chest.
"Everything's going to be okay, I promise. You'll see," he assured me with a soothing voice. I half expected him to elaborate, but he left it at that.