Healing Takes Time

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Mommy, I'm hungry!" Connie yelled, causing me to wake up. I kept my eyes closed as I listened to Mom tell him to wait for just a little while longer. Connie started pouting but let it go. For now.

Out of all of us kids, he was probably the easiest to get along with. Sure, he had his moments, but for the most part he was a really well behaved kid. Most people think that Mikasa would be the easiest to get along with, but that is totally not the case. If you piss her off, she will not hesitate to shave one of your eyebrows off while you sleep. (A/N: she should do this to Erwin in the actual show. God knows he needs it.)

I opened my eyes and stretched as much as I could in the cramped space. I leaned over and looked at the clock. We'd only been driving for two hours. I groaned. It felt more like five hours if you asked me.

"What's wrong, Jean boy?" Mom asked as she craned around to look at me.

"Nothing--we just have a really long way to go."

She smiled. "I know. Just try to sleep some more."

I let my head fall back and hit the headrest. Fuck.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Eren said from behind me.

Mom looked at Dad, a question in her eyes. He nodded. At the next exit, he pulled off and went to a gas station. The second the car stopped, I jumped out. I stretched and rubbed my eyes. Have I mentioned that I don't like driving long distances in the back of a car?

Mom took Connie in to pick something up to eat, and Eren and Mikasa went inside to use the restroom. Dad got out of the car with a dark blue spray bottle and went inside. I squinted at his retreating form and shook my head. To each their own, I guess.

It was another three minutes before Eren and Mikasa got back, and Mom and Dad followed after them. Connie happily munched on a small package of Oreos, his fist wrapped around Mom's finger. The spray bottle dangled from Dad's hand, obviously full.

Reluctantly, I got back in my seat, and we took off again. I stayed awake this time, and after 20 minutes my head started to swim. I don't know if it's the fact that most of the things I'm looking at are stable while I'm actually moving or if it's going back and forth from seeing stationary things to moving things that makes me feel sick, but it really sucks. It starts with my forehead starting to feel weird. Then the feeling moves to encompass my whole head. After that it seems to go down my throat and into my stomach. The only thing that ever fixes this is going to sleep or just keeping my eyes closed.

I mentally cussed myself out while I covered my eyes with my hands and leaned forward. I tried to take deep breaths to keep myself from gagging. I'm not so sure if I mentioned the fact that I hate traveling by car.

"Motherfucker," I muttered under my breath.

"Yes?" Dad replied.

"Not funny," I groaned.

"Wasn't trying to be," he replied seriously. I looked up to find the rearview mirror cocked, so he could look at me, his eyebrow raised. "Do you need to take something to keep you from puking all over the place."

"No, thanks," I replied hotly. Maybe he really did care about me being sick instead of having to clean the van. And maybe I could shit rainbows. I mean, maybe he did care, but you'd think that after being a parent for 17 years he'd learn how to at least pretend to be sympathetic.

He shrugged and put the mirror back the way it was. Pretty sure he didn't actually care.

I heard a click behind me, and Eren crawled forward between the seats. "Are we there yet?"

"No," Dad dead panned. "Go sit down."

"Really?" I asked with disbelief. "We have hours left. We obviously won't be there for quite a while. How about you just sit down and take a nice, long nap."

Eren squinted at me. "Don't tell me what to do--you aren't my father."

"No, he isn't, but I am, and I'm telling you to go sit your ass down," Dad said, sounding annoyed.

Eren turned to face him. "Why does Jean get to be up here? I wanna sit up here."

"Eren, just come sit down," Mikasa said quietly.

"No."

"Baby, go sit down," Mom tried to reason.

I saw Dad's hand start moving.

"Only if I get to sit where Connie is."

Connie looked up from the book he was coloring in. "Whaaaat?"

"No," Mom said.

"But why?"

"Because then I can't get him buckled very easily."

Dad's hand moved some more. Mikasa tried to get Eren to sit down again to no avail.

"Then why can't Jean sit in the back?"

"Baby, you know that he gets carsick easily."

Eren smacked his fist against his thigh. "So what?"

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "Do you want me to throw up on you?"

"Well, maybe if you weren't such a--"

Tchika.

Eren's eyes were squeezed shut. He opened them and his mouth in shock. "What the--"

Dad pressed the handle of the spray bottle down again. Connie laughed. "No. Go sit down."

I realized that my mouth was dangling open. I quickly shut it and smothered the urge to grin. I could not believe he had just sprayed Eren in the face like that.

"Was that really necessary?" Mom asked him.

Eren crawled back to his seat, all the fight having left him. He was uncharacteristically quiet as he buckled up and stuffed a pillow behind his head. He didn't say anything to Mikasa when she shot him an I-told-you-so look. I also could've sworn that I'd seen tears in his eyes. I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

I could still see Dad's expression in the rearview mirror, and if I was correct, I thought I saw the ghost of a smile fly across his face. Maybe this trip wouldn't be as bad as I thought.