My brothers best friend

Chapter 23: The Farm's Peace

Chapter 23

Jake's Point of View

The hospital room felt suffocating, its fluorescent lights buzzing faintly above us. Valerie sat propped up against her pillows, pale and stubborn as always. Even now, with a bandage on her cheek and dark shadows under her eyes, she was trying to convince everyone she was fine.

"You're staring again," she said, her voice light but tired.

I managed a small smile. "Maybe I'm just impressed by how impossible you are."

She rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, the door opened. Mason walked in, carrying a bag that looked heavy enough to contain half the cafeteria menu. He set it down on the small table and gave her a once-over, his jaw tightening.

"Still look like hell," he muttered, though his tone lacked any real bite. He pulled up a chair beside me and crossed his arms. "You feel any better?"

"Not really," Valerie admitted, pressing her fingers against her temple. "The headache's still bad."

Mason frowned. "You need to take it easy. You can't just push through this like you always do."

"She won't have to," I said, breaking in. Both of them turned to look at me, and I cleared my throat, suddenly unsure how to say what I'd been planning. "I've been thinking about what Valerie needs right now."

"And you're an expert on that?" Mason said, raising an eyebrow.

I ignored him and focused on Valerie. "You need space, Val. Somewhere quiet, where you can actually rest and let yourself heal. That's why I think you should come to the farm with me."

The words hung in the air for a moment. Valerie blinked, caught off guard, but Mason was the first to react.

"No," he said flatly. His arms uncrossed as he sat forward, his expression darkening. "She doesn't need to be running off somewhere. Especially not with you."

"Mason—" Valerie started, but he cut her off.

"She just got out of a fight that landed her in the hospital," he snapped. "She needs to stay close to home. To family."

"I'm not saying she has to go now," I shot back, keeping my tone steady. "But being at home hasn't exactly been great for her, has it? The farm is quiet. She won't have to deal with people or noise or anything else that's been stressing her out."

"Jake—" Valerie began again, her voice softer now.

"Don't," Mason interrupted, his glare locked on me. "She's not your responsibility. You think dragging her off to the middle of nowhere is going to fix everything? What if something happens? What if she needs—"

"Mason!" Valerie's voice broke through his tirade, but not because of its volume. She'd closed her eyes tightly, her hands pressing against her temples like the argument had become physically unbearable.

He froze, his mouth half-open. "Val?" he said, his tone softening instantly.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, though it was clear she wasn't. "Just... please stop yelling. My head..." She trailed off, wincing as she leaned back against the pillows.

The room fell silent except for the steady beep of the monitor. Mason looked stricken, his anger melting into concern as he leaned closer.

"Val," I said carefully, trying to meet her eyes, "this is what I'm talking about. You need somewhere calm. Somewhere you can actually recover."

She opened her eyes slowly, her gaze moving between the two of us. "Mason," she said, her voice quieter now, "I know you mean well, but Jake's right. I need to get out of here. The farm sounds... good."