Waiting outside the lines

Chapter 7

"Wayne! Wayne what happened?" I yell forgetting my little brother is asleep. I run to the door and help him in.

"Come on sit down. You're bleeding like crazy!" I run to the kitchen to get napkins.
"Oh this? No this is fine. It's my side that really hurts."
"Do you need some ice?" I ask from the kitchen.
"Yeah that'd be great. Thanks."
I come back with napkins and an ice pack. As I get a better look at him I see bruises on his face and arms.
"I think there's more wrong than just your side."
"No don't worry about the bruises. I just really need to get ice on my side."
"Okay let me take a look. Why don't you lie down..." He lies down on the couch and I pull up his shirt. Immediately I see the huge bruise that takes up his whole right side and even a little of his leg and stomach. It even goes up to his upper ribs.
"Is there a bruise? Let me see." Wayne says trying to get up and look but the pain makes him change his mind and he lays down again.
"No don't. Just lie down. Oh no it's just a little bruise." I hear him laugh.

"You're a horrible liar." I notice laughing hurts so I say,

"Don't laugh. I can tell it hurts you."
"Okay. It's gonna be hard cause you're just so hilarious." He says jokingly.
"Well I'll try to bring my charm down a little for tonight. Just for you." He smiles and I move my fingers through the bruise, making sure I didn't push too hard. But even though I'm very careful, it still hurts him. He tries to hide that it hurts him but he makes a noise that tells me it does. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to be gentle. You're pretty bad aren't you? How did you get here? What happened?"
"How about I make a deal with you... You put the ice pack on me and I tell you what happened." I look down at my hands and realize I haven't put the ice on him yet.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" I gently put it on him and I can tell it hurts him. He smiles and says,

"No it's fine. But I think we're gonna need a bigger ice pack." He says half joking. But we really did. The one I have him barely covered a fourth of his bruise.

"I should have some more. I'll go check." I get up and go to the kitchen again. I look in the freezer again and find three more ice packs. I walk back to Wayne and see his eyes are closed. I say his name but he doesn't respond. I run up to him and move his head,"Wayne. Wayne get up! Wayne!" But he just lies there not moving. I feel tears start to swell up in my throat and you can hear it when I speak,"Seriously Wayne I'm not kidding! Just get up!" Then I see a smile creep on his face and he starts laughing. I cuss and say,"I am seriously going to slap you, you little... Ugh!"
"Come on that was kind of funny. You totally believed me."
"Not funny!" But his smile made me smile and then laugh.
"See it is!" He says still laughing.
"Shut up. I hope that laughing hurts your side." He smiles at me and I tell him about the other ice packs I found. I go to pick them up and can see from the top of my eyes that he's looking at me. Then I see his hand move toward me and he moves my hair behind my ear. I look up at him and he says,"It's easier to work when your hair isn't in the way." I smile and nod.
I start putting the ice packs on his stomach and I can't tell if its helping or hurting him. Or both. I don't know. But then I realize this would be way easier if he had his shirt off. I know this sounds weird but its true. "Well I know this probably sounds weird but this would be a little easier if your shirt was off." He looks at me kind of weird at first but then slowly shrugs and starts trying to take off his shirt. He struggles so I tell him I'll do it. "Can you put your arm up?" I ask.

"Yeah, my left arm."
"Okay just put that arm up." He does and I carefully slip the left side of his shirt off. Then I slowly slip it off the right side and I see his tattoo. I pretend like I don't notice and put his shirt down on the side of the couch. I put the ice packs on him and it seems to help. Then I sit there cleaning another cut he got on his lower right arm. When Wayne looks away and I know he's not looking at me I look up at his tattoo. 4485. I look closer at it and see a few scars like he had been cut there. Could they have been self inflicted? Or could it have been what his mom meant by 'she tried everything'? I don't know but both possibilities scare me and I can't look at it anymore. I try to focus on the cut on his lower arm. As I clean it Wayne suddenly turns his head towards me and says,

"I'm sorry I didn't stop Jake. I would have if I could. I'm so sorry!"
"Stop it's fine. Besides I'm fine right? You're the hurt one right now and you just need to get better."
"Thank you. I'm sorry to bother you. I just didn't know where else go."
"Stop saying sorry."
"Oh sorry." He laughs and I do too.
"Stop."
"Okay, okay. There I didn't say sorry."
"You kind of just did."
"Okay I'm done."
"Thank you. Okay I think you're good. Why don't you just crash right here for right now. I'll go get a blanket." I go get a blanket from my room and put it on him. "I'll stay home from school tomorrow to take care of you."
"No you don't have to do that."
"Wayne it's school. Don't worry you'll be doing me a favor."
"Okay... I think you're done tucking me in." He says joking. Then I realize I've been tucking him in like I tuck my little brother in. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry! Just force of habit." He laughs and says its fine.
"Well, goodnight Wayne. Sleep good!"
"You too."
I go to my room, get into my pajamas, and do everything else I need to do before I go to sleep. It takes me about half an hour to do everything then I get into bed. I just sit there, with the light on, thinking of today and after about an hour or so I hear a knock on my door. I get up and open it confused and find Wayne with the blanket partly over him, holding a few ice packs on his stomach.

"Hey... I can't sleep."