Behind Closed Hearts

Chapter 34

Aleks was lying on the hospital bed angrily with his arms crossed. His leg was broken. It sucked.

"Didn't even win the game," He grumbled to himself. He looked over to the window that led to the hallway. Through it, he could see his adoptive parents walking away down the hallway.

They had gone to get coffee and talk to the doctor. Aleks hoped that meant he could leave the hospital soon. He was already sick of it after only a few hours.

He glanced over to the window on the opposite side of the room. Night had fallen on Littleton, casting dark shadows across the lawn outside the hospital. The sight of the creepy shadows gave Aleks the heebie jeebies. He reached to close the blinds.

"You're gonna fall out of bed if you do that." He looked up to find James standing at the end of the bed, smiling softly.

Aleks' eyes softened immediately. "Well, can you close it?"

James rounded the bed and did just that. As soon as the blinds were down, He turned with a serious expression on his face. "Sorry, Aleks. I shouldn't have said those things. I don't hate you." He blinked rapidly, looking off to the side. "Actually I don't know what I would do without you."

Aleks waved him off. "Nah, it's me that should be sorry. I said some shitty things to you today. I deserved everything I got."

Sighing heavily, James sank into the chair on Aleks' bedside. "How did we get like this, Aleks?"

He shrugged. "We must have been some horrible people in our past lives."

"Tell me about it," James chuckled. He paused for a moment. "Al-aleks?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you do if I did tell you when something were happening? Something like this?" James pulled down the collar of his shoulder to show the bruise on his shoulder.

"I would beat the shit out of whoever did it," Aleks said automatically.

James sighed. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you."

"Well," he started in frustration, "What would you want me to do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"That's right." James put his shirt back and smoothed it out, looking away. "I'm trying to deal with this on my own. But I guess it would be alright to have some support."

He looked up at Aleks. "Would you be able to do that? Just listen to me when it comes to these things? You have to promise that's all you will do."

Aleks frowned at his brother. It was difficult, thinking about James getting hurt in any way, but… "If I promise, will you tell me everything? The whole story?"

He looked relieved. "Yeah, Aleks."

So Aleks nodded. He kind of hated himself for doing it, but if he could at least know what was going on in James' life, he would be at least a little satisfied.

"It's Nathen," James started.

"What?!" Aleks said. He jolted forward in his surprise but then yelped when he moved his leg wrong. He fell back into the sheets tiredly with a pained expression.

James ignored him. He went on to explain Nathen's mental illness, his medication, his trials and errors. He even went into detail about Nathen's accidental abuse against him. James made sure to emphasize that each time was an accident.

But by the end of it, Aleks looked as white as a ghost. "Are you okay?" James asked.

"I should be asking you that," he said lowly. "But what if something happens and you actually need help. Am I just supposed to listen to you talk about it? "