Leader Of The Pack

Ch.21 Endless Heartbreak

I woke up on the floor. A bucket of cleaner and a sponge was laying next to me. When I sat up my back ached. "Ugh." I groaned.

"Did you sleep in the floor?" Hailey asked taking a seat in the kitchen.

"I think so."

When I stood up I felt dizzy. I managed to walk upstairs and get a shower. I walked up to my window and watched Brandon. He was still digging that hole.

It looked really deep but he didn't seem to notice. I watched for a while before getting dressed. He looked so tired. He was sweating like crazy. His shirt was soaked and sweat dripped down off the tip of his nose.

I could tell it was the sun's highest point by how hot it was. As I watched him I realized he would never stop unless someone forced him to. I went outside to be that person. When I walked up to him he didn't even budge.

"Brandon, you need some rest."

He didn't stop. "I don't need it." He said as he continued to dig.

"Yes you do. Stop digging."

He shook his head. "No. I don't."

His disobedience made me angry. I loved her too. I saw her die. Why was he acting like he was the only one who cared?

"Yes, you do. Give me the shovel." I commanded.

"No."

"Brandon, give me the shovel." I said in a strict tone.

He shook his head. He left me no choice. I grabbed the shovel from his hands and backed away.

"Lana, give it."

"No!" I told him as I backed away even farther.

He tried to grab it but he couldn't reach. The hole was to deep for him to climb out of. "Lana give me the f***ing shovel!" He yelled.

I hit a nerve. I could tell but he needed a break. A break from digging and a break from the world. He needed time to get his self together.

"No, listen to me. Alright, just listen."

He looked at me angrily. "I'm listening."

"Look at your hands."

He raised his hands palms up and looked at them. They were rubbed raw and bleeding. The places where he didn't run them raw they were blistered. Suddenly he realized what I meant.

"Give me the shovel."

I shook my head. "No, you are taking a break. Now get out of there."

He looked around. "How?"

I looked around as well. Laid against the house I saw a step ladder. I brought it to him and it was barely tall enough for him to climb out.

I walked him in the house and ran his hands under cold water. He made a pained face expression.

"I'm sorry." I said as I cleaned them up and bandaged them. It looked kind of funny because he looked like he was wearing mittens.

"Who's going to finish it?" He asked.

"I'll get Aaron to do it." I said as he laid down for a nap.

Once he was asleep it didn't seem right for Aaron to go through that again so I decided to take care of it. I got the step ladder out and Sara in. It was hard but once she was in the rest was easy. I put a rock on the spot for a headstone.

Once I was done I went back inside. I was so exhausted. I honestly don't know how he dug that hole for so long. I was out of breath just walking to the door. I felt my stomach stretching.

"Oww." I mumbled.

I slowly made my way up the stairs. My stomach was killing me. When I laid down Brandon woke up.

"How's my baby?" He asked still half a sleep.

I felt a sharp pain. "It's...... ugh, fine." I said feeling another pain.

"Are you sure?" He asked sounding more awake.

Honestly I wasn't. My stomach hurt. When he laid a hand on my stomach it hurt even more. It was like a soft spot.

"Owww. That hurts." I said worriedly.

I raised up my shirt to look at the spot. The spot was huge. It was dark purple, brown, and yellow. It was like the worst possible bruise to exist.

"Lana, what happened?" Brandon asked. He was freaking out and so was I.

"Kevin." I told him.

"Who's Kevin?" He asked looking worried.

I remembered him pushing me down the stairs and punching me in the stomach.

"Kevin is that man from last night. He punched me."

"How long has it hurt?" He asked as he examined it closely.

"Just this morning." I answered.

"Awww, what else happened? I know you can't get this by just getting punched."

"He pushed me down the stairs." I answered sluggishly.

His face went from worried to angry to worried again. "You need a break." He said.

"Brandon I'm fine."

"No, your not. This could mean permanent damage. Your going on bed rest starting now." He told me. "Do you want anything? The only reason your even going to get up is to go to the bathroom. That's it."

"This is unnecessary. What about showers or brushing my teeth?" I said to him. He stopped for a minute.

"OK, teeth and shower but back in bed."

"How long am I supposed to stay like this?" I asked.

"Until it goes away. Please, I'm afraid if you stress yourself to much you might make it worse."

I couldn't believe he was putting me on bed rest. It was just a bruise. But I could see how he would worry. I did go down a flight of stairs and get punched by a grown man.

But this bruise could stay for weeks. I can't stay on bed rest for weeks. I'll probably get fat too. Sitting in bed all day and just eating. I'll definitely get fat.

"But what if it lasts for weeks?"

He shrugged. "Then you stay in bed for weeks."

"But, I don't need to. I need exercise. Fresh air. These things are essential." I told him.

"I'll open the windows and you'll get plenty of exercise when your better."

"What about laundry? Or cooking food? Or maybe even cleaning the house? Who's supposed to do all of that?" I asked.

"I will."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't know how to do laundry."

"Yeah, I can. And I can cook and clean." He said proudly.

"Then why didn't you do it?"

"Because. Because, mom always wanted to do it." He said.

Why would anyone want to do that? Honestly no one wants to do that. I flopped down. "I'm bored to death and I haven't been here for 5 minutes." I groaned.

He smiled. It was the first time I had seen him smile since she died. It was nice to see him smiling again. If only Hailey and Aaron would do the same.