Delinquent Daisy (Book 5)

Chapter 13:

I had finally calmed down enough to remove myself from Liam’s arms. I went over to Noah and kissed his forehead. He must’ve been on heavy painkillers because he stirred when I smoothed out his blankets but he didn’t wake. He just murmured incoherently.  I sat down in a chair at the side of his bed and Liam took a seat on the other side of Noah’s bed so we were opposite each other.

            “You don’t have to be here,” I stated.

            “Yes, I do.”

            “Why?”

            “Because, I just. It’s not something I can explain.”

I just nodded because I really didn’t care. Not when my brother was in the state he was in. I felt this guilty weight on me like a thousand accusing eyes were staring at me and saying ‘how dare you let this happen to Noah? You should’ve been there to protect at him and instead you were having a holiday. What kind of a sister are you?’

I pushed my hair back as I looked at Noah. The more I watched him the worse his injuries seemed to be. Was it just me or did his eye seem more puffy and his bruise look bigger and blacker?

            “It’s not your fault,” Liam said and I shook my head.

            “It’s my entire fault. I should’ve protected him. I knew what they were like but I didn’t fight back. I didn’t get him away from them. This is all my fault.”

            “What could you have done?”

            “I could’ve been here instead of Tahiti.”

            “What are you going to do now?” Liam asked me and I sat back in my seat with a sigh.

            “I don’t know.”

At that moment, the door opened and I looked up ready to start arguing with either of my parents again but I was relieved when I saw Jane. Her soft blue eyes looked at me bitter sweetly. I knew she was happy to see me but she was disappointed on the terms. I knew because that’s how I felt. I smiled and went over to hug her.

            “You’re looking good. Tahiti is helping then?” she asked and I nodded and shrugged.

            “I guess. Jane what am I going to do? I can’t take Noah with me because I can’t take him out of school but I can’t leave him with my parents. This is such a mess,” I said as the tears started to fall because of how helpless I felt in this situation.

            “Okay first,” she said cupping my face, “You’re going to come home with me and I’ll make you some hot cocoa and then I’ll inform you of an idea I had but I won’t do it if you disagree.”

            “But Noah-”

            “Is sleeping and I did as you asked and your parents were just removed by the police and taken to the station.”

            “But-”

            “We’ll come back to the hospital first thing in the morning, I promise besides the kids can’t wait to see you! And I don’t believe you’ve introduced me to your friend.”

            “Jane this is Liam, Liam this is Jane.”

Once we were back at Jane’s familiar house, Jane made the three of us hot cocoas and we sat around her dining room table. I missed this house. It hadn’t changed drastically. The furniture was the same though the carpet was replaced with hardwood floors and walls had been updated recently. The walls were a nice cream colour almost white compared to the old fashioned wallpaper that used to adorn the walls.