My Protector

Learned From the Best

POV: Catie

When we called the police we didn't even try to explain what happened and who we found. I'm still in shock. My brother is alive. The one I watched die is alive. Oliver was transported to a high security prison like Jake almost immediately. They didn't really even log much from what I was told.

It's been hours since I left Kate and I can only imagine what is going through her head right now. I honestly cannot wait for her to meet my brother though. He is the reason why I am alive, and now I can safely say that I repaid the favor.

I may or may not have beat the shit out of Oliver before the police got there, but like I said. It may or may not have happened.

Andy is currently in the operating room since several of his internal organs are damaged. They told us that they don't know how he didn't die, because he should have technically bled out years ago, but when they saw who they were talking to the knew how. It runs in the family.

My mom tried to explain to my father what happened and the outcome, but her words were muffled by her tears. I'm still in shock. I cried a bit in his shoulder, but I still don't know if this is real or not.

He looks so grown now. I almost didn't recognize him, but his voice gave him away. Yes, it is a little different now and it was also weak at the time, but I could recognize his voice anywhere.

"Catie!"

I turned around to the sound of her voice, but not quick enough since I found myself being tackled to the ground. I made sure that I flipped us enough so I hit the ground and not her.

"If you ever scare me like that again I am personally going to kill you. Got it?" Kate growled with furrowed eyebrows.

I nodded my head with a smile before she lead down and kissed me. "Hey babe, we are kinda in the middle of a hospital hallway kissing on the ground. I think we need to get up." I chuckled against her lips and she giggled as she got up and offered me a hand. I took it, but kissed it as I stood up.

"I know this isn't a pressing matter at the time... but do you think Andy will like me?" Kate whispered. "He is the reason you are here and without you I would probably be dead by now. What if he doesn't like me? What if he hates me? Oh god, what if he makes me leave?" She rambled off, but she stopped when she saw me looking down at her with an amused expression. "What?" Kate asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"He is going to love you. Don't worry about that Kate." I gave her a smile.

She hesitantly nodded. "Where is mom and dad?"

I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face when she called them mom and dad. I'm going to make sure that they will be her in laws for sure one day. "They are in the operating room bay. Only two people can be back there at a time, so I told them to go ahead so I can be with you. I know Andy is going to be okay. There isn't a doubt in my mind. If he made it this far he can go a few more feet."

"What is up with the Stone family? Always nearly dying and then coming back stronger than before. How?" She threw her hands up and I chuckled before gently pulling her to my chest and nuzzling my head in the crook of her neck.

"We're stubborn and don't give up, especially if someone needs us."

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It's been a month since Andy got out of surgery. Like I predicted, he loves Kate like another little sister to the point where he gets protective over her too. Not protective over her with me or my parents, but everyone else.

Now he teases Kate about who loves me more. A few days ago Andy, Kate, and I walked to the ice cream parlor that Andy used to take me when I was down. Not once did my smile fade. Kate ended up getting on my back and Andy winked at me. I knew it was, because I have a protector role now over someone, but I learned from the best.

His birthday was last week, so we celebrated that with a overly big and exaggerated party. It was just the five of us, but we still made it a big party with a big ass banner and balloons that we breathed in to make our voices high pitched which entertained us for hours.

"What are you thinkin' about kid?" Andy asked as he hobbled up to my side. Kate was in the bathroom.

"How life can't get any better." I smiled up at him.

"Oh, but that's where you are wrong. Life can always get better. Never limit yourself by thinking that this is it, because tomorrow maybe something even better happens." He smiled down at me and hugged me quickly before going upstairs to his room probably going to do homework.

He made it into an online junior college without his high school degree, and if he has any questions he just asks me or Kate.

Kate won't admit it, but she is smarter than most of us put together.

She got a thirty three on her ACT. I got a twenty seven. We didn't have to take the SAT for the college we are going to. The local division one college offered me a full scholarship for catching, and paid for Kate's college tuition since I told them I wouldn't accept if Kate couldn't come with me. They labeled it as a academic scholarship though. We had other options that matched up, but I told Kate to pick where she wanted to go and she wanted to stay here. It's about twenty minutes away from here and my motorcycle is all repaired, so she can drive whatever car is free since I'm not using any anymore unless Kate and I are going somewhere.

"When are you going to stop drooling over me?" Kate teased as her arms snaked around my waist. I was just watching the rain hit the blades of grass.

"Probably never." I shrugged with a small smile tugging on my lips.

"You're so weird." Kate giggled in the crook of my neck.

"Can you two stop being so cute? Is it possible? Like every five seconds you two are doing something genuinely loving." My mom asked from behind us and I turned around in Kate's arms as Kate giggled.

"We don't plan on it. It just happens." I smiled.

"Samuel, are you taking notes from your daughter? Because you need to." My mom turned to my father who was reading the newspaper on the couch.

"Yup," My dad sighed. "Stop giving her examples Kate and Catie. It gives me a list." He teased.

"You just gotta step up your game. I got game." I smirked and he rolled his eyes at my cocky outburst.

"Catie! What in the hell is half life?" Andy called to me from downstairs.

"It's an exponential function that keeps decreasing over a given time. So say the water in a puddle loses a quarter of its volume of water every hour. The amount of water that is in it before the hour is three gallons. Do the math." I yelled to him and he was silent, so he is either taking it in, wondering what the fuck I just said, or working out the problem. "There is an equation for it online. Good luck if you're dealing with logarithms."

"I hate logarithms." Kate muttered.

"You still get all of them right." I pulled away from the hug just enough to give her a 'wtf' look.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I enjoy doing them."

"Fair enough."

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A/N: This is NOT the end of the book. I just wanted to add some certain things in it, due to the one month time hop that I made since it would be a waste of y'all's time to read the chapters I would ha e to write. It would all be filler chapters. This chapter is a filler chapter, but the next one will have some new things in it.... or old faces... or anything else that you can think of that will drive you insane till I write the next chapter😂