Unsteady | Luke Hemmings' Little Sister

Chapter 44

Ella's pov;

I woke up screaming that night. Paranoia filled my body as flashes of the argument I'd had with my father the day before plagued my mind. My nightmares consisted of him returning and causing me even more pain and misery. When Calum finally shook me awake, I was mid-sob. Tears poured down my cheeks as he frantically tried to calm me down.

"It's okay, you're okay," he whispered. He held on to me just as tightly as I clung to him. Calum strikes my hair gently as I cried into my chest.

Despite my frantic crying, I heard Michael whisper to Ashton, "It hasn't been this had in a long time."

They stood in my doorway, watching me sadly. I closed my eyes to stop the tears from stinging them and buried my face in Calum's chest.

"Hey," Calum said gently, "what happened between you and your dad?"

We all knew that his sudden appearance paired with my nightmares returning was no coincidence. Memories of my father and yelling  and banging the table flashed through my mind and I tensed under Calum's touch.

"If he did anything —" Ashton started angrily.

"He didn't," I sniffled.

"Something happened," Calum said quietly. "I heard him yelling."

I pressed my cheek against Calum's chest and closed my eyes again. "We just got into a fight about how he's trying to parent me. He's acting like nothing ever happened and that I'm being unreasonable for not wanting him in my life."

"Well, he certainly hasn't lost his temper," Michael muttered.

"Ella, listen to me." Ashton entered my room and sat on my bed beside Calum. "We will not let him hurt you anymore, okay? Never again. That's a promise."

I wiped my eyes and nodded weakly. I hated this. I felt as if I would crumble at any moment. I was on the urge of breaking again and this time it felt like I was about to explode into a million irreparable pieces. I didn't know how much longer I could take this.

"Don't worry," Calum soothed me, "we'll get through this together."

I nodded at his words and he climbed into bed beside me. The other boys hugged me and went back to their rooms. I snuggled up next to Calum and laid my head on his chest.

I didn't understand why I was like this. I was almost sure that Luke would be okay, but being without was just unbearable. Being with my father was unbearable. These nightmares were unbearable.

"Try to get some rest," Cal whispered. He wrapped his arms around me protectively and I nodded. But sleep didn't come easily anymore.

The rest of the night was filled with more nightmares. I woke up at least four more times that night. Calum was there every single time to calm me down and get me back to sleep. I felt horrible keeping him up, but he insisted that he didn't mind. It just made me feel even worse about myself.

By 7 o'clock in the morning, I was beyond exhausted. But I was tired of trying to go back to sleep, so I just laid in bed, staring at the ceiling again. Calum woke up soon after. He looked sad when he saw I was already awake.

"Hey," he whispered sleepily. Sadness laced his voice.

"Hi," I sighed.

"Did you get anymore sleep?" He asked. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. I shrugged.

"A little," I replied.

Cal gave me a sad look before he got out of my bed. "Well, let's go back to the hospital," he sighed. Even the boys seemed to be losing hope. It felt like Luke had been unconscious forever.