10 years

Protective Gabe

After such an emotional morning everything was the same as if nothing happened. Gabe was poking Luci and Heaven with objects. Mike was micromanaging the family.

"Heaven take your pills." Mike had the pills in his hand and a glass of water in the other. She signed and took them, made a disgusted face and handed the water back to Mike.

"All of the water, Heaven." He pushes water back to her, with a  look that says 'do not question me and do what I say'. 

"Alright everyone gets into the car now or else I am going to leave you here and you will have to walk." Mike grabbed his keys and his backpack, heading to the door. The others followed after him. They grabbed their bags, it's safe to say that attached to each of their backpacks is a small medical bag that each had Heaven's medicine, emergency contacts, and anything else she might need.  

....

They got to the school and they went over the schedule.

"Ok, who is going to do the first checking, the second, and third?"  Mike had turned around to look at the others.

Gabe was the first to speak up, "I will take the first because my first period is near her." He looked to the other two, already knowing the way it was going to work.

"I guess,  I will take the third one, I have the last class with her," Luci said, looking at Mike thinking that this is stupid.

"That leaves the second for me, Heaven I will get you from your lunch class a few minutes before our lunch." He says that as he turns off the car and starts to open the door. Heaven always felt so bad, whenever they had this conversation. 

"You guys don't have to do any of that for me, I can go to each check on my own." Heaven looked down at her backpack and played with her first aid kit. 

"It's okay, it is an excuse to leave class. Anyone would be happy to take the chance to leave class." Luci said, taking his twin's hand and squeezing it. Heaven looked over to him and smiled.

"Okay team, let's have a good day, do well in class and break." Mike clapped his hands, and because he said some stupid football thing the others rolled their eyes.

Gabe laughed and added, "Break a leg everyone." Luci groaned, rolled his eyes and left the car. Mike also left the car, saw some of his friends and went to go talk to them. Heaven watched as Luci put in his headphones and said hi to his fellow troublemakers, Gabe also got out of the car and went over to his theater friends. 

Heaven slowly got out of the car, looked around at her brothers. They were happy and calm, she started to walk toward the school. Luci was the first to knowest that she was walking to the school. He got the attention of the others, they all said goodbye to their friends and followed Heaven into the school.

...

Gabe wrapped his arm around Heaven's shoulder. Gabe laughed as she threw his arm around, his two other siblings went to their classes. Both Heaven and Gabe laughed when Mike grabbed the back of Luci hoodie without even looking over at him, Luci had been walking to some girls that always seen to get him in trouble.

Gabe lead Heaven to the nurse's office for her morning checkup. "Do we have to go to the checkup. We could just skip it and act like normal high school students, who hate school because how boring it is."

"If we miss this checkup then Mike will drag us by our teeth. And if I do say so myself, I quite enjoy my teeth where they are." He laughs and diverted the conversation to a happier one, it was his specialty.  

As they got to the nurse's office Gabe squeezed her hand, before the visiting hospital nurse took Heaven to get her to check up. Gabe had sat down at the far end of the seating area and pulled out his phone,  he was waiting in the long haul.

"I can't believe that those siblings calling in a 'real' nurse, please like she is no better than us. I guaranteed that she is faking this whole sickness thing to get more attention. LIke who in the world doesn't know what disease is killing her." One of the school nurses said to the other. They had forgotten that Gabe was even in the room with them. And for once Gabe was losing his calm, was minutes away from walking away from his sister. He had to take a deep breath because he knew that if he left his sister that Mike would be furious. They kept talking and talking, he couldn't keep his calm.

"I don't understand how you, as adults can't seem to figure out that talking about students in front of other students is so wrong on so many levels.  You know that kids can figure this out why can't you." Gabe finished with a huffed breath. If the nurses could give out detention those two would.

Heaven had come back at this time, a little shaken up. "Are you alright? What happened at the checkup?" Gabe ran to her with worry.

"Everything is fine. I just heard what you." She lied through her teeth.  He knew that but did not pry, also did not want to stay in the nurse's office any longer. 

"Okay, let's get to class." He put his hand on her lower back to guide her out the door. Gabe used her body to block his phone. 

"I hope you're not going to text the others about what happened during the checkup." She looked over at him like she already knew what he was doing.

"I was just letting them know that you finished." He couldn't look her in the eyes. 

"Really look me in the eyes and tell me that." She stopped, turned to him and crossed her arms. Heaven may be the youngest on the family but she was definitely the most mature one of the family.

"I just wanted to let them know that the nurses are saying awful things about our family."  He looks down feeling guilty. She sighed knowing that Gabe likes her other brothers were just looking out for her.