Safer This Way

Chapter 32

(Insert heartfelt apology for continuing author lateness here)

How's everybody's day going? Good? Bad? So-so? Whichever, here's an update that's very late but that I had fun writing for you so I hope you enjoy. Apparently, I wanted to write a Gabe and Sang scene today, so...Happy Reading :)

*Sang* 

"Watch your step, Sweetie."

I nod, half asleep due to the semi-long drive here and the last dose of meds they'd given me at the hospital. "K," I mutter, in my state barely able to climb the few steps into the house, leaning heavily on Kota for support. It's totally not because he smells nice and I like being held by him and the others.

As if he heard my inner yearning, Kota pulls me in more securely to his side, one arm thrown around my waist and the other on the shoulder closest to him. "Luke, man, could you get the door please?"

"Or I could hold Sang and you could get the door," comes the joking voice from behind us, and from the corner of my eye I see Kota shoot him an 'are-you-serious' look. Not five seconds later, a blur of blond skips past us to unlock the door. The pouty, pu-out expression on his face has me erupting in giggles, which makes him smile.

From further behind where I stand, I hear Sean call my name. "Pookie! Don't start with that or I will be forced to administer the giggle cure!"

The mock exasperation in his voice has me giggling even harder, somewhat loopy also due to the medication removing most of my brain to mouth filter. I hear him start to laugh as well, the noise closer now that we've all congregated in the living room and I smile at him.

"Maybe later, Dr. Sean," I tease, and his eyes bug out a little before a sly grin reaches across his face. But before he can speak, the door opens again and Phil steps inside smiling.

"Welcome home, Little Bird. I'm sorry I couldn't be here when you got here, but a patient needed to speak with me before I took my leave today."

Unwrapping myself from Kota's hold, I walk over to him and throw my arms around his waist. "That's ok, I'm just happy not to be there anymore. I've never even had a home to come back to before, and the boys were with me so I wasn't alone."

His arms go around my back, squeezing gently before he pulls away. "Well you have a home now, as long as you want. As for the boys, I asked them to help get your room ready and I believe Mr. Coleman is going to combust if he doesn't get to show you soon."

Confused, I glance around until I see what he means. Gabriel has a manic sort of smile on his face and he's sort of bouncing where he stands, not unlike Luke does when he sees chocolate cake. I almost want to laugh, but then what Phil just said replays in my head: I have a room. A room that the boys put together. A room of my own that Gabriel designed. Instead of laughter, tears start to form at their thoughtfulness.

"You did that for me?"I'm proud that my voice doesn't break, only faintly rasps since it's still healing.

"Of fucking course I did, who else was gonna do it? Sean?" We all laugh when Sean gasps in outrage, but I've heard about his strange taste in clothing from even North so I know that my bedroom would be like a purple unicorn threw it up if he had something to do with it.

Smiling at him so he knows we're not laughing at him to be mean, I look back at Gabriel. "Will you show me?"

His electric blue eyes light up at the request, and before I know it I'm being dragged up the staircase to the left and down a long hallway until we stop at the second to last door on the right. There he steps behind me to cover my eyes with one of his hands, using the other to open the door to what I assume must be my new bedroom before nudging me forward.