Who We Were & Who We Are Now

Part 9

Juniors youth works in his favor, within a week he's on his feet and smiling again. Sure the bruises are still there, but you'd taken great care of him and nursed him back to health. You'd brought him clothes from home and decided to bring the record player as well. You and Jack switch responsibilities with Junior taking their bed, Jack was super apologetic and asking if you needed anything multiple times a day. You didn't know if this was of his own doing or if Forrest had threatened him if he didn't help you take care of Junior.

So the day comes when you pack up Junior's things, you have the suitcase on your bed, and it hits you that it's time for you to leave as well. As you push your weight onto the top of the hard case, it snaps shut and you're left with a hanging head, looking down at your hands and the tears start. You had to go back to that house. God dammit you didn't want to go back to that house. You couldn't keep putting Jack and everyone out like this, Junior needed looking after and you'd just have to swallow your selfishness and go take care of him. You promised yourself you'd put him before you because that's what a guardian should do and you were determined not to fail him like you'd been failed before.

So you decide to just let it out. You sit on the bed with your head in your hands, shoulders softly shaking as the sobs came and went. You thought you were being quiet, but not quiet enough for Forrest not to hear you. He stands outside your door and listens, eyes shifted to the side, staring into the wooden door as if he could see through it. He's certain without a doubt you're crying and he couldn't very well leave you like that. So he knocks on the door.

"Yeah?" you say weakly, wiping your face and straightening your posture.

"Tawny?" you'd recognize his voice anywhere and you let your shoulders slump.

"Come in, Forrest." you sigh out, your hands sitting on either side of you on the bed.

He peaks his head in first and you don't meet his eyes, your face looks tired and worried, clearly red and damp from crying. He moves slowly as if he might frighten you and you might bolt. He closes the door behind him, quietly, standing a few feet away, hands into his cardigan pockets.
"You wanna tell me what's wrong?" his voice isn't sweet exactly, but it isn't unkind. More as if he was trying to get you to tell him without demanding it.

You let out a heavy sigh, your brow furrowing, eyes slowly blinking underneath them. You open your mouth but only another noisy breath comes out. He sees you'd been packing Junior's things, the suitcase still on your bed so he assumes you're upset about something to do with him.

"How about this?" he says in a lighter tone, trying to remember he was speaking to a woman and not one of his insensitive brothers. He sits next to you on your bed, mirroring your posture, his elbows on his knees and looking at the same spot in the floor you were. "Are you upset about something that I can help ya with?" his face turns slightly towards yours, eyes not looking at you yet, his voice evenly paced and calm.

You nod and turn your face towards his, he takes the cue and meets your eyes.

"Then what's wrong Tawny? Hmmm?" his lips purse just slightly, eyes looking over your body language, eyes blinking slowly under his heavy brow, eyes reading calm and caring which is exactly what you needed.

"Junior's better so we've got to go back to the house now." your eyes leave his, looking away, your face still in the same position, only your eyes move.

"Mmm." he's a patient man, he waits and makes you say what you mean. This is also something that you needed. Not something you wanted, exactly but you were so used to hiding your wants and needs that expressing them was sometimes difficult. So you clench your jaw and breathe deep. Just say what you mean.