You Scratched My Anchor

Chapter 5. Jade's POV.

I felt a weight on me, and it briefly worried me until my mind caught up to the night before.

Tori, homework, our talk, more homework, her passing out halfway through us watching Criminal Minds.

The weight was Tori.

I lifted my head and tried to work out if moving would be at all possible.

It wasn't.

One of her legs was between mine, her body was covering half of mine, her head on my shoulder, an arm tightly across my waist with her fingers bunched in my shirt.

A scream from upstairs made us both startle, Tori looked confused while I just ran upstairs after shoving her off me slightly.

"Riley, it's okay, I'm sorry," Rose's voice flooded my ears over my brothers screaming.

I skidded into the kitchen on my socked feet, Tori's footsteps quickly gaining on mine. 

"What happened?" I asked, looking up at the woman.

"Jade. I'm sorry, I just-"

"Rose, breathe, what happened?" I asked a little calmer as she held Riley's hand in a tight grip beneath the tap despite his struggling and screaming.

"He burnt his hand, I didn't know he was downstairs, I was cooking his breakfast and set the hot pan on the bench, he grabbed it."

I nodded, lifting Riley -even through his thrashing about -up onto the bench and held his face in my hands, making him look at me.

"Riles, sh, Hey, it's okay." I tried to get him to look at me, but he kept struggling. "It's okay, Riley, come on, breathe, Buddy..."

He hiccuped and sobbed, snot running down his nose and lips.

Tori stepped over, grabbing my attention, making me look at where she was pointing.

"Tight," she said, watching as he spelled the word over and over again with his fingers.

"Rose, let go," I said calmly, watching as she did so before Riley cradled his burned hand to his chest, leaning against me.

"It's okay," I whispered, wrapping my arms around him and stroking his back.

"Tighter?" I asked softly. I felt him nod, so I hugged him tighter, feeling him slowly gain control of his breathing and his tears.

"Can I see your hand, please?" Tori asked him and he very carefully held it out towards her.

Tori held his wrist carefully, her hand open incase he wanted to pull away. "Burn gel?" She asked softly.

"I'll get it," Rose said, sounding completely helpless and distraught that she'd hurt him.

"Riley, can I dry your hand please?" Tori asked as I held up.

He nodded, but Tori couldn't see it through me. "He's nodding," I whispered.

She reached around me and grabbed a few sheets of paper towel, laying one on his hand without applying pressure. He whimpered, so I shifted, letting him see she wasn't meaning to hurt him.

"Here," Rose said, rushing back into the kitchen, holding a tube of burn gel.

Tori smiled at her briefly before looking at Riley. "Okay big guy, this will hurt a little, but I'll try my best to make it not hurt, okay?"

He nodded at her.

Tori dabbed his hand dry and carefully applied the gel, making him sniffle and whimper, but not pull away.