You're Always You

Chapter Thirty-Seven

David Minett

"Wait—Seriously?"

"Yeah, kid."

Brett sat back in his chair with a triumphant laugh. "Yes! Y'know, I wanna say I don't believe that, but I believe it wholeheartedly. I'm getting out. Dude!"

"I know," David replied, smiling at his brother's happiness. "Hey, but you gotta quit the thug life, alright? No more jailbirding."

"Nah," Brett said, shaking his head and swiping his hand across. "I'm done, man. I'm done. I'm sick of this shithole. You can count on that."

David nodded. "Good. It'll be good to see you as you, instead of inmate."

"What, is this not flattering? I quite like the blue. S'better than orange."

The older brother snorted and shook his head. "Brett."

Brett snickered. "No, I know. I can't wait to wear my own shit again, too. Breathe real air again. Be a man again."

Except, someone with a record like him was going to be difficult to employ, but...they'd make it work. David knew a guy, apparently. Alternate reality connections. "You'll be alright, Brett," he promised. "We'll get you on your feet."

Brett smiled gratefully and raised a hand to the glass. David raised his own hand, and it was the closest to touching they'd get for a little while yet. Freedom might've been secured, but it would take some time for the paperwork to filter through. "Thanks, Davie," Brett murmured into the phone. "I don't have the words...."

"You don't need words," Dave said, shaking his head. "A hug when I come pick you up will suffice."

His younger brother chuckled happily. "Yeah, you always were a sap."

"Hey."

The brothers continued to talk through their allotted time, until Brett had to go back, and Davie was left...well, leaving again. But, it was the best conversation they'd had in....

Apparently years.

Though, the happiness was short lived. After the long ride home, David pulled up in front of his house and unlocked the door. His mother was home by now, unsurprisingly, and nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

....Until he walked inside.

Lydia was sobbing on the floor with both of the other women trying to comfort her. Monica sat beside Lydia, squeezing her hand, and Mom was rubbing her back.

....

"Davie," Monica murmured, giving a sigh as she saw her brother.

"What happened?" he questioned, setting his keys on the rack and stepping over towards the girls, dropping himself onto the floor to instinctively pull Lydia into his lap and hold her. She didn't fight him, but he was pretty sure that was more because she didn't have the strength, versus not wanting to.

"You never should've left, David," his sister said, shaking her head. "Dickie showed up. He tried to take Lydia away. I called the cops, they hauled him off for the night, but...." She gestured at Lydia, who was still falling apart. David didn't know when this occurred, but he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"God," he mumbled, holding Lydia against his chest and pressing his nose into her temple. "I'm so sorry...."

"The asshole kept saying he wasn't hurting her, while dragging her out by her wrists," Moni complained, crossing her arms. "I showed the badges all her bruises. Her face, her shoulders, her waist from when he shoved her into the counter. I remember you telling me about that, Davie. Needless to say, they took my side."

Good.

"It wasn't abuse!" Lydia sobbed, clutching at David's shirt. "We just...had issues....Every...couple...fights...."

"Shh," David responded, scratching his fingers softly in her hair and rubbing her back. "Sweetheart, not every couple pushes each other around when they get a little grumpy. That's not normal. That's not love. That's abuse. I know it didn't feel like it, but...it looked like it. It sounded like it. I can promise you that."

"If it quacks," Moni pointed out, but she earned herself slight glares from both David and their mother, so she shut her mouth.

Dave sighed. "....You can't stay here, Lydie," he murmured, nuzzling her temple, not bothering to restrain his affection very much. "We have to go, or he'll be back. I'm taking you to my apartment."

"...O–Okay..." the woman blubbered against him.

Sigh.

"Alright," Dave mumbled, getting to his feet and taking her with him, before letting her feet down so she could walk for herself. "C'mon." The man took the sobbing woman outside, and towards his car. She was technically bare-footed, but that didn't matter. Once she was in the passenger seat, he told her that he would grab her things, before shutting the door.

Given that her nonessentials were stashed in the garage, David figured they could stay there, so he went into Brett's room, that she'd been using, and replaced the things she'd pulled out back into their boxes. He pulled her clothes from the closet, despite her just having put them up last night, and put them back as well, before taking boxes three at a time back to his car. It didn't take too much time or too many trips, thankfully, and he didn't need to open up the trunk either. He went inside one last time to tell his mother and sister that he'd be back soon, kissing them both, before heading out again.

When he sat himself behind the wheel and started it up, Lydia had stopped sobbing, but her breathing was still erratic and sniffly. David reached over to take her hand and squeezed it gently, noting how red her wrists were.

Damn it.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he murmured, closing his eyes. "I'm so sorry...." David was compelled to ask if she was okay, but the answer was clear. She was not. "....I shouldn't have left."

"....It's not your fault...." she mumbled, not looking at him.

....

He sighed and started the car, beginning to drive. "....He doesn't deserve you, Lydie," Dave said softly. "You're a better person than he'll ever be. Okay? I know it hurts leaving him, but...." He shook his head and grasped her wrists, gently of course. "Staying would hurt more."

That didn't help, as she clenched her eyes shut, but it was better to hurt her emotionally than physically, if given the choice. "....He said....He said he...loved me...." she wept, her voice tight with another wave of tears. "He said it was a mistake...."

"It's a mistake the first time," David replied. "He's sorry the first time. But if he was sorry, he wouldn't do it again, Lydia. And he's hurt you a lot. At this point, it's not a mistake, and whether he loves you or not, this....This isn't the way to show it. People don't hurt their loved ones." He sighed again, squeezing her hand softly and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Sasha loves you, Lydia. Monica loves you...." I love you.... "But he's the only one that shows it by pushing you around. Doesn't that say something to you?"

Lydia fell silent at that, which told David to just...stop pushing and drive.