Damaged

Six

"Are you... well you aren't okay... but... I'm sorry, Peri." I struggle to find words as Peri stares up at me, seemingly shocked at my presence.

"Y-You didn't leave?" My heart sinks for a moment thinking he didn't want me there... but before I can even back away from the situation emotionally just a tad, a very weak hand squeezes mine back, his eyes filling with tears, wiping his cheeks with his free hand as he tries to keep me from seeing them.  He cant seem to find the right words so he settles for averting his eyes for a moment before changing the subject.

"What hos-hospital are we in?" He frowns at his mouth's unwillingness to cooperate fully, his stutter worse than just simple shyness. Phillip had warned me before letting me launch myself in here on what to expect, but it's still heartbreaking to watch. It's clear in his still somewhat glossy eyes that he knows that his sentence wasn't quite right... that the words had been harder than normal to get out...but blinking can only do so much to help him figure out what had been wrong.

Confusion...he may have some trouble with speech and motor function... he might cry for a little while, and don't be surprised if he has trouble focusing on you, and he'll most likely be tired for the next few days. He doesn't seize often, but when he does it's a bitch trying to recover according to his medical history. Don't push him to try and force mental connections. He's fragile right now. Soft touches only.

"Bellevue. How do you feel?"

Mulling it over he intertwines our fingers and runs his soft thumb up and down the back of my hand as he focuses on them instead of answering me.

A knock on the door makes us both jumps as my younger brother pushes his head into the room. The moment his eyes land on me James lets his body follow his disembodied head, and thankfully he's alone.

"Phil called me." James narrows his eyes at Peri making him squirm. I have a suspicion that if my little Peri wasn't feeling so unwell the weak way he's clutching my hand would be a death grip and it's enough for me to want to kick him in the shins like when we were younger.

I ignore him and focus on the shivering form in the bed, using my free hand to bring the scratchy blanket up higher and tucking him in a little bit, "Baby...this is my brother, James. Are you okay with him being in here for a minute so I don't have to leave you? You don't have to participate in the conversation.. just rest."

Peri knits his eyebrows together as he processes the new information before slowly nodding and settling down, his eyes fluttering closed after only a moment, soft snores following not long after.

When I don't leave his bedside James makes his way beside me taking a good long look at my little man on the bed before sinking down into the chair beside me.

"His family isn't coming?"

"Phil said he came in a month ago and took all the emergency contacts off his charts. I don't think... from what I know at the moment they might not be the nicest people." I answer... but now that I think back on it... had the trembling that had happened under his brother's verbal assault been a warning sign?

James nods his head slowly and reclines in his seat before speaking again, judgment weighing heavy in his tone, "You've known him for a day."

"No. I've been spending every morning with him...All those mornings you thought I was working from home... We may not have been talking but I know him."

My brother stares at me in shock and I can feel his eyes burn into me as I keep my own training on Peri's sleeping form.

"You've been fucking him every morning for a month and managed not to brag about it? Or were you keeping it quiet because of his health issues?"