Finally Wanted

Chapter Ten

The night was a rough one.

Corbin had a constant headache and kept on throwing up. The throwing up did nothing to help with the headache, and even with the constant flow of pain meds it wouldn't let up. He finally fell asleep at around four in the morning, the nurses who had been on shift were relieved. 

The police arrived at midday and, even though he still felt like crap, Corbin gave a statement. He was obviously tense and uncomfortable throughout the whole interview and almost cried in relief when the two big, mucho policemen left. 

He was discharged at three in the afternoon and went home with Harry, who had been given strict instructions on what and what not to do concerning a certain concussed teenager. When they got home, however, Corbin went straight to bed and slept for the rest of the day, not stirring even when Zayn came in to check if he was okay. He slept soundly through the night and woke up the next day at nine-thirty.

Glancing over to Mitch's bed, and finding it empty, he swung his feet over the side of the bed and got to his feet. Shaking his head to rid himself of the sleep-state his mind was in, he shuffled out of the room and down the hallway. Stopping in the kitchen to get a drink of water, he paused when he heard soft voices coming from the lounge. Curious when he heard Mitch's name, he walked slowly to the room, his ribs aching as he leant against the door-frame. 

"What about Corbin?" That was Zayn, he must have night shift again.

"Lou said that they only wanted to take Mitch." Harry, of course. 

"Are they going to be okay to be split up?" 

At that point, Corbin pushed himself upright and walked into the room, startling them from their conversation. Zayn immediately got to his feet, his face adopting a concerned expression. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked quickly, "Are your ribs okay?" 

Shrugging lightly, then wincing straightaway, Corbin sat down on the love seat and asked, "What were you talking about?" 

Harry and Zayn glanced nervously at each other before Harry cleared his throat. "Uh, Lou called me this morning, she said she found a place that would be willing to foster Mitch." 

Corbin nodded slowly, dread seeping in and filling his bones. "How far away?" He whispered, picking at his pajama pants. 

Harry sighed, "Three hours, I'm sorry buddy." His voice reflected just how sorry he was. 

Corbin closed his eyes and swallowed down the sob that threatened to burst out of his throat. "When will he have to go?" He whispered. 

"The family will come tomorrow to  meet him and it that goes okay, he'll go with them on Sunday." Harry explained. 

Nodding, Corbin carefully got to his feet. "Well, I guess it's all down to him." 

Harry nodded. "I am sorry buddy, if I could, I'd get you guys a home that would take both of you." 

Corbin sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. "Well, it is what it is." 

Then he left the room and carefully made his way back to the den, where he gathered his clothes for the day and shuffled into the bathroom. The tears started coming fast and he slumped down on the toilet seat, the realization hitting him that this weekend could very well be one of the last that he spends with is younger brother. His ribs started to hurt really badly due to his posture, but right at that moment, he couldn't find it in himself to care. 

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During dinner, everyone could tell that Corbin was in a bad mood. Of course, most of it was credited to his broken ribs, but there seemed to be a bigger reason that Harry and Zayn were the only ones clued up on. Mitch was telling everyone about his day and how one of his teachers trousers 'mysteriously' fell down. 

Corbin kept his eyes on his plate, thoughts starting to spiral. What if Mitch really liked the family and did want to leave. What if Mitch didn't agree to go because he didn't want to leave his brother, and he never found a place? Could Corbin allow that to happen? How could he? He knew most people would never take in a fucked up teenager, and if Mitch insisted on never leaving him, he'd never find a good home and he'd live his teenage years in a rocky environment. No, Corbin would not be the reason Mitch didn't find a home. 

"So Mitch," Harry's voice broke through his thoughts, drawing him back to the present. "I got a call from Lou this morning." 

Mitch nodded and asked, "Did she find us a home?" 

Harry met Corbin's eyes briefly before glancing away and answering, "Not exactly buddy, Lou said she's found a family who would love to meet you tomorrow." 

There was a beat of silence. 

"Me?" Mitch sounded confused, "What about Corb?"

Harry shook his head, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry Mitch, but they just wanna meet you." 

Tears sprung into Mitch's eyes and he shook his head. "No no no, I don't want to meet them if they're going to leave Corbin behind." He jumped up and ran out of the room.

Corbin sighed. "I'll go talk to him.' He murmured, getting up from the table and leaving the room.

Again, silence reigned in the room. 

"Shit." Niall breathed. 

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Corbin found Mitch curled up tightly under his duvet, sobbing hard. He sighed and perched on the edge of the bed. 

"Come on Mitch, we need to talk." He murmured, tugging the blanket off of his brothers head. Mitch looked up at his brother through red-rimmed eyes and shook his head. 

"No, I'm not going anywhere without you." His lower lip trembled. 

Corbin tugged him upright and hugged him tight, ignoring the pain in his ribs when Mitch hugged him back. 

"I think you should at least meet them." Corbin whispered. 

Mitch whimpered and gripped tighter. "I don't want to leave you Corb." He looked up at him, blue eyes foggy and glassy. 'What if you spiral again?" 

Corbin gave him a small smile and kissed his head. "Don't worry about me." He said softly. "This is a good opportunity to find a family Mitch, you shouldn't throw it away." 

Mitch sniffled and buried his face in Corbin's neck. "I'll meet them, but I won't like them." 

Corbin smiled sadly. "We'll see." He breathed.