Adored by the Alpha

Chapter 69 (haha)

Yeah yeah, harg-harg, 69.

I am very tired and at my grandma's. 

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Worry was gnawing in my stomach, but then again, it'd been doing that for days on end. It'd kept me from sleep, from eating, from thinking straight.

I could feel each of my heartbeats in my head, coursing painfully through my skull. My hand covered my eyes, keeping away the lights in the tiny hospital room. I inhaled deeply, the sweet scent of my Paige. it eased my headache a little, but mostly my nerves. Having her out of sight had been nearly unbearable since she'd fallen through that fucking lake- the only thing that'd been able to make me leave her side was my brother.

Speaking of...

I forced myself out of my seat, picking up my mostly empty plate and heading out of the room. I set the plate on the communal cart for dirty dishes, turning towards my brother's room.

The door opened silently, letting me hear the consistent beeping monitoring his heartbeat, oxygen levels and nutrient intake. I knocked on the door before walking in. "Hey Aussy, just Al here, mind if I come in?" I waited in the door for a couple seconds, listening to the continuous beating. "I'll take that as a yes."

I closed the door behind me, going up to the chair beside his bed. The time was right for a shift change between my parents- I'd assume they were comforting one another in the entrance hall of the hospital.

I took a seat, reaching for his cold, pale hand. "You know, this is the first time since you were a baby that I haven't had to listen to your stupid questions and idiotic jokes. Do you know how annoyed I was when mom and dad told me they were having you? I was nine, as you know. Four goddess-damn sisters, and there was nothing in the world that could convince me I wasn't going to have to suffer through a fifth one. But no, we got... you." I ruffled his hair.

"You know, you were born with this. Stupid full head of hair, you looked like one of those weird baby dolls that are supposed to look like newborns but have pigtails. You looked weird. I definitely thought the doctors were wrong, and that you were a girl. Y'know, cuz of the hair? That's actually when mom and dad taught me about the difference between boys and girls, body-wise. That's right, that's what was required before I believed you were a boy, a brother. My baby brother." I squeezed his hand again.

"You wouldn't know this, cuz you're the youngest, but there's this thing about little siblings... before they get here, you don't want them. You don't want them once they've been born, either, but you learn to tolerate them. However, once they're there... you can't lose them. You just can't. Do you understand that? I can't lose you. Ever. In like, 90 years, you're gonna have to deal with me dying, but again, you'll be 102 by then, so hopefully you'll be so numb to the tragedies of life that you won't even think twice about that. But I'm 22, Austin. I'm too young to lose a brother. When have you ever heard a dude in his early twenties talking about his dead younger brother? That's right. Never. So go on ahead, wake up. Bet mom and dad won't ground you for that stupid stunt you pulled on the ice, either. They'll be too happy to see you. So just... wake up already, will you?"

My mom's soft, sad laugh tore my eyes off of Austin and towards her, standing in the doorway. "It'd be typical of him, to listen to you rather than me," she walked up to my side as I stood from my seat. She wrapped her arms around me in a quick hug, before looking back down at my brother. "And you, young man? You better get your cabooz wakin' up, or else I will ground you." She poked her finger into his immobile side.

I met her eyes. "How are you holding up?"

She sighed, looking briefly at Austin, and then back at me. "Not great, but this is the most time he's spent with me since he was 6, so that's something," a hollow laugh left her, her lips quivering. I leaned forward, kissed her forehead.