Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) (36 page)

              "Ready sweetheart?" Jayden asked me, waiting for my nod. He reached forward with the tweezers and pulled the piece of wood out. I jerked away, letting out a yelp as I gripped the tub with my hands, trying not to punch him. He pressed the gauze to the wound to stop the bleeding and rested his chin on my knee. I couldn't be mad at him; I was the one who didn't want to go to the hospital.

              We sat like that for a few minutes, the pain in my hip easing now that there wasn't a shard of wood in it. Jayden moved his chin and kissed my knee, then placed three kisses along my inner thigh. I blushed and let him, but tensed when he kept going. Just as I was about to push him away, thinking he was wanting payment for taking care of my injuries, he pulled back to check my wound.

              "Does it need stitches, Doc?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood and get my blush to go away.

              "I don't think so, it was really thin," Jayden said confidently, making me wonder how he knew so much about medical stuff.

              Before I could ask, there was a knock on the door. It opened, revealing Wyatt. He paused for only a split second before stepping in and closing the door behind him.

              He took off his hat and hung it on the back of the door before taking the two steps it took to reach me. "Are you okay?" he asked, meaning not only how I was physically, but emotionally as well.

              I nodded, starting to feel really uncomfortable with two guys that I was attracted to, staring at me in just my bra and panties. The bruises weren't nearly as dark and ugly as they'd be tomorrow, so at least they wouldn't see it at its worst.

              "Polly wants to take you to the hospital in the morning. They want to get a record of your injuries. I'll go with you if you want, everything will be okay," Wyatt said, but I didn't respond. I didn't want to go to the hospital, but I couldn't fight with them over it. Roger and Mrs. Dollghen needed to be punished for what they'd done, so maybe I would follow Polly's lead on this to get it taken care of once and for all.

              Jayden put some antibiotic ointment on my hip, then placed a huge band aid
s
over it. He handed the ointment to Wyatt, who tilted my face up to put some on the cuts on my face, while Jayden started wrapping my ribs. When Wyatt was done, he held my face in his warm hands until I met his eyes, "You fought."

              "Not hard enough," I whispered.

              "No, but hard enough. You came back, that's what matters," Wyatt said, kissing my forehead gently. He pulled back to check on Jayden's progress with wrapping my ribs.

              "Is that too tight?" Jayden asked, pulling the wrap snugly against my ribs, just enough to feel supportive without causing me more pain.

              I shook my head and watched them finish taking care of my injuries, finding new clothes from my room for me to wear. They were both so kind and comforting, taking care of me like this. I expected it from Wyatt, but seeing Jayden take a step back from his usual flirty and sexual behavior was surreal.

              Both of the guys were doing exactly what I needed and for that I would be forever grateful.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

              I walked into the barn with Jayden and Wyatt, letting them lead the way. Sweetheart would be giving birth at any time now, so we were sleeping out in the barn. Wyatt guided me into the stall where we would be sleeping, then walked off to check on Sweetheart.

              Jayden had paused to talk to Dylan and Landon, which left me entering the darkness of the stall alone. Gavin was already inside, sitting back against the wall, his eyes following me as I walked in and sat beside him.

              We both sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before I finally spoke. "I never thanked you for coming and saving me," I told Gavin.

              He closed his eyes shut and looking away. "Don't," he demanded, before opening his eyes to meet my gaze. He didn't want me to thank him or even talk about it. In his eyes, it was what he needed to do after what he had said and done. He thought it was his fault that I had left and this was his way of making things okay again. In his mind, he didn't need any thanks for that.

              I didn't argue, just rested my head on the straw, watching as his breathing evened out. Jayden, Landon and Dylan joined us sometime later, when I was just about to doze off. I found my head resting on Dylan's chest as my eyes drifted closed again, listening to the low murmur of their voices and Dylan’s heartbeat as I drifted to sleep.

              It felt like I was only asleep for a few minutes before Landon woke me, "It’s time!"

              Everyone scrambled up, still half asleep as they rushed down the hall to Sweetheart’s stall. I wondered what time it was as I rubbed my blurry eyes and squinted against the barn lights. Wyatt was inside the open stall with Sweetheart, whispering into her ear to keep her calm during labor.

              Polly walked past me and into the stall to comfort her horse, "Just keep breathing and pushing Honey."

              "Is there anything we can do?" I asked.

              "She's got to become a momma on her own, we only help if we need to," Wyatt said.

              I watched as Sweetheart panted and heaved, her coat covered in a sheen of sweat. I stood by and watched her give birth, wondering why Wyatt wanted me here for this so bad. To be honest, childbirth, or foal birth in this case, wasn't pretty. It was actually kind of disgusting. Had that just been his attempts to get me to stay here longer?

              When the foal emerged, flopping around in the straw, my heart melted. Foals were so adorable! It was still covered with blood, but Sweetheart did her best to clean the foal up.

              Now I could understand why Wyatt would want me here. It wasn't just the special feeling from watching something be born into this world, it was how cute foals were when they blinked their eyes for the first time. It was the foal stumbling and wobbling to its hooves, and the little grunting sounds it made when it found its mother's milk. The foal had only been born for a short time and it already received more motherly affection than I had in my entire life.

              The foal was the same color as Sweetheart, only much darker and thicker boned. Its long legs trembled as he drank.

              Wyatt appeared beside me, leaning up against the wall. He watched the foal with me for a few minutes, then turned to me. "What are you going to name him?"

              "I get to name him?" I asked, shocked, "Are you sure?"

              "There's no one better I can think to name this foal Honey," Polly assured me.

              I bit my lip, watching the little foal as it finished drinking and made his way around the stall. This wasn't just the mark of a new life in the world, but also a new beginning for me. I paused, thinking it over and then rethinking some more. Finally, I said what I had in mind, "Nuevo Comienzo. It means new beginning."

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

              We all managed to sleep for a few more short hours until morning. Wyatt led Sweetheart and Nuevo Comienzo out into one of the fields before sunrise. We all followed, excited to see the new foal in the sunlight for the very first time.

              Landon noticed my limping as I favored my leg, which was stiff and sore from being thrown down the stairs last night.

              He sighed, stopped in front of me and bending his knees, his back facing me. "Climb on."

              "I'm fine."

              "No you're not, you're hobbling around like an adorable penguin. Now climb up," Landon insisted.

              I rolled my eyes, but climbed on his back, feeling the relief rushing through my leg now that there wasn't any weight on it. He carried me towards the fence and I spread out my arms, enjoying the soft breeze in the morning air.

              I felt like I was finally free. I didn't have to worry about where I was going next or anyone trying to hurt me. I felt freed from my past, if only a little.

              "I'm on top of the world!" I called out, smiling as my eyes closed.

              "I'm glad you admit that I'm your world," Landon snickered.

              "That sounds like something Jayden would say."

              "No, I would say that I'm rocking it," Jayden said, smirking at me as he appeared beside us. How did the guy always appear when there was something like that to say?

              I sat on the fence with Landon and Jayden, watching as Dylan sat down on the fence near us, strumming his guitar for a few minutes, then started to sing. The words coming from his lips were straight from his soul, wrapping us up in the warmth of the song.

              I leaned my head against Wyatt's shoulder, listening as Dylan continued to sing. The sun peaked over the Nevada countryside. Nuevo Comienzo pranced alongside Sweetheart, his legs still wobbly from only being in this world for a few short hours, yet he was strong and ready for whatever the day would bring. Colors started appearing across the sky, pinks, purples, reds, like someone was spray painting them over the clouds.

              The quote written on the back of the barn couldn't be more accurate about us all being made up of different colors. It wasn't just parts of us that created the colors though, it was the people around us, all adding their own color onto our soul and making us the beautiful people that we were. I had a lot of darkness from people in my past, but without them, maybe these new colors from the people surrounded me wouldn't be so bright and vibrant.

              They may not have known me my entire life, but they were here now and they were everything to me.

              They were my family and I finally found my home.

Book Two of the Broken Storm Series

Kristan Billups

Coming Soon...

(Ten years into Wyatt's past)

              Light flooded into my hiding spot, drowning out the dim light of my flashlight. I looked up from the Psychology book that lay open in front of me, my body automatically tensing in fear. The face of my brother appeared in the entryway and I relaxed, shutting the book and shuffling to the side to make room for him to join me. He climbed in, closing the door softly behind him before snatching the flashlight from my hand.

              "How many times do I have to tell you to leave the light off? I could see it shining under the door," Gavin snapped, clicking the light off, but not fast enough to hide the new abrasions that covered his face.

              I didn't mention how bored I got being in here day in and day out, only climbing out when our father took Gavin away for the day. Where he took him, I didn't know. Gavin would never say and I had never gone with my father because Gavin would always volunteer and fight to go in place of me. At first I felt left out, but that emotion had quickly evaporated when he kept coming back day after day with new bruises covering his body. By now I understood enough to know that going with our father wasn't something I wanted.

              I rarely saw my father anymore. My father had written me off as a figment of his imagination a year ago, rambling about a mental disorder and hallucination that was causing him to see a second son. Ironically, he was a washed up psychologist who had diagnosed himself with schizophrenia and any other mental disorder he decided on for the day. Gavin had taken advantage of his mental state that day and agreed with him. It had hurt at first that he was agreeing with my father and pretending I was just a figment of my father's imagination while we were in front of him, but I quickly learned that he was protecting me. Gavin hid me away from the abuse I knew he endured on a daily bases and saved me from going through what he was, acting like the older brother he was, by just a few minutes.

              From the psychology books I had smuggled from my father's old office, I knew the only psychological disorder my father had was schizophrenia. He suffered from depression from our mother’s death and stopped caring about anything and everything, blaming his lack of interest in life and us, on mental disorders instead of overcoming the sadness and fear he wallowed in. His schizophrenia fed on his weakened mind and made him believe that he had all of the psychological disorders that he had falsely diagnosed himself with.

              I read about all of the disorders he had diagnosed himself with until I had covered an entire book, then another and another. Now I read through all of the books over and over, trying to find a solution to our situation. I just wanted my father back, but at least I had the best brother that I could depend on. One day I hoped I could return the favor and find some kind of happiness in this life we struggled through.

              "I'll go tomorrow," I offered, knowing his answer before he even spoke. It didn't stop me from trying every day though. I didn't know all my twin went through on the trips out, but I did know that by the physical marks across his skin and invisible ones scarring his heart that he was going through more pain than I had ever known.

              "No."

              "As long as he doesn't see us together then he thinks I'm you. I can do it," I insisted, trying to convince him.

              "You're not going anywhere with that piece of shit," Gavin said firmly. "Now keep quiet."

              "You can't protect me forever. Let me protect you this once" I said, my voice a low whisper as I stared at his dark silhouette in the darkness.

              "I will always protect you, brother," Gavin promised, but didn't relent to what I wanted.

I stayed silent after that, listening to his breathing even out into deep breaths of sleep. He needed the rest, he wasn't going to stop protecting me as long as he was here. I felt grateful for him even as I hurt for him, knowing that as he took care of me, it was destroying him. The only happiness we had in our life was each other and that's what kept us both going.

              Secretly, I wished one day we would find someone to share our lives with that was worth risking our hearts for, but for now it was just the two of us and I was happy for that.

              I squirmed where I sat, after spending hours in our hiding spot with no bathroom there was no way I could hold it for any longer. Slowly I slipped out of our hiding spot, being careful not to wake Gavin and slowly closing the door behind me.

              I blinked, letting my eyes adjust. It was late at night now; the earlier daylight I had spotted when Gavin had entered our hiding spot was long gone. Now the only light was coming from the moonlight and streetlights outside. I paused and listened for any movement in the house and could hear my father shuffling things around in his office, light shining from underneath the door. I slowly crept past the office, my feet automatically stepping on the sturdy boards that wouldn't make noise when I put my weight on them. I relaxed a bit when I made it past, then moved quickly down the rest of the hall and past mine and Gavin's old bedroom that we hadn't used since my father had decided I wasn't real.

              I made it to the bathroom and relieved myself, then headed back up the hall towards our hiding spot.

              Just as I was heading past the office door, it opened, casting light against my sensitive eyes. "Gavin!" my father yelled, pointing at me as he mistook me as my twin, "Where did you put my glasses?"

              I froze for a minute, then stood up tall like my brother would do, "You don't wear glasses, you're just drunk."

              "This must be another psychological disorder then. I'll have to look through my books and see what matches up with these new symptoms,” my father slurred as he swayed on his feet, then turned back to his office to look for his books.

              I should keep walking and let him find another disorder to claim as his, but if there was a chance I could get him to realize what was really going on and that he was just imagining it all, then I could get my father back.

              I stepped forward towards the light of his office, trying to say things that he could understand as a psychologist, "We both know you're not mentally ill, you've concocted all of this inside your mind to cover up your pain and depression."

              My father's head turned towards me, blinking in shock, "Depression?"

              "Yes, you're suffering from depression from the death of our mother and your wife," I said, hope filling my insides. I was getting through to him!

              That hope flew from me when the back of my father's hand struck my cheek, knocking me to the floor, "Don't speak of her! You're not my son, you're just another figment of my imagination trying to distract me from the real mental disorder behind all of this." He turned, letting out a horrifying scream, grasping at his hair and pulling on it, then straightened and reached for one of his many psychology books as if nothing had happened.

              "You're my father, you have to get over her just as we have! Our mother is dead and we need you!" I screamed back at him once I had found my feet once more.

              My father's face turned red with rage, his eyes wide and bloodshot. "Shut up!" His fist came towards me and I flinched, my eyes squeezing shut as I waited for it to land. Instead of a fist against my face, I heard the sound of something breaking and struggling movements. I opened my eyes to see Gavin had tackled him to the ground and was punching him in the face.

              "You can hit me as much as you want, but you won't ever touch him," Gavin yelled, slamming his fist into his face again. My father threw Gavin off of him a moment later like he was a defenseless puppy, then started hitting him back, screaming incoherent words.

              In that moment, I realized there was no way I could ever get my father back. I had lost him long ago. Yelling and losing my cool had done no good and neither had trying to convince him of anything. This man was just a shell of who he used to be, only filled with the rot that his mind had become.

              Grabbing one of the heavy bookends from his shelf, I did the most violent thing I had ever done and slammed it into the back of my father's head.

              He crumbled in an instant, falling unconscious on top of Gavin. Gavin struggled underneath the dead weight of his father's body and I helped move him away so he could climb to his feet. Gavin looked down at the body of our father, then back at me and for once I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes before he covered it up with the mock bravery he always showed me.

              "Let's go," Gavin ordered, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the office. I stayed quiet, thinking we were going back to our hiding spot until he led me to the front door.

              "We're leaving?" I asked, watching him.

              Gavin looked at me and nodded firmly, "We have nothing left for us here and if we stick together, no one will ever hurt us again. It's just you and me like it's always been."

              I nodded, not arguing because I know it's true. It hadn't been my father who took care of me, it had been my brother. Gavin had always protected me and I trusted him to know what he was doing, but now I hoped that he wouldn't hide away the bad and let us struggle together. I wasn't weak and I wouldn't hide away anymore. I would handle whatever came our way and protect him like he had done with me, we were twins and brothers who had made it through the horrors inside the house we left behind. As long as we were together, we could make it through anything.

              At 8 years old, we walked out of the house and into the darkness of night, ready to find our own path in life, together.