“It’s OK, we know how to look after her,” Bree says.
“Lucky Joe, to have the cutest nurses around,” Justice says, slipping back into his easy going nature.
“Anyway,” Joe says, rolling her one visible eye, “You never answered me when I asked if you were behaving for Loyal.”
As soon as Switch gave Joe pain medication she relaxed into her bed and then demanded I tell her why I had her nieces in my custody. Safe to say, once she heard the plan, she was onboard.
“Yes,” the girls chorus at her, ignoring her pitiful raised eyebrow in my direction.
“They’ve been perfect little angels, Joe,” I reply, with a wink.
“Good. Now, I got to listen to Mr. Justice’s nice story. What say we cuddle up and let him tell us another, huh?”
Quick as a flash the girls climb up, mindful of Joe’s injuries and snuggle up as close as they can without outright touching her. I raise my brows at Justice who waves a hand at me. He always was good with the little kids when we were younger, keeping them occupied and out of trouble. I let his voice fill the room with fantastical stories while I check on Joe’s vitals and refill her water glass, along with giving her more pain killers.
The girls are mesmerized by the story Justice weaves, and I can’t miss the fact that my friend seems just as enamored. I take a seat at the foot of Joe’s bed, mindful not to disturb her battered body, and I let Justice’s words wash over me. The cadence of his voice helps soothe my mind, stopping it from racing. All the things I had in my mental checklist just seem to fade into insignificance. I know that the list hasn’t fully gone away, but the urge to stress and overcompensate just to make sure everyone is happy and well doesn’t seem to be crushing me like usual. It could be because I’ve met the original DRMC members. I’ve seen their dedication to making the Keep a success. A place where people can feel safe and for some of them, hopeful. I know I am. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel hopeful for my future. My history and trauma haven’t gone away, always on the fringes of my mind, but I’m hopeful of the new experiences I’m having, new memories forming, with the new people I am surrounded by.
“Hey, whatcha thinking so hard about?” Joe whispers, poking me with her toe under the covers, the twins asleep next to her.
Looking around I notice Justice somehow snuck past me. Which is crazy considering he isn’t a small man. Joe lets out a quiet snort before grimacing. I open my mouth to chastise her but she gives me a look and I clamp my mouth shut.
“Must have been thinking pretty darn seriously to not notice that fine man leave the room.” She waggles one eyebrow before hissing and gingerly touching her forehead,
“First off, stop moving. Especially your face.” She rolls the one eye I can see, then ignores me by giving me a smirk. “Secondly, Justice is not a fine man. He’s my brother-cousin.”
Her face lights up, and I know she’s about to bombard me with questions, and honestly? I welcome it. It means that whatever happened to her at the hands of that murderer hasn’t broken her.
“A brousin! Wait, so do you think of him more as a brother or more as a cousin?” She wriggles slightly, getting comfy between Addy and Bree.
The poor little things would be exhausted after being plagued with nightmares last night. I lean forward to gently brush the hair out of Addy’s face, before doing the same to Bree, mulling over Joe’s question.
“Well, I’m not too sure what I think of him as. He never lived with me growing up so not quite a brother. But at the same time, he seems closer than a cousin.” My brows pinch in concentration. “I’d probably say he’s my best friend. Well, one of two, now.” I smile gently at Joe, softly patting her foot.
She sniffles, snuggling down a little deeper under her covers. “Loyal?” she asks quietly.
“Yeah?” I whisper back.
“Thank you. I knew that I needed help and I knew that you wouldn’t turn me away. You’re more than a woman I met on my course; you’re my best friend, too.”
I scooch up the bed, reaching for Joe’s hand, wrapping it in mine. “I love you, Joe. I’ve got you.”
She gives my hand a small squeeze, sighs and leans her head back. Her one good eye flutters closed, and I watch as her breathing synchronizes with the twins for a moment. Moving to stand my head snaps up when I see Justice in the doorway, his gaze on Joe.
Moving toward him I gently guide him to the hall, not wanting to wake anyone up.
“She doing OK?” he murmurs, eyes still on Joe through the open doorway.
“She’s strong, and she’s got us,” I answer, giving him a tight smile.
He nods jerkily, before blowing out a breath. “Good, that’s good.” He rubs the back of his neck, as if trying to release the tension he was holding.
“Did you need something?”
“Hmm? Oh no, just wanted to let Joe know that her dog, Mosely, is out in the common room with Greer. The little girl seems to have taken a shine to the pup.”
A smile grows on my face. Greer is such a ball of sunshine, it doesn’t surprise me that she’s taken a shine to Joe’s little dog. “I might go see how they’re getting on.” I move to walk down the hall in search of Greer and Mosely, but I stop when Justice calls my name quietly. Turning to look over my shoulder, my gaze meets his.
“I don’t think of you as my cousin.”
