I shake my head, staring at the floor, still seeing Dean in that bed, bandaged and broken and barely recognizable.
"How he's doing?" I hear someone say.
Looking up, I see Danny, Kendrick, and Josh coming toward me. They're all big and strong, like Dean used to be. How did he go from that to the person I just saw lying in that bed? How long did his dad beat him to hurt him like that? And why didn't Dean fight back? Maybe he did but his dad was stronger. But I can't imagine anyone being stronger than Dean.
"She doesn't want to talk about it," Eve says, when I don't answer.
"I can." I get up, taking a deep breath. "He's really out of it from the drugs. He tried to talk but I think it hurts his neck when he does so he didn't say much."
"How'd he look?" Kendrick asks.
"Like he'd been beat up," I say, my voice cracking. "Really bad."
Danny brings me into a hug. "It's going to be okay. We're here for you."
I hear my mom behind me, clearing her throat.
"I'm Karla Turner, Brook's mother," she says to the other guys.
I pull away from Danny. "That's Josh and that's Kendrick," I tell her.
"We're on the team with Dean," Josh says. "The other guys will be coming later."
My mom smiles. "It's nice of you boys to show up. Don't you typically have practice in the afternoons?"
"We do, but Coach cancelled," Josh says. "We wouldn't be able to play when everyone's mind is on Dean."
Her eyes go to me. "Maybe I should head home. It's starting to get crowded in here."
"Mom, you don't have to leave."
"I have some work to do, and a few errands to run. I'll come back later and pick you up."
"Or I could take her home," Danny and Eve say at the same time.
My mom smiles at them. "I can get her. It's no problem."
"Mom, I'll walk you out," I tell her. When we're at the elevator, I stop and turn to her. "I want to stay."
"That's fine, honey. Just let me know when I should pick you up."
"I mean, I don't want to leave. I want to stay until I know he's okay."
"No. You're not staying here all night. And you're not missing school. Dean will be fine. He's being taken care of by very qualified people. Being here isn't going to help him. There's nothing you can do."
"But if something happens—"
"The staff will care for him. If something happens, if his condition worsens, they won't let you near him. He'll need to rest, and recover."
It's true, but I still don't want to leave him. If I go to school, I won't be able to concentrate. I'll just be thinking about Dean.
My mom smiles. "Those boys seem to really care about you."
"I don't really know them that well, other than Danny."
"Still, they showed up here for you."
"It's not for me. It's for Dean."
