Chapter 42

“She doesn't have to do this! She is a kid!” I sat in my hospital bed, watching a huge fight break between Ethan, Dad, and my brothers. I woke up to this argument, however, it has only escalated since. I had no idea what was happening.

“Ethan, calm down, she needs to do this so he can get what he deserves.” Immediately as those words left Trevor’s mouth, my blood ran cold. They can’t be talking about Liam. No way this is happening. I thought he was gone. I don’t know if I have the strength to do this all over again.

“No, the fuck she doesn’t. You guys are all assholes! Every one of you who thinks that she should be in the same room as that psychopath. I will not put up with it. Remember I still have full guardianship of her. I won’t hesitate to use that power against you guys. Don’t test me.” My eyes bulged out of my head as I heard Ethan use vulgar language like that to Dad and my brothers. He has never raised his voice like that in front of me so it made me flinch and lean into the bed more. Grayson must have seen this and quickly put his one hand on my shoulder while rubbing circles with his thumb and his other hand in mine. He squeezed it and turned his head to look at me, silently telling me it was okay with his eyes.

“How dare you even bring that up. You are my son and you will not only listen to me but you will respect me. I will go to the court and get her guardian switched over to me. Don’t test me. You have no right to make decisions for her.” Dad said while inching toward Ethan. Ethan however didn’t back down and stepped up to him as well.

“She isn’t well enough to even be alone, how the hell do you expect her to have to sit in that courtroom while Liam stares her down, making her go through the stress and anxiety again.” Dad’s face turned red and his fist clenched. I saw the other boys inch towards the two just in case anything got physical.

“She will be fine. We will be there for her and we will protect her.” Dad basically spat out between clenched teeth.

“How could I believe that when you let her get abused for years. You could have saved her but you didn’t.” Ethan exploded. I could tell he was hurting and guilty as soon as his shouts left his mouth. Tears came to my eyes as I saw the look on Dad’s face. His expression held pain and guilt before his face turned hard as a rock. He stared at Ethan for a few minutes. Ethan was now letting tears down his face. I looked over and saw my brothers with hurt and shocked expressions. Dad cleared his throat and stepped back.

“Dad I-” Ethan tried to reach out for him but Dad moved away from his touch.

“You’re right. I’ll just leave. I know I am not wanted here.” The tears in my eyes fell down my face and a sob left my mouth.

“Dad! Please stay.” He looked at me with soft eyes but then they hardened. He then turned and started to leave. I struggled to get out of the bed but Grayson had a tight grip on me. Brandon soon came over to my other side because I was struggling so bad. “Dad! No! Come back! Please!” I kept shouting and thrashing, trying to get to him. “Let go of me! Dad!” My sobs became louder and louder and it soon was hard to breathe. Ethan was in the same place he ended the argument with Dad with a blank expression on his face.

“Shh! It’s okay Beautiful. Please calm down, you will make yourself sick.” John came over and stroked my hair. I didn’t want to listen as I stared desperately at the door, hoping that this was all a joke and Dad would come back. I stopped thrashing after a few minutes but my sobs didn’t slow down.

“I-I-I don’t blame h-h-him. Please g-g-get he back h-h-here.” I choked out while coughing from the crying.

“Baby, you need to calm down. Dad just needs some alone time, however, right now you need to breathe. Copy my breathing. Ready? Okay in, hold 1,2,3, out. Beautiful job, keep going.” Jake put my hand on his chest and tried to help me match my breaths with his. It started to work after a bit. My breathing was calming down as well as my tears. My weak body was completely worn out from that episode, but I was determined to stay awake. “You’re doing great, Love. How about you go to sleep? That was a lot.” Trevor said while replacing Grayson from his spot and running his hand through my hair. I shook my head and turned toward him.

“I need to make sure everyone is okay and I also need to know what the heck is happening.” The boys sighed. It really looked like they didn't want to talk. However, I looked over and noticed that Ethan hadn't moved from his spot still. Anger rushed through me and I wanted to punch Ethan. “Ethan, where the hell did your balls go? You were on fire out there a few minutes ago. What the hell were you thinking?” I sat up angrily as I was explaining my frustration to him. He seemed to be knocked out of his dazed state and looked over at me. The way he looked broke me. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying. Snot was running down his face and he just looked so broken. My frustration completely faded and my heart broke. “Oh, Ethan…” He broke out in sobs and dropped down to his knees. I quickly made my way off of the bed, without tearing off any of the tubes or wires that I was connected to. The boys quickly tried to catch me but I launched myself at Ethan before they could do anything. I quickly wrapped my arms around his shaking body and held him close to me. He stuffed his head in my neck and gripped onto my sweater like I would disappear.

“Bri, I am so sorry for this. I-I-I never wanted this to happen. I just want to protect you. I wish I was strong enough to stop all of the hurt and pain in your life. You mean the world to me and I am failing so bad. Liam is back and-” Ethan was cut off by Elli.

“Ethan, it's not the time for this. Dad should be here-”

“Do you think he will even be in the same room as me right now? She needs to know.” Elli looked at Ethan for a few seconds and sighed. He slowly nodded his head and just sat back and listened. “As I was saying, Liam is back.” I tightened my grip on Ethan as his words left his mouth but I let him continue. “With our… business, we could easily get rid of him, however, there are some complications with that. The gang that Liam is a part of has connections to the police just like we do. They could easily expose us to the police and it would be a hassle to get rid of that many people.” I just sat there, listening to his words and taking them in. “Liam needs to be punished in a way where it is constant. We have allies that are serving life that would gladly make his life a living hell. He would get off too easy if he would just… disappear. Unfortunately, this means court which also means pictures, evidence, questioning, and testimonies. However, this means that he will pay differently.” I looked at his broken face and saw pity. I deflated into him. It was his turn to wrap his arms around me and keep me upright. “I don’t think you can handle it. I don’t want you to have to live through that again.” I laid my head on his chest while taking everything in. The boys looked at me with anticipation of how I would react. My shaky hands let go of Ethan and hugged my hands to my chest.

“I-I-I’ll do it.” I felt the air get thicker with my words and it was harder to breathe. Everyone held shocked faces, almost like they didn’t think I would do it. I need closure and no matter how much pain it causes me, it will be over in the end.

“What? Are you sure? We could always figure it out.” Trevor said while stumbling over his words.

“I need closure.” Where the only words heard in the eerie silent room. “I need to know that he will pay for what he did to me. I’m tired of all of the pain and trauma he caused me. I fall victim to it every day! I bet he doesn’t even feel guilty. I need to know that it is done.” Towards the end of my speech, I felt a presence enter the room. Once I finished, I looked over and saw Dad standing there. I stood up immediately and stumbled over to him. He wrapped his strong arms around me and held my weak body up. My body was fighting so hard to give in but I was resisting.

“I heard all of that, my love. I’m glad you want to do it. Don’t you ever think you will have to do this alone. We will always be here for you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you in the past, and I will forever be guilty about that, but I will never leave you now.” I pulled away a little but made sure he was still supporting me because I felt so weak.

“I don’t blame you. I am not angry, I never was. This isn't your fault. You are the reason I sit here and fight for my life every day. You are the reason I now have a purpose to live.” He let out a huge breath and pulled me back into his chest. Slowly, the boys came over one by one and joined the hug. I felt my legs give out but Dad was holding me so I didn’t budge.

“I think it's time for the Princess to rest.” Everyone laughed and I just nodded my head. He lifted me up and quickly placed me on my bed. He tucked me in and made sure I was snuggled up all nice. The energy of the room calmed down tremendously and everyone was calm. Dad sat next to my head and held my hands. “The doctors looked over your bloodwork and said your numbers are improving. You might be able to go home for a sleepover soon.” I gave him the biggest smile I could muster in my exhausted state.