Page 73 of Fractured Constellations
“I think it might take more than that.” I chuckle, and he gives me a grin.
“Well, it’s a start. Thorn can help you wash while Chase and I change the sheets,” he says, and my flushed cheeks burn, my nose wrinkling when I realise the huge wet patch I’m now lying in.
“How are you going to explain it?” I ask as he moves away, and Thorn sits up, helping me up too.
“Tell them that we took care of you,” Blade answers, completely deadpan, and my eyes bug out.
“Don’t you fucking dare!” I scold, but he just gives me that devastating smile of his as Thorn scoops me into his arms and takes me into the bathroom.
Bastards.
Iwake up the next morning, deliciously warm as two bodies sandwich me between them. Just as I’m blinking my eyes open, the door opens and Susan peeks in.
“Good morning, campers,” she greets, not batting an eyelid at finding me in bed with two of my brothers, all of us practically naked. “I’ll let you get ready, and then it’s time to start the first treatment, okay?”
“Sure,” I reply, my heart giving a thud inside my chest. Blade tightens his arms that are wrapped around me, Thorn stroking hair back from my face and turning me to face him.
“It’ll all be okay, Goldie. We’re here and aren’t going anywhere,” he assures me, his emerald eyes boring into mine with an intensity that doesn’t allow for any other truth but his.
Giving him a nod, because I’m still too nervous to focus on more than the next step, they help me get out of bed and get dressed.
“Have a few sips, Star,” Chase says, handing me some of the protein shake he brought with us. I’m grateful, because I don’t think I could manage much more. I do as he says, taking a couple of sips before the door opens again and Susan strides in with my first treatment.
“Right, this is the BCNU, the Carmustine. You may feel a bit nauseous and have a metallic taste in your mouth, plus flushing of the skin. Ready?” Susan asks, and again, I nod, because I’m so not fucking ready.
I lie on the bed, Blade sliding in beside me as Susan hooks it all up.
Pretty quickly, I start to feel a warmth spreading through my veins, and I purse my lips as the taste of pennies fills my mouth.
“You okay, baby? You’ve gone pale,” Chase asks from the chair next to the bed, and I look at him, swallowing.
“Yeah, just a yucky taste and a bit hot, but nothing too bad.”
“Well, you just ring the bell if anything gets worse. I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Susan tells me, giving me a reassuring smile before leaving the room.
“What do you call a bear with no teeth?” Thorn asks, and I turn to look at him, my lips already twitching upwards because I know this is going to be terrible.
“I don’t know,” I say, and he gives me that cheeky, boyish grin of his that makes my heart flutter.
“A gummy bear!” I can’t stop the giggle-groan that falls from my lips, but it just makes Thorn grin wider.
“Dude! That was truly fucking awful,” Blade grumbles from beside me, but I can hear the smile in his voice.
“But it made our pretty sister smile, so I’ll keep ‘em coming,” Thorn argues, his gaze locked on me.
“What did the volcano say to the mountain?” I ask, and he comes closer, perching on the end of the bed.
“I don’t know. What did the volcano say to the mountain?”
“I lava you.” My voice comes out a little breathy, the words pushing past the lump in my throat. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without Thorn and his terrible jokes, or Blade and his steady strength, or Chase and his quiet way of taking care of everything.
Thorn’s face softens, his chest rising and falling with a slow breath.
“I lava you too, Moonbeam.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“ANGEL” BY CAMYLIO
