The Kings IV II

22

Fran

I chewed vigorously on my thumbnail, terrified of what was happening to Hero right now. I had no way of knowing, considering he'd left his phone here. Thankfully, Dad had followed him, but still.

"It's okay, lovebug," Mom whispered, placing a mug of tea in front of me.

"What if it's not?" I asked, leaning my head against her chest.

She pressed a kiss to my head. "I'm sure nothing happened."

The door flew open, making me stand up and run to Hero.

"Oh, my God," I whispered, wrapping my arms around him, "I was so worried."

He wrapped an arm around me, pressing his cheek against my temple. "Hey."

I sniffled, pulling away from him. I looked down at his hand, my jaw dropping. "Hero."

"I-I think it's broken," he softly said, looking at Mom.

"Okay," she said, wrapping an arm around his neck. She pulled away from him quickly, examining his entire being for even a scratch.

Dad walked in, making my stomach turn. I knew he'd found out, there was no way he hadn't.

"I'm so sorry," I said, making him attack me with a hug.

"Fran," he whispered, hugging me as tight as he could, "do not ever apologize for that again. Ever."

He pulled away from me, cupping my face. He looked upset, and I'd only ever seen Dad upset a few times in my life.

Mom led Hero into the kitchen, gently placing his hand on the counter. I followed, biting my nails as I watched her attempt to move his fingers for him.

"Fuck," he whimpered, dropping his head.

I turned away from him, wrapping my arms around Dad. Hero was the strongest person I knew, and seeing him in pain because of a mess that I'd created, that was the hardest thing for me to witness.

"It's broken," Mom said, looking at Dad.

Dad nodded, patting Hero's back. "You good?"

Hero smiled a weak smile, looking over at us. "Probable cause."

Mom rubbed my back. "Do you want Dad to take Hero to the hospital, or me?"

"I can take myself-"

"You're not an adult," Dad said, "you've got to have someone with you, kid."

"Hey, did your foot miraculously heal?" Mom laughed, earning a pained chuckle from Hero.

"Adrenaline, I guess."

I smiled, keeping my head against Dad's chest. "You can take him."

"Alright," he said, pressing a kiss to my head.

Mom looked down at Dad's hand, making me do the same.

"He had a-"

"Dad, don't," Hero said, leaning his head back.

"Don't what?" Mom asked, knitting her brows together.

"Yeah, don't what?" I repeated.

"Just drop it," Hero said, limping past us.

"Hero, what happened?" I asked, pushing myself away from Dad.

"Fran, it's over," he said, slipping into his jacket, "everything's over."