A Different Path

Chapter 41 - Dizzy

Criticism spot! :)

Crutchie's POV

When I woke up the following morning, I immediately felt a weight on my chest. I kept myself close to Jack, wishing he didn't have to sell. He began running his fingers through my hair, looking down at me. 

"How are you doing?" He asked, speaking quietly. I looked away and considered lying, not wanting to be a problem. "Hey, you can tell me." Jack added, understanding what I was thinking.

"Not good," I finally answered, feeling as though I could break down. "Race was right, I shouldn't of seen her."

"You know, I think it's good you did." I looked back at Jack, confused. "You were able to get all that stuff off your chest and tell her how she made you feel." I nodded, realizing he was right.

"Can I just... Stay home today?" I asked quietly, trying to do my usual puppy-eyes. I could ell it worked right away, as he sighed in defeat. 

"Alright, fine." He sat up and rubbed his eyes, standing a few seconds later. I sat up as well, stretching a little. "I'm sure Race will be here soon, do you want to try moving your hand or not?" I took a deep breath, looking down at my left hand. 

"Sure," I answered, feeling beyond nervous. He noticed this, buttoning his shirt and walking to me, kneeling down.

"We don't have to. We can skip it for today." I couldn't help but smile, feeling loved.

"I think we should try." He nodded, and as though on cue Race called out to us.

"You fellas awake?" He asked, making Jack laugh a little.

"Of course we're awake by now, come on up," he joked, and Race showed up just a few seconds later. 

"Hey! How're you feeling by the way? I mean, are you getting some strength back finally?" He asked, sitting across from me.

"Yeah, I think so," I answered, looking at Jack for a moment as he sat next to me. 

"That's good," I put my arm out for Race, trying to prepare myself to be let down for the third day in a row. 

"Just take a deep breath, okay?" Jack said, smiling kindly at me. 

"Whenever you're ready," I took a moment and looked back to my hand. To my surprise, I finally was able to close it just a tiny, tiny bit, making the two nearly jump for joy. I wasn't even able to be happy, though still feeling too upset about last night. "Try opening it," Race asked, and I had about the same results. I looked up at Race to see him smiling at me, but I couldn't do the same back. He understood why, thankfully, so he wouldn't bring it up. "I'll be back tonight, okay?" I nodded and Race left without another word, leaving Jack and I. I looked back at my hand, feeling exhausted.

"I'm sorry you can't even be happy about this," Jack said, pushing my hair back.

"It's okay, it's not your fault." I looked at him, trying my very best to smile. "You should get to the square." Jack sighed and stood up, clearly wanting to stay.

"I guess," he looked at me and smiled one more time before disappearing down the ladder, leaving me to my thoughts.

I turned to watch the rest of the sunrise, studying the colors as they filled the sky. I sat for quite a while, part of me wishing I had gone with Jack so I wouldn't be alone all day. After ten minutes of staring at the sky, I went to grab my journal when the ladder shook, catching me off guard. Jack appeared at the top, holding a blanket.

"What're you doing here?" I asked, chuckling a little at him.

"I brought you a blanket!" He said, proud of himself. He draped it around my shoulders and knelt down in front of me, smiling. He then pulled me into a hug, holding me tight. "I'll be home tonight. We can talk all night, or do whatever you want. I love you so much." He pulled away from me and kissed me on the head, rushing down the ladder before I had time to say anything back to him.