The Wishing Fallacy (The Vendetta Series: Book One)[COMPLETE]

Chapter Three: Come Dawn✔️

Her Life by Two Feet

"Belle? Chula, are you sleep walking again?"

"Hm?" Belle looked up and realized she had just been standing and staring at the refrigerator, empty water glass in hand. When had she come out here? All she could remember was getting home from the hospital this morning and lying down for a nap. It apparently didn't do anything, she still felt exhausted from her encounter. "No, mom. Sorry, I was thinking."

"When do you have to be at the studio, honey?" Belle's mother asked.

"I don't. Today is my off day."

Belle's mother gave a sigh of relief and Belle smiled tightly. "Extra shift?"

"Yes. I'm on call and they had an influx of patients. Would you mind-"

"You don't even have to ask, mom, you know that," Belle said, already making her way to Claude's room. "Love you!"

"Love you too, chula."

Belle already had known that her father had a deadline coming up, so he was on the family computer working on a project for his employer. It was only common sense Belle would be looking after Claude. He hated how much they had to keep an eye on him lately and even more so now since he had been injured during a seizure. Belle could see how he wished he could just go outside and play for a day, like a regular kid.

He was lying down again when Belle went to his room. "Buddy? Wake up little guy."

"Grr."

Belle laughed at Claude's attempt to growl. Apparently he hadn't been asleep quite yet and she had disturbed him. "Come on, bath time, kid."

"Ugh, do I have to?"

"Do you want to smell like old onions?"

Claude wrinkled his nose and pushed himself up with his arms. "No."

"Then come on."

Claude sighed and pushed himself to the edge of his bed. His legs twitched a bit with the effort, but he had all but lost any motor skill in his legs. Belle had to fight the urge to help him as he expertly maneuvered himself into his chair. He hated when they tried to help him.

He strapped himself in and rolled his chair forward. "Beep beep," he said, making as if he were going to run over Belle's foot.

"Hey!" Belle jumped back at Claude's little giggle.

He stuck his tongue out and started rolling towards the bathroom. Belle grabbed some fresh clothes from his drawers and followed him. Claude had parked himself in the crook between the toilet and the shower and was unbuckling himself from his chair.

"Do you need to go?" Belle asked as she turned the shower on and made sure the water was warm.

Claude shook his head. "Went earlier." He stripped off his pajamas carefully and pulled himself into the tub using the hand grips, sitting on the little stand they had installed. Belle went about washing his hair while he cleaned himself. He would be able to do everything by himself if his arms didn't get so tired staying up in his hair for extended amounts of time. The fact that his hair was thick with their mother's Puerto Rican heritage didn't help, either.

"Is mom here?" Claude asked when he was finished and Belle was still conditioning his hair.

"No, she had to go to work."

Claude gave an unhappy frown and looked up at the shower head. The droplets pelted his face, but he didn't close his eyes. "I miss her. I don't ever get to see her."