OBSESSED

13

tw: mention of physical assault/battery (not sexual)

JARROD

Julia did not look good. Her pallid face was the first thing I noticed when James and I entered her hospital suite two hours ago.

She hadn't stirred from her nap even once since we arrived, and the only things assuring me that she was alive were her steady breaths and the pulse monitor.

James cleared his throat and stood up. "Going to get some coffee and return a work call. I'll be right back."

I waved him on, not taking my eyes off our sister.

Our parents had taken a break once we got here. They'd been dealing with Julia all day, which was inevitably an exhausting task. She was rebellious to any form of authority—worst of all, her very own parents.

I could only imagine my mother's horror at discovering her youngest child was pregnant. It didn't make it any better that we didn't know who the father was.

From what they had told us, Julia refused to say who he was. We were all assuming it was because he was a bad guy or someone inappropriate for her to be with.

Why else would she be so withholding? What did she have to lose at this point?

We might have been a fucked up family but she wouldn't be left to raise this baby on her own. James would certainly be involved in this child's life. He didn't like kids—or anyone really—but he adored Julia. He would help her in every way he could.

I just hoped I'd be the cool uncle that the kids would get all excited to visit and do fun things together.

Even if he wasn't a good or decent guy, I still wanted to know who the fucker was. Someone put her in this position and was half responsible for this life growing inside my sister.

Who knew what her journey had been like up to this point? She could have been alone and struggling for months now.

The only reason we knew she was pregnant was because she experienced some bleeding and rushed to the hospital. I was just grateful that she was in a healthy enough mindset to come here in the first place.

My sister had been a pothead since high school and while none of us particularly cared about her pastime, it did concern me regarding her parenting skills.

The fact that she was here though . . . That meant she cared.

I sat back in my chair and rubbed my tired eyes.

After working a full day and then flying down here, I was exhausted. I wouldn't return home until Sunday, so I would not be resting well in my comfortable, orthopedic bed for the next few days.

My hand slipped into my pocket as I thought about the other reason I would not be getting much sleep. As I checked my messages, I realized Leah texted me back.

There were no words to describe the elation I felt when she first responded to me earlier.

I'd never given up hope that she was going to talk to me again. I didn't understand her. We had the best sex of my life and then she ran out.

What about me put her off? I ached to know so I could fix it.

Whether she realized it or not, Leah needed me as much as I needed her. She needed someone to watch over and guide her, while I needed someone steady to anchor me.

This was the first time I felt ready to invest in another woman after Tiffany and I couldn't let her get away so easily.

Wetting my lips, I read her text from about thirty minutes ago.