Hopelessly Broken

35. Bonding

6.01.20

Life has a funny way of throwing me around the ringer. Here I am, alone in a room with my black haired father, trying not to be super awkward. I had forced Jack so go home to sleep, and the other adults were doing that in the next room. Thing is, I literally can't sleep, and neither can my father. A sudden wave of pain swept across my body, but I fought not to make it obvious. I don't want to bother anyone. I still can't figure out what it is with my right leg; maybe I broke it when we were thrown down the stairs?

"You don't have to hide your pain from me; I'm not waking anyone up unless it's serious." I looked up into his icy blue eyes, and they weren't what I had expected. I hadn't seen him hold anything but a glare, but that pretense had been stripped away now. He was mostly confused, and he was trying to grab a handhold.

"Thanks," I hissed as another bout of pain came.

"I'm sorry... About the way I treated you. I've always been apprehensive about meeting new people, and I guess it comes from a time I lost everything. Especially having someone so unfamiliar to me so close to Daniel, I just... I don't know. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I think I might understand. I'm not a genius on family yet, but I would die for Jack– well... Obviously. I can only think that's heightened when you love someone as much as you do."

"You're a good young man. Whoever raised you did a good job. I do hope that you don't hate Alex for his actions; our lives were horribly unstable, and I wasn't there to help him."

"I'll admit, it took me a while to realize he thought it was for the best at the time. I guess I recognize that I was his child, and he thought that life with him wouldn't be my best. He made the sacrifice of his child to try and give me a better life, and I think it's that thought that counts. Sure, I would have preferred if he hadn't given me away, but he was just protecting a son in the only way he saw possible."

"I'm certain he would appreciate to hear you say that." At that moment, the pain came in a sharp stabbing sensation, and I gasped while curling my fingers down into the bedsheets. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"It's just my leg. It's stinging really badly."

"Bare with me for a second." Suddenly, I was lifted up from the bed, and the jarring motion almost made me cry out. My father pulled back the blankets, and I felt queasy at what I saw. In the middle of my calf, there was a really bad bruise, and I had to hope that this isn't what I think it is. My father's fingers touched the marks, and I had to shove my hand in my mouth to stifle the yelp of pain. "This is going to hurt, I'm sorry." I was lifted from the bed, and I was grateful that I still had my fist blocking my shouts or the whole house would be awake by now.

When every step my father took that moved my calf, I groaned loudly. Tears came to my eyes about halfway down the stairs, but at least my father didn't seem to think I was weak. he kicked open a door, and I recognized it as kind of like a hospital room in their house. "Stay here, I'm going to find a doctor."

"Said like I can walk."

"Fair point."

Soon, a tired looking man came in, and I felt him begin prodding at my leg. It was okay at first, but then he must have hit something because I shouted much like I had in the bedroom upstairs but without the muffle. My father was shooed out of the room, and I could tell they were doing an x-ray even though I had never had one done before. I was a pretty accident free child, so the worst wound I had growing up was a rolled ankle in gym. I hadn't even been to a hospital until Gabe.

Finally the procedure was over, and my father was called back in. "He has a broken tibia bone in the right leg. Please stay here while I get something." I fiddled with my thumbs, and it was obvious that being brought back to life didn't help any non-lethal wounds I had sustained. When the doctor returned, he had the materials to make a cast, and I remember thinking "ah, here we go again."

Once the wrapping project was done, I could hardly move my right leg, but I think that was the goal. It's a weird feeling to just not be able to bend a leg, but I still think I could get used to the sensation. "Alright, you should be fine for now. You get to figure out how to operate crutches, and please for the love of God don't put your weight on your leg. Well set an appointment for 4 weeks since you have a heightened healing ability, and we'll see what happens then. Obviously stay out of your wolf form, and you're going to want to keep the cast dry. I recommend you use those things before you have to go back to school or whatever."

I was helped up by my father, and the two stick thingys were placed underneath my armpits. When I tried to take a step, I almost wiped out, and I would have if I hadn't been caught. "You'll get it, just keep trying. You'll be a pro in no time." I smiled at the praise, and it started in just little baby steps. I almost fell fifteen times, so I was really glad I wasn't alone. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I began to get the hang of the crutches, and my steps were becoming wider. My father still carried me up the stairs, but I was getting used to moving around on my own. My arms are definitely tired, though.

Finally we reached the bedroom, and I collapsed into the bed. It was nearly 5:30, but curse this stupid can't sleep at all thing. The night is so boring! "Thanks for caring enough to help me."

"I have 17 years to make up on."

I smiled at his words, and the moment was special to both of us. He never knew I existed, and I had prayed all my life that he did. It was like a perfect match. We ended up talking until the sun rose, and I found that he had an interesting life that mixed with my adoptive parents in a fundamental way.

"I'm glad that we had the chance to talk like this. When Alex told me about you, I didn't know what to do with myself. Realizing I had been a dick to someone with my own blood was rough, but I'm glad that you aren't holding grudges against me. That... I don't know what I would do if that were the case."

"Especially now that you told me your story, I understand. Let's just be glad that we know each other now."

When we embraced, I could feel the protection he had for me. Family is a strange thing.