A Tiny Home

Chapter 11

I walk in the door and run up the stairs before anyone can see me. It feels very high school as I gently close the door behind me to prevent the transformation into a petulant teenager.

I lay on the bed and cry for a while before I hear the soft knock at the door.

"Amy called," Hank says gently as he pokes his head in.

"Then you should know better than to check on me," I say jaw clenched.

"Hannah,"

"Hank, please just fuck off."

He freezes. "No." He closes the door behind him, "And fuck you for thinking I would."

"Why wouldn't I think that."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you woke up, but Will was in surgery for 12 hours. In Toronto."

"Which I didn't know. Because none of you bothered to call."

"We wanted to call you and tell you once we knew if he would live."

"Yeah, well instead I spent two days thinking he was dead, and that you were all too angry to ever speak to me again." I hastily wipe the tears from my eyes. "You made me think I killed him."

"We didn't mean too."

"You could have stayed." I accuse. "One of you could have stayed."

"He's my best friend Hannah."

"And I'm your sister." I stand up restless energy pounding through my limbs. "At least I was before I slept with him."

"Hannah." He scolds.

"Oh, you can't hear about it but you can talk to your fiance about it."

"That's not how that happened."

"Were you explaining why you've never been there for me? Why we barely spoke for ten years because you couldn't stand the idea of me being that close to him?"

"Fuck Hannah, I don't give a shit that you slept with him."

"Really? Tell that to Will's face. You gave him a black eye."

"Yeah! Ten years ago!" He yells. "Trust me I'm over it."

"You chose him over me," I whisper. "You left. You left with him and I didn't see either of you for five years."

"Yeah, then you left for two."

"Because I was angry!"

"What are you so angry about Hannah! No one blames you."

"I almost died and you didn't care," I say on a sob. "You only ever cared about Will. I love him too but, you're my brother. You were my best friend." I wipe the tears from my face.

"Hannah,"

"Just, go away Hank." I lay down on my bed and wrap myself in my comforter.

My eyes are closed before I even hear him close the door.

When I wake up I notice the warmth of the body pressed against my side and startle.

"Shhh, it's just me," Will whispers. "Everything is okay."

Tears roll down my face before I can stop it.

"Let it out Hannah, stop running."

I sob in his arms until my tears run dry. He soothes me, an arm cradling my head into his chest, the other rubbing circles into my back. I cry long and I cry hard.