On the Plus Side
Page 76

“Did I hurt you? I never want to hurt you,” he said with a thick slur.
“It’s OK, I’m OK,” I whispered.
He said nothing. He just stared back at me like he was afraid I’d push him away and run for my life. Then his expression changed, and tears filled his eyes. I’d never seen a grown man cry in my life and my heart crushed inside my chest as he buried his face in my neck once more and wept loudly.
“I’m going to lose you. I am. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m going to lose you.” He drunkenly cried.
Twenty-Seven
Damage Control
I woke up the following morning with swollen, busted knuckles, a splitting headache, and only one memory from the day before.
My mother was dead and I, as much as I hated to do it, had to break the news to dad and Jenny. I tried to get up, but I was pinned beneath an arm. It was Lilly’s. She was holding me close to her chest sleeping in the sitting position on the couch.
Her poor neck was going to have one hell of a kink in it. Then I remembered everything. I’d destroyed the garage and then beaten Eric Fitch within an inch of his life. I was sure that once I got home there would be cops there waiting to take me to a jail.
The final memory slammed against me and I felt even sicker to my stomach. I’d shown up at Lilly’s house and pretty much attacked her. Yet, here she was holding me close and taking care of me.
I slid from underneath her arm and softly laid her down on the couch. I pulled a throw blanket over her then went and took a shower. Thankfully, I kept an extra set of clothes at her place, so I had something to change into.
When I walked back into the living room all showered and fresh, Lilly was sitting up on the couch with big sad eyes.
“Are you OK?” She asked in a scratchy voice.
She looked exhausted and had barely gotten any sleep last night I’m sure.
“I’m fine. Are you OK?” I asked.
I needed to know that she was OK, and that I didn’t hurt her or do anything that would push her away.
“You scared me last night.” She tugged on the end of her hair then twirled it around her finger.
That was all it took. I went to her and dropped to my knees in front of her.
“Lilly, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I’d never do anything to hurt you. I don’t know what came over me. I got some bad news yesterday and I just needed you. You always make me feel better.”
“What was the bad news?” she asked.
I told her everything. I started at thirteen when my mother left and ended with yesterday when I had found out about her death. When I was done, there were tears on my cheeks and I was in Lilly’s arms again.
“Do you want me to go with you to tell Dad and Jenny?” She was so selfless.
There would be a time when I would have to tell her the truth about how we started, too, but it could wait a little longer. Too much had already happened. We needed a drama break.
“Please. I need you to be there.”
Dad cried like I expected him to. I think deep down he had always thought she’d come back.  I also think he was upset by the fact that he wasn’t there for her in the end. Dad was just like that. Even though she had run out on him, he still felt like it was his duty to take care of her.
Jenny didn’t really respond. If she did, she waited until she was out of our sight to do so. More than likely that’s what she did. Jenny wasn’t one for tears, especially in front of people.
Lilly stayed to help me clean up my mess in the garage and then we took my car to get the windows fixed.  I never heard anything from the police so I assumed Eric Fitch had lived and wasn’t planning on pressing any charges. The bastard got what he deserved. Lilly wasn’t too happy about it when I told her that I had beat him so badly, but she had to know I’d find out. As a man who loved her and my sister so deeply, there was no way I wouldn’t have defended their honor.
By the time I was taking her home, it was getting late and we both had to work the next day. I was grateful to Lilly for skipping out on work for me, but I couldn’t ask her to do it again.
The plan was to drop her off at home and go home to be with Dad and Jenny, but once I got to Lilly’s door something inside me needed to stay. Thankfully, she asked to me stay and so we got ready for bed and crashed early.
When I woke up it was still dark out. A sliver of light from the cracked bathroom door lit a small corner of the room. Thinking that Lilly was probably just using the bathroom, I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.
I was almost out when I heard her gagging in the bathroom. I climbed out of bed and went to her.