Page 16 of Theodore

“I love you too, Mom,” I whispered back, tenderly slipping my hand into my brother’s swollen one. I watched as everyone left, the door closing softly behind them.

“You’re doing it, Nik. You’re going to make it. When you do, I’m gonna buy you the biggest keg of beer you’ve ever seen, and we will get fucked up. I promise.”

The machine beeped beside him, his chest now rising and falling without the aid of the tube.

I felt so proud of him for fighting. He was in there somewhere, refusing to be kept down.

“I miss you, Nik.”

A sob rose in my throat as I rested my head on his hand, careful not to touch the cannula.

I remembered when I was seven or eight, and I cut my knee falling off my new bike. Ryan had called me a baby and told me to toughen up, but Nikolas had come over with a ‘My Little Pony’bandage and kissed it better. Together we told the bike off, and he then made us make friends again. I got straight back on it that day, and Nikolas stood watching me proudly as Ryan had told him he was turning me into a wet lettuce.

He didn’t care, though.

“I love you so much,” I whispered, closing my eyes as tears spilled down my cheeks.

A sound made me spin towards the door, and I saw the kind nurse from the other day. She gave me a warm smile before turning to my brother.

“Afternoon, Nikolas. I’m here to fluff your pillows and have a general tidy around. The doctor said you are getting better by the day, which is glorious news.” She peered at him as she held his wrist, checking his pulse. “We can paint the town red.”

I hid a smile as she made some notes on the pad at the end of his bed before smiling at me.

“Your pretty sister is here. Where’s your boyfriend today, love?”

My cheeks flushed as I stared at the floor, shaking my head.

“We’re just friends.”

“No, you’re not. Friends don’t look at each other like he did you. I dare say that he is in love with you.” She chuckled as she glanced back at my brother, adjusting his blankets carefully. “And you, him.”

She raised an eyebrow at me as I bit my lip, part of me wanting to tell her to fuck right off, but the other part of me wanted to talk to someone so bad whowasn’tTheo.

“He’s a nightmare,” I admitted as she put her hand on her hip, her chocolate brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

“They all are.” She waved dismissively as I continued.

“Ha. But he has a different girl every week,seriously. If not more than one...” I trailed off, realizing the thought of Theo with anyone else suddenly made me feel violently sick.

“And?” she asked as I blinked.

“And… I don’t want to be another number.”

She rolled her eyes as she walked over to me, placing her small hand on my arm. “You know, I see a lot of things in ICU. I see breakdowns, I see tears, but most of all, I seelove. I can recognize it in an instant. Don’t ignore what your gut is telling you. You’ll only regret it. Plus, a man like that doesn’t stay single for long. They need a good woman to calm them down.”

She walked over to the bed and began telling Nikolas about her day. I loved how she spoke to him as though he was talking back.

“I said to him, look, Mr. Helly, if you don’t leave, I’ll drag you out myself. Who needs security?”

The door opened, and Mom stood there, her smile brightening as she saw the nurse.

“Amy! How are you? Did the doctor tell you the good news?”

The two of them began talking animatedly as I stretched.

Amy looked over at me, placing her hand on my mother’s arm as she paused.

“Hold that thought. Get some rest, sweetheart. You look exhausted. Too much thinking isn’t good for your head.”