“Open your eyes, Henry.” He slowly cracked them open and I could see the faintest green coming through. “Henry...” I grabbed his face to kiss him, completely ignoring the fact that I was filling a bag. “Ow! Claire, help me!”
“Thomas,” Claire said as she unhooked me. “Go and get a cup or something.” He ran out of the room.
***
Addie and all of the kids were sitting, talking and eating when Thomas flew into the kitchen. Addie stood up. “Is everything alright with him?” She was still very concerned.
“I…I jus’ need a cup or somethin’ like tha’.”
She tilted her head to one side, and looked at him with confusion. “Why on earth would you need a cup?”
“Water. Jus’ some water. He is havin’ a hard time wit’ the water bottle at the moment.”
“Alright.” She reached into the cabinet, cautiously handing him a small juice glass. “Is there anything you need me to help with?”
“No!” Addie looked shocked that he spoke to her in that way. “Sorry. No, ma’am. We’re fine. Like Claire said, Henry’s a big baby.” Thomas turned on a dime, ran back to the bedroom, and slammed the door.
***
Thomas tossed the cup to Claire, and she filled for Nick. He didn’t sip like he normally would. He dumped it back like he was doing a shot at the bar. He passed the cup back to Claire, and she filled it for Henry. The cup of blood nauseated me more than the vial. I hesitated.
“Take it! Give it to him!” Claire insisted as she shoved the cup at me.
“Okay,” I said, with a meekness that I rarely possessed. I stroked his face. “Henry…” I held the cup to his lips. “Drink up.” He cracked open his eyes again. I was careful not to spill a drop as I tipped it up, and he drank at a slow and steady pace until the glass was empty. I wiped his lips, and handed the cup back to Claire. “Henry?” I whispered while holding his face.
“Yeah…?” he drawled out with a harsh rasp in his voice.
“Oh, Henry!” I wrapped my arms around his neck, and began to weep into his chest.
“Hey… hey…” He was trying to console me. “It’s alright.” He rubbed my back with his unbroken hand. “Love, it’s okay. I’ve got you.” Each word sounded better than the last. He looked at the rest of our little family. “Thank you,” he said. Everyone nodded once. “Oh, and thanks for telling them I’m a big baby.” Henry smirked, as did I. Everyone laughed in relief.
“I’m going to go rinse these out,” Claire held up the vials and cup.
She made it to the door, when Thomas warned, “Go out the front. They’re in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.”
***
Claire, oozing with suspicion, crept through the house and then quickly headed out the front door. Addie stood up when she saw Claire go outside, and decided she was going into the bedroom again. She listened at the door before she knocked with a heavy fist.
***
“Open this door!” Addie yelled from the hallway. I was cramming all the tubing and needles into Henry’s pack. Just as I zipped it up, Addie opened the door on her own. “If you don’t tell me what is going on in here, I’ll throw every one of you out!” I contemplated telling her the truth. “First, I hear Henry yelling in agony, and then laughing? Then I see Claire sneaking out the front door!” She was angry, and she looked like a snake ready to strike. Nick looked at me, wondering what my response would be.
“Well, Henry was injured several weeks ago. He got into a nasty fight with some jerk who was trying to steal our ammo and supplies. Let’s just say Henry fared better than the other guy.” I looked back at Henry, and he was staring out the window, trying to avoid eye contact. “We think his ribs were fractured or something when the guy planted his boot into Henry’s side. I’m not a doctor so I can’t tell you for sure.”
“What happened to the other guy?” I just looked at Addie with a quirked brow, and she knew. “Oh. Right.”
“Nick said that once they sprinted out of the school, he buckled over in pain. We think he may have reinjured them. Plus, he reinjured his hand. And he has a few other nagging issues that haven’t healed yet, due to him trying to be the hero all of the time.” I said it with some attitude. Nick looked relieved at my explanation. Addie came over and picked up his hand. Henry hissed and yanked it back.
“I think we should splint this for more support.” Addie sounded concerned. “I have just the thing. Be right back.” She walked out of the room. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Nick gave me a thumbs up. I helped Henry sit up at the head of the bed.