“Bree picked me up,” he said. He didn’t know what he was doing there.
“You hate her, though,” she rasped in confusion.
“Thanks, Sierra,” Bree mockingly said, but with humor.
“Yeah, well, she’s kind of stubborn,” he answered with a sheepish grin. “She has a hell of a stomp, too.”
Sierra looked between the two of them in shock as they both smiled. He couldn’t explain it to her because he couldn’t explain it to himself.
“He shouldn’t mock me when I’m being serious,” Bree countered.
“Yes, I’ll be sure not to do that next time.”
“Next time?” Sierra asked with hope. Damien looked at her, surprise radiating from him. She was lying in a hospital bed with broken bones, her body bruised, her future uncertain, and what she was most concerned about was his relationship with Bree.
He turned to Bree and looked at her with new eyes. Could his mother have lied to him? How could a monster inspire such loyalty, such love? He thought back to everything he’d found on the Anderson’s. All of it contradicted what his mother had said, but he didn’t want to believe that.
He couldn’t.
“Sierra, are you feeling any better?” Joseph asked as he walked in the room with a giant bouquet of flowers, balloons and a stuffed animal.
“Yes, Joseph, much better, thank you. You really shouldn’t have gotten me this room, though. I was fine in the other one,” Sierra answered softly.
“Of course we weren’t leaving you in that room. I’m so sorry your father would dare do this to you. If he wasn’t already in jail, I’d go give him an ass kicking right now,” George said as he bent down and kissed her forehead. “I have a couple friends on that force, maybe they can sneak me in,” he added with hope.
“No you won’t George Anderson, and before you even think it, neither will any of the boys. You won’t stoop to that man’s level by getting in a brawl. He won’t ever come near Sierra again. Now, quit talking about him or you’re going to upset Sierra,” Esther, George’s wife, said as she walked in behind him.
George’s shoulders slumped as if he was really disappointed he didn’t get to go give a whooping to the man.
“Thank you, George. Your concern means the world to me,” Sierra said as a tear fell. George bent down and tenderly hugged her before stepping away, giving Esther a turn.
Damien turned to Bree and mouthed, it wasn’t me, while pointing at his eye and implying the fresh tear from Sierra. He enjoyed the way Bree’s eyes opened in surprise at the joke. He was starting to realize Bree just may take him down if he made her best friend cry again. The love and affection was overwhelming in the room and though it was a foreign family sensation, Damien loved being a part of it.
“Damien, I brought this with me. It’s yours so you should have it back,” Joseph said as he stepped beside him and placed a small toy in his hand. When he looked down and noticed the faded D.W carved in the bottom of the wooden rocking horse, he felt a lump form in his throat.
“I’m not ready,” he said, his voice a bit gravely.
“Take all the time you need. All we ask is that you give us a chance,” Joseph said, respecting Damien’s need for space.
“I need to think. You focus on getting better, Sierra. I need you better. I’m so sorry I was such a jerk. I’ve really missed you…,” Damien said as he reached down and reassuringly squeezed her hand. She nodded as her eyes grew watery, but no tears fell, thankfully.
He wanted to lean down and kiss her, but it was too much right then. Without saying anything more, he gripped the small rocking horse in his hand and walked from the room.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I’m sorry, Mom, but you let me down. You lied to me my entire life, preventing me from having a family who loves me, and you almost cost me everything. You did cost me years – many years of happiness. You used your hands as punishment, you cut me down, and still, I loved you. I tried my best to honor you. What I’ve come to realize in the last three months is that you didn’t deserve my honor or respect. I won’t come back here again. What you did to me was unforgiveable. I hope you’ve found happiness wherever you are, I truly do, but I’m done with your burdens.”
Damien stood over his mother’s grave, a solitary flower in his hand. He’d come to say goodbye. For the last three months, he’d slowly gotten to know the men he’d vowed to harm, the cousins he’d thought were so evil. He found them the opposite of everything he’d ever believed. They were kind and caring, and he actually had a lot in common with them when he let go of the bitterness.