32.

* Ahhhhhhhh the next chapter is here! (: *

Austin took another glimpse into the rearview mirror to check on Glen, his hovering parental nature kicking in.

The boy looked rather calm now compared to the first 20 glances sent his way, as if Glen had finally accepted whatever fate was coming his way. His gaze was situated on the window, watching the passing cars, only shifting downward momentarily when he readjusted the icepack on his lap.

Nobody had said anything , making for a silent car ride to the parlor. It was only when Austin pulled into the parking lot did he hear some rustling coming from his little sister.

At the sight of the giant ice cream sign, Harry's Ice Cream Parlor, Hayes perked right up. Her feet slid off the seat as she sat up in anticipation. Initially she found it a little hard to believe that Austin was willingly allowing them to have ice cream for dinner but now that she saw it with her own eyes, she certainly wasn't going to question it.

Jumping out of the car, she pushed her door shut before rounding to the back to meet up with her brothers. Excitement danced in her eyes as she knocked into Austin's side, her hand subconsciously gripping onto his shirt as his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Did the icepack help?" Austin asked his brother who approached Hayes' other side. He noticed Glen left it behind on his seat.

"Uh huh," Glen gave him a couple nods as he ruffled his messy blonde lockes with his good hand. He needed to get a haircut this weekend or he'd have lunch detention on Monday. Stupid Catholic school with their dumb rules.

"Good," Austin murmured, the three heading towards the shop. Once they crossed the parking lot onto the sidewalk, Hayes bounced ahead of them, too eager to walk at their slow pace. The store was basically empty with only another family paying at the cash register, the little bell jingling loudly above the doorframe as they entered.

"What kind are you going to get?" Hayes made a beeline to the counter. Her nose was nearly touching the glass barrier, separating the customers from where the ice cream buckets sat. Her hands were plastered against the glass, her pointer finger pressed above her flavor of choice, tapping repeatedly.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, please!

No brainer for the young girl.

Austin hung back, walking at a more appropriate speed as he watched Glen step beside her, his gaze scanning over the available options. Hayes turned her head to speak to him, the two appearing to conspire quietly as a smile floated onto her face. Without thinking, Hayes hugged Glen, apparently forgetting all about his injury because she suddenly jumped back when Glen hissed in pain. Her face dropped in concern as she muttered an apology.

"Easy does it," Austin told his sister, pulling her back a couple steps to rest against his chest. His hand remained looped around her waist to keep her out of trouble. When she tilted her head back to look at him, her smile was back.

Austin returned the glance with a smile of his own as he poked his finger in her side creating some giggles as she squirmed. When her gaze focused on something else, his own smile dipped momentarily as a bit of guilt circulated in his head. He couldn't help but think about how he manipulated this situation to be in his favor. He had no doubt that Hayes and her ice cream would soften the intensity of the conversation he needed to have with Glen.

She was, without a doubt, Glen's support, and her childish nature would keep the atmosphere light. The only variable would be how much Glen was willing to share.

Always the enigma, Glen was a tad more challenging to break his walls once activated.

A pinch to his arm caused him to glance down, a pair of bright blue eyes staring right back at him. "Can I have three scoops?"

"No."

Hayes pouted making Austin chuckle at her disappointment. She twisted back around so his arms remained crossed securely against her chest. He dipped down and kissed her head as his eyes strayed back to his little brother who stood in front of him.

Austin would do anything to swap places with him. To shoulder all these set-backs for him.

He was only a 15-year-old boy. His mistake, almost 16-year-old teen.

Glen should be thriving, not just surviving.

Young, wild, and free, as Francis would proclaim.

Okay, maybe not that. Francis was a special head case.

Above anything, Austin just wanted his Smiley boy to be smiling again.

The more Austin observed Glen, the more he picked up on the seriousness of the injury. It was subtle but Glen kept his right arm tucked close to his stomach, barely moving his fingers. He hadn't had a good look at it yet, so Austin still had no idea just how bad it was.

At this rate though, how the boy managed to get through basketball practice? God only knows.

But even when Glen was a little boy, he had never been the kid to bow down from a bit of pain. And pain was bound to happen when a merely 6-year-old underdog would wrestle with his older brothers. So he had practice to build up his high pain tolerance.

"Hi! Welcome to Harry's Parlor, what can I get for you?" Finished with the previous group, the teenaged girl with a baseball cap on her head, approached the Powers siblings. Wiping her hands on a towel, she was ready to serve the next family.

"Go ahead, Smiley," Austin encouraged his brother to order first.

"May I have, uhh, a double scoop of chocolate with gummy bears, please?" Austin didn't miss how Glen glanced back at Hayes, who shot him a quick thumbs up in approval.

Austin shook his head at their antics. He shouldn't have expected anything less of his little sister, her scheming ways to get as much ice cream as possible.

"Absolutely. Cup or cone?"

"Cup, please."

"Coming right up!" She chirped, getting busy behind the counter.

After the siblings received their orders and Austin paid, they found themselves sitting outside at a patio table. The cute little ice cream shop was located along the dock surrounding a man-made lake, providing some peaceful scenery. The calmness was exactly what Austin was looking for.

Hayes pulled her chair out, causing the awful screeching noise that made her wince. The brothers followed suit, each taking a seat on either side of her so Glen sat straight across from Austin. No hiding from his eldest brother's stare. She plopped down, eager to dig into her own bowl of deliciousness before her eyes darted to Austin's hand.

Strawberry ice cream.

It looked very tasty.

It wouldn't hurt to just have a little bit.

"Austin," Hayes said with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes, "May I try some?"

Austin playfully rolled his eyes as he held out his hand, letting his sister scoop some of his ice cream with her spoon. He needed to work on his resistance to her.

"Yum!"

"Austin?" This time it was Glen who spoke his name, the boy's gaze directed pointedly down at his own ice cream cup.

"Yes, buddy?"

"I'm sorry for freaking out like that," Glen could feel his cheeks warm from the embarrassment as he apologized. As much as he tried to convince himself that he moved on from his past, that was a blatant example of once again how wrong he was. Glen watched his ice cream melt, the droplets trailing over the edges of the cup.

It frightened him, the thought returning that he'd never truly be freed from the Bear's clutches. Because, in all honestly to himself, he had forgotten where he was for a very terrifying second. Pure instinct pushing him to flee.

Had he really thought his own brothers would harm him when they've done nothing but show him all the love in the world?

Austin deserved more respect than that.

God, he was such a burden to them.

"You want to talk about it?" Austin asked, bringing an end to Glen's inner disparaging thoughts. He asked in a way to give Glen the power to decide what was said.

Glen gulped, hesitating. He was afraid of triggering his nightmares again. Unfortunately, he didn't know it was too late for that.

"We don't have too, either," Austin continued, "We can leave all that alone and just focus on your hand. Just from the way you're holding it, it's probably broken." The older brothers weren't without their own broken bones in the past, though Francis shouldn't qualify for that group. He only sprained his arm once and that was because he had the great idea to jump off his bedroom dresser to see if he could fly. Needless to say, he was not superman.

Glen found himself fumbling with the cup, twirling it in a circle on the table. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why do you care?"

"You mean besides the point that I love you?" Austin leaned forward in his seat to rest his elbows on the table, his chin lay in the palm of his hand as his index finger brushed his lip, thinking. He couldn't figure out where his brother's head was at.

"Why do you love me?" Glen tossed the question back at him. His eyes flickered to Hayes who sat watching the conversation like it was a tennis match. "Why do you love us?"

"Where is this coming from, buddy?" Austin's forehead wrinkled in concern. "I love you because you're my kid. All 8 pounds 3 ounces of you with a mop of blonde hair and scraggly limbs that loved to poke me in the eye. From the moment Jane told us she was pregnant again, you were mine."

Glen stared at him, unwavering. He almost just blurted out everything then and there. Almost.

"How much did I weigh?" Hayes asked curiously, resting her empty cup on the table. She pulled her knees to her chest so her feet perched on the edge of the chair.

Austin pretended to think about it, as if he didn't know exactly how much his baby sister weighed. "Hmm, you were the last kid and all, the details are a little blurry."

Hayes scowled, "Liar." She called his bluff.

Austin chuckled, "7 pounds, 6 ounces and bald."

Glen snickered as Hayes gasped, her hand finding the end of her ponytail to twirl it, as if reminding herself that she indeed did have hair now.

"I can show you pictures if you don't believe me," Austin added, winking at Glen. "You actually looked exactly like Dakota as a baby."

Hayes crossed her arms, grumbling unhappily at being called a boy now.

"I'm just teasing," Austin said, "Kind of. You really did have no hair, but you were so much cuter than Kota."

Rolling her eyes in a huff, Hayes stood up to throw her trash away. The soft pitter patter of her sneakers drew her brothers' attention for the time being until Glen shuffled in his seat.

"Austin?" Glen peeked up at his eldest brother from underneath his bangs, "You were right."

Austin kept his face neutral as he sat his ice cream down on the table to give Glen his full, undivided attention. "About what?"

"I think I broke my thumb." When Austin didn't initially say anything, Glen began to backtrack, "But it's not a big deal, I can handle it."

Austin held up his hand, silencing his brother. He recognized the expression on his face. "Don't do that." Glen looked at him confused, "Don't negate your pain because you don't think you're worth the trouble." He casted Glen a look, daring him to disagree when he went to open his mouth, "Glen, I know you. Your thoughts scream louder than your words."

Glen pursed his lips, glancing at Hayes as she rejoined them at the table. He watched as she grinned, thinking she was sneaky as she happily scooted Austin's cup of ice cream closer to her. She wasted no time, digging into the deliciousness with Austin's spoon.

"I'm guess I'm just still not used to having someone care," Glen mumbled. Austin proved time and time again that he cared, and hopefully one of those times would finally stick in Glen's brain.

"Well that's what I'm here for," Austin replied, "To keep reminding you until you get it in your thick skull."

"Thanks," Glen said appreciatively, "For not giving up on me."

Austin's gaze softened, "I'll never give up on you, Smiley."

They exchanged mirror grins, the similarities between the two apparent to anybody looking their way.

"I saw that," Austin's hand suddenly clamped down on Hayes' wrist making her groan. He released his grip, holding his hand out expectantly for the girl to pass his bowl back with the little ice cream that remained it in.

Geez louise, she worked fast.

He wouldn't dare tell her, but he was lowkey impressed.

"So," Austin cleared his throat as he placed his cup on the other side of the table, far out of her reach, "want to tell me how exactly you broke your thumb?"

Hayes' eyebrows rose in surprise. She was gone for two seconds and she missed all the good stuff.

"Jammed it against Francis' shoulder." Glen answered, his gaze lowered again at his admittance. It was easier to talk when he didn't see Austin's piercing stare looking right into his soul. He took one more spoonful of his chocolate ice cream before sliding his cup towards Hayes' awaiting hands. He didn't have an appetite for anymore.

Austin's eyes narrowed at the kids' obvious planned partnership before a new thought crossed his mind. Did that mean this injury didn't happen today? "You said Francis?"

"Yeah, when we played soccer." Glen explained. He remembered shaking his hand after the initial shock, hoping the pain would go away after a minute but it didn't work.

Not this time.

He here was four days later and obviously was still struggling as his brothers finally noticed.

It wasn't like Glen planned to never tell Austin, he just didn't think that meant tonight... or tomorrow... okay so maybe he didn't plan to tell Austin ever.

Of course, Austin didn't need to know that bit.

"You mean last weekend?" Austin asked for confirmation. "Glen, why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Austin wanted to kick himself. He failed greatly as the older brother. He had been so preoccupied with other all the crap being pressed upon him, that he dropped the ball with his greatest responsibility. He should have noticed he was hurting sooner.

He was the worst.

Glen glanced up at Austin, meeting his eyes for a brief second for ducking his head again. He did a half-shrug.

Austin let out a sigh, digesting everything.

"I'm sorry," Glen mumbled, mistaking Austin's frustration at himself for annoyance at him.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Austin shook his head, rubbing a hand down his face. "Alright, buddy, can you show me your hand?" Glen paled slightly so Austin hurried to add, "I won't touch it, I just want to see if we need to go to the doctor's tonight."

"No doctors," Glen tried to negotiate, "I'll show you but no doctors."

"Bud..."

"I'll get in trouble."

And there it was again. That little voice creeping back into Glen's thoughts, confusing Glen's reality with past survival methodology. The Bear would have absolutely beat Glen's ass for causing trouble like this. He should be ashamed of all the attention this was garnering.

Austin cocked his head to the side, analyzing Glen. That simple statement told Austin so much about where his head space was at. There was certainly work that still needed to be done.

His hand clenched into a fist, hidden in the palm of his other hand. How the hell was he suppose to bring up the trial date for their grandfather if Glen was already triggered about this?

"Okay, no doctors," Austin compromised, at least for now, "but will you let Peyton check it out at home then?" She was a physical therapist, working for a sports medicine clinic. If it was something serious, she could at least help for now. Buy him some time to convince Glen to go to the doctors tomorrow.

Hayes watched quietly as Glen debated his options. She scooped another spoonful of chocolate ice cream to her mouth, startling when napkins appeared in her face courtesy of Austin.

"Don't you think you've had enough there, Sunshine?" Austin turned his attention to Hayes as he let Glen think. It had to be a talent for how easily the young girl managed to get chocolate all over her face.

"No," she replied, making Austin's lips twitch upward just slightly.

Classic Hayes.

Glen took a deep breath and very slowly flexed and then extended his fingers of his right hand, grimacing when a burst of pain went through him. It seemed like his fate was very obviously decided, but he was stubborn.

"Peyton can look at it," Glen said. He lifted his arm up to lay it gently on the table for Austin to see. Now that it was in the light, Glen realized how swollen it still looked with some newly obtained bruising. Whoops.

"Ouch," Hayes casually commented as she leaned forward over the table to get a better look.

Glen scowled at her before meeting Austin's eyes, a sheepish look on his face. Yeah, Austin was definitely going to be taking him to the doctors.

He was totally screwed.

————

Hayes skipped through the house, heading to the family room to crash the manly man gathering that was occurring.

"Hello," she exclaimed, hopping to a stop right in front of the television, hands on her hips as she commandeered the room. "What are you watching?" Hayes stood so she faced the screen, taking in the colorful lights of the football game that was currently broadcasting. Even though she wasn't a big football fan, she recognized the teams pretty quickly.

The Miami Dolphins vs the New England Patriots.

She picked up a few things over the years from spending her days with the Rayon family. They were not only football fans, but they were diehard Dolphins fans.

Yeah, she didn't know why either.

"Move, Sunshine," her brothers grunted as she blocked their view of the game. They wanted to watch the Dolphins, possibly the worst team in the league, upset the Patriots.

"Get your ass out of the way," Dakota complained rather rudely.

Hayes wrinkled her nose with displeasure as she turned around to look at Dakota. "Don't be mean."

"Yeah, yeah, he's a grump, now please move, Sissy" Francis begged, trying to look around Hayes to see the tv. He tried to encourage her with little hand motions to shoo.

Hayes crossed her arms, not giving in. Her foot tapped dramatically against the floor as she waited for someone to apologize.

"Isn't it your bedtime?" Colton asked her.

"No," she scowled at Colton. She didn't have a bed time, thank you very little.

"Fourth and one, Miami's ball at the goal line," announced the sportscaster.

Ignoring her brothers protests, Hayes raised her eyebrows in shock as she spun around to watch. The Dolphins might actually have a chance here. She wondered if the Rayon family were shouting at the TV, as if the players could hear their encouragement.

"Touchdown Dolphins!" The sports announcers shouted from the speakers making the brothers groan in unison. They missed it. "I repeat, touchdown Miami Dolphins!"

"Jesus Christ," Dakota groaned, slapping his palms down on the couch.

"It's just a game, guys," Peyton said to keep the peace as Baker shook his head, his laugh muffled by her hair. At least he had a good sense of humor amongst the bunch.

Hayes grinned as the sound of the crowd cheering could be heard. The crazy atmosphere led her to believe that it must have been a home game for the Dolphins.

🎵Miami has the Dolphins

The Greatest Football Team

We take the ball from goal to goal

Like no one's ever seen

We're in the air, we're on the ground

We're always in control

And when you say Miami

You're talking Super -

Oof," a pillow smacked Hayes in the stomach, cutting off her song and dance.

"Why are you so hyper?" Baker mused as he finally decided to step in before his brothers went too far. He unwrapped his arm from Peyton's shoulders and stood up from their cuddle fest. He walked around the coffee table like one stalks their prey, only the prey in this case, was his dear baby sister.

Like a deer caught in headlights, Hayes watched him approach with wide eyes and before she knew it, Baker swooped her up in his arms and tilted her so her head was towards the ground. Laughter enveloped the room as Hayes couldn't control herself. Her brothers couldn't hold their grudges, letting out a few chuckles as well. Even grumpy Dakota.

"Huh?" Baker pretended to drop her, making her squeal with more laughter. "Just how much ice cream did Austin give you?"

"I'll never tell," Hayes was laughing so much, tears started so form.

"Sounds like more than she was suppose too have," Colton noted, smiling as he shook his head. The damage was done so now the brothers had to hope she'd crash sooner rather than later from her sugar rush.

Hayes grinned wide, accidentally snorting when Baker tossed her onto the couch. Before she could scurry away, Baker grabbed her ankle and dragged her right back to him.

"If you break her, you take her," Dakota said offhandedly, still bitter. "Or just have her for free."

"Sissy is not for sale," Francis gasped, defending his little sister, "but you're free to a new home."

"Fuck you," Dakota replied.

"In your dreams, hot shot."

Dakota held up his middle finger, sending Francis a wink.

"Stop," Colton said as he got up to stretch and go use the bathroom. "Where's Austin and Glen?" He asked, realizing Hayes came inside alone.

"Outside," Hayes barely managed to gasp out. Baker was relentless in his punishment, apparently planning to tickle her to death.

"Aye, not the face" Baker said, fending off Hayes' flailing arms as he fixed his grip on Hayes.

"Don't tickle me then," Hayes managed to say through her giggles as she realized her predicament. Baker had her secured on his lap, his fingers dancing along her stomach.

No mercy.

Peyton smartly got off the couch before Hayes accidentally kicked her in the face. But also, Austin texted her and asked for her to come outside for a moment so she was already planning to get up. She just wanted to make sure the rough-housing brothers, namely her husband at the moment, kept Hayes in one piece.

"How much ice cream did you have?"

"None ya business!" She squirmed aimlessly, her face flushed from laughter.

"Tell me."

"Never."

"1 scoop?" He started off low, "2... 3... 5...?"

When Hayes' cackling turned to silent laugher because she couldn't get a full breath of air in, Peyton intervened. "Time out, Baker."

"You're so lucky," Baker teased the young girl, snuggling her close with a kiss to her forehead before tossing her once more onto the couch beside him.

Bouncing slightly on the couch, Hayes' chest rose and fell rapidly as she caught her breath. The smile seemed to be a permanent fixture on her reddened face as she recovered enough energy to crawl away from Baker. She scooted back into the L-shaped portion of the couch, knees to chest. She messily brushed the loose hair off her face, showing off her flushed cheeks.

"Oh, Peyton," Hayes suddenly remembered her very important job, and since she was running on a sugar rush, she had no problem talking to her, "Austin wanted to talk to you."

Peyton smiled at her, covering up her surprise to hear Hayes address her. The kids were definitely warming up to Peyton but it was still took effort. "Sure! Is he out front?"

"Uh huh, on the rocking chairs," Hayes nodded, before lazily resting her head against the back of the couch. Whew that was tiring. She closed her eyes as she continued to catch her breath.

"Soooo," Francis filled the silence once Peyton excused herself, "you're a dolphins fan, Sissy?" The game went to a commercial break so they weren't missing anything.

"No," Hayes sputtered out with a laugh. She peeked one eye open as she shook her head.

"Then how'd you know...?"

"Patrick."

"Right, right," Francis nodded like he understood what she meant. He didn't, but he could tell the conversation wasn't going anywhere so he let it go.

After a couple moments, the brothers' attention went back to the game and Hayes was left alone to her own devices. Meaning, she was trying to breath like a normal person again. Her sides hurt from laughing too much.

Out of the blue, she jumped up to her feet declaring, "I'm bored!"

"For fucks sake," Dakota leaned over and pulled her back down onto the couch by her shirt. "Sit."

It was going to be a long night.

————

A very long night indeed.

Hayes blinked, suddenly finding herself wide awake in the pitch black room. She took a glance around trying to figure out what happened.

What woke her up?

There.

Barely, but she could hear them.

Muffled voices.

That didn't make sense.

Hayes rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes as she tried to decipher where the sounds were coming from.

She couldn't help it, she was nosy by nature.

Tossing aside her comforter, she rolled out of bed. After nearly slipping on the sweatshirt she left lying on the floor earlier, she left the confines of her bedroom to investigate.

"What's going on?" She mumbled to herself, following the light into her brothers' room.

She paused, her heart racing.

Glen.

He let out a scream, curling into a fetal position as Austin and Colton huddled around his bed. They momentarily blocked her view as they continued their attempts at coaxing the boy awake.

It was a similar scream that initially woke Francis up only two minutes earlier, frightening him half to death. When he couldn't wake Glen up, he ran to Austin's room in a panic.

Hands landed on her shoulder making her flinch as she was embraced against someone's chest, refusing to let her go. She subconsciously leaned back as their bodily warmth battled the chills that ran through her.

"He's having a nightmare," Francis muttered the obvious from where he stood next to her, his comforter wrapped around his bare shoulders. That meant Dakota was the one holding her.

Hayes blinked twice more before her mind finally clicked into action. She went to step forward to help but was held back by Dakota's ironman grip. "Let me go," she fought against the hands to no regard. He was too strong for her.

"Stop, Sunshine," Dakota whispered by her ear, a slight plea. It pained him just as much, having to hold her back while his little brother was suffering. He hated nightmares and would do anything to make them go away.

"No, we have to wake him up!" Tears glistened in her eyes as she watched Glen. She needed to help him! She knew what he was fighting. He'd do the same thing for her.

"Wake him up," she begged, continuing to struggle to break free, "please."

She heard Austin ask for a trashcan, watching as he helped Glen into a seated position. The unpleasant sound of vomiting hitting the metal basin was heard just as Colton shoved the can under his mouth.

Everything Glen had eaten in the past day was coming back up.

"I'll go get the ice packs," Francis excused himself, obeying a request from Austin that Hayes missed. She couldn't hear anything anymore, the ringing in her ears too loud.

Her hands reached up to block the noise as her eyes stayed glued to Glen. She felt Dakota rest his chin on top of her head as he tightened his grip around her stomach. It comforted him just as much as it did for Hayes, hugging her.

Austin spoke in a calming tone, trying his hardest to reassure his little brother that he was okay. That it was just a nightmare.

Only they both knew it wasn't.

At one point, he had been living it.

"It hurts," Glen cried, cradling his injured arm against his stomach. The pain he was experiencing, whether real or in his head, was too much for him. He started to gag again.

"I know, buddy, just hang on," Austin rubbed his back as Colton held the trashcan up for Glen to use. He was filled with worry, having half a mind to call Peyton for help.

No, deep breath.

He was overreacting.

He can handle this.

Austin exhaled, clearing his mind. His brother needed him and panicking would only make things worse.

Glen had confided in him that night. It was so much more than just breaking a bone.

The oldest and the youngest brothers of the family had stayed outside on the front porch talking until midnight before turning in for whatever sleep they could manage.

3 hours.

That was all.

Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Austin ran his fingers soothingly through Glen's messy hair, brushing the bangs off his sweaty forehead.

Completely drained and left with immense pain that was all in his head, Glen leaned against Austin. "Make it stop," he let out an uncharacteristic whine. His head was pounding, his arm was aching.

"Fran is getting some ice," Austin spoke in low tones, continuing to run his fingers through Glen's hair. He was hoping the coolness would be enough to soothe the pain alone since medications weren't an option. Austin watched Glen rub his upper forearm, presumably the spot where he'd broken it last time. The rest of the brothers looked on in confusion as the boy didn't go near his thumb.

That's when they realized there was more to the story.

An ice pack was shoved in Austin's face, which he immediately applied to Glen's skin. The instant relief was obvious when Glen gave a little sigh. The stress in his body no longer holding him rigid so he sagged more against Austin.

Glen's eyes flickered around the room, the embarrassment of what just happened hitting him. He stared at Hayes for an extra second, guilty for waking her up. She had enough struggle with her own nightmares. "I'm sorry," Glen mumbled.

"Don't," was all Austin said.

Colton returned from dumping the puked-filled trashcan in the bathroom, squatting down in front of his brother. "Please Glen, talk to us. How can we help?"

The genuine concern in Colton's voice was enough to get Glen talking. He sniffed, using the back of his good hand to wipe his nose. "No secrets, right?" The boy was tired. He'd give anything to not have to go through that again.

"Secrets, secrets are no fun, unless you share with everyone," Francis joked weakly from where he stood, practically in the doorway. Far away from the puke field.

Dakota rolled his eyes, muttering about stupidity under his breath.

"It's whatever you want to share," Austin said, sending a meaningful look to his brothers to not push Glen. The story would come out in due time, only if Glen wanted it to. Austin wouldn't dare break his trust.

Glen found Hayes' gaze again, this time neither breaking the stare. They found comfort and strength in each other.

"I broke my arm before," Glen said. His voice was low, holding his siblings captive. "That's what my nightmare was about. I didn't mean to wake you up because of it."

"What happened?" Colton asked.

Glen shrugged, rubbing his ankles together in a nervous fashion. "When I was 12, Patrick and I went through a skateboarding phase," Glen grimaced, the incident still vivid in his head. "Nothing serious, just being stupid idiots in his driveway."

That was the easy part to share.

The atmosphere was tense as Glen's expression changed to something torturous.

"The Bear wasn't happy, as you could probably imagine," Glen twisted his lips to the side as he remembered his outrage. "Stephen called him, told him I needed to go to the hospital."

Hayes shivered. She knew what came next.

"So he came and took me, obviously. It'd be too suspicious if he ignored the fact my arm was broken. Not to mention Stephen was a cop," Glen faltered as his mind replayed the event. He could feel the familiar feeling of wanting to vomit, just the memory of the pain too much for him.

"You're safe," Austin repeated, his soothing words settled him down again.

"He was so mad," Glen murmured, "so, so mad."

Wrong choice of words.

"Stop saying that!" Hayes exploded making Glen's eyes widen in surprise. She had quieted down for the time being but she couldn't help herself anymore. The incident screwed with her mind just as much as Glen's. "He wasn't just mad, Glen! He was fucking- "

A hand immediately covered her mouth.

"Hayes!" Austin admonished, the first to recover from what just came out of her mouth. His head whipped around to stare at her, "No way, babe."

Too late.

It was game over.

Hayes stomped on Dakota's foot, distracting him enough to escape his hands. "Just tell them the truth, Glen!" Hayes ran over to the bed, nearly bowling into Glen if it wasn't for Colton's quick reflexes of grabbing her. "Tell them what he did!"

"Shut up," Glen pleaded.

"No! I won't shut up!"

"Hayes, it's not your story to tell." Colton tried to stop her but there was no going back.

Hayes zoned in on Glen, refusing to look away. Her fire cracker nature that was often hidden away, was coming to light more than ever. Especially when she stubbornly believed this was for Glen's benefit. Their brothers needed to know. "I was there, too." Hayes snapped at Colton. "I saw what he did."

Glen glared right back at her, his pleas turning to anger. Everything else dissolved into the background as the kids focused on each other. "I told you to hide."

"I was trying to help you."

"You were being stupid! He could have hurt you, too! And then what? Huh? Ever think of that?"

The brothers were at a loss of words as the kids went at each other's throats. Colton tightened his grip on Hayes, as suddenly all her strength was zapped. She leaned back against Colton.

"I thought he was going to kill you," Hayes' bottom lip wobbled as she admitted her greatest fear.

Glen blinked, watching a tear slip down Hayes' cheek before she roughly wiped it away.

"I think we should table this conversation," Austin broke the silence, exchanging a glance with Colton. They had no idea what path the kids were heading down and needed to put a stop to it immediately.

"No," Hayes pushed on Colton's arms as her resolved hardened again. It most certainly was now or never. She knew she'd never be brave enough to face off against Glen like this again.

"Hayes, everyone's tired. We can talk about this over the weekend," Austin's tone held a level of  warning, telling her to back down.

"Come on, Sunshine," Colton tried to peacefully guide her away.

"Tell them," she demanded, ignoring Austin and Colton, "Or I will."

Glen met her gaze, daring her. Bet.

Fine.

"The doctor called it a spiral fracture," Hayes spit out, not holding anything back now. She may have been only 9-years-old at the time, but she'd never forget it. It was one of the couple of times the kids genuinely were afraid for their lives. "you know, the type you get when someone forcefully twists your arm so tightly the bone breaks. Only, Glen already broke his arm so the Bear was causing pure pain as he made it worse."

Glen's gaze darkened dangerously.

"Maybe you remember, Glennard," Hayes taunted him, "Did you puke first or pass out?"

"I hate you," Glen snarled.

"Hey," the three eldest brothers in the room jumped in. That was enough.

Francis was speechless, his comforter slipping from his shoulders as he was paralyzed in shock from everything that was happening.

"Stop. We're not doing this," Austin ordered, "Hayes, go to your room. You all have school in the morning."

Hayes didn't move, frozen as if she were under a spell, staring at Glen. The words replayed in her head on super speed.

"Let's go," Colton gently tugged her arm to get her walking but she remained firmly where she was. "Hayes."

Abruptly, Hayes spun on her foot and ran out of the room. Where she was going, she didn't know. Just away from that room, that's for sure.

Dakota glanced around at his brothers one last time before trailing after her. He didn't know what to think right now, but he wouldn't make the mistake of letting Hayes run off on her own.

The sound of something crashing from downstairs drew Glen back from the funk he was in.

"HayHay, no, wait!" He shouted, going to stand up but Austin grabbed his shoulder keeping him on the bed. "Let go of me! I have to go get her. I have to fix this!" Stressed out from what just happened, Glen went to rub his eyes, hissing when he moved his injured hand. "Fucking shit."

"Take a breath," Austin rubbed the back of Glen's neck. "Dakota has her, she's okay."

"no, no, no, no," Glen panicked, sounding like a broken record as he tilted his head to look up at Austin and Colton. "You don't understand! Why did I say that? What did I do?"

Francis quietly left the room, shutting the door behind him to give them some privacy as he went to go find where Dakota and Hayes went. He was no help to his brothers as his mind was complete mishmash, taking in all that was revealed. It was a lot. Like a lot, a lot.

"I can't do anything right," Glen's voice cracked, "I ruin everything."

Austin wrapped his other arm around Glen, pulling him into a hug as Glen began to cry. "That's not true," Austin said, his fingers running through Glen's hair. "She knows you didn't mean it."

"I didn't mean it," Glen sobbed, as words fell from his lips "I didn't, I swear. I could never hate her. She's my best friend, I love her."

"I know, Buddy, I know."

Austin's heart clenched as Glen broke down right before his eyes.

Don't worry, Smiley, we'll fix this, together.

~~~~~~~~