65.

WOOOO 404K. Next stop, 405. lol 407 already?? Whoops. This is soooo behind.

Don't blame me. Blame the puppy. She's a time sucker.

Bonus points if you can guess her name.

Sorry to disappoint all my Chubba fans 😂 It is not Chubba.

~

~

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you

~

~

"I thought he said it was awake."

"I'm pretty sure he did."

"Huh."

"Should we poke it?"

"I don't know. Think it bites?"

Francis lifted his shoulders up to his ears then back down. Ignorant or plain stupid? "Only one way to find out."

"Try me and I'll kick you in the fucking nuts, Francesca." It growled.

It was awake.

Emerson and Francis took two large, cautious steps backwards, their backs simultaneously hitting the wall behind them.

Better to be safe than sorry.

"I think it's grumpy," Francis glanced at Emerson, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Why don't you come closer and find out?" Dakota threatened his brothers without missing a beat. He didn't even need to look to know who was annoying him.

Which was a good thing considering he still had his eyes squeezed closed. He was refusing to give in to the headache that was jackhammering his brain and the all-consuming body pain he was currently experiencing.

Not pleasant at all.

He must have refused his last medication dose, which he didn't exactly remember doing; and if that was true, he was now somewhat regretting.

Okay, definitely regretting.

Fuck.

This pain had come out of nowhere.

Hadn't it?

He couldn't remember.

The bright overhead light that was glaring down on him was only making it all worse.

Turn it off.

His fingers clenched into fists as the repeating words boomeranged all over his head. It was all-encompassing, taking over every thought he could put together. It felt like he was burning from the inside out. The pain igniting fire to every single nerve ending possible.

Turn it off.

Turn it the fuck off.

"Okay time out," Emerson said, still oblivious to Dakota's breakdown, slapping his hand over Francis' mouth. He whispered loudly next into Fran's ear. "Remember how Baker said he'll kick our asses if you piss off Kota?"

Francis pulled his brother's hand down by the wrist, revealing his grin. "Vaguely, though I believe he said we. As in you and me, bestie." Fran winked.

"You're on your own here," Sonny retorted, yanking his arm away from his brother.

"But Emmy," Francis held on to his brother's wrist with a death grip, "We're together, forever."

Turn it off.

Dakota's head felt like it was about to explode, and his brothers were making it worse.

"Do you ever... shut up?" Dakota heaved out in a gasp, forcefully exhaling through his mouth.

"Sorry," his brothers were instantly full of remorse. Their blue eyes became laser focused on their brother laying in pain.

Fuck.

The drugs.

And all this would just... disappear.

Like magic.

No worries.

No pain.

No worries about the pain or what the fuck happened to him.

How easy it would be... to succumb to the numbness.

He needed...

No.

His molars grinded together, his jaw muscles so tensed which only intensified every bit of pain he was feeling.

This won't last.

This won't last.

This won't last.

Baker's voice echoed loudly between his ears.

The voice that kept him from making plenty of bad decisions.

"Dakota?" Emerson forgot about bickering with Francis and laid his hand atop of Kota's fingers, gently molding his palm to his brother's bruised knuckles. He worked on loosening on Dakota's grip, slipping his fingers into the palm of his hand. Sonny squeezed his brother's fingers, letting him know he was there. "Dakota, what is it? What can I do?"

Francis scooted up to hover behind Emerson's back, his head peaking over his shoulder. His eyes were wide as wide could be as he watched his two older brothers. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, wanting to help. Eager to help. But having no clue how to help.

"What did you say?" Emerson bent down to get closer to Dakota's mouth. He had mumbled something that Sonny didn't catch.

This won't last.

Emerson glanced over his shoulder to Francis, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering if Francis understood Kota.

With a shake of the head, Franny returned the look, still very much a deer in headlights and not much help. He folded his arms over his chest, tucking his hands into his armpits. The sweetheart brother that he was, was sympathetic to Kota's pain, as if he was feeling everything that Dakota's face was revealing.

Dakota moaned, his body curling in on himself best it could with a splinted leg and pained everything else. A low, groaning, "Fuuuuuuck" slipped through his teeth.

To say he was fucking hurting, was an understatement.

"I'll go get Baker," Francis' statement sounded more like a question with the high lilt at the end. He paused, waiting for Emerson to acknowledge him with a single head nod before dashing away.

The teen tripped over his own two feet, his elbow rebounding against the sliding door before he dipped out of view. It totally sounded like it hurt. He'd be feeling the stinger later.

Emerson squatted down so he was more eye-level with his older brother now.

Dakota had His eyes were pinched tight, his face screwed up in pain.

So much pain.

Sonny felt his own eyes fill with tears. He swiped the back of his free hand over his eyes, not allowing himself to cry.

Do NOT cry.

That was a slippery slope they did not have time for right this instant.

"I can't do this," Dakota was nearly to the point of pleading for death. His mind wasn't there. He was losing his grip on reality as this pain in his head was intensifying.

Emerson swallowed a sob that was building. His fingers tightened over Kota's knuckles. He did not feel qualified whatsoever to be the one to talk Dakota off a mental cliff, but he would be dammed if he didn't try everything.

"You can do this," Emerson cleared his throat. He stated with newfound confidence, "You can do this and you will do this."

"Fuck off."

"No can do, Kota," Emerson replied, the internal relief welcomed when he saw Dakota crack an eye open the tiniest bit. "Fran went to get Baker. Tell me what to do."

The brother felt Kota's fingers twitch in his grip and tightened his hold.

"Please, Dakota." The younger brother was not about to let his older brother slip away. He may have been too young to understand or truly help the first time around, but not now. Now, he would not be leaving his side. Emerson sandwiched Dakota's hand in both of his. "You gotta fight, man. Let me help you."

But even breathing was falling to the wayside of too much for Dakota.

This won't last.

This won't last.

The two brothers were suddenly harassed by the loud noises of the rest of the emergency room as the door to the exam room was slid open once more.

An onslaught of machines beeping, people yelling, carts creaking by.

Talk about over-stimulation.

Boots smacked against the tile floor, coming closer to them. Emerson glanced up to see a nurse busying herself around the IV pole opposite where he was crouched. He sensed someone standing behind him which could be no one else but Baker.

The presence domineering. Baker would take over again. Everything would be okay now.

"Hey, Champ," Baker reached around Sonny and brushed Kota's sweaty hair off his pale forehead. "The nurse is getting some pain meds in for you, okay? I know you're hurting. This won't last, buddy. Just hold on."

"Don't... leave... me," Dakota barely got out before he  drifted off to that safe haze of Lalaland from the drugs.

"I'm not going anywhere," Baker promised.

Emerson sat back on his heels, one hand propped on the bed to keep him steady. The other hand wiped his cheeks free from the stubborn tears.

Baker's hand landed heavy on Emerson's shoulder, squeezing once.

When the best of me is barely breathing

When I'm not somebody I believe in

Hold on to me

————

Countdown until Christmas: 7 days (Saturday)

She hadn't stopped shaking the whole ride home.

No matter that she was practically glued against her eldest brother's side, buried into his chest as much as her seatbelt allowed her the room. His arms were like a weighted blanket, wrapped around his little girl.

She had not stopped trembling.

And this was with the little bit of Benadryl she had right before the siblings left the hospital. A little bit never hurt anybody, besides Austin's guilty conscience.

But without a doubt, Hayes would not have been able to make the drive back to their home without something in her system to help her relax. And he used the term relax very, very loosely.

But they had made it home, in fact Colton was pulling the car into their driveway right that very second. Glen turned in his seat from where he was sitting in the passenger seat, finally removing his unwavering gaze from his little sister.

He caught sight of the welcoming committee that was looming on the front porch, a grin breaking out on his face as his blue eyes lit up. The feeling of happiness an emotion that no one had been experiencing in the past nearly 24 hours.

Every single person was sleep-deprived, and a certain ball of Sunshine was also hangry. The little girl had refused to eat anything at the hospital once the brothers brought her food.

Colton had even caved and picked up ice cream for her from the closest ice cream parlor before he went home for the night, but once Hayes actually had the cup of deliciousness in her hands, whatever appetite she had was gone.

This was repeated with whatever craving she requested next.

None of it truly sustenance, by the way.

Pizza, chicken tenders, grilled cheese, and french fries for example. Nor the pancakes in the morning. But to be fair, she wanted waffles, not pancakes.

The answer was all the same.

A face of disgust with accompanying tears because yes, that calmish feeling from the Friday post-nap had long since evaporated.

Her last pain medication was Friday night around 9pm before the doctor requested no more IV medications. That way, the little girl would be set to go home as soon as her observation period was up. To be on the safe side, considering Dakota's state, she was put on a 12-hour observation hold that couldn't end quick enough.

So beside the slip of Benadryl prior to the car ride, whatever medications were in Hayes' system were long gone and she was refusing any more. Instead, she had settled for being snuggled up in Austin's arms all night long with Glen squeezed in the bed right there with them.

It was a tight fit.

Very tight.

The couch in the room remained empty the whole night.

No one got much sleep.

With all that being said, dressed in her brothers' oversized clothes that Glen had packed in the backpack, Sunshine was looking like her normal self, minus the few butterfly stitches on her face and the bruising on her legs from where she hit under the dashboard.

Oh yeah, and her right arm was casted, hanging in a blue sling to minimize movement.

God, his little girl.

She did not deserve even the tiniest lick of this suffering.

Neither did his brother, Dakota, who they had to leave behind at the hospital. Baker and Peyton there, not straying a foot from his side.

Austin eyed the welcoming committee wearily and also warily. Emerson and Francis were barely holding themselves back from charging the car to be the first to snatch up their Sunshine in a hug.

Predicting their behavior, Austin had texted them ahead of time to not rush the little girl.

Because a text would totally get them to listen.

To no one's surprise, Much to their nature, they did not entirely listen, evident as they skipped down the three porch steps and had a competitive speed-walking race to the car.

"Not fair!" Fran shouted after Emerson blatantly cheated by pushing Francis hard, so he stumbled over his own feet.

Sonny impatiently tugged the door handle, opening the back door as Colton and Glen also climbed out from their respective seats.

"Hey, Junior," Emerson's gentle voice was slow and unhurried as he watched Austin slowly unbuckle her seatbelt, maneuvering around her broken arm.

Then carefully with some assistance from Austin the little girl turned in her seat, so her legs were almost outside the car. He had to hide the surprise on his face as he certainly hadn't expected her to be so eager to leave his grasp.

So be it then, maybe this transition would be easier than he thought. Thinking ahead, Austin may be so lucky to snag a shower prior to going back to the hospital. Maybe even a quick chance to rest his eyes if he was lucky.

Perhaps a nap, dare he dream.

Emerson extended his hand to which his sister gingerly placed her left hand into, trusting him to help her out of the car. Trusting him to basically hold her weight because she had zip energy left.

Any stretch of her body brought forth a wave of discomfort, displayed on her face by the glistening blue eyes and the wobble of her bottom lip. Her two front teeth bit down on her lip to prevent her from crying.

Oh, baby Sunshine. Breaking all their hearts.

Sonny initially planned to wrap her up in a big hug but instead decided to whisk her up into his arms instead. He took care to not put pressure on her bum arm that hung between their chests. But with the way that his little sister immediately laid her head on his shoulder, her five good fingers gripping on to his sweatshirt best she could, he knew she wasn't leaving his comfort any time soon.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself... because there were definitely three other brothers standing nearby who could steal her away without a struggle.

Emerson loved his best friend, but he didn't see Francis as much of a threat.

Austin, Colton, and Glen on the other hand... different story.

"Hey, careful with her," Austin said, climbing out of the car. He stretched his arms, feeling the tension in his shoulders loosening just the tiniest bit. A hot shower, that would do the trick.

"Why does he get to hold her?" Francis grumbled, crossing his arms like a toddler.

Emerson adjusted the girl in his arms so she wouldn't have any risk of falling. Then he maturely stuck his tongue out at the teen before turning on his heels and walking away. Colton had already grabbed the overnight bags from the truck and was stomping up the wooden stairs to the front door.

Glen patted Francis on the shoulder, not condescending at all. Nope, not him. "Better luck next time."

Francis pouted, even as he slung his arm over his baby brother's neck. "At least you love me."

Smiley raised his eyebrows, his words mocking as his body language said otherwise. He couldn't help but lean into the hug. "Well, that's debatable."

"Shut up, Smiley. You love me," Francis declared. The two waited for Austin to close the trunk of the car before turning in unison and headed into the house.

"Keep telling yourself that," Glen was playing hardball.

Austin chuckled lightly at his two little brothers' bantering.

Francis craned his neck to look at his eldest brother. A wide smile broke out on his face, the pout long gone. Pride, that was what he was showcasing now.  "Hey Austin, smell that?"

Austin's eyebrows narrowed as he glanced around the foyer. "Smell what, exactly?"

"Yes, exactly!" Francis exclaimed. "It smells like nothing!"

"Uh... huh." Austin was a bit hesitant to delve into that.

"I cleaned!"

"We!" Emerson corrected, coming out of the kitchen, little sister still safely in his arms. He had tried to offer Hayes some food but she declined.

Austin hummed. "Cole?"

"They cleaned," Colton confirmed, his voice preceeding him descending the staircase. Everybody's overnight bags were put in their rooms. Which he now realized was pointless as he should have just dumped the clothes into the washer machine.

Ah well damn.

Francis was literally about to fly out of his shoes, so proud of himself. Austin clicked his tongue before finally biting. "So by clean, you mean...?"

Franny filled in the blank. "Lysoled the hell out of everything! And we took out the trash."

"Changed the bedsheets," Emerson added.

Francis took back over. "Oh yeah! Changed yours and Colton's sheets so Dakota can sleep down here since he won't be able to go up the stairs any time soon with the crutches and stuff."

The oldest brothers couldn't shush him fast enough.

"What?" Hayes whimpered, lifting her head up from Emerson's shoulder. And she had just been about to nod off to sleep, too.

Shit.

"Nothing, baby," Austin came closer to her and Sonny. He rubbed her back, wanting to coax her back to sleep.

Her bottom lip began wobbling in boo-boo lip fashion. "But Kota isn't here."

Austin made the last ditch effort to salvage this before it was game over. Emerson reluctantly let the eldest brother take the little girl back into his arms, shushing her gently.

He walked with her into the living room, hoping to soothe her with his pacing.

There hadn't been a conversation with her yet about the accident. Not after she had flipped her lid after getting her arm casted.

Austin had been drained at that point. Emotionally and physically and anything else.

The brothers had watched her very closely, but she didn't mention another thing about Dakota or even the crash all night long.

And it had been a very long night, indeed.

Lots of nightmares.

That she wouldn't speak of.

They knew she remembered at least pieces of it, but no doubt her mind had already gone into survival mode. Trying to tuck it into a box in the back of her brain to never mention it again.

It was overdue, long over due, but Austin was hoping to still postpone it just a little longer.

Just long enough so he could get some shut eye and regroup. Because it was not going to be easy. The siblings all certainly had a long road ahead of them.

But they had each other.

Dakota would be home tomorrow if all went as planned. The night had been rough for him, too, according to Baker's messages. But once he had a couple rounds of the pain medications, his headache finally improved to something more bearable. His knee was a dull ache.

His memory or lack of, was still a touchy subject.

Baker would also be here tomorrow and for the foreseeable future, in the siblings' home as he made it well known he would be staying at the house until further notice.

"It just slipped out, sorry," Francis winced, instinctually ducking out of his older brothers' reach for a looming slap to the back of his head that never actually came.

Everybody was too tired to do anything.

"Why don't you go watch tv or something," Colton kindly suggested, wanting to get the teen away from the opportunity to create trouble.

"Wanna play Xbox, Glenny boy?" Francis glanced at his brother standing next to him.

On cue, Glen yawned loud enough to rival a bear.

"Orrrrrr not." Francis answered himself.

"I think I need to shower, then I'm going to bed," Glen announced, another yawn making its way.

The corners of Colton's mouth hitched upwards. "That's probably a good idea, kiddo."

"Make sure you eat something first," Austin said. He stood in the threshold between the foyer and the living room.

Hayes' stomach growled loud and long enough that not even she could deny her hunger.

"Let's get a little something for you too, Sunshine." The eldest brother walked past his siblings to the kitchen, everyone following behind him like ducklings.

Glen wrinkled his nose. "Okay, but what's this smell?"

And it wasn't Lysol.

Francis and Emerson glanced at each other before both racing to tap their nose first.  Suspicious.

"Nose goes!"

"Nu uh, I was first!"

"Liar. You tell them!"

"You're older!"

"Stop yelling," Colton snapped at the duo.

Glen sniffed the air a couple times, as his eyes flicked around the kitchen looking for the source. His face lit up when he identified the smell.

"You did not," he grinned.

"Stoppp," Francis whined, crossing his arms in defense as he leaned back against the counter. "We tried okay."

"And by we, he means him. Because I told him to set a timer but did he listen? Nooooo," Emerson said.

Austin ignored them all as he tried to persuade Hayes to choose a cereal to eat. Or toast. Or honestly, anything.

The kitchen pantry was all at her desire.

Bleh.

"How the heck do you burn cookies?" Glen snickered. "Seriously. That's a talent."

Francis took a bow. "Consider me gifted then."

"I want cookies," the little girl finally mumbled. Her brothers suddenly stood up straighter, all experiencing a sliver of panic.

All they had were burnt cookies in the trash!

"Oh wait!" Colton gasped, remembering his cookie stash from the Christmas party. That felt so long ago now even though it was just the other night.

"Want milk to go with the cookies?"

Emerson offered, stepping past Cole who was reaching into the cabinet. He opened the fridge and took out the gallon that was chilling in there.

There was no mistaking the "no," from Sunshine's mouth.

Hard pass.

Austin gave up on the food search and sat down in the nearest chair, Hayes straddling his legs so she slouched forward against his chest.

Her breathing was already mellowing out to the sleep-like cycle when Colton put the plate with the cookie spread on the table for her.

"Thanks, Colton." Austin pressed a kiss to her head as he gently rubbed her back. "Here, pick a cookie, sunshine."

Her socked feet brushed against the tile floor a couple times before she gather enough strength to turn her head to even glance at the cookies offered to her. Then it took another couple seconds for her to use her good arm to push her self up, a palm pressed against Austin's chest to help.

"Which one do you want?" Austin asked, brushing some loose hairs out of her eyes. Her hair was a knotty mess, but he'd worry about that later.

"The green one," she mumbled as her eyes trailed from the plate of yumminess to the bowl sitting in the middle of the kitchen table.

Huh.

A fish bowl.

Absentmindedly, she mumbled something else. "Mike Wazowski."

"What was that, babe?" Austin couldn't quite make out what she said.

But the three youngest brothers could, each smirking in return.

She remembered.

Hayes' eyes darted to Austin before returning to the green Betta fishy swimming around in his home.

Austin frowned. When the hell did they get a fish?

"I was wondering the same thing," Colton said, Austin's thoughts having been accidentally voiced aloud.

The older brothers stared at the trio of boys. It had their names written all over it.

Little did they truly know that the real mastermind was the little girl sitting in Austin's lap.

But she was finally actually munching on the cookie, so her brothers covered for her.

"Surprise?" Emerson answered, giving two thumbs up.

"Happy not birthday?" Francis tried, adding on low-key jazz hands.

Glen pointed to his double trouble besties. "Their idea."

~~~~~

The name inspiration:

I am your puppy,

You listen to me.

Take me outside

To play and to pee.

Then after my nap

You give me some treats.

My name is Bishop,

And I am your queen.

:)

Sorry ya'll!!! Lately I do work overnight and sleep during the day. Barely any time to eat or to play.

As long as you don't mind the shorter chapters, I'll work on getting the last couple chapters done eventually. Bout that time to wrap up this story (hahaha how many times have I said this?).

Happy September... three months till Christmas. WOOO!