016 | babying gianna

Gianna was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone with one crutch resting against her side. Her knee still ached, but the swelling had gone down, and she was starting to feel like herself again-almost. The physical therapy sessions were helping, and her progress, though slow, gave her hope. But that didn't mean she was immune to the constant, well-meaning attention from her two favorite people: her older brother, Marc, and her best friend, Hector.

It started that morning.

Gianna had just gotten up from the couch, trying to get a few things done before her next therapy session. But as soon as she took a step, she felt the familiar pressure on her knee, and the crutch slipped from her hand. She barely caught herself before stumbling forward.

"Gianna!"

Her brother's voice was sharp with concern as he appeared in the doorway, his eyes wide. He rushed over, grabbing her arm to steady her. "You're still on crutches! What are you doing up and about?"

"I'm fine, Marc," Gianna huffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm just trying to move around a little. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Marc raised an eyebrow, his hand still on her arm as if he were afraid she might collapse again. "You're on crutches, Gianna. You're supposed to be resting, not playing superhero."

Gianna sighed dramatically, leaning back into the couch. "I'm not playing superhero. I just want to be able to move around like a normal person again."

Marc, clearly not convinced, gave her a pointed look. "You're barely using those crutches right. You need to be more careful." He looked over at Hector, who was lounging against the kitchen counter, watching the exchange with an amused smirk.

"Oh, I see. You're both teaming up on me now?" Gianna shot Hector a teasing look.

Hector shrugged, crossing his arms. "I'm just here to supervise, as usual. You do have a tendency to act like you're invincible, even when you're not."

"Invincible?" Gianna scoffed. "I'm just walking, Hector. It's not a big deal."

Marc knelt down to pick up the crutch she had dropped, fixing it in her hand before giving her an almost patronizing look. "You don't get it, do you? You're hurt. The last thing you need is to be running around like you're fine. It's not about being invincible, it's about not making things worse."

Gianna crossed her arms, feeling both stubborn and slightly irritated. "I know my body, Marc. I can tell when I need rest and when I can move. Stop treating me like I'm fragile."

Marc was unfazed by her tone. "I'm not treating you like you're fragile. I'm treating you like you're still hurt." He gave Hector a look, a silent cue for him to chime in.

Hector pushed off the counter and walked over to her. "Marc's right, you know. I get it. You want to be up and moving. But you've gotta take it easy. You're not going to get back to full strength if you're pushing yourself too hard right now."

Gianna threw her head back in frustration, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "I know that! But you two are acting like I'm incapable of taking care of myself."

Marc crouched down in front of her, looking up at her with an almost overly concerned expression. "It's not about being incapable, Gigi. It's about taking your time to heal properly. Trust me, I've seen how stubborn you can be when it comes to injuries. And I know you're going to want to rush back onto the field, but you can't let your pride get in the way of your recovery."

Hector smirked, looking at Marc like they were in sync. "Yeah, last time you 'rushed back,' you sprained your ankle. You didn't exactly have the best track record with that, did you?"

Gianna rolled her eyes. "That was one time, and I learned my lesson." She glanced down at her knee, feeling a mixture of frustration and a little bit of guilt. She hated feeling like this-like she wasn't capable of taking care of herself.

"I'm not saying you're not capable," Marc said gently, his tone softening. "I just want you to be smart about this. That's all. You can't play if you're not healed, Gigi. And I know you want to get back to it, but if you're not careful, it'll take even longer to get back on the pitch."

Gianna's shoulders slumped as she looked at both of them. They were right, of course. But it didn't make it any easier to accept. "Fine," she muttered, reluctantly sitting back into the couch. "I'll take it easy. For now."

Hector chuckled. "See, that wasn't so hard."

But Marc wasn't finished. "Here's the deal, though-since you're obviously not going to listen to me, I'm going to make sure you're comfortable."

Gianna frowned. "Comfortable? What does that even mean?"

Marc reached over and grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, draping it over her lap. "It means you're not getting off this couch unless you're going to physio, and even then, I'm coming with you. You're not going to do anything that could make your injury worse."

Hector gave a dramatic sigh, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Looks like we're in for another round of 'Baby Gianna.'"

Gianna couldn't help but laugh at their over-the-top antics. "You guys are impossible."

"And yet, you love us," Marc said, grinning from ear to ear as he plopped down beside her on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah," Gianna muttered, but the corners of her lips twitched upward despite her best attempt to stay annoyed.

Hector sat on the other side, leaning back against the armrest and stretching his legs out. "You know, we should probably get you some entertainment while you're on 'couch duty.' You've got some time to kill, and I'm sure Marc's got some ridiculous movie recommendations."

Marc raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with my movie picks?"

Gianna shook her head with a smile. "Nothing, if you're trying to torture me with your guilty pleasure rom-coms."

"You wound me," Marc said, feigning offense. "I have taste."

"I'm sure you do," Hector said dryly, rolling his eyes. "But you're still going to make us watch all those sappy love stories."

Gianna leaned her head back against the couch and sighed in mock defeat. "Fine. But only if we can get popcorn and soda. I'll let you treat me like a baby, but I need some perks."

Marc and Hector exchanged a look. "Deal," they both said in unison.

As Marc went to the kitchen to grab the snacks, Gianna leaned back into the couch, feeling the weight of her injury, but also a sense of comfort in the chaos of her two favorite people looking after her.

She didn't like being babied. But somehow, with them around, it felt like it was okay. Because even though she was on crutches, she wasn't alone. And that made all the difference.