Natural Disaster

• Nerys Brown
• Short Story
• 2011

I sat, looking at the blackened and twisted remains of my home. The fire had roared through town, caused by the earthquake. What we had saved from the earthquake was destroyed by the fire. I had nothing but the clothes on my back and the dog curled in my lap.
The beagle yapped and licked at my soot-covered hand and I scratched his ears out of habit, still lost in my thoughts. I wasn’t the only one who’d lost things but my house was one of the two that had burnt down completely and I hadn’t just lost possessions. My sister-in-law was still in the house when it burnt down; she hadn’t been able to get out. She was in hospital in the critical ward right now in a coma she might not wake up from.
“Come on,” I said to the young dog as I put him down before jogging off.
I hated to have to do this but I needed help.

“Damon!” I yelled up at the house, knowing he was home and probably ignoring me.
I kept yelling until Damon finally opened the door. His face shone with arrogance until he took in my clothes and face, soot and burns on both.
“Angel? What happened?” he asked as he grabbed my shoulders.
I winced in his tight grip before whispering hoarsely “Liz is in hospital. Our house burnt down and I need to get cleaned up before I can go visit her. Some of her clothes are still here, I know she forgot some. Can I please borrow your shower?”
Damon’s eyes tightened slightly but he let me in and closed the door, almost catching Bailey’s tail. He saw the puppy and scooped him up, patting the yapping beagle lovingly. I couldn’t help but think he cared about the dog more than me.
He was Liz’s husband, my big brother. We hadn’t spoken in months since our last big scrap and I knew asking this was pushing his patience. I refused to apologise for what I’d said when he asked if I was sorry and Liz was living with me and not him because I needed to be taken care of. I hated having to crawl back to him like this.
“You know where the bathroom is, Liz’s clothes are in your old room,” he murmured, carrying Bailey into the kitchen.
I muttered, “Thank you,” before running upstairs to the spare room.

I came down stairs a little while later and was greeted by a clean beagle and a half-amused half-annoyed brother. Bailey had managed to get him wet and mess his hair up during his bath, two things that I knew Damon hated.
“I know this is a big thing to ask but can he stay here?” I asked as I crouched down to pat Bailey.
Damon replied tersely, “His kennel’s still out back and I’ve got some food for him. We’ll go in a minute.”
I ignored his surety that he’d be coming with me and patted Bailey as Damon walked into the kitchen.
“Hey buddy,” I whispered and cuddled Bailey.
He still managed to smell like home even after the fire and bath and I buried my face in his fur, feeling tears slowly swell in my eyes. I had no home now; Damon was only being nice to me for Liz. Even if I apologised now he wouldn’t forgive me, not after everything I’d done. I’d yelled and cursed at him, even landed a punch or two, and then blatantly refused apologise when in reality it had been entirely my fault.
A sob tore free from my throat and I struggled to swallow my tears before Damon could hear. I didn’t want him to see me crying like a little girl.
“Oh Angel,” Damon muttered before I felt two strong warm arms wrap around me.
I fell against his chest, tears flowing freely now and I struggled to regain composure. I couldn’t just break down whenever I wanted. I was meant to be stronger than that.
“I’m sorry,” I choked out through the sobs and tears.
Damon laughed bitterly before saying into my hair, “And it took you this long to realise.”
I glared up at him weakly before my eyes clouded with tears again and I burst into a new round of sobs.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” Damon apologised as he rocked me back and forth.
A pitiful whine alerted me to the fact we were squashing Bailey and I loosened my grip and let the beagle slip to the floor. He yapped almost indignantly before I heard him run off, probably to explore.
“Dumb mutt,” I said without any venom before wiping my eyes.
Damon chuckled before leaning away to look at me.
“I was saying sorry for crying,” I muttered as I finished wiping the tears away.
His eyes narrowed before he sighed, “I can’t expect less really. I taught you too well. Crying is nothing to be sorry for.”
I sniffled before pulling out of his arms and walking to the window, staring down towards town. If Liz had been here with Damon she wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the fire. It was my fault. Damon had been right, I was a screw-up.
“Angel?” he asked softly, interrupting my train of thought.
I replied, “Visiting hours ends soon. We’ll have to go now to see Liz.”

We reached the hospital and found to our dismay that Liz was in the critical ward and we couldn’t visit her. Considering we lived in a small town that was only on a few maps, rarely even mentioned in conversation from the towns nearby we had very good hospital, in fact it was annoyingly professional.
“But I’m her husband!” Damon protested loudly.
The receptionist’s perfect professional smile didn’t flicker and I glowered. I wish she’d sigh or look annoyed; it would be far more real.
“I’m sorry sir, Miss Lehane is in a critical condition and wouldn’t notice visitors,” she repeated, still with that perfect smile before turning back to her keyboard.
A nurse called out to the receptionist and she stood and crossed to the nurse. Damon nudged my shoulder before jerking his head at the computer and followed the receptionist, protesting loudly.
I couldn’t help but grin before leaning over the counter and quickly typing in Liz’s name. I glanced up at Damon who was doing a terrific job of distracting the receptionist before turning back to the computer. Liz’s name stood out against the white screen and I memorised the room number before deleting the evidence of my little search. Good thing I took computing in school.
I quickly stood back up and continued to glower at the receptionist like I hadn’t done anything else while she had been getting her coffee. She pushed past Damon and walked back to her desk, perfect smile starting to slip.
“You can’t do this!” Damon growled and I bit my lip.
His eyes were sparkling with amusement which the receptionist probably thought was badly supressed tears. He was enjoying this far too much.
“Damon let’s go, it’s obvious we won’t get anywhere with her,” I said as I caught his arm, putting as much venom into the ‘her’ as I could.
Damon threw the receptionist one last glare before walking away with me to the other side of the room, past the crowd looking for friends or family. Most of them had superficial first or second degree burns and were just getting looked at before leaving by the sounds of it.
“Did you get it?” Damon asked eyes bright with hope.
I nodded before hugging him and standing on my tiptoes to whisper, “Room 545. Floor five obviously.”
Damon played along, hugging me tight and stroking my hair, trying to look like he was comforting me.
“Thanks Angel,” he whispered before his shoulders started to shake with laughter.
I was confused until he glanced over at the receptionist before hiding his face against my shoulder, still laughing. I followed his gaze, forcing myself to glare in case she was looking our way.
She was and her professional smile had finally slipped. She looked over at the pair of us before flinching away from my glare. I looked away and bit my lip hard to supress my own laughter. She thought Damon was crying.
Damon stopped laughing with what seemed like a lot of effort and said quietly, “We better hurry. My laughing fit didn’t help any.”
I jerked my head over toward the receptionist as my brother made a big show of wiping his eyes and I grinned. The receptionist looked over at us guiltily before turning back to my computer and Damon grinned.
“Made her feel bad, I’d say that helped,” I chuckled.
Damon took my hand and quickly led me to the elevator, sneaking in with a large group. I leaned forward and quickly pressed 5 before leaning back again, squeezing Damon’s hand unthinkingly for reassurance. He stiffened slightly but squeezed back and I relaxed, thinking he would refuse to accept my comfort. Maybe we could get along again after all.

We snuck down the hall to Liz’s room, quickly slipping inside and locking the door. The nurses probably had keys but that might give us a few minutes to hide.
I swallowed bile, the smell of the hospital and seeing Liz made me feel sick and when I glanced at my brother I knew he felt the same. I let his hand go and quickly crossed to Liz, brushing strands of blonde-brown hair that had been shortened by fire off her face. She was bandaged on most of her body and her heartbeat was sluggish. Her fingers that weren’t bandaged felt icy cold when I touched them and I swallowed tears. Breaking down here would just get us caught.
A warm hand squeezed my shoulder before Damon’s hand replaced my own, tenderly holding Liz’s fragile fingers. I played with her hair absentmindedly, ignoring my brother’s broken look, knowing he wouldn’t want me to see.
I stepped out of the way and turned my back to let them have a minute, aware Damon would need time to deal. He never could understand why people died, when mum died he was nine and I was five and I understood better than him. Damon hated losing people even more than I did and if Liz didn’t wake up it would destroy him.
“Your turn,” Damon muttered as he took my place and pushed me towards the bed.
I perched on the edge of the bed and took her hand in mine; appalled at how thin and fragile it felt. It had always been thin, Liz was supermodel material, but her grip was always strong. Now it felt like I could break her hand if I squeezed too hard.
I took a deep breath before whispering, “Hey sis. I know you probably can’t hear me but there’s always a chance you can. We really need you to wake up.”
I stroked her hair, comments I could imagine her making running through my mind. Her hair was brittle and broke easily in my gentle grip and I let go quickly.
“Lizzie, it hasn’t even been a day and I miss you like mad. Damon misses you too, I can tell he does. I mean he must love you, he married you, and he really needs you back. God I feel stupid, talking to a girl in a coma but we really need you back,” I choked out.
The hand in mine twitched and my eyes flew open, looking eagerly at Liz’s face for signs of waking. Her heart rate remained slow and I knew what happened. Coma patient’s muscles would spasm while their minds and rest of their bodies remained unconscious. Liz was in as deep as she was five minutes before and her body was just rebelling.
I knew what had happened but couldn’t feel disappointed as I realised she was still out of it. I quickly stood and walked to my brother, shaking his arm to get his attention. Damon turned to me and nodded before walking to the door. I followed, trying to remember when the last time I saw that face was.
We walked to the elevator and made it out to his car before it clicked. When mum had died and Damon had finally realised she was gone forever he had looked like that. Damon thought Liz wouldn’t wake up. He was giving up on her ever talking to him again, seeing him again. He was giving up on her.

We made it to his house and I ran inside and upstairs to my old room, ignoring Damon’s worried questions. I wasn’t giving up on Liz and when she woke up everything would be okay again. She’d make it; she was the toughest person I knew.
I slammed the door behind me and flopped on the bed, not caring it was made with the scratchy sheets I hated and pulled the pillow close, burying my face in it and sobbing. The room was cold and empty, reminding me that it wasn’t mine anymore. The sobs increased, and I was amazed I could still cry after all the tears that had fallen today.
I heard the door open and glared at Damon as he walked to the bed. He sat next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder which I shrugged off violently. I didn’t want his comfort, not when he was the reason I was upset.
“Angelika Lehane, tell me what is wrong,” he snapped in annoyance and I glared.
All the words I’d wanted to say to him all day poured out in a flood and I was helpless to stop them.
“What’s wrong? Your wife is in a coma and you’re just giving up on her for a start! It’s my fault that she’s hurt in the first place because the only thing we have in a common is the family stubbornness and I’m sorry okay? I know you’re only being nice to me for Liz and that you’re gonna kick me out and I know nothing I can say will change your mind! It’s my fault and I’m sorry!” I screamed at him before curling up and feeling the tears start again.
There was a stunned silence for a few minutes and I sobbed harder, feeling more alone than I ever had in my life. I had always had someone with me but now even Damon was abandoning me when I really needed him.
“Angel?” he asked hesitantly.
I glared at him before my fist snapped out without my volition and caught him in the chin, sending him backwards off the bed. He hit the ground hard and I flinched involuntarily when he glared back at me, the look scaring me more than anything else.
He stood and dusted himself off before asking icily, “What was that for?”
I could see a red mark on his chin and felt a wash of pride before his eyes met mine and all felt was scared.
“I know you’re mad now, and I’d say I’m sorry but I’m not. I’m going now,” I said with as much dignity as I could muster before trying to push past him to the door.
Damon wrapped an arm around my waist and pushed me back to the bed, sighing irritably.
“I’m not going to kick you out, I don’t know why you punched me, and it’s not your fault. Were you always this stupid?” he asked.
I started to come up with a snappy retort but then I realised something. There was no venom in his voice. He was joking.
“Well, you’ve known me since I was born, have I always been this stupid?” I asked sarcastically.
Damon thought for a second, a serious look plastered on his face but I could see the mirth underneath.
After a moment he said slowly, “I think it got worse with age.”
I poked my tongue out but the mood sobered quickly. Oppressive storm clouds had rolled while we had been at the hospital and that just made me more miserable. Today was the kind of day that Liz and I would sit on the computer annoying her sister Asha and being idiots. We’d curl up in the living room with hot chocolate and watch movies, normally funny ones like Pirates of the Caribbean and then scary ones as it got later. Damon would drift in and out of the rooms but would leave us alone mostly because he was quite okay with us hanging out on the rainy days.
Today Damon and I were stuck in this house alone, something that hadn’t happened since we were kids. Liz wasn’t here to keep us separate and calm since rainy days tending to make both of us lash out for even the tiniest perceived slight.
This afternoon was going to be the worst of my life.

I glared up at my idiot brother and yelled, “Get down from there!”
“Do I have ta?” Damon whined from where he was perched precariously on the banister on the second floor.
Normally I wouldn’t particularly care that he was up there but normally he’d be leaning against it after walking up the stairs and not sitting facing me. Did I mention I was in the living room, so his legs were dangling over thin air, and he was drunk?
“Damon Lehane, get down right now!” I snapped, trying to sound serious and commanding, not amused.
Damon whined again and shook his head, leaning back as he took a swig from his bottle of whiskey. I knew that there was a cabinet with Scotch and bourbon in it but I didn’t think he was going to get drunk so I didn’t pay any attention to it. Not the smartest idea.
“I like it up here!” he called down as he balanced on the thin ledge of wood on the other side of the ornate railing.
I scowled before marching up the stairs and grabbing the back of his shirt, yanking him onto the walkway that he was meant to be on.
Damon pouted as he claimed, “You’re no fun! Liz is more fun than you!”
I sighed before pulling him to his feet and down the stairs to the longue and pushing him onto the couch. He continued to pout which looked utterly ridiculous and I couldn’t stifle the chuckle any more.
A broad grin spread across his face at the sound and Damon crowed proudly, “Made you laugh!”
I rolled my eyes but I couldn’t help but smile and turned to his movies, looking for something to put on.
“What we gonna watch?” Damon asked curiously as he walked over to me.
Well, staggered is a more accurate description then walked and I steadied him before pulling him over to the table and making him lean on it. That should stop him from falling over for a few minutes.
I flipped through the movies before stating, “You’re the eldest, you choose.”
It was a rule he’d come up with when we were little so he could choose what we watched but in this instance I was more than happy to let him choose. I was already half-sure I knew what he’d pick.
Damon’s eyes lit up and he flipped through the folder quickly, pulling out a disc before looking at me hopefully.
“Sure big brother,” I laughed and took the disk from him.
Damon bounced back to the couch and sat, abandoning the whiskey and leaving it on the table. I put the disc into the DVD player and walked to him and sat next to him, moving the whiskey further away from him when he was waiting impatiently for it to load.
“Angel, it’s not working!” he whined pitifully and I patted his head, the motion both condescending and comforting.
I grabbed the TV remote and hit the ON button, something Damon in his drunken state wouldn’t remember to do. I leaned back on the couch and let myself relax as the Top Gear music came on, flooding the small room thanks to Damon’s speaker system.
Damon poked me and I looked at him in confusion before realising I hadn’t hit play yet. I muttered an apology before going down on the menu and choosing the one where they were in America, Damon’s favourite for some bizarre reason.
“Thanks sis,” he said before leaning back and watching interestedly.
I stifled a laugh before putting my feet up on the table and watching the show with him. Maybe I’d finally understand why he liked this episode so much.

It was late now and Damon was asleep with his head on my shoulder. I gently pushed him down onto the couch before throwing a blanket over him and turning the TV off. We had watched all of his Top Gear and a couple of other movies before he fell asleep. The whiskey bottle was still sitting on the table, half-full, and I sighed before taking it over to the cabinet and putting it in, finding the stopper on the shelf.
I was tired now but the hospital had called a few minutes after the first Top Gear episode had started and I was waiting for another call from them about Liz. I wasn’t good at waiting and I knew Damon wasn’t either so I didn’t bother telling him. I’d wait till he was sober.
The phone rang and I raced to it, quickly answering in the hope that Damon would stay asleep.
“Hello, Angelika Lehane speaking,” I answered in case it was the hospital.
The line crackled and I heard a familiar voice say, “Hello Miss Lehane. This is the hospital. Your sister-in-law’s burns were worse than we originally thought and she has to go into surgery for skin grafts.”
It took me a second but I recognised the voice. It was the same receptionist that we had tricked earlier today and that’s why her voice was shaky.
“When will she be going in?” I asked, trying to stay calm.
There was a pause and I was about to yell at her to answer me when the answer came.
“She’s about to go in right now. I’m sorry but this surgery may be the only thing that keeps her alive.”
The phone dropped from my numb grip and I heard the receptionist trying to see if I was still there. The dial tone sounded and I figured she thought I had hung up or the line had dropped out or something.
It took me a second but I shook myself out of the daze and then hung the phone up properly before stumbling back to the living room. Damon was sound asleep and I pushed his arm up so it hung off the couch before clambering up next to him and snuggling into his side, needing comfort and the knowledge that he was still there.
Damon mumbled before his arm wrapped around me and I smiled slightly before pulling the blanket up over my head and falling asleep.

Light hit my face and I whined before trying to hide my face against the solid shape next to me. A chuckle met my ears and I looked up blearily. Damon was smiling and I immediately knew that while he had been drunk he had once again miraculously avoided a hangover.
“Go back to sleep,” I grumbled before cuddling back into him and starting to drift off.
Damon tilted my head up as he asked, “Quick question. When did you climb in here?”
I let the lie fall from my lips without an ounce of guilt and replied, “Middle of the night. I had a nightmare.”
He rubbed my back comfortingly before relaxing back against the couch and letting me use him as a pillow again.
“I got drunk yesterday didn’t I?” he asked and I nodded.
He looked around for something and I was confused until Damon queried, “So where’s the bottle?”
I murmured into his shoulder, “I put the alcohol away after you fell asleep watching Top Gear. Quick question; why do you like the America episode so much?”
Damon shrugged and I whined as my pillow moved. After a muttered apology I felt close to falling asleep again. My pillow moved again and I grumbled as he stood and put my head on the end of the couch. Stupid couch wasn’t comfy.
“You’re mean,” I stated as I sat up.
Damon shrugged and I continued, “And I like you better drunk.”
A look of mock hurt flashed across his face before he pouted and I rolled my eyes.
“That doesn’t work when I’m sober?” he asked and I shook my head.
Damon grumbled before walking to the kitchen and I followed, keeping the blanket wrapped around me tight. He looked for the fridge and I sat on the counter, careful not to bump the dirty glass next to me.
“Uh Damon?” I asked as I took in the mess.
Damon looked at me as he got bacon out of the fridge and asked, “Yes little one?”
I smiled at the nickname before gesturing at the mess and arching an eyebrow.
“Okay, I can’t clean,” he admitted.
I laughed before helping him move the dirty plates and glasses so he could start making breakfast. I snorted as he put the bacon and eggs down and sighed. That was all he could cook.
I managed to find a clean frying pan and continued, “And you can’t cook either. You’re a bit of a fail brother.”
He scowled before pushing me out of the kitchen so he could cook his food. I laughed at his indignant expression before leaning on the doorframe and watching him fail miserably.
I knew why he couldn’t cook; Liz and I both sheltered him in the food department. We cooked for him, I had been cooking since I was little and when he and Liz got together she cooked for him. Damon was utterly clueless in the kitchen.
“Where are your car keys?” I asked as I looked for the jar for food money.
Damon jerked his head to the counter in the living room and I got the money out of the Food Money Jar sitting on the bench before walking to the living room and grabbing his keys.
He realised what I was doing and grabbed at my arm declaring, “Oh no! You’re not taking my car!”
I laughed and skipped backwards before darting to the front door and running out to his car. Damon yelled as he ran after me but I jumped in the car and drove off still laughing. He was such an idiot!

I reached the shops and brought what I needed before walking back to the car. Maybe Damon would finally learn how to cook something besides bacon and eggs. I doubted it though.
I crossed to the car and put the food in the back before turning around to find myself face to face with my old ‘friend’ Dean. I jumped and hit my back on the car, scowling at him already. He always snuck up on me like that!
“Whoa, sorry Angel!” he exclaimed.
I hit his shoulder before turning to get in the car. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him.
We hadn’t talked since we were younger and I wasn’t exactly close to him since he had tried to kiss me without me saying yes. Dean still thought we were close but we weren’t. We weren’t even friends anymore.
“Dean I’m busy,” I said rudely before turning to open the driver’s door.
His arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me to face him.
He started, “I heard about Liz Angel. I know we’re not that close anymore but I want you to know that I’m still here for you, for whatever you need.”
I glared at him and snapped, “I have my brother Dean and I don’t need you so get your greasy hands off me!”
Dean’s green-blue eyes narrowed and I scowled back at him, completely unafraid. He was a slime ball and I knew how to fight, if he attacked me I could kick his butt easily.
In theory I could kick his butt anyway.
“I think we should finish this talk somewhere more private,” he hissed before pulling me away from the car.
I struggled furiously until I felt the point of something sharp in my side and hissed. He had a knife and I was going to get sliced if I didn’t follow him.
“Let’s go,” Dean said softly as he pushed me forward.
I sighed but walked forward, a plan forming in my mind. If I could get him in a false sense of security or distracted I had a chance of getting the knife off him. People walked past but the knife was hidden and Dean was always good at tricking people. No one was going to help me.
“Now, where’s your brother?” Dean had asked when he had pulled me out of sight.
I lied, “In the shops. I forgot something.”
I had a vague hope that if he thought Damon was close he would let me go. Like I said, it was a vague hope.
“I guess we’ll just have to go somewhere then,” he smiled and I knew that while he had brought it he had a backup plan.
I snapped, “Just let me go Dean!”
Dean tightened his grip and I saw the flash of a knife before a pain in my leg. I gasped before whimpering as he twisted the knife before yanking it out.
“Now come with me willingly,” he instructed.
I shook my head and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Dean drew his hand back to hit me with the knife again and I quickly came up with an excuse.
“I can’t, Damon would know something was up and come after you,” I blurted out.
He considered for a moment before pulling me back out to the car, knife stowed in his pocket. I relaxed slightly until he gestured at me to open the door.
I stuttered, “But its Damon, I can’t just take his car.”
Dean snorted before shoving me into the passenger side and taking the keys from my numb hand. I fumbled with the seatbelt before giving up and hoping he crashed and I went through the windscreen. That might make him leave me alone.
Dean sped off and any hope of crashing left my mind when I remembered he was a brilliant driver. I needed some other way to get out of this situation.
My phone buzzed and Dean looked at my pocket suspiciously before snapping, “Answer it.”
I pulled out the phone and flipped it open before asking in the calmest voice I could manage, “Who’s this?”
“Who do you think it is?” Damon growled and I grinned.
“Oh, hi Damon. I’m sorry about taking the car,” I said, hoping I’d be able to tell him what was going on without tipping Dean off.
He sighed before asking, “Where are you?”
“On my way home, I was going to stop at a friend’s first though.”
Dean watched me closely at the stop light and I glared back.
“Which friend were you going to visit?” Damon asked warily.
I replied, “Dean. We made up recently so I thought I’d check he was okay.”
Damon didn’t reply for a second and I knew he had got the real meaning in my words. He knew Dean and I hadn’t made up and I wouldn’t care if he was okay or if he was dying in a hole somewhere.
“I’ll get a lift and meet you. I don’t trust you with my car,” Damon lied smoothly.
I quickly said, “We were going to go out for breakfast, so I don’t actually know where we’ll be.”
Dean was relaxing slightly as I kept lying but what he didn’t know was that Damon knew exactly what was happening.
“Well, when you get there tell me where you are and I’ll meet up with you okay?” Damon asked, his voice sounding more strained.
“Sure brother, but you know we’ll probably end up in the funky end of town,” I said quickly before hanging up.
I mangled the phrase a little but we were both Supernatural fans so I hoped he’d gotten the message. Dean and Sam Winchester had used the phrase ‘funky town’ as a warning that they were hurt or in danger when they couldn’t talk freely. But then again, maybe that was overdoing it. He didn’t like Supernatural quite as much as me, I doubted he’d get it. We really needed to make up a code book for situations like this.
“Angel?” Dean snapped and I jerked back into reality.
I mumbled, “Sorry, just thinking.”
Dean nodded as he sped up, one hand reaching out for my phone.
“Why?” I asked, puzzled and not wanting to let my life line go.
He rolled his eyes and withdrew his hand, glancing at me periodically to check I wasn’t doing anything. What he didn’t realise was the one thing school taught me was to text without looking.
I quickly knocked my phone onto the seat beside me, the keypad just in reach of my fingers without moving my arm. I quickly typed a message, glad I had a touch phone so there was no noise from the keys and that the mute was on. I quickly finished the message, telling Damon to activate the GPS tracker system on the phone and hit send before deleting the sent box and outbox contents. If Dean checked there would be no evidence of my text.
“What are you doing?” he snapped and I looked at him trying to look bored.
“Trying to scare you by activating the music on my phone,” I replied seriously.
Dean scowled and reached over to snatch the phone and I let him take it. I didn’t need it anymore. I had done all I could with the phone and was starting to regret going out. If I had just stayed home and stopped being so stubborn this wouldn’t have happened.
“We’re almost there,” Dean informed me.
I shuddered at the look in his eyes and tried to curl up but Dean moved the knife so it caught the light and I stopped moving. I knew that was a warning.
I asked bitterly, “Where are we going Dean?”
Dean leered at me before replying, “Our spot. Don’t you remember it?”
I nodded weakly before thinking about Damon. He wasn’t allowed in there so he would have to catch us before we got in.
“How close are we?” I asked weakly, not wanting to know the answer.
Dean laughed, “Almost there.”
I felt panic rising up as I looked out the window and recognised where we were. There was no chance Damon would get here in time.
“Dean please don’t do this,” I pleaded, not expecting him to listen.
He didn’t reply and I grabbed at the knife, ignoring the pain in my hand as my palm slid along the blade. I managed to curl my fingers around the tip of the handle and ripped my hand back, trying to pull the knife with me.
“OI!” Dean snarled as the knife was torn out of his grasp and I cringed at the tone.
I took the knife with the other hand, my right slick with my own blood, and slashed at his arm. He jerked it out of the way, steering wheel being turned and sending us careening into a signpost and then into a ditch. I felt my head crack against the dashboard and saw Dean go flying through the windshield into the hard packed dirt in front of us.
“Sucked in,” I croaked before dropping the knife and snatching my phone before opening the window.
The door was jammed but the window could open just enough for me to wiggle through to freedom. I jammed my phone in my pocket before pulling myself up and clambering through the window, ignoring the pain in my hand. I had to get away before Dean woke up.
I saw a car coming our way and started to panic before I recognised it. It was Liz’s old car. She had two now and let me use the old one to practice driving in.
I smiled as I breathed, “Damon,” before starting to climb out of the ditch.
The car skidded to a stop and Damon leapt out and ran to me, pulling me out easily but carefully.
“Angel, you’re bleeding,” he murmured as he pressed his shirt collar of my forehead.
I nodded, grinning goofily, before hugging him tight. Damon hugged back for a second before pulling me to the car and making me get in the front.
I tried to convince him I was fine but he didn’t believe me, insisting that I had a concussion and needed to go to hospital. I whined and sulked but let him drive me towards the dreaded place.
“Do I have ta?” I whined as we got closer, unconsciously mimicking him.
Damon simply told me to wrap the makeshift bandage on my hand tighter and I did, applying pressure like he said. My head was all fuzzy and sore but I was sure I was okay. My stupid big brother didn’t believe me.
“Angel shut up and get out of the car,” Damon commanded as we pulled up and I grudgingly followed orders.
He led me inside and I looked around happily, incapable of thinking straight. The mean nasty receptionist from last time was there but this time she was a good girl and immediately fetched an orderly to take me to a room and sew up my hand. They also wanted a MRI but I didn’t want to go in that icky machine. It was too big and noisy and I didn’t like it.
Damon was allowed in with me while they were stitching my hand and he gave them a story that wasn’t quite complete, it didn’t have me saving myself from Dean in it but it was close enough.
“Then I stole the knife!” I chirped, completely unaware that the needle was slicing through my skin.
Damon shushed me but I wanted them to know what happened.
“Dean had a knife, that’s what he used to hurt my leg, but then we were driving and I stole it! That’s how my hand got all cut up. Then I was gonna stab him but he moved his arm and we went into a ditch! I think he’s still there,” I finished, tapping my chin with my finger.
Damon sighed before turning to the man in the blue uniform I didn’t notice arrive and saying, “She’s got a concussion from the crash but that does explain everything. I couldn’t see him from where I was and thought he had got away. Dean has an obsession with Angel; he was planning on raping her. That was one thing he made quite clear.”
I looked at my brother as the orderly tried to get me into a wheelchair to take me to the MRI. I didn’t want to leave my brother to go to the noisy thing.
“Go on Angel, I’ll be here when you get back,” Damon reassured me but I chewed my lip and shook my head.
“Angel,” he sighed before scooping me up and putting me in the chair.
I squirmed, attempting to get up, but the orderly put a gentle hand on my shoulder and wheeled me out into the hall and then into the elevator. I sniffled, aware that I was being childish but not wanting to leave Damon.

When the MRI was done I was allowed to go home as long as Damon looked after me. We asked about Liz and were told that the skin grafts, which I thought sounded rather icky, were successful and she should recover from the burns well but they weren’t sure about the coma. I thought it was mostly good, Liz hated scars and healing sounded good to me, but Damon reminded me that the coma was bad.
“Oh,” was my only comment as he led me to the car to take me home.
I curled up in the front seat, sleepy and sore. I also wanted Bailey to hug but he was still at home, waiting for us.
Damon glanced at me worried and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay little Angel?”
I shrugged and mumbled, “Sore and tired. And missing my puppy and Lizzie.”
Damon sighed before speeding up, trying to get home before I fell asleep I guess.
It didn’t really work.

I woke up the next morning and saw a happy Damon. I hadn’t seen him that happy in ages.
“What did I miss?” I asked and pulled Bailey closer, barely aware of the tail thumping on my stomach.
Damon grinned at me and bolted over, placing a gentle kiss on my head before rushing through his next sentence.
“Liz might be waking up! Turns out she wasn’t in a coma, the stupid orderly gave her too much sedative when she got there and wouldn’t fess up cause he knew he’d get in trouble. Liz is going to be fine!” he crowed.
I grinned up at him and felt tension and worry that I didn’t even know was there leave. Everything was going to be okay now. We were a family again.