Page 94 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
I stand on shaky legs, frozen to my spot in fear, relief, and something else I’m too afraid to name as Thane’s wild gaze searches face after face before finally landing on mine.
He leans down to whisper something to Kara, and she releases him, but sticks close to his side as he begins to walk again. Kara holds her arms out as if she’s afraid he’s about to collapse. It’s the strength of this little girl, caring for her brother, that snaps me out of my daze, and I run to them.
The moment I reach them, his teeth shine bright against his dirty skin when he smiles. “There you are.”
And then he promptly falls to the ground.
* * *
“I’m notsure how I feel about a town where I keep waking up in a hospital.” Thane’s voice has a rusty quality to it.
He’s in an actual hospital this time.
“I’m so mad at you, I want to punch something.” Kara’s words tremble with unshed tears. They dried hours ago. “I thought you were dead.”
“A little house explosion isn’t going to kill me.” His lips tilt up with the start of a smile, but he winces as though it’s painful.
“I’ve known you my entire life, and now you wanna joke around? You almost died, Brad. Dead.”
“I’ve always been funny. You simply never understood my humor before.”
New tears slide through the soot and ash still on her cheeks.
Thane opens his arms, and she collapses into his embrace. Their affection for each other is usually limited to verbal sparring, but this—this is love. When her little body heaves, it becomes painfully obvious how much this little girl is still holding in.
“Kara.”
I’m not sure if he’s gentling his voice for her or if it’s from the smoke he’s inhaled, but I choose to believe he’s doing it for her benefit.
“Don’t. Don’t say something stupid right now.” She uses the arm of her sleeve to wipe her nose, but she keeps her head pressed to his chest.
“I was only going to say that I promised to take care of you, and I keep my promises.”
Something in his words draws my attention away from Kara’s tears. He’s staring straight at me as he speaks to her.
“I thought you died,” she sobs again.
“But I didn’t. I’m here to annoy you for a long time to come.”
“Promise me.” She sounds so small, so scared. It’s a promise I once asked my own brother to make. I understand the need for it. When you feel so alone in the world that you just need an anchor—someone to be your person.
I haven’t had a person in a very long time. Not until Thane.
“I promise, Kare-bear.” She sucks in a breath as if that name means something to her, then she slowly lifts her head.
“Itwasyou.” There’s accusation in her tone, but there’s also an undeniable amount of love.
She turns to me with wonder clouding her green eyes that match her brothers. “When I was little, Care Bears would just show up in my room. If I was happy, I’d get a yellow one. If I was mad, the blue one. For years, they’ve just appeared. I always thought it was Ophelia trying to make me feel better.”
Thane stares at where his little sister has clasped his hands.
“You were doing it the whole time.” The wonder in her tone veers back toward accusatory. “Why wouldn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t know what to say. Rafe always got along with you so easily, but I didn’t know how to communicate with you. You were messy and loud. But you were also so expressive even before you could speak. You were so different from me, but I wanted you to know that I was there. That I’ve always been there for you.”
“You were trying.” So much emotion is attached to those three words.
He nods.
