Chapter 41: Chapter 41

JOSEPH'S POV

My eyes open wide as I hear hospital. I don't know why it didn't register before, but now it did. And I didn't want to go the hospital.

"Sir can you please take me home?" I asked gritting my teeth through the pain. Even talking felt like I was being crushed by a ton of bricks.

"You are in no shape to go home son, let the doctors take care of you." Her dad argued looking at me through the over head mirror. My eyes met his, his own was full of kindness and warmth, I had to turn mine steely if I wanted to win the argument. He jerked a bit as if my eyes gave him an electric shock.

"I need to go home now sir, I can't go to the hospital." I say firmly, putting an emphasis on the 'now'. I saw him gulp before making a U turn and headed home.

That was when I could finally feel at ease.

"Scared of hospitals?" Carrie asked whispering.

I already forgot she was here,

"Not scared... I don't like being a burden.." I tell her through the pain. Masking my face so the pain didn't shine through was a miracle.

"You aren't a burden to us son." Her father assured. The softness of his voice remained. I felt a stab of guilt, we were going to do something horrible to his little girl, he should not be so nice to me, if he wasn't nice then it will feel easier.

"Not to you... To my sister.. she just got her club, making her visit the hospital every day because I'm there will be unfair." I explained, a lump forming in my throat.

I failed to carry out her mission today, she must have a backup plan, or will formulate one, either way, she will want to mess with her again, and this time I might not be able to stop her.

"We are here." Her dad announced.

I looked, it was too dark to see, but I could tell we were in front of my house. Carrie bolted out of the car and was opening my side of the door.

"It's ladies before gentlemen, let me help you out." She said firmly before putting my hand around her.

I smile genuinely before letting her pick me up, we walked- I say we because I knew she couldn't hold all my weight, I carried most of it myself.

We got the front door, I hestitated. I knew Mom would be waiting for me, and if I bring her in... well I didn't want to think about that. I had to make her leave.

"It was not so bad a date." I start.

She stopped walking too and smiled widely at me, making my heart to race. I blinked before looking away.

"I enjoyed myself, every minute of it, until those guys showed up." She say, her face was smiling until she got the 'those guys' part, then she frowned. It looked too cute to me.

"I had a great time too, I got to play hero." I tell her jokingly.

Her eyes widen, then she got the hint and laughed.

I pull my hand from her.

"I can take it from here." I tell her.

"Well what if you trip and fall?" She asked frowning.

I laugh,

"I can handle myself, besides Lucy is home." I tell her.

She looked reluctant.

"See you on Monday?" I ask.

"Monday? But tomorrow is Sunday, you live right across from me, I can come visit you tomorrow!"

I frown.

"No you can't come visit, I'll come instead." I tell her.

She looked at me with her four eyes, and I got uneasy, my heart was pounding too much.

"See you tomorrow." I say before rushing in like a ten year old girl running away from her crush.

I heard her feet shuffle around before leaving. I could breathe well now that she left.

"You seem happy.. a happy failure.. that is." Mom's voice say from the sofa.

I switch on the lights. She was sitting there, with her phone, but somehow the screen wasn't shining, meaning she wasn't using it.

I took a deep breath, I can't be prepared to talk to her about this so I just walk to her.

"I just couldn't do it.. she could have been beat up, or worse raped. I couldn't do that to her."

A slap across the face was what I got, the second one in one night. It was so fast I didn't see it coming.

"You have fallen in love with her." She whispered.

"You are a disgrace to this household, and you better brace yourself lover boy, you can't stop what is about to happen." She spat at me before she stormed upstairs.

I fall in the sofa where she stood up from. What was this life?

I threw my jacket at the wall in rage. I liked Carrie.. I admit I do.. now I can't save her..

"I knew it would end up like this." Lucy say coming in with a huge first aid box.

"You didn't sleep?" I ask.

She sat on the coffee table in front of me.

"Couldn't, sleep is a commodity when your little brother and his girlfriend are in danger and you can't stop it." She said unwrapping an injection.

"I don't think I need an injection, do you even know what you are doing?" I asked in alarm.

She dropped it.

"I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know if I'm supposed to give you an injection, I don't know if I should do something about your suffering because I can only watch." She said looking at me sadly.

"Let's report this to the police, because she was hurt when she was 18 years old doesn't mean she should track down all 18 year olds and torture them through me." I say angrily.

"We can't. We don't have an evidence, she is clean, doesn't do drugs, no sign of mental disorder." She says rubbing her elbows.

"We can leave her." I start to suggest.

"I can't, I can't leave her, I can't hand her over to the police or the asylum, I can't." She said almost sobbing.

I was confused.

"Why?"

"Because you and her are the only family I've ever had, I can't do that to family. Now shut up let me clean you the best I can." She tells me firmly, leaving no place for arguments.

Barely an hour later, she was done and I was dialing Felix's number.

"You remember me only in the middle of the night?" He asked but he didn't sound sleepy.

"I need advice." I say seriously.

"Whoa sounds serious, what is it?" He asked, his voice grew serious too.

"I can't tell you the details but I'm being forced to be a bad guy towards someone that doesn't deserve it, she is sweet and nice and doesn't deserve anything bad."

"I don't understand the situation, but it seems you have your answer. Don't be a bad guy to a nice girl.. you don't even have the heart for that."

I tell him thanks and disconnect. He did not understand, and it wasn't his fault. I go up to my room, and that took a lot of strength.

I hear noise from my window, when I open it, I see something that made me curse.

"Carolyn please don't tell me you are trying to jump from your window to mine." I say but I opened my window widely.

"I am, don't distract me, it's harder than it looks." She say as she throws herself out of her window and lands face flat in my room.

"Ouch "

"Are you okay?" I ask as I pull her up.

"That was hard." She said standing up.

"Your room smells nice, smells just like you." She said smiling as she looked around.

I plop down on the bed. Unable to wrap my head around the fact that she was standing in my room.

"Sit " I say tapping the bed.

She sat down,

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"You took care of me when I was sick.. I've come to return the favor. Plus I wanted to know how to jump windows." She said flipping her hair. It was kind of wet. She was also dressed in her bunny ear'ed pyjamas.

"You Carolyn... You excite me." I whisper.

She turned to me. Our faces were so close it had to happen. I lean in, and like before she stilled.

"May I?" I whisper.

She nodded, I could tell she wasn't breathing. Wait, was this her?

"Is this your first kiss Carolyn?" I ask.

"Was it obvious?"

I was surprised but not so surprised.

"Better make it too good then." I say before connecting our lips.