Chapter 7

The pain I expected from hitting my head on the ground never came.

Instead, Nathan's strong arms caught me mid-fall, and for a split second, I was weightless, suspended in his grasp.

All I could hear was his heavy breathing and the hurried crunching of his combat boots on the snow.

Years ago, I used to lie in the fields, soaking up the sun.

Whenever I fell asleep, my brother would carry me home.

I didn't have a brother to carry me home anymore.

He laid me down on the bed.

Nathan towered over the bedside, his tall frame throwing a deep shadow across me.

He stared at me, jaw clenched, looking a little lost.

He'd never really taken care of anyone before.

The last time I was sick, he mixed up some medicine for me, and that was way back when I was nineteen.

He stood by the bed for a while before finally bringing over a basin of water.

He wrung out a towel, clumsily folded it a few times, and set it on my forehead.

As his hand lingered on the towel, he only noticed I was awake and watching him.

He shot up like he'd touched a hot potato, his ears burning red.

After a moment, he finally came to his senses and rushed out of the bedroom.

I heard him knock on the door to the next room. Then he called out louder, "Dad, Hannah's sick."

After a moment, he said, "I'm not dealing with this anymore. I've got stuff to do at the base."

No one answered him.

He knocked on the housekeeper's door, but still got no response.

After a while, everything outside went quiet.

I figured he must've gone back to the base.

I pulled the blanket around me and drifted off into a hazy sleep.

I was drifting in and out of sleep when I felt something brush against me.

I blinked awake, surprised to find Nathan still by my side.

He stiffly grabbed a towel and, with obvious discomfort, wiped my face and arms.

Then he headed downstairs and came back with some medicine. I had no clue when he got it.

He looked downright awkward when he noticed I was awake.

But he didn't leave. He sat down by the bed, silent, and fed me the medicine.

I stared at him, everything blurry, and for a second, I thought I saw my brother's face in his.

My eyes were really red, and he asked, "Is it bitter?"

I didn't say anything and turned my head away.

As the night wore on, I got colder and colder.

Eventually, I was shivering nonstop.

Half-asleep, I felt the bed dip beside me as someone lay down next to me.

His body was cold to the touch.

I pressed up against him, and gradually, he started burning up like he was on fire.

My mind was so foggy, I couldn't tell if I was awake or dreaming.

*****

I had a high fever for days.

Nathan didn't go back to the base. He stayed and took care of me for several days.

It wasn't until New Year's Eve that my fever finally broke and I started feeling better.

David, who'd been away for days on some official business, finally came home.

At lunch, out of nowhere, David pulled out two tickets and said, "The folks at the theater pretty much shoved these tickets into my hands.

"I don't have time to go. If anyone wants them, take them."

I glanced at the tickets. The show was The River's Edge.

The last time my brother took me to the theater was to see that exact play, the year he left.

My heart stirred.

Once I left for the south, there'd be no chance to go to the theater again.

There was no telling if I'd ever make it back.

I didn't want to grab them, so I asked Nathan, "Do you want them?"

He was not really into that kind of thing.

He didn't look at me and said, "Whatever."

Which meant he wasn't exactly refusing.

As the year was winding down, everyone in Harborville was scrambling to catch a show.

Tickets for this play were like gold dust, nearly impossible to get.

I really couldn't bear to let them slip away, so I worked up the nerve to ask again, "Do you want both tickets?"

Nathan gave me a look, clearly annoyed. "Why would I need two? It's me."

David tossed us each a ticket. "Then you two should go together."

After a long pause, Nathan went, "Fine," and kept eating.

The show started at seven tomorrow night.

*****

The next afternoon, I double-checked my bags.

After the show, it'd be about time to pack up and head out.

After I finished packing, the housekeeper suddenly brought something up.

Charlotte's mom wasn't doing well and had been transferred to a hospital in Capitavia.

Charlotte went with her.

This morning, she sent Nathan an urgent message that her mom had gotten another notice that she was in critical condition.

This time, things were really bad. It didn't look like she'd pull through.

She said she barely had any money left, and the hospital told her things looked hopeless. They wanted her to think about giving up on treatment.

She was completely at a loss, all alone, with no clue what to do.

There was nothing from Nathan's side. I hadn't heard a thing, so I had no clue what he was going to do.

*****

As evening settled in, I waited for him outside the theater.

He still hadn't arrived when the show was about to begin.

I went in alone.

When the play was over, he still hadn't shown up.

*****

When I got home, David was absolutely furious.

As I walked in, I could hear him and the housekeeper talking heatedly.

From what I caught, Nathan was worried about Charlotte and her mom, and ignoring David's attempts to stop him, he'd hopped on a train to Capitavia in the middle of the night.

David slammed his fist on the table, fuming. "He's defying me. I've cut off all his money. Let's see what he can do now."

I went back to my room.

I opened the drawer, and the necklace my brother gave me was missing.

Where the necklace used to be, there was a note.

It was Nathan's handwriting, the one I knew all too well: [I'll get it back for you in two weeks, tops.]

He'd pawned the necklace. He got the money and jumped on a midnight train to Capitavia, to be there for Charlotte.

I stared at the note for ages, and couldn't help but laugh despite myself.

Suddenly, I couldn't understand how I ever thought he was everything. How I used to believe he was so wonderful.

*****

A week later, I got the notice to leave and started packing my bags.

I didn't hesitate for a second. Along with a few hospital colleagues, I boarded the train bound for the south.