Sibling Love Ch. 03

To be fair, Ellie was the easiest to buy for on any normal Christmas. Ellie's hobbies were much like mine. I knew she would read anything, so a book or two were a given, like I bought her every year. The same went for music or movies. This year though, I wanted to get her something special. Really special.

Thankfully, with a well-paying job and the gigs I'd been doing, along with how little I ever spent on anything, I had a healthy amount of cash saved up. The question was... what would I get?

"Are you okay, Aden?"

I blinked out of my blank stare and turned to find Mom right in front of the cart, looking at me with concern etched all over her face.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff." I scratched the back of my head. That was a bit embarrassing.

"If you're sure." She didn't look convinced.

"I'm good. Promise." I stretched and grabbed the cart handle. "So, where to?"

And so began a shopping expedition that, in my opinion, had remained as yet to be attempted by man. After an hour and a half, with a cart full of decorations, food, and god knows what else, I finally stopped and looked at Ellie. She must've known what I was thinking as she just shrugged at me.

"Now do you believe me when I say that I wasn't joking about a flatbed?"

At least they both had the decency to look sheepish. Still, this was a good opportunity. I could use the excuse of going to grab another cart to have a little browse and see if I couldn't find some inspiration.

"I'll go get another one."

"Is there something specific you need, dear?" Mom asked with a knowing smile.

Our mother was way, way too perceptive.

I shrugged. "Not really."

"We understand. You go and do your own thing for a while, you've been with us for long enough already."

I nodded as Mom turned to carry on browsing. Ellie looked up at me with a raised eyebrow for a few moments before finally smiling and turning to follow Mom with a shake of her head.

Freedom never tasted so sweet.

I started heading for the other end of the store. This end was all Christmas stuff and nothing I'd spotted on the way there had really ticked any boxes. At the other end though, I found the jewelry section. That was more like it. In general, Ellie didn't wear much Jewelry. She didn't have any piercings, though she often wore necklaces and bracelets. I gave the selection a good going over, spotting one or two little doodads that seemed interesting, but the quality wasn't the best.

Still, I had an idea now at least. I'd have to pay attention to what she wore over the next week. "Wait... I'll see what she wears for our date." I nodded to myself. Yeah, that was the best plan. Then I could head to the jewelers with a better picture of what I wanted.

With my newfound ideas bouncing around in my head I went to grab a cart and made my way back to the ladies. The next couple of hours felt like ten, but once we were bagged up and loading the truck my mood quickly picked up. Pretty soon we'd drop Mom off at the Townleys place and we'd have the house all to ourselves until her and Dad got home in the evening.

"Good thing Dad left us with the truck today," I griped as I shut the trunk.

"Oh, stop whining," Ellie said with a laugh.

"Okay, now to grab a tree. Do you know what sort of size you want?" I asked Mom as I started up the engine.

"Yes. We'll be in and out quickly, dear."

I wondered if we had the same understanding of what the word quickly meant, but all the same I stuck the truck in gear and headed to the lot.

Amazingly, we were in and out. In no more than ten minutes we'd gotten there, cut down a tree, and had it tied to the truck.

"Whew," Ellie whistled as she rubbed her gloved hands together. "Well, that's that done! All that's left is the grocery shopping in a few weeks."

I hopped into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut behind me. "Yep. I already know what I'm cooking so I've put all of it on order."

"When did my brother become so responsible?" I heard Ellie ask Mom.

"He always has been, darling," Mom said with a small laugh.

"I remember when he used to do silly things like climb trees, roll down ditches and such."

"Yeah, well, I remember when my sister used to put makeup on me while I was asleep."

"You'll never let that go, will you?"

"Nope."

We pulled up at the Townleys house half an hour later. Mom said her thanks and gave us both the usual kiss on the cheek before heading inside. Ellie wasted no time hopping into the front middle seat.

"Well," she began as she buckled herself in, looking up at me with an excited smile. "It's just the two of us all alone until this evening," she practically sang.

Her excitement rubbed off on me as I put the truck in gear and checked my mirrors. "That's right. We'd better get this stuff back and unload first, though."

Ellie nodded, that infectious smile of hers warming me through.

I pulled out and started down the road. "Is there anything you want to do?"

I felt her shift a little, moving closer to me. "I was thinking that I really enjoyed our bath that night."

My smile turned into a grin. "And it is very cold out today."

She nodded against my arm. "So, so cold."

"This is gonna sound stupid," I started as we coasted around the corner then decided better of it, "no, it doesn't matter."

Ellie looked up at me with a frown. "I'm sure it isn't stupid. You can talk to me."

Sighing, I glanced at my mirrors again. "I enjoyed this morning. Just being out and doing normal things with you - as soul-crushing as shopping is."

"I know what you mean. Just being near you makes everything feel so..."

"Tell me about it," I interrupted, shifting up a gear. "Though, I did want to grab you when Mom's back was turned."

She giggled into my sleeve. "I wouldn't have complained."

"You looked s-"

A kid bolted into the road from behind a parked van.

I slammed on the brakes. The truck lurched as it slammed us hard against our seat belts. Rubber screeched in protest on the road as we came to a stop a dozen or so feet from the kid. I ripped off my seat belt and damn near punched the door open, stomping towards the kid before I'd even realized what I was doing.

"What the fuck are you doing? Are you stupid? Did no one ever teach you to look both ways before crossing the damn street?!" I stormed forwards, every muscle in my body burning with adrenaline.

"Aden!" I vaguely heard Ellie yell from behind me.

"Do you have any idea how close you were to being a smear on the fucking asphalt?"

"H-hey, man. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I d-didn't see you."

"Did you even look?!"

I felt Ellie grab my arm and try to stop me, but all I could see was red. Stupid little bastard. Stupid, stupid kid.

"Aden," Ellie's soothing voice reached my ears. "Aden, stop. Please. Please, just go back to the truck and sit down?"

My eyes burned as I glared at this boy, only just noticing his friends behind the van standing stock still, staring like mutes at the two of us. He couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen. The same age I was when...

My fists tightened. The stupid shit. That stupid little shit.

I stormed back to the truck, registering some sort of conversation between the kid and my sister as I threw myself back into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut.

Breath fogged in front of me as I fought to catch my breath. Anxiety coursed through me, my fists shaking in my lap. Stupid little bastard. As much as I tried, I couldn't get my erratic breathing under control. My eyes ached as though they were twice their normal size as the adrenaline began to wear off. I bounced on the balls of my feet, stomach knotting up as I stared down at the steering wheel.

"Aden?"

I finally noticed Ellie sitting next to me, her hands reaching over to cover mine.

"Ellie..."

I'd tried to stop them, but the memories of being hit by that car came flooding back like a tsunami. The terror for my sister's safety, the agony in my hip and leg, the feeling of crashing back to the ground and grating along the road. Remembering looking around as I tried but couldn't find Ellie anywhere... the months of agonizing physical therapy.

The tears just fell. A dam I couldn't rebuild against the surge. I crumpled over and bawled breathlessly into my knees as Ellie grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into her warm arms.

"Aden." I heard her sniff. "Hey, it's okay, you're okay." Her voice wavered. I knew she was crying too, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was paralyzed. I couldn't breathe through my nose, damp breath stuck to my cheeks while Ellie hugged my head, pulling me into her chest. I just sobbed pathetically into her jacket.

"Ellie...," I begged. I wasn't even sure what I was begging for.

"Shhhh..." she soothed. "Just take all the time you need, Adey. I'm not going anywhere. There's no rush. We don't need to be anywhere, we have all the time in the world... so sit here with me for as long as you need, okay? I'm here for you and I always will be."

Her sweet, soothing voice was that of an angel to me right then.

I'd never, ever forget it.

I don't know how long I stayed like that as my senses gradually came back to me. I didn't move. I was too scared to.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't you dare apologize," Ellie commanded. "Don't you dare...," she finished with a sniffle. She squeezed me, pulling me harder into her and I felt her little trembles. Scared of her reaction I pulled at her grip, lifting my head so I could look at her through aching eyes.

Words escaped me. I just looked at her and blinked, giving her a weak nod.

"Do you want me to drive home?" she asked softly.

I shook my head. Right then I needed some control, something to do. "No."

I took my time driving the last 5 minutes back. As soon as we arrived, Ellie hopped out and ran to unlock the front door while I dragged myself out of the truck and went around to start untying the tree. Almost immediately Ellie appeared and batted my hands away from the rope.

"Leave it. We'll do it later." She took my hand and led me into the house before remembering the truck. The keys were yanked from me as she ran out to lock it up.

It felt like I was in a haze for the next little while.

"Come on, let's go and have that bath," she said to me with a small smile.

I just nodded and followed her upstairs.

As Ellie left me to sit on the toilet seat while the bath filled up, she seemed to bolt around the house. She came back at least three times. Once with some hard liquor, once with some fresh towels, once with... something. I'm not sure what, before bolting out again.

I let out a miserable, self-pitying sigh. I thought I'd dealt with my memories from that car accident, but obviously not.

We'd been playing on the front lawn, kicking a ball around and just messing around like kids do. I remember I'd been teaching Ellie how to get some height on a kick when she'd punted it over the sidewalk into the street. She'd said sorry and started running to get it. I'd decided to try and beat her to it, but by the time we reached the road she'd already darted out. It was a bit of a blur for the next few minutes, but I vaguely recall pushing her out of the way as the corner of the car caught my leg and hips.

The memory of her scream would stay with me until the day I died.

I heard the bathroom door shut.

"We should get you out of these clothes, hm?"

Again, I nodded and as I reached for my boots I realized she was already naked. I looked up into her eyes as she knelt before me, taking over the task.

Before long I was naked, too. I got in first, barely feeling the hot water. Ellie crawled in after me, slipping between my legs and reclining into my chest. Her small, cold hands pulled my arms around her, while her legs rested over mine.

I held her shoulders, hugging her against me.

We sat in silence for a long while. Long enough for Ellie to lean forward and turn the hot tap on a little to reheat the tub.

I kept thinking about the pain and the recovery. It took a few months until I was able to walk properly again but in all honesty I'd gotten pretty lucky. Multiple fractures and blood loss. The worst part of it all, though, was Ellie's guilt. She was only 12 at the time and she refused to leave me alone while I spent those few weeks in hospital. I remember Mom and Dad taking turns visiting me when not working, but in all that time I think Ellie only left me once or twice to go home and rest, unhappily listening to our parents.

Fingernails brushed over the backs of my hands, drawing me back to reality. The sound of water trickling was the only noise in the room.

"You're feeling a little warmer now," she murmured, rubbing her cheek against my chest.

"Yeah. I'm feeling calmer, too," I replied. The trembling that had finally died down wasn't from the cold.

"That's good." She kissed my neck.

Something needed to be said. I knew that for Ellie it wouldn't have mattered if I said nothing as long as I was okay, but still, I needed to say something.

"Thank you, Ellie." I cleared my throat to try and get rid of the soreness. It didn't work.

"You don't need to thank me, Aden."

"I do. I'd never really thought about the accident. I probably just buried it and ignored it, so it just... exploded, seeing that kid. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would've happened." I squeezed her harder, hugging her into me as I kissed the top of her head. "You're so good to me. I can't tell you how grateful I am."

"Adey, you don't need-"

"No. I do," I interrupted, determined to make my point. "What you did for me today proves again how right this, us, is. I... I just don't have the words to explain it. You're everything that I need and want. You ground me and lift me up and I know how cheesy that sounds, but it's true. It's just true, and I want to be there so I can do the same for you."

She must've stopped breathing at some point as I felt her exhale a shaky breath when she sat up, turning around to straddle me and hold my head in her hands.

"That's not cheesy, Aden. That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." She pressed her lips to mine, capturing me in a slow, loving kiss as her thumbs stroked my jaw. "I'll always be here for you," she started, raising her eyebrows, "you know that, right?"

I nodded. "And I'll always be here for you."

She kissed me once more. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

We kissed for a while longer until my stomach rumbled to get my attention. I hadn't eaten anything all day.

"Want some late lunch?" I breathed against her lips.

Her gaze danced between my eyes as she let out a little laugh. "That sounds great."

We took our time drying off and getting dressed. I felt like a drained battery desperate for a recharge, but still insisted on cooking us up something to eat. Ellie deserved it.

Over the next few hours we went about bringing everything in from the truck. Sorting through the mass of decorations, food and more took all afternoon. By the time we'd gotten everything into some sort of order on the dining table, it'd turned dark outside.

"El?" I asked while knocking back the last of my glass of whiskey.

She was focused on unwrapping decorations. "Mmm?"

"I'll go grab the base for the tree. Is there anything else in the attic that we need?"

Her gaze lifted to meet mine as she poked at her bottom lip in thought for a few moments. "There's a box of lights and the regular ornaments, too. That should be everything, I think."

I nodded and made quick work of grabbing the torch from the kitchen before heading up to find all the bits. My head made decent contact with the rafters a few times as I hunted through boxes and other miscellaneous crap. After I eventually found everything, I ferried it down to the hallway and locked up. Voices wafted from downstairs, Mom and Dad must've gotten home. I brushed myself off and grabbed hold of everything, balancing it in my arms as I started towards the stairs.

"What?!" I heard both of our parents blurt out.

Freezing in place, I wondered what the hell had just happened.

Ellie made a not-so-subtle shushing noise. "He'll be down any minute."

Nervous, I made my way down with everything in tow. All three sets of eyes snapped onto mine as I laid the decorations on the floor.

I frowned. "What?" My gaze danced between my parents. Dad looked concerned, while Mom looked terrified. I stared down at Ellie, who looked for all intents and purposes like she was guilty of something.

My slow brain finally clocked on to what had just occurred when Mom rushed over to grab my hands.

"Whoa," I yelped in surprise.

"Aden, sweetie... are you okay?"

Ellie tilted her head while offering me a weak shrug, mouthing 'sorry'. I shook my head in response. 'It's okay,' I mouthed back.

"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine."

"Are you sure, son? You're looking a little green around the gills there," Dad chimed in, stepping a little closer to get a better look at me.

I gave Mom a pat on the back while nodding at Dad.

"I'm sure, just tired." I looked back down to my sis. "Ellie was there to take care of me."

She waved her hands in protest. "I didn't do anything, really."

"That's not true," I started with a shake of my head, "you really helped me out. I'm so glad you were with me."

I wanted to grab her and kiss her, so I just hoped she could see and hear that I meant it.

"Well, I-I mean," she stammered. Her cheeks burned red as Dad reached an arm around her shoulders to pull her into a side hug. "I'm just glad that you're feeling better."

Mom eventually let me go and planted a kiss on my cheek before insisting that she'd be cooking dinner tonight and that I was to relax. So, I helped Dad put the tree up instead.

"Do you think you'll be okay to work tomorrow, son?" Dad asked as we stood the tree up.

I shrugged. "It really wasn't that big of a deal, it just freaked me out a bit. I'll be fine for work." I adjusted the legs of the stand as he held it plumb.

"Good stuff, my boy. Tomorrow we'll be back to a normal schedule." He let go as I slipped out from underneath and stood up.

"Boys?"

We turned around to see Mom and Ellie heading towards us with a couple glasses of wine.

"Thanks, sis." I took a glass from Ellie. She smiled in her gorgeous little way that always got me.

The next couple of hours were spent eating and decorating the tree between sips of wine, with a bunch of laughs along the way. No-one brought up the accident, something I was immensely grateful for.

"And... all done!" Ellie called out from the top of the ladder whilst clapping her hands clean.

"Looks great, sis. You and Mom always do a good job, though." It was true. While Dad and I helped, it was mostly lifting and carrying as the ladies made sure it looked just right. "Let's turn the lights on and have a real look."

I offered Ellie my hand to guide her down.

"So gentlemanly," she said with a wink and took my hand while climbing down.

Dad folded up the ladder as we cleared all the wrappers and papers, while Mom made a point of refilling our glasses. I grabbed the remote and flicked the lights on. As always, it really did look amazing. White lights twinkled through gold and red tinsel, while all of the little decorations we'd bought that day swayed among our older ones. I could spot the doodads Ellie and I had made as kids. They looked terrible, but Mom and Dad wouldn't want to have a tree without them on it.

"Wow, and I thought those displays at the mall were good." I looked down at Ellie and Mom, offering them both a smile. "It looks amazing, you did a great job."

Ellie reached up and playfully pinched my cheek. "Charmer."

"Thank you, dear. It really feels as though the tree brings the house together," Mom said. "I love Christmas."