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Noel closed his eyes and groaned "Oh God You got drunk and went to one of those insta-wedding chapel things?"

I lifted ret it at all" Standing, I cleared my throat "Excuse me I need to return this to the nurse"

When I returned, Noel was resting his elbows on his spread knees and cradling his face in his hands He watched me from dark, troubled eyes as I sat in a chair across the roo We stared at each other for about thirty seconds I’aze was as defensive as his was disappointed

His phone rang; he popped to his feet to answer it

"Hey, baby No No word yet" He walked fro room and into the hall so I couldn’t listen in on any one, and no reason forthe obstinate little sister, my worries returned

Just how badly had Oren been hurt? Why wasn’t anyone telling us as going on? Was he still alive or not?

Right about the point where the panic mounted and I didn’t think I could contain er, Noel returned He sat beside me without a word and wrapped me in his arms I turned to him and buried my face in his neck to weep

"I should be pissed at you," I sobbed as I clung to hi Oren lately, the asshole thing you did at the bar to trap hi to the coffee shop on Saturdayfor you to show I should hate you right now"

Noel sucked in a breath "He still goes to the coffee shop?"

I nodded "Every fucking Saturday"

"Shit" He closed his eyes and shuddered out a breath "I’ve been a stupid, stubborn, blind ass I know that I knehile I was doing and saying all the shit I did, but I just couldn’t stop o behind my back like that Iit hurt"

"That’s no excuse for--"

He lifted his hand and shook his head "I know Ida sorry Ibad he’d ever done, and I just let it fester"

"I love hiood to ood to me as he is"

Noel kissed my forehead "I see thatnow" Now that it could be too late, he didn’t add, but see my eyes, I turnedabout our e" I don’t knohy I pushed that subject Maybe because it keptbesidesbreath "That’s because I don’t knohat to say You’re just so young, butI’m not scared Not for you Because Ihonestly, there’s no one else I would trust with you ht of why he was ood reason for it He’s always had my back, and now I know he has yours, which is so"Do you think you can ever forgive ave him a watery s brother right now"

"You have rateful for him for about the millionth time in the past couple hours I probably should’ve tried to hold on to er, but I just couldn’t, because I really did needbrother

At soed me awake

I looked up to find Oren’s parents in the waiting roo for help When I pulled out of Noel’s arms and sat up, Brenda finally focused on asped and hurried forward "You look awful What happened? Were you with hirasped lanced down, and it was the first tirass-stained with flecks of blood soaking through froround And now that I was seeing that, I realized my abdomen and elboere sore Then there were my palms, my palms that hadn’t been able to keep hold of Oren and stop hi They were scratched and coated with dried mud

Tears filled my eyes "I’m sorry I’m so sorry," I sobbed