Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 31

(Angel's POV)

It was happening again.

Another treatment. Another day when I couldn't breathe.

I watched Hendrix from across the room. His face was pale and his eyes looked unfocused. He sat on the edge of the bed and his hands trembled slightly as if he was trying to hold it all together. But I could see through it.

I always saw through him.

"They're doing it again," I whispered and my voice shook. I couldn't help it. My stomach twisted into knots as I pictured him in that room with those needles and those machines.

The door swung open and Dr. Nixon stepped in. She was cold and clinical. She didn't even look at me.

Just Hendrix.

"Are you ready?" she asked him in a low tone.

Ready? For what?

Another round of who-knows-what. My fists clenched at my sides.

Hendrix nodded and his jaw tightened. He didn't say a word. He never said anything about these sessions.

And that scared me more than anything.

I bit my lip to keep myself from screaming and from grabbing him and pulling him away from here. From this nightmare.

"We need to talk," I blurted out and my voice was sharp in the heavy air.

Dr. Nixon finally looked at me and her eyebrow arched. "Now?"

I nodded and stepped forward. I felt the weight of Hendrix's eyes on me but I didn't care. Not right now. I needed answers. I needed to understand what was happening to him. What was happening to us. "Alone," I said with a firmer voice this time.

She sighed and glanced at Hendrix before nodding towards the hallway. "Fine. But make it quick."

I followed her out of the room as my heart raced and my pulse drummed in my ears. The door closed behind us with a quiet click and I was alone with her. With the woman who held all the cards. The woman who could tell me everything if she wanted to.

"What are you doing to him?" I asked as my voice barely rose above a whisper.

Dr. Nixon crossed her arms and her expression was unreadable. "I'm helping him."

"That's not what it looks like."

She didn't respond and just stared at me with that same detached, almost robotic calm that made my skin crawl.

I stepped closer and my voice trembled with anger. "You said... you hinted that his illness might not be real, that something else is going on here. I want to know what you meant."

She watched me for a moment as her eyes narrowed like she was deciding whether to say something. Then finally, she spoke.

condescending. "You already know there's more to this place than

it wasn't enough. I needed more. I needed to know

stupid," I snapped. "Tell me the

step closer and her voice dropped to a near whisper. "I'm not the one you

My blood turned cold.

what does

I knew Dr. Joe's office

by the pounding in my chest. "Some people have their own agendas. And

I already suspected. I just needed her to

She didn't.

back into place. "You should be careful, Angel. Sometimes when you dig too deep, you find

my mouth to argue and demand more answers, but she was already walking away and

I was left standing there, feeling like the ground

...

into the

stared at the closed door while my hands trembled at my

is interested in curing

knew it. I knew something was wrong here. But

Joe. It had to be him. It always felt wrong the way he smiled and the way he moved through the center like he owned everything. Like he was playing a game and we were all just pawns. I pressed my back against the wall and tried to

But how could I tell him that everything he was going through and everything they were doing to him was most likely all

...

bed again and staring at his hands. He looked

say?" he asked in a quiet, almost

head and swallowed the lump in my

Hendrix's brow furrowed. "Careful?"

said and sat down beside

couldn't help glancing

have to look

reckless stepbrother I grew

yet... someone I

looked pale and soft in the dim light. The way his jaw clenched when he was deep in thought. The curve of his neck, the line of his shoulders....

was Hendrix. He was my

said suddenly and snapped me out of my thoughts.

turned to face him. His eyes

shouldn't feel this way. I shouldn't want him to look at

But I did.

I said in a voice that was too soft

closer. His hand brushed against mine and I felt

there was something else there,

my hand away and stood up quickly. My heart raced and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I couldn't be in that room, so close

another treatment today," I said and tried to change the subject, to distance

slightly. "Why are you always

to say. I didn't know

I

more than that, isn't it?" he asked and his voice was soft but

my eyes and my fists clenched at my sides. "Don't,"