I wake up in the morning to the sound of whimpering. I quickly sit up and look around to see where the sound came from. I see Brian curling up in a corner of the room, crying.
"Bri?" I ask, getting up and slowly walking over to him. I notice the way his eyes are unfocused and know he is trapped in a memory. I quickly pull him against me and just hold onto him as he shakes. "It's ok, Bri. I got you. You're safe now."
"Dom?" came a quiet voice against my chest.
"I've got you," I say, rubbing his back.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles as I pull back from him.
"You have no reason to apologize, Bri. It happens to Jesse all the time. Would you like to take a shower before we head down for breakfast?" I say, standing and pulling him up with me.
"Can I?" he asks, looking at his bandaged hand.
"Let me see if they're healed. If so, Yes, you can. If not you can wash off with a wet cloth," I say, pulling him into the on suite bathroom. I quickly grab a wet cloth to clear any blood while he removes his shirt.
"My dad and older brother did all of those to me," he says when I glance at his scars.
"If you don't mind me asking, why?" I say, unwrapping his hand and wiping away the dried blood.
"After my mom died, they made me do everything for them. These are all from not doing the fast enough, except for this one," he says, pointing to a newer scar on his side.
"What's it from?" I ask, moving to his side wound after checking that is hand is all healed.
"That's from me running. I decided to leave during the night, when everyone's asleep, but my father was awake. He managed to get me with a knife before I got away," he says as I finish with his side.
"How long has you been running?" I ask, brushing his hair out of his face.
"What month is it?" he asks, looking down and blushing.
"It's December," I say, frowning and stepping closer to him when his eyes fill with horror.
"What day?" he asks, looking panicked.
"It's the twenty first," I say, really starting to worry.
"Oh my god," he says, dropping to his knees, which really worries me. I quickly kneel in front of him and place my left hand on his shoulder and my right hand on his cheek.
"Bri? What's wrong? Do I need to call the doctor?" I ask, panicking.
"I missed it," he says, tears rolling down his face as he stares off into the distance.
"Bri, talk to me, please," I say, grabbing a clean cloth, wetting it, and wiping his face.
"My mom," he says, fighting sobs.
"What about her, Bri?" I ask, pulling him against me and wrapping my arms around him.
"The anniversary of her death was yesterday," he sobs into my chest.
"It's ok, Bri," I say, tightening my hold on him when he tenses at a knock on our bedroom door.
"Dom, breakfast is ready," Vince says, walking in and noticing us on the bathroom floor. "What happened? Is he ok?" Vince quickly moved to us and kneels next to me.
"The anniversary of his mom's death was yesterday," I say, rubbing his back and rocking him slightly.
"I'm so sorry. Do you guys need anything?" Vince says, frowning as Brian continues to sob.
"Let everyone know we will be down shortly and save us something to eat," I say, relaxing when Brian's sobs slowly stop.
"Of course," Vince says, getting up and leaving.
"Do you still want to shower?" I ask, standing up and pulling Brian up with me.
"Yes, please," he says softly, staring at his feet.
"I will grab you something to put on; go ahead and jump into the shower," I say, laying my hand on his cheek for a second before going back into the bedroom. I grab a pair of sweat pants and a baggy shirt for Brian before picking out jeans and a tank top for myself. After changing my clothes, I place the clothes for Brian on the sink counter top in the bathroom.
"Do you have any hair products I can use?" Brian asks, peeking his head out of the shower.
"Let me go get some from Jesse's room," I say, smiling at him before leaving. I quickly walk to Leon, Letty, and Jesse's room. I knock on the door and wait as I hear shuffling.
"What can I do for you, Dom?" Leon asks, putting his shirt on after opening the door.
"I was wondering if Jesse had an extra shampoo and conditioner that Brian can use," I say, smiling when I see a sleepy Jesse uncover his head while Letty is picking out clothes for him.
"I've got extras under the sink," Jesse says, sitting up, yawning, and stretching.
"I'll get it for you," Letty says, tossing the clothes at Jesse.
"How is he doing?" Leon asks, smiling at Jesse, who fell back asleep.
"He's really upset right now. Yesterday was the anniversary of his mom's death," I say, accepting the hair products from Letty.
"Oh god," Letty says, curling into Leon's side.
"I know, Let. Just don't bring is up to him, ok?" I ask, glancing back towards my room.
"Of course," Letty says, laying het head on Leon's shoulder.
"I'll see you guys downstairs," I say, smiling sadly before walking back to my room.
"Dom?" came Brian's voice from the shower.
"I got you some shampoo and conditioner. Thankfully Jesse had some, so you didn't have to use fruity smelling ones," I say, walking into the bathroom.
"Thank you," he says, peeking out of the shower and grabbing the stuff when I hand them to him.
"No problem," I say, smiling before going back to the bed room to wait for him. I make the bed and place my dirty clothes in the clothes basket as he finishes in the shower.
"Your clothes are really baggy on me," he says, coming out of the bathroom.
"I can see that," I say, smiling as the sweatpants drag the floor by his feet. "Let's roll up the legs, so that you don't trip going down the stairs."
"Ok. Should I put my shoes on?" he asks, sitting on the bed.
"You can wait until we get ready to leave," I say, kneeling in front of him and rolling up the legs of the pants.
"I could have done that," he says, blushing.
"I know you could have," I say, smiling at him as I stand up and offer my hand to him. He smiles, though there is still sadness in his eyes, and takes my hand. I lead him down stairs to the kitchen to find everyone already down there and eating.
"I made sure there was some left for you," Mia says from her spot next to Vince.
"Thank you, Mia," I say, walking over and kissing her on the cheek after having Brian sit in the empty chair.
"Vince told me," Mia whispers in my ear really quick. I kiss her temple before standing straight.
"How are you feeling today, Mia?" I ask as I load up two plates with eggs, sausage, and bacon.
"I'm doing just fine, Dom," Mia says, smiling as I walk back over to where Brian is sitting.
"How far along are you?" Brian asks, scrambling up out of the chair.
"Sit down, Bri," I say, setting Brian's plate in front of the seat.
"You won't have anywhere to sit," Brian says, frowning.
"Jesse, come sit on my lap," Leon says, pulling Jesse's plate over to in front of him and sitting a little further from the table. A sleepy Jesse quickly moves to Leon's lap and continues munching on bacon.
"Jesse is usually hyper, but when he is sleepy, he's pretty quiet and tame," I say, smiling when Jesse curls into Leon and rubs his eyes.
"To answer your question, Brian, I'm seven and a half weeks," Mia says, smiling as I give Brian half my bacon when I notice how much he likes it.