Disclaimer: I still don't own Charmed.
A/n: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying this so far!
Scenes in a Kitchen
A story by Ryeloza
Four: Vulnerability
Meli is not at all surprised to find Chris in the kitchen, standing among what looks like several broken dishes on the floor and nursing a bleeding finger. "Chris," she says with a slight sigh in her voice.
"I cut my finger," says Chris, and Meli realizes that he's been drinking. Part of her is incredibly annoyed because Chris isn't the only one who's dealing with this and why should she have to take care of him? Another part of her feels nothing but pity for how pathetic her brother looks standing there with his bloody finger.
"Shit, Chris," she says. She steps towards him, forcibly takes his forearm, and drags him to the sink so he can run his finger under the water.
"I broke Mom's dishes," says Chris. He leans heavily against the counter, one hand still under the running water and Meli can tell that he's on the verge of tears. She glances at the broken dishes on the floor and shuts her eyes. Chris is clearly too intoxicated to clean up the mess, but she's too pregnant to be down on her hands and knees picking up broken ceramic. With a jolt she realizes that it doesn't really matter; they could leave it until tomorrow and no one would care. Somehow the idea makes the whole situation more real.
"Don't worry about it," she says quietly. Then, "Chris, what are you doing here?"
"Dunno," says Chris. "I didn't wanna be alone, I guess."
"Mom's going to be okay, you know," says Meli. "The doctor said so."
She immediately thinks that it was the wrong thing to say because Chris' shoulders hunch and he begins to weep in a way she's never seen before. Pressing her lips together, she places a hand between his shoulder blades and rubs gently. The situation seems so odd because he's her big brother and he's been watching out for her her entire life; suddenly their roles are reversed.
Meli reaches out and shuts off the water. "Come on," she says. "Sit down and I'll find a Band-Aid for your finger."
Chris doesn't move. "Do you really think Mom's going to be alright?" he asks.
Truthfully, Meli has no idea whether her mother is going to be alright or not; is anyone really alright after a heart attack? She can't bring herself to tell Chris this though. Somehow he seems more vulnerable than her or Wyatt when it comes to their mom and she's not sure why. So she just says, "Yes," and Chris nods trustingly.