I'm so sorry for the irregular updates, things have been a little stressful lately so I really hope this chapter helps towards my forgiveness.

Just to let you know updates from now on are going to be slow and irregular, just until I get myself back on track.

Don't forget to review, tell me what you think. Thank you!

Chapter 10

Simba POV

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP

..."She'll be okay Case, you heard what Nate said,"…..

….."Why don't you go home Heath? You look like hell,"…..

….."We should pick up some clothes for her,"…..

….."We don't want to scare her when she wakes up,"…..

….."I'm not going anywhere,"…..

….."We'll go get some food then,"…..

….."Just you and me now then eh Sim!"…..

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

What's that noise? BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Whatever it is I wish it would just quieten down a little. Every little noise that radiates my ears feels like head-piercing screeches.

Why does my head hurt so much?

My whole body feels like it's drowning in acid, every one of my limbs aching and desperate to feel free once more.

Why was my hand hurting, and my nose?

Why was I feeling so numb yet so sensitive all at once?

What is going on?

Where am I?

Is that alcohol I can smell?

Wait, ALCOHOL! My heartbeat increase and my breathing became rapid, the noise that was once calm was now threatening to explode.

BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP.

I couldn't smell anything else, no cigarette smoke inhaling through my lungs, damaging everything in its path, no sweaty men, just a clean almost fresh smell of alcohol.

"Sim….mba…can..ou hear…. me?"

I slowly began wiggling my toes that scraped so gently under a blanket, trying to regain some normal feeling throughout my pain filled body.

Suddenly there was a gentle squeeze to my right hand.

Squeeze back Simba, squeeze back. Why was everything so hard to do? I put all my remaining energy to squeeze as hard as I could on the warm hand that was wrapped so desperately around mine.

"Si..ba..it…t's…Ca…se…."

Every noise that echoed around me seemed to clump together as one.

As the seconds ticked by every sound that echoed through my ears began to make sense.

"Simba… Simba," The sound becoming clearer each time it reached my ears.

Wait, was that….. Casey?

I began lifting my heavy eyelids in order to see my surroundings, every little movement seeming to wash away all my strength. As my eyes finally unglued themselves, I slowly began opening my eyes only for a second before quickly shutting them once again, the bright room too overpowering for my eyes.

Why was it so bright?

"Simba, Simba its Casey Can you open your eyes again for me? Or..or squeeze my hand?"

All of a sudden, the hand that was once grasped in mine disappearing, being replaced by footsteps and then the sound like a flick of a switch, was Casey turning the light off? My empty hand was now once again immerged with his.

"Open your eyes again Simba, please," Casey begged, he sounded so desperate.

I began slowly opening my eyes again, this time with more ease as I was met with Casey's red puffy swollen eyes and his face full of desperation.

I began blinking rapidly in order for my eyes to focus, as they watered badly from the lack of use. Casey was wiping the water flows ever so gently with the sleeve of his jumper, before I was finally able to focus on my brother in front of me.

Neither of us spoke a word for the first few minutes as we looked solemnly into each other's eyes, Casey was now sitting on the edge of the bed facing me. Casey was trying to figure out what to say as my senses began to fully return and the memories of what happened enlightened my brain once again.

Oh great! They knew, and worst of all they saw what my broken body looked like. The way both Brax and Heath looked at me in the house, they pitied me and that's the one thing I didn't want.

I came here for a fresh start and now they knew something was wrong and they would take me back to where I came from because they would be embarrassed and I couldn't let that happen, things would get much worse if I went back. Okay, running away doesn't help the situation but I had an open opportunity and I grasped it with both hands.

So there's only two options that would get me out of this mess; run away or lie through my teeth and considering I came here to see my brothers I'm going to give up without a fight so lying it is, although I know how much it would kill me inside, but they didn't need me burdening them with my problems anyway. I doubt they even care, so does that mean I should just leave? Go wherever my feet would take me?

I darted my eyes away from Casey as they began scanning the room, the only light evident was the dim light shining through the window the florescent bright light no longer visible. The white walls were so clean; everything seemed so fresh it didn't seem normal. Feeling a chill hit my arms I quickly looked down towards my body. My eyes went wide as I saw Casey watching me intensely from the corner of my eye.

Where are my clothes?

They were gone and in return were replaced with a white, short sleeve hospital gown that exposed my arms to the outside world.

No. No. NO. NO!

Where are my clothes?

I began wriggling from under the bed sheets as I tried covering my arms and to cover me from the preying eyes of Casey. I can't let them see, I won't let them see.

My breathing quickening again as the monitor began racing out of control.

BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP.

"Simba, what's wrong? Simba look at me. Its okay, everything is going to be okay," Casey's eyes went wide with worry as he tried calming me.

"I..I want my clothes…Where are my clothes?" I couldn't even recognise my own voice as I spoke to Casey. It was hoarse and fragile. Is this who I am now – someone who is too scared to show anyone what my bruised body really looked like? My whole body was shivering as pain quickly returned to cover my body like a thick blanket.

"Simba look at me, you're in the hospital, and everything's going to be fine I just need you to calm down okay?" Casey's desperate voice rang throughout my ears.

My vision once again became clouded, unshed tears threatening to break free.

"Simba listen to me okay, everything's going to be okay I just need you to look at me," Casey's voice barely reached a whisper as he lifted my chin with his finger in order for me to look at him.

"Look at me, breath with me Simba okay? In and out, that's it you're doing great," Casey encouraged.

I continued to copy Casey's commands as I felt my breathing once again begin to steady and the pain that filled my body subside a little.

"That's it," Casey placed a hand on my shoulder as he looked at me intensely, waiting for me to speak.

But the thing is I couldn't, I couldn't say the most simplest of things otherwise I knew I would break down and I was too strong for that, nobody was going to see me weak, broken, fragile or anything else for that matter apart from myself, because to the outside world I was fine, I am fine. I will be okay, I will be normal and I will be happy, even though I was anything but.

Casey POV

It was my fault - I should never have left like that. I should have been there for her.

It was weird the fact that I never even knew I had a sister a couple of hours ago and now here I am in a hospital room looking at her frail body as I waited for her to wake up and show me her striking green eyes once again. For me to tell her that I was sorry for leaving, sorry for not protecting her, sorry for not remembering her.

All these thoughts were running around in my head as I waited for her to wake up, I wanted her to tell me if she was okay, I wanted to know what happened. What Nate said about her 'injuries' made me physically sick. Seeing her scrunched up at the far end of the bed with tubes and wires coming out of her left right and centre, as Heath tried to reassure her was just too much as straight after Brax ordered us out I ran to the toilets to throw up the remains of my stomach content.

Who the hell would do that to somebody, let alone a fifteen-year old girl, my sister of all people?

Brax had practically thrown Heath out of the hospital in order for him to go home, he looked so worn out and almost lifeless sitting in the same chair as I am now, although Heath made Brax promise if there was any change he would be the first to know. Bianca and Ricky decided to go with him and also pick up clothes for Simba as they thought she would feel more comfortable later on when she woke up.

Kyle barely said a word the whole time, now and again he would say something to reassure us, or reassure himself whichever one. He would look at Simba while in deep thought before looking away and walking outside in order to get some 'fresh air'.

It was weird, he didn't have a clue that Simba existed ether this time yesterday but clearly both him and me were taking this just as bad as Heath and Brax, I felt so protective over her my heart sinking when Heath had told me they were on their way to the hospital.

Brax kept asking the doctors if there was any news and when she would wake up, we all knew that he was just trying to make himself busy, something that would distract him from what was really going on before he got his head around things properly and had to play the 'dad' role once again, reassuring us, telling us everything would be okay. Everything we take for granted every day.

After Heath and both Ricky and Bianca left, Kyle made the valid point of not overcrowding her when she woke up, saying that three people, who were almost strangers, would be too much for her. Although we all agreed we all wanted to stay too and I wasn't going anywhere not this time, I had to make up for the fact I had walked out on her earlier when she needed me more than anything. Brax gathered that by my 'little outburst' and decided to go get some food with Kyle from the canteen, they wouldn't leave the hospital but they also wouldn't smother us either.

That was when I could finally look at her properly. She was put into a white hospital gown with the sleeves cut off just above the elbow; they showed off her arms and let's just say they didn't look pleasant. There were bruises and burns, fainted slash marks covering the visible parts of her arms and they looked incredibly painful.

When I first saw her she was in a long sleeve grey and white baseball top and I honestly didn't think anything of it, but now looking at her exposed arms no wonder why she didn't want to wear something short sleeved in the scorching summer because I felt uncomfortable just by looking at her exposed arms so I can't imagine how she must feel, with them littering her own arms.

It tore me apart to see them, when we were all allowed back into the room after Nate finished assessing her she was already placed in the gown and the room fell silent as we all looked, staring. The room was tense and deathly quiet all of us brothers trying to keep ourselves composed although it was clear it wouldn't happen anytime soon. I quickly tried to look away as I felt bad staring at her as if she was an object, only now getting the chance to look on my own while she slept, unaware that we all had now seen something of her, something that was once part of her life.

The more I look over to her frail body, her pale complexion unwelcoming I couldn't help but fear the worst and look back on all the stupid things I had done in the short amount of time that I was with her, which was walking out.

A few silent tears had escaped my eyes.

I don't even know why I did walk out, it's not that I never met her before it was just the fact that I couldn't remember her and I feel extremely guilty for it. I didn't go far, only down to the beach to clear my head, it wasn't intended but I guess all Braxtons were found there if they need space to think, well that's were Brax, Heath and I go anyway. The more time I was there more and more questions were piling up in my head.

How did she get here? How did she know where we were? How did she know who we were? Granted she met both Heath, Brax and I but that was years ago. Did she know about Kyle? Who was looking after her?Where had she been?

And now every ticking minute another question popping in my head the main one being 'What the hell happened?' She is the only one who could answer that and until she woke up we wouldn't know and I am sat here holding her hand reassuringly trying to wash away all my guilt.

My head shot up at the sound of the heart monitor practically exploding with the rapid beeping - BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP,BEEP

I didn't even know what was going on, Brax and Kyle had only left a couple of minutes ago to grab some food.

The beeping of the monitor steadied again as I felt a light squeeze on my hand, Simba?

She slowly began opening her eyes only for her to squint and shut them rapidly. It was clear that the room was too bright for her, it was too bright for me but I was terrified that if I moved from her bedside something terrible would happen. So I steadily rose to my feet and slowly untangled my hand from hers and quickly walked over to the light switch and knocking it off before hurrying back and grasping her hand once again. It didn't take long before her eyes reopened and locked immediately on my red puffy ones.

I really wanted to say that she looked great and her opening her eyes reassured me but all they did was make me fear the worst. She looked lost, scared and completely confused as to what was going on. She looked pale as her striking green eyes stood out, water flowing freely as the lack of use for just that short amount of time showed.

I didn't know what to do, wipe them away myself? Hand her a tissue? I had no idea, but I went with my instinct and sat on the side of the bed facing her, she looked tired and completely nervous as to what I was doing. I pulled the sleeve of my jumper over my knuckle as I grasped it with my hand, gently leaning forward as I extended my arm, lightly brushing against her water stained cheeks. She flinched at the first touch between us and that put me a little on edge but soon she began to relax as I continued wiping away the excess flow of water from her eyes.

Neither of us said anything for the first couple of minutes, I wanted to give her time to come around; I didn't want to overwhelm her.

But all of a sudden she started looking around frantically down at her arms and examining her whole body before doing exactly the same to the room. Her eyes were wide with worry, while I tried desperately to calm her. It took me a while to understand what was wrong until her hoarse voice reached my ears.

"I..I want my clothes…Where are my clothes?" She barely said it above a whisper, her voice filled with pain. That's when I realised she didn't want to look at them herself let alone them being on show for everybody to see.

As I tried my best to calm her, my voice was barely a whisper too, but it held a considerable amount of authority. It seemed like she hung on to every single word that left my mouth and as her breathing began to once again reach a normal, steady rhythm, the once pained look was eased a little as she continued staring at me as I did the same, looking at her making sure she wouldn't break right in front of my eyes.

But she didn't say anything; instead she was deep in thought, her face was full of determination although her eyes were full of doubt and nothing else, while she still desperately tried covering her open wounds.

How could one Braxton look so broken?