Chapter Fourteen:
Parker sat in his bed pondering what to do that day. Sage had occupied JJ yesterday and has been able to really get his mind off of things. Not to mention it had allowed Parker a much needed nap, not that he would ever admit it. He wasn't the one who had been attacked that awful night. He didn't get to complain. It was his fault anyway, he deserved to feel so awful. He deserved that awful pain in his heart every time he saw his brother curled up in a ball on his bed, every time he has to wake JJ up from a nightmare and every time he looked into those heart-breakingly haunted eyes.
No - he had to stop himself. Now is notthe time to think about that. Now is the time to think about how to make that better today. Preferably how to make it better without risking causing a flashback. That part was much harder then it sounded, Parker realized as he mentally checked of many of JJ's favorite activities due to what could potentially happen. Finally he found something that sounded safe. He'd take JJ outside to play catch and then maybe later they could get someone to take them down to the farm and help with the animals.
With that decided, Parker quickly got ready for the day and went downstairs to eat breakfast. He had been surprised that JJ hadn't come back upstairs yet and he smiled when he saw why. Sage had JJ wrapped up in last-minute additions to the picture frame he'd made last night. His little brother and sister were currently covered in glitter. Parker made himself a bowl of cereal and ate it quickly before going to find his mother. He explained his plans and she told him she'd drop him and JJ of on her way to take Sage to the birthday party around one.
Parker glanced at his watch as JJ went to clean up. It was about eleven thirty, which was beginning to be normal thing lately. If JJ could ever go back to sleep after a nightmare he usually ended up sleeping late and Parker would as well, which helped his sleep deprivation a little bit. As soon as JJ came back into the room Parker went over to him. It would not do to give JJ much time to think today. It was Saturday again. It had officially been a week since he has gotten their parents to let them go to that stupid party. He fought down another wave of guilt before he spoke.
"Hey, JJ! Wanna go play catch? Mom's taking us down to the farm to help with the animals in a little bit." Parker said as he tried to keep all hint of his current emotions out of his voice. JJ gave a smile at the normalcy - a tiny smile, but one Parker though might have actually been real. "Sure." JJ said as he followed his brother outside. They threw the ball (a random softer ball of Sage's due to Parker's worrying) back and forth in silence for a while, both of them trying to get caught up in the repetitive activity and forget about real life. Carly smiled as she watched her boys through the window. It was so good to see such a normal sight with what JJ was going through. She smiled a little more as she thought of how good Sage and Parker were with their brother.
Try as he might, JJ wasn't able to lose himself in the game of catch like he had hoped. Every time he had to make a sudden movement the still-fading bruises and his ribs reminded him of what he was trying to forget, not to mention the fact that he could only use one arm which was making for a rather interesting game. Parker could tell sometime wasn't quite right, but it wasn't until he found himself looking at the bruises that weren't covered by his brother's clothing that he realized what it was. He wanted to slap himself - how stupid was he?!?! At this point he knew it would only upset JJ if he tried to stop the game, so he kept going - carefully until Carly called them to leave.
Author's Note:I am SO sorry for taking so long again! At first I was busy with a story I'm writing somewhere else, then I got sick with possibly the worst cold ever which lasted FOREVER. Now, I've had strep throat multiple times and pneumonia twice so I don't complain about colds easily - this is a legitimate excuse. Then we had family over for Thanksgiving I finally had a chance to update last weekend - then I had no internet access. This week I've been catching up with everything else and getting ready for Christmas but I managed to find time - while baby-sitting my siblings for part of it to write this for you guys.
Thanks SO much to my wonderful reviewers: y and r fan, Bliss and CrazyPeepFromMars. Reviews are love!