Chapter 16
Hank walked into the living room and stared. Don appeared to be in some kind of trance. Hank walked in front of his 17 year old brother and waved his hand in front of the boy's face. Sigh. Don did this sometimes; just stare off into space, and for some reason if he was interrupted during this time, he got a massive headache and was disturbed for days afterward. Hank just shook his head. But Don looked so alone just sitting there.
Hank walked over to the closet and grabbed a blanket. Gently he spread it over Don's shoulders. Without snapping out of his trance, Don pulled the blanket around himself tightly. Hank turned on the video game system, sat on the couch, and waited for Don to wake up.
Hours later, Don began to snap out of his trance, mumbling softly as if waking from a deep sleep. Hank, who had started reading a book on wrestling, put down the book and walked over; scooping Don up in his arms. Don's head limply fell onto Hank's chest, and he snuggled unconsciously into his big brother's chest. Hank's fingers gently smoothed over Don's hair as Don sighed in contentment.
As he lay Don in bed, Hank brushed a hand over Don's face. The teen looked so peaceful. Besides, no one could ever prove that Hank had done it. Tough guys like Harold Hall didn't handle their little brothers so gently. And Hank would never tell anyone differently.