Chapter 4
Night fell, and everyone was asleep. Well…almost everyone, Linka quietly came out of her room and tip-toed into the bathroom, but not without flinching in pain on her hand. Once she was inside, she pulled out a small flashlight since she didn't want to cause attention by flipping the switch. Linka went to the sink and washed off the make-up she applied earlier. Next, she shined the light on the cabinet, opened it and grabbed the medical kit.
Linka put the end of the flashlight in her mouth, carefully holding it in place and opened the kit. She grabs a tube of ointment and gently applied some to her injured hand to alleviate the pain. Finally she wrapped it in gauze to not let it get swollen.
After treating her injury, Linka put the kit back where it was, and left the bathroom. On her way back to her room, she heard moaning. Linka makes her way down the stairs and sees Luke tossing and turning his head a bit as well as some whimpering. She got concerned and thought, Luke, I got to help him. Linka doesn't waste another second going to her brother's side, completely forgetting about her injury. She used the bandaged hand and gently rubbed Luke's forehead to calm him down, and placed her other hand on his shoulder.
The method was working as Luke eventually settled down. He slowly stirred awake to see- "Linka?"
Linka quietly shushed him, "Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine now," he replied with a small smile, then it turned into a frown, "Sorry if I woke you up. This cold is making it hard for me to catch z's."
"Don't worry about it. You needed help, so I'm right here," Linka told him.
His smile returned, grateful for what she did. Then Luke realized Linka's hand felt different on his forehead, "Umm…sis, are you wearing a glove?"
Now it was Linka's turn to realize that she couldn't hide it any longer. She sighed, "No, not a glove." She took her hand off of Luke, pulled out her flashlight and reluctantly shined the light on her injured hand.
Luke sees it and gasps in disbelief, "You said it was asleep, what happened?"
Linka responded, "I promise I'll tell you, but for now, wait here." She temporarily leaves and goes into the kitchen. She grabs a small towel, soaked in water from the sink and wrings out the excess. She also grabs a glass of water and goes back into the living room to Luke. "Here's some water," Linka offered the glass to Luke.
Luke sits up and accepts the cup. "Thanks." He takes a sip and sets it down on the coffee. He then lied back down to the position he was before.
Linka placed the damp towel gently on his forehead, much to the latter's relief. "How does that feel?" She asked.
"Feels nice," Luke replied with a small smile. Then he looked at his sister's injury and got serious, "Alright Linka, you gave me your word on your hand, take a seat and we'll talk."
Linka complied and sat down beside him. After a deep breath, the explanation started, "Okay, the reason why my hand's bandaged…is because during my trip to the Mall, out of frustration, I punched a wall."
Luke couldn't believe what he heard, but he tried to keep his voice down, "Dudette, what were you thinking?!"
"I wasn't."
Flashback:
I told Claire I needed to use the girl's room when I really just stepped outside. I walked down an alleyway, trying to clear my mind and figuring out why I've been feeling off. But I couldn't, and all of the frustration and anger inside of me was too much for me to take.
Linka, without thinking, made a fist with her left hand and punched a brick wall.
That's when I lost it.
The wall was hard enough for her to let out an agonizing scream and fall to her knees.
End Flashback:
Luke was taken aback by the story, knowing Linka wasn't the kind of person to get angry. "What caused all those harsh vibes to you, sis?"
Linka hesitated, but mustered up the courage to tell him, "I've been…sad and anxious."
"Sad? Anxious?" Luke took a moment to let it sink in, "About what?"
Linka shook his head, "I can't tell you," she regretfully told him.
Luke's concern grew, "Linka, I'm your big bro, why can't you tell me?"
"That's just it; I have no clue why I've been like this."
"You don't know?" Luke asked to which his sister shook her head.
"I've just been like this for no reason at all," Linka admitted and sighed, "And it's been eating at me for a while."
He was scared to ask, but had to know, "How long was a while?"
"For about…three weeks I think," she responded tentatively.
Luke was shocked, "What? Three weeks?" He was in total disbelief. "Baby sis, why didn't you say something sooner? We could've helped you."
"No, you couldn't, Luke," Linka sighed, "I didn't tell anyone because I couldn't pinpoint the actual issue. And honestly, I thought I'd be wasting your time."
"Don't say that," Luke tried to reason with her, "Talking still helps, sis. Even if you can't nail the sitch, Don't hesitate to come find me; your other big brothers; or even Mom and Dad. Talk to us, you have all the help you need in this house, little sis."
"You'd help me?" Linka asked in a surprised manner.
"100%," Luke told her without a second thought, "And so will the rest of our family…" he smiles, "Because we love you, Linka."
Linka had a little hope, "I guess I was scared to open up because…I was afraid you guys would be disappointed."
"Link, we wouldn't be disappointed. In fact, we'd be proud of you for being able to trust someone you know and talk it out," he smiled at her once again, "Just like I am right now."
"You're proud of me?" She asked in a surprised manner once again.
He nodded, "I am, sis."
Now it was Linka's turn to brighten up, "Thanks. I'll admit, it wasn't an easy decision for me to confide to anyone about what I've been going through."
"But it was the right one," Luke told her, sincerely, "Airing out your feelings is better than having them bottled up and feeling miserable when you absolutely don't need to."
"I did feel safe when I first told you about my sadness," Linka said, realizing it.
Luke yet again, smiled at his sister, "Well, I'm glad you felt that way. You there for me when I was in a pinch, I'm here for you now. And know what else?" Linka shrugged, not knowing the answer. "You're not the only one who's had the same emotions you were feeling. I know a thing or two about being scared out of the blue, and not know the cause."
"Luke?" Linka spoke.
"Yes, sis?"
She smiled, "Thanks for listening to me, and opening my eyes."
Luke smiled back in response, "You're welcome. And thanks for the little treatment you did for me."
"You're…welcome, Linka said drowsily, "Sorry…I'm really tired."
Luke chuckled, "It's cool, Linka," he yawned, "I think it's time we both catch ourselves a nice round of z's."
The last thing Linka did was getting up from her seat, and taking a couple steps towards her brother. She bent down and gave him a kiss on the side of his forehead. "Goodnight Luke, feel better soon, and I love you."
Luke gave her one last smile, "Thanks, baby sis. I love you too. Night'," and with that, he closed his eyes and slept peacefully.
Linka smiled at the sight for a moment then stood up and went back to her room, upstairs. Linka closed the door behind her and climbed in bed. Just like Luke, she too closed her eyes and dreamed the night away.