Chapter Thirty-Five
John limped into the driveway of the house, leaning on the motorcycle to help keep weight off of his leg. He could hear everyone out in the backyard, chuckling as he heard one of them do a cannonball into the pool. He pushed the bike into the garage, propping it up on its stand before walking into the yard to let the family know he was safe.
"JOHN!" Amelia screamed, running up to her wounded knight. She buried her face in his shirt, pulling away at the strange smell that clung to him. "You smell bad." She complained, wrinkling her nose at the stench of cigarettes.
John swallowed, looking up as the family gathered around. "Hey." He smiled, his hands going to his pockets where the cigarettes were.
Clarissa wrapped him in a crushing hug, smelling the scent of Marlboro's on his clothes knowing that those were his brand. "You're okay." She pressed her fingers to his swollen lip, shocked at the state that he was in. "What the hell happened?" She asked, using the first curse word that John had ever heard her say. "Who did this to you?"
He hung his head, pulling the smokes from his pocket and pushing them into Dominic's hand. "Get rid of these." He stated, knowing that Dominic had never been one to smoke tobacco because he couldn't stand how it made John smell. "I don't want to see them, smell them, or taste them anymore."
Amelia tilted her head, looking at the little carton. "What're those?" She asked, trying to read what was on the box.
John looked to the child, his concentration broken when he heard Claire's voice.
"You came back." She smiled, her voice cracking as she ran to him.
He wrapped his strong arms around her, burying his nose in the crook of her neck. "I always will." He whispered, his voice rough from the smoke he'd inhaled. "I could never leave you." He felt her chest heave with tears, feeling her grip at his shirt like a lifeline. "Hey, shh, I'm here. I'm not gonna leave again."
She dug her nails into his back, letting her fear show as she sobbed into his chest. She felt his hands rub over her back, his callouses rough against the bare skin between the pieces of her bikini.
"I won't leave you again." He soothed, accidentally putting too much weight on his bad leg and stumbling to his side, right into Thomas's grip. "Dad!" He winced as he struggled out of Thomas's grip, fear that Thomas would hurt him shooting through his body. "I'm sorry!" He stumbled backwards, bumping into Vernon's chest. He jumped away from the older man, the images of his father filling his mind. He felt his breath speed up, his heart racing in his chest. He felt someone touch him, his eyes rolling back in his head as his body went limp and his world faded to black.