Benevolence

Chapter 14

He woke with a jolt to find he was squeezing a pipe with as much pressure as he could to block something trying hard to push through. The low tuneless beeping was getting louder and that snapped him back to the situation at hand.

Something was wrong and he was on watch. Looking over at Olivia he blanched at her slight spasms where his hand was holding hers. He could hear the hospital coming to life as the doctors and nurses came in for their routine jobs.

He looked frantically for the source of Olivia's seizure and felt the blood leave his face as he found the pipe his hand was pressing on.

With a shudder he let go of the pipe and stared at his hands in terror before looking over at the monitor praying it wouldn't show what he feared it would yet the beeping had stopped.

He dropped his head in his hands and let the tears overwhelm him when he realised he had done this. Even though he had been out of it the hands now covering his face had killed his sister.

His mind became a numb cavern where he couldn't register anything but Olivia. All he saw was Olivia. The sound of her laugh, the colour of her hair and upturn of her dazzling smile.

He didn't notice the nurses rushing in or the doctor shaking him trying to ask questions. He didn't register the arms pulling him up or walking him out to the waiting room amidst the babble that was Olivia talking about One Direction and Tony Stark's hotness.

He wanted to stay that way stuck in his head with Olivia alive and her bubbly self but it was too good to last. His perfect afternoon with her just talking about everything and nothing at the same time came to a shattering end when he saw Will.

The perfect afternoon was literally shattered like a glass mirror breaking in slow motion. A burning anger roared through him at the sight of his brother warily watching him with a stoic expression on his sombre face.

What happened next could be excused because of all the s**t he went through that harrowing night because his fist collided with Will's face with a resonating crack that satisfyingly didn't remain as expressionless as before.

A look of shock, fear and worry flit across Will's face before a hand went up to his cracked nose to stop the waterfall of blood gushing out. Arms grabbed at James and yanked him back till he was face to face with a stricken Lou who pulled him into a fierce hug.

The anger evaporated the instant he was held and he sagged against Lou tiredly, wanting nothing more than to sleep in his arms. He felt a bit sorry for punching Will but not enough to apologise to him. He could hear Lou's deep voice rumbling through his chest which was oddly comforting and he decided to block out the other loud voices he heard around him as he sniffled into Lou's warm grey shirt.

It wasn't long until he fell asleep against Lou's chest and felt strong arms hold him tight against a loud beating heart as he succumbed to a cocooned sleep feeling protected.