New to the Family

Goodbye

Author's Note: Sorry it has taken me forever to update. I have been dealing with a lot of depression lately and haven't had the motivation to write. I am going to try my best to keep updating more regularly. I hope you all enjoy :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The water washed the blood off of my skin, and caused the water swirling under my feet turned pink. I was taking in deep breaths, but my heart was pounding in my chest. Jacob's scream was ringing in my ears. The picture of his crying face pleading for his life was stuck in my mind.

I spent a long time in the shower. When I got out, I wrapped myself up in a towel and tied back my hair. I pressed my ear up against the bedroom door, but all I could hear was murmurs from the boys downstairs. I could no longer hear Lindsay's crying.

I lied down on the bed, and kept myself wrapped up in the towel. I pulled the blanket at the foot of the bed and closed my eyes. I chewed on my bottom lip to prevent myself from crying. I could not get the image of Jacob's murder out of my mind. My stomach churned as I thought about how I plunged the knife into his neck.

I must have fallen asleep because I was brought back to reality when I felt someone graze their fingers along my arm. Jared leaned down and kissed my shoulder. I rolled onto my back and yawned. In the dark, I could barely see the splatters of dried blood against his face.

"I'm so proud of you," he said.

I closed my eyes, and Jacob's bloody body filled my mind. I let out a shaky breath, and my body trembled. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from crying.

"I promise that you will never have to do it again," he said.

"Thank you," I choked out.

Jared leaned back down and kissed my cheek. I kept my eyes closed. The mattress moved sd Jared stood up. He dragged his feet over to the bathroom. I listened as he pulled the shower curtain back and turned on the tap. I clutched the blankets to my chest and listened as Jared took a shower.

I could not fall back asleep until Jared lied down next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.

--

Lindsay was in the kitchen when I came down the stairs. Her back was to me as she was cooking at the stove. She was wearing a T-shirt, and I could see her forearm was wrapped up in gauze. Blood was shadowing through the white material. Lindsay looked over her shoulder and gave me a faint smile. I smiled back, and then peeked into the dining room to see that it was empty.

"Jenny is in her room," Lindsay said, reading my mind.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

Lindsay let out a deep breath and shook her head.

"No, she's sick," she said. "I think she caught what Theo had. I could barely wake her up this morning."

"Do you want me to bring her breakfast?" I asked.

"No." I turned to see Jared come down the stairs shaking his head. "I don't need you getting sick. I don't want you going into Grandma's room. Understand?"

I nodded my head. Lindsay piled some eggs and toast onto a plate. She handed it to Jared.

"Do you mind bringing this up to Grandma?" Lindsay asked. "I will save you a plate."

"Yeah, I can," he said.

Jared turned and he went up the staircase. He passed Gabe who was walking down the stairs. The corners of his lips lifted into a smile. He threw his arm around Lindsay's shoulders, and pulled her in to kiss her cheek. Lindsay's lips twitched into a smile, and she held her bandaged arm to her chest.

"How'd you sleep, Leah?" he asked.

"Good," I said. "Thanks for asking."

"I'm sure Jared is taking good care of you. I just thought I should check in with you."

I glanced to the side to see the shower curtain was pulled back exposing the bloody hooks. I could envision Jared and Gabe holding down Jacob's thrashing body. It was only hours ago that I was kneeling over his body with a knife in my hand.

"I'm okay," I said. "Last night was tough, but I am fine."

"Let me get breakfast on the table," Lindsay said.

"Okay, sweetheart," he said.

Gabe kissed her cheek again before sliding his arm off of her shoulders. I went over with Lindsay to the counter and helped her carry the breakfast over to the table. I sat down, next to Jared's empty chair, and chewed on my bottom lip as Gabe sat down. Being around Gabe still gave me an uneasy feeling. I hoped that Jared would come down the stairs soon.

It was only a few minutes until Jared came back down the stairs. My heart sank a little when he passed by me and went over to Gabe. He leaned down and whispered something into Gabe's ear. Gabe let out a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Jared nodded his head. Gabe glanced over at Lindsay before standing up. Lindsay stopped eating and looked between Gabe and Jared. I watched as the colour drained from her face. She held her injured arm up to her chest.

"What's going on?" she asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper. She knew she couldn't ask any questions, but she could not stop herself.

"Stay down here," Gabe said.

She bit down on her lip. The boys left the dining room. I picked at the scrambled eggs on my plate as Lindsay and I sat in silence. I listened to their footsteps as they walked around upstairs. Lindsay folded her hands in front of her face and rested her elbows on the table.

My heart was pounding when I heard them coming down the stairs. I set my fork down when I saw them come into the dining room. Jared came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. Gabe got down on his knees beside Lindsay. Her eyes were beginning to water and she shook her head. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"No," she said.

"Linds, don't cry," Gabe said.

"Please tell me she's okay," she said.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said. "It was her time to go. I can take you upstairs to say goodbye."

Lindsay let out a sob and shook her head. Gabe grabbed her elbow and pulled her up onto her feet. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her out of the room. Jared pulled out the chair next to me and sat down.

"I can bring you upstairs after to say goodbye," he said.

"Goodbye?" I asked.

"Grandma died," he said. "I went upstairs to bring her breakfast and she was not breathing."

I took in a sharp breath. Jenny was coughing and not looking well, but I did not imagine that would kill her. If she had what Theo had, that meant that any of us could catch their illness.

There was a loud cry followed by the sound of a slap and then a crash. I jolted in my seat. Jared reached out and put his hand on my arm.

"Gabe!" Lindsay cried out.

"I'm not doing this today," I could hear Gabe say.

There was another cry and then a door slammed shut. I squeezed my eyes shut and my body tensed as I imagined what Gabe may be doing to Lindsay.

"Let's go say goodbye," Jared said.