Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(21)

Krit walked in first, with relief and worry both etched on his face. “You were walking! Seriously, Trisha. Walking? What if Rock hadn’t driven by? You could have died out there. God! I’m never trusting you again. I won’t leave next time.”

“I couldn’t let anyone know about this,” I whispered, glancing behind him to see that it was Rock who was standing just inside the door, not the nurse.

Krit ran his hand through his shaggy hair, which he was refusing to cut. “You scare the shit out of me. I hate this. I hate living there. I hate her. I wish she wasn’t my mother.”

I hated seeing him like this. Knowing he hadn’t been given a chance to be a kid. He had been trying to protect me all his life, even though it was really me who was protecting him. Even when we were little, he had held my hand after Fandora had beaten me, and promised he would keep me safe and that everything would be okay. I loved him. He was the only person I had ever loved and who had ever loved me. I would do anything for him. Didn’t he get that?

“It won’t happen again. I’m not going to let it.” Rock’s voice filled the room, with a determination I almost believed.

Krit glanced back at him. “You can’t stop it. This shit has been happening all our lives.”

Rock walked over to stand at the foot of my bed. He kept his gaze locked on me. “Yeah, I can. Even if you don’t want me to, I’m going to protect you, Trisha. I don’t care what excuses you throw at me. I don’t care if you ignore me. I will be there every damn time you need me.”

Krit let out a hard laugh. “That’s bullshit. You got a football career ahead of you. Don’t make her promises you can’t keep.”

I was worried Krit was being too hard on Rock. I agreed with Krit, but he didn’t have to throw angry words at Rock for trying to be nice.

“I’ll gain your trust,” Rock said. “Both of you.”

Krit scowled, but behind his anger I could see the little boy who had hope. He wanted to trust in someone. He trusted me, but he needed more. We both did.

“What you did tonight was enough. Thank you,” I told him before Krit could say any more.

Rock held my gaze, and he looked like he was about to say something when a commotion outside the door stopped him. I recognized the voice immediately.

Rock

“Where are they? Did she hurt my baby?” a woman asked in a high-pitched voice as if she were panicked. “She always hurts him. I can’t control her,” she continued.

“No f**king way,” Krit growled as he stalked past me toward the door.

He looked furious. I glanced back at Trisha. I didn’t know if I should go after him.

“It’s her. Our mother,” she said softly.

“There’s my baby! Are you okay? Did she hurt you again? Did y’all check him out?!”

Was this woman serious?

“That’s enough, Mom. Trisha is beat to shit in there. No one believes your farce. She’s too damn nice to hurt anyone. Even you,” Krit roared over his mother’s voice.

“Honey, it’s okay. You don’t have to protect her,” his mother started up.

“WOMAN, ARE YOU CRAZY?” Krit yelled.

“Oh God. Please go stop him,” Trisha begged. “Please. If he tells them, we will be split up. He doesn’t understand that foster homes could be worse.”

I stared at her face, still beautiful though beaten, and swollen. I realized she was right. At least where she was she knew what to expect, and Krit was there with her. The kid was bigger than her and loved her. He could also get in touch with me if they needed me.

Nurses were trying to calm them down, and security was walking up when I stepped outside the room.

“Krit,” I called out.

He looked at me with a furious scowl. “This is it! You gonna fix it? Save her from this shit!” he challenged me.

It was time I started proving myself. I walked over to Krit and put my arm around his shoulders. “Your sister needs you. She’s asking for you,” I told him while glaring at the woman across from him.

He didn’t move at first. Finally he nodded and walked back to his sister’s room.

“Baby, don’t go in there to her—”

“Leave him alone. He’s going where he wants to be. With the sister who loves him and got hurt tonight. And you need to calm down. Too many drinks have you saying shit no one around you believes. It’s obvious Krit loves his sister and she loves him. If you want to keep your family, then you might want to act like a mother and not a drunk, deranged psycho.”

Her eyes went wide as I told her exactly how things were going to go. The painted-on makeup didn’t cover up her hard living. Her skin had seen better days. The stench on her was nauseating. Sour whiskey and cheap perfume.

“Now, you need to go sign the papers to release your daughter. She’s been treated, and she needs to go home and rest. I’ll be making sure that happens. If you f**k with her, I swear to God you’ll lose everything. Do you understand me?”

The woman’s bent shoulders snapped back as she looked at me hatefully. “Who the hell do you think you are? You don’t tell me what to do. Did you hurt Trisha? Are you some loser who she’s running wild and partying with?”

She was trying to twist it so I looked like the bad guy.”