Chapter Eleven
The two women looked at each other in shock. June seemed to recover first from the bomb Liam just dropped on her and smiled.
“You finally told her, big bro. Though you should have warned her ahead of time and me too, you big jerk.” There was no heat to her words.
Liam left Cora’s side to come to June’s and kiss her cheek. The girl reached up and gave him a brief hug. “Sorry, June bug, I’ll remember next time.”
June scoffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s a little late for that now.”
“I didn’t know how to explain.”
“What? That you have a fucked-up sister, missing two legs that you keep hidden in your basement?” June tried to joke but her tone sounded hurt.
“You're hardly in a basement.”
“No, but you don’t tell anyone about me. It’s obvious on Cora’s face she didn’t even know I existed until this moment. What do you tell people, that you’re an only child?”
“That’s not fair June.” Liam scolded his younger sister. “I love you and I am far from ashamed. I just don’t want people’s pity. For you or for me.”
“You think I do any more than you do? I can hardly get Rosa to let me out sometimes. Afraid someone will see the handicapped Macintosh girl.” Her hands waved from side to side.
“June, knock it off. Cora is the first person I have brought here and I’m afraid we aren’t making a very good impression.”
“And whose fault is that?” Obviously, June wasn’t done ripping into her brother and didn’t care they had a guest.
Liam chose to ignore his sister and held a hand out for Cora who was still standing in the doorway. She walked woodenly to his side and he pulled out a chair for her. She was having trouble processing what was happening. Liam had a sister. Not only that but she was paralyzed.
“It’s nice to finally meet you June,” Cora said pleasantly trying to collect her thoughts. She was in complete shock still. Out of all the things that Liam could be hiding from her when they had been dating, this was not it. She would be lying if she didn’t say she was a little relieved. She already knew he hadn’t been cheating but the fact he had been caring for his sister made her feel guilty for all the times she harped at him for not telling her. It also made her angry that this secret was what had broken them up. She understood he didn’t want pity, but he never even gave her a chance. He made the decision to keep it a secret from her. He had told her what he did for a living, but he couldn’t share this with her? So many secrets. And for what?
“Same here.” June didn’t sound happy to meet her, but Cora was sure she was just as shocked as she was at meeting each other.
So, Liam had a sister he cared for. She was still wrapping her mind around it. It was sweet that he would do that. She didn’t know what was so secretive about her situation. She wasn’t the first paralyzed woman. Was there something else Cora didn’t know about?
“June, is that how you treat your guests?” Liam scolded. He was acting just like a big brother or so Cora thought. She was an only child, but she had several friends who had older siblings and this was how they acted
“What are you, my father?” June snapped.
“I’m the only family you have left and I’m older so yeah I am for all intents and purposes.”
“So, you’re the lady that broke up with Liam five months ago?” June asked turning her sharp blues at her. June was a copy of Liam. Long curly blonde hair and clear blue eyes.
“I am,” Cora said wringing her hands. She was nervous, and she didn’t know why.
“Why did you break his heart?” June didn’t sound accusingly but curious.
Cora looked up at Liam standing next to her who was also waiting for an answer. “I don’t know if I broke his heart,” Cora said instead. He had broken hers. “But I left because he was keeping secrets from me, and I couldn’t stay with someone like that.”
“So, my big idiot of a brother finally saw the light and told you about me.” June’s eyes met her brothers. “I told you I was some secret to you.”
“Should I leave you two to talk?” Cora asked feeling she was in the middle of something important between the siblings.
“No,” June said quickly turning her head back to her. “Liam just needs to learn to let things go.”
“I don’t understand.” And she really didn’t. It was obvious Liam loved his sister. He went to great lengths to see to his sister’s care and came at a moment’s notice. He even ended their relationship over his sister; you would think she would have more respect for her brother. He could have just sent his sister to a home or passed her off to nurses to care for and be done with her.
“Liam thinks he is the reason I am in this bed,” Liam muttered something under his breath and left the room. “Just ignore him I always do,” June told her as Cora watched Liam leave and she felt the urge to follow him.
“What do you mean he thinks he’s the reason you are here?” Cora turned back to face June and scooted her chair closer to the bed wanting to hear this story. This was a side of Liam she didn’t know existed.
“When I was eighteen I went to a party with some friends. I got a little tipsy and called Liam for a ride home. He was twenty-four and was on leave. He was hanging with some girl he found at a bar at the house but didn’t want to be bothered with me. I had to get home somehow. I had my friend who brought me to the party take me home. She should never have been driving. I was much more sober than she was but she refused to let anyone drive her car but her. A few miles away from the party my friend swerved and hit a tree. She was ejected and killed on impact. I was pinned in the car and the front end pinned my legs. I was there so long that by the time an ambulance came, and I was taken to the hospital they didn’t have any choice but to amputate my legs. On top of that I fractured my spine, doctors say that it won’t take much to completely break it then I’ll be paralyzed so here I am stuck in this bed broken but not completely, just enough to have everyone treat me like precious glass. Liam blames himself that if he hadn’t been so self-absorbed in getting laid I wouldn’t have had to get in my friend’s car and ended up like this.” June waved a hand over herself. “So now he dedicates himself to seeing to my care and coming when Rosa calls him over the littlest things.”
Cora absorbed this new information and looked at Liam with a new set up eyes. It explained why he was always so driven and focused. He never let himself have more than one beer and always made sure the guys had a place to crash before they started drinking. She knew he had a rep for being a ladies’ man, but she bet that because of June he just put on a face around his friends, played a role. He didn’t make love like a novice, but he never treated her like she was another notch in his belt.
“You’re not going to break up with him again because I told you, are you?” June asked softly, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.
“No,” Cora didn’t bother correcting June that they weren’t dating. “So why did the nurse call him this time?”
June sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “I love Rosa, but I swear she is worse than a mother hen. I had a mild seizure and she immediately called to notify him. She thinks if he comes to the rescue it will make him feel better about what happened. I think it just makes him feel worse.”
“Why would you say that?” She knew from experience whenever Liam came home after visiting here he was drained but he never looked depressed. Where did this girl get that kind of idea?
“Because in his mind if he had come to pick me up that night he wouldn’t be getting phone calls about me having seizures or other complications.”
“He loves you, June. He wouldn’t drop everything to be here with you if he didn’t care.” She wasn’t one to fight someone else’s battles, but someone needed to set June right about her brother.
“I know he loves me. He’s my brother he has to. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel I’m more of an obligation than a sister. When he looks at me sometimes I don’t see my brother I see a care provider. Like a wall goes up whenever he’s here. That he must play a part to keep it together for my sake. I want him to be here because he wants to be not because he must. With him not telling you about me tells me I’m an embarrassment to him. Most of his team knows about me, but do you think I’ve ever met any of them? Not a chance. I’m his atonement.”
June was a smart girl, Cora would give her that. She saw far more than most people. Cora still didn’t get the embarrassment part but now that she knew what was going on she would talk to Liam. “I’ll talk to him. I don’t think it’s embarrassment as much as he’s ashamed of himself and doesn’t want others to judge him for his one single mistake. He’s a proud man June and he’s never been one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. He’s trying to keep a brave face, not only for himself but for you.”
“If you can do that it would be a miracle. I forgave him years ago. It was all just rotten luck and judgment. I could have called a million other people or a cab. It was more my fault than anyone’s.”
“He just needs to come to terms with that. You both could play the what-if game until the world ends but it won’t change anything. Would it be okay if I came to visit you?” Cora found she really liked talking to June and felt the girl was to sequester, and that’s where her attitude was coming from. The girl may not have her legs, but she wasn’t dead.
June looked at her wide-eyed. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
June looked at her as if she just handed her the moon. She might as well have. June didn’t seem to have any friends. Cora knew what that was like, but she stayed home a lot by choice. June didn’t have that luxury. “I’d like that.”
“Then it's settled. I’ll talk to Liam about loosening the reins on you and I’ll start coming by. Maybe we can go shopping or something.” June was twenty-four. She needed to feel as normal as she could for her age. Cora was a bit older and she knew Hannah would love hanging out with her too. Maybe when the men would go on missions, they could kidnap June and take her places. Liam may not approve at first, but she bet once June got to see more than these four walls she would blossom.
Cora could see that June was getting tired and so excused herself, so she could rest. Liam was waiting on the couch and stood up when she entered.
“I’m sorry I walked out like that. Sometimes June can be a bit much and it’s best to just walk away before upsetting her.”
“I survived.” She waved off his excuse.
“Is she okay?”
“Fine, sleeping. I’d like to visit her again and more often, if that’s alright with you?”
“You want to spend more time with her?” Liam asked shocked. Cora didn’t know if it was because of June’s hostile reception of her in the beginning or what.
“Yes, she’s a bright girl and we got along with each other quite well after you stormed out. I think she needs to be able to get out more and feel more normal and then she won’t be so hostile towards you.”
“You do realize she can’t do normal things anymore. She is missing her legs and any strain on her back could paralyze her. She can’t do half the things girls her age normally do. People will cut her directly or whisper behind her back. I won’t tolerate that for her. She’s been through enough.”
“I know that but that doesn’t mean she’s not still a person, Liam. She needs more than to be holed up in this house with only Rosa for company. She’s an adult. She wants to go shopping and go to movies. How do you know what she can’t do until she tries them? Keeping her in that room is slowing killing her.” Cora could see that Liam was only trying to protect his sister. The world was cruel to anyone that was different. But Liam had to see that in his mission to protect his sister he was slowly killing her spirit. It was up to Cora to help her.
Liam seemed to debate her words. She expected him to outright say no and tell her she didn’t know what she was talking about. “You can come visit. If she starts getting sick or has a seizure the trips stop immediately, and it will only be room visits.”
He sounded like such a father right there Cora had to bite her tongue to stop herself from chuckling. “Okay, after we get this Alejandro business over with I’d like to start visiting her. Maybe even bring Hannah over.”
“Oh no, that will be the end of the neighborhood. It’s a deal.” Liam smiled and showed off a set of dimples that had Cora’s heart racing.