Chapter Text
The earliest memory Jack Hunter has consists of his mother leaving. He was two years old and his parents had a big fight in the living room. Although Jack was supposed to be asleep, the shouting made it impossible. It scared him and he desperately wanted to hide under the bed. A whimper from the other side of the room stopped him. That frightened Jack even more, because the last thing that he wanted was for the baby to start crying. Last time that happened, dad had gotten really mad.
As quietly as he could, Jack made his way to the crib. Standing on his tippytoes, he peered inside. The baby wasn’t crying yet, but the whimpers were getting louder. Reaching out, Jack grasped one of the baby’s hands.
‘Sssh, don’t cry. Please, baby.’
Talking seemed to help, because the baby stopped making sounds. Jack stroked the baby’s hand and kept repeating all the words he knew in a whispered tone. A crash suddenly came from the living room, causing Jack to jump and the baby to whimper again.
‘No, baby, no. Sssh.’
It didn’t help. Tears were forming in the baby’s eyes and another whimper sounded. Desperate, Jack let go and reached up to pull himself into the crib. He had done it before, when his parents weren’t looking. It was hard, especially when his movements were panicky, but in the end, he managed. Carefully lying down, Jack pulled the baby into his arms.
‘Sssh, baby. I here.’
The shouting came closer and Jack hugged the baby tightly. He didn’t want his parents to come in here. Maybe if the baby and he were really quiet, mom and dad would go back to the living room. Or even better, they would stop shouting.
Jack spent most of the night in the crib, keeping the baby quiet and desperately hoping his parents would not come into his room. All the fear and adrenaline eventually crashed down on him and caused him to drift off.
He was woken by the sound of the door opening. Jack immediately clutched the baby to him and watched with wide eyes as his dad walked in, alone. He seemed sad, instead of angry.
‘Hiya, son. Bet you had a tough night, huh?’
Jack nodded slowly. He wondered where his mom was. She usually came after a fight, not dad.
‘Yeah, me too.’
Dad sat down on the edge of Jack’s bed, pulling a hand through his hair.
‘Listen, Jack, I’m really sorry. Your mom, she…uh, she left. Don’t think she’s coming back either.’
‘Momma bye-bye?’
A sad chuckle.
‘Yeah, momma bye-bye. Looks like it’s just you, me and Shawn. You know, you did a good job with your brother last night. Maybe you can help me take care of Shawn. I bet you’ll be a real good big brother.’
Jack nodded again, unsure what he was supposed to do. Dad stayed for a few moments, then went back to the living room, slamming the door as he went. The noise caused the baby to start crying. Jack pulled the baby even closer, both children needing the comfort it brought.
‘Don’t cry, baby. I here. I stay.’
Jack was standing by the entrance of the playground for the kindergartners, feeling very awkward among all the adults. Even at 7 years old, he was keenly aware that some of the parents were giving him weird looks. He supposed it must look odd, a lone kid waiting for kindergarten to let out. It was a relief when the doors opened and all the little children spilled out, the adults’ attention instantly on them instead of Jack. He looked around, trying to spot his little brother.
‘Jack! Jack, lookit!’
At hearing his name called, Jack managed to spot a familiar little terror barrelling towards him, dragging another boy behind him. Jack braced for impact just in time, as Shawn knocked into him at full speed, throwing his arms around him. His face was beaming.
‘Can I play at Cory’s?’
Now Jack also recognized the other boy. Cory Matthews lived only two blocks away from them and had been Shawn’s best friend since they were 3. Shawn had been at Cory’s place loads of times and Jack sometimes came along to play with Eric, Cory’s older brother.
‘Have you asked Cory’s parents?’
Shawn’s face lit up even more and he grabbed Cory’s hand again, dragging him over to where Mrs. Matthews was waiting for her son. Jack followed at a slower pace and by the time he had reached them, Cory and Shawn had already asked the question.
‘Well, I suppose it’s alright,’ Mrs. Matthews was saying. She spotted Jack and smiled at him. ‘You know, Jack, you could come too. I believe Eric is looking for someone to play basketball with him.’
It didn’t take Jack long to formulate a response. Mrs. Matthews offer made things much easier. He could make his homework there and wouldn’t have to keep an eye on Shawn for a few hours. He loved his little brother to pieces, but Shawn could be a handful sometimes.
‘Thank you, Mrs. Matthews, that would be great.’
When they arrived at the Matthews house, Cory and Shawn immediately disappeared upstairs, giggling excitedly. Jack sat down at the kitchen table with Eric and pulled out his homework. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder and found Mrs. Matthews smiling at him.
‘Do you need to call your parents, let them know you’re here?’
Absolutely not. There probably wasn’t anyone to pick up the phone anyway. Dad was at work and Jack had no idea where Virna was. Besides, they usually didn’t notice if Jack and Shawn weren’t home.
‘No, that’s okay, Mrs. Matthews. They already know, I told them this morning we might go here after school.’
‘Alright, if you’re sure.’
Because he was expecting it, Jack caught the glance of worry in Mrs. Matthews’ eyes. Hopefully, she would just leave things be. Jack didn’t need an adult interfering, he could take care of Shawn by himself.
Jack was eight when dad lost his job and they moved to the trailer park where the rest of the Hunter clan lived. It only got worse as dad started drinking and Virna left for days at a time. Shawn was six and threw a tantrum when Jack informed him that they couldn’t invite friends over anymore. And even though he always tried not to snap, Jack lost his patience and pushed Shawn. The younger boy wasted no time in retaliating and then they were rolling over the floor, kicking and punching. By the time they pulled apart, both were nursing a split lip. It caused Shawn to burst out laughing and Jack joined in. Their anger dissipated and Jack guided his little brother to the kitchen sink to take care of the wound.
Around November that year, Shawn got really sick. It started out as a cold, so Jack wasn’t really worried and just made sure that Shawn wore warm clothes. Then came the tiredness. Shawn became impossible to wake up in the morning and could be found sleeping at the oddest of times, even falling asleep in the middle of a sentence. Dad and Virna weren’t around, so Jack installed nap time and send Shawn to bed earlier. It didn’t help.
Shawn started having bouts of coughing in the middle of the night, waking them both up. Jack did the best he could, sitting behind his little brother to help him breathe, feeding him cough syrup and making warm milk to help him go back to sleep. One night, after the umpteenth bout of coughing, Shawn leaned back against Jack, whimpering and shivering.
‘My chest hurts, Jack. Make it stop.’
He didn’t know how. There were no painkillers in the medicine cabinet and it was too late to go out. He tried rubbing Shawn’s chest and as he did, his little brother sagged against him even further. They fell asleep like that, though it didn’t stay that way for long. In the early hours of the morning, Jack was shaken awake by Shawn, who looked absolutely miserable, with tear tracks on his pale face.
‘I threw up.’
After helping Shawn into some clean pyjamas, Jack filled a bucket with water and started scrubbing at the floor. He had done it before, when dad came home really drunk, but that didn’t make him hate the chore any less. At least Shawn had tried to get to the bathroom. By the time Jack was done, it was 7 am and he was dead tired. Returning to the bedroom, he found Shawn curled under a blanket, shivering. Crawling into the bed, Jack pulled his brother into his arms, frowning at the heat that met him. He decided that, after he had some sleep, he would check Shawn’s temperature.
Both boys were woken abruptly by banging on the trailer door. Shawn let out a sob and burrowed into Jack’s chest. His breathing was coming in short spurts now and Jack was torn between comforting his brother and checking who was at the door. He knew the person couldn’t come in, since Jack had locked the door before going to bed.
The banging continued and Jack decided it would be best to check. What if it was dad? As he tried to get out of bed, Shawn clung to his arm.
‘Don’t go. Hurts.’
‘I gotta, Shawn. I promise I’ll be real quick.’
‘No.’
His little brother was shaking all over and the banging was still going on. Getting fed up, Jack hefted Shawn into his arms and carried him to the living room. There he deposited his little brother on the couch and went to the door.
‘Who’s there?’ He called out.
‘Jack? It’s me, Allan Matthews. Is everything alright?’
He let out a relieved sigh. Maybe Mr. Matthews could help Shawn, since Jack was running out of ideas.
Opening the door, Jack took a step back to let Mr. Matthews in. The man opened his mouth to speak, but then Shawn let out another whimper and Mr. Matthews’ attention was immediately on Jack’s little brother. The man crouched down in front of the couch and held his against Shawn’s forehead before immediately pulling it back.
‘He’s burning up. What’s his temperature?’
Jack ran to the medicine cabinet and came back with the thermometer. Mr. Matthews snatched it from him and coaxed Shawn into opening his mouth. When the thermometer beeped, Mr. Matthews took it out.
‘104! Jack, how long has he been sick?’
‘I-I don’t know. It wasn’t this bad last week, I swear. But he’s been coughing all weekend and he threw up this morning and he said his chest hurts and he can’t breathe and I don’t know what to do!’
Tears streamed down Jack’s face at the admission. Suddenly he was pulled into a hug by Mr. Matthews.
‘I’m sure you did your best, Jack. But I think Shawn needs to go to the doctor. You get dressed, I’ll grab some blankets for your brother, okay?’
Jack nodded and rubbed at his eyes. He got dressed in record time and followed Mr. Matthews to the car. During the ride, Jack held Shawn, whispering words of comfort and rubbing his back as the younger boy had another coughing fit.
At the hospital, Shawn was taken into an examination room and Jack was forced to wait. Mr. Matthews stayed with him, filling out the forms and taking him to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. When they were back in the waiting room Mr. Matthews asked the question Jack had been dreading.
‘You said Shawn got sick last weekend and you didn’t know what to do. Have you been taking care of your brother the whole time?’
‘Uh-huh. I’m really sorry.’
‘No, Jack, it’s not your fault. But where were your parents? They’re the ones who are supposed to take care of Shawn, not you.’
This was an issue. Jack was acutely aware that his home situation was not right. He knew from Eric that parents were supposed to be home and cook dinner, not gone for days at a time. They were supposed to make sure you brushed your teeth and tuck you in at night. Not come home drunk and make a mess of the house. But Jack didn’t want to tell Mr. Matthews the truth. Nothing good could come from that.
‘They went to Texas for the weekend. Shawn and I have been staying with Uncle Mike, but he works the night shifts so that’s why he wasn’t there when Shawn got sick.’
He could tell that Mr. Matthews didn’t believe him, but he was saved by a doctor coming into the waiting room.
‘Family of Shawn Hunter?’
Jack raced over.
‘I’m his brother. Is Shawn okay?’
The doctor waited until Mr. Matthews joined them.
‘Shawn has pneumonia. We’ve given him antibiotics and something to reduce his fever. Since he’s been lethargic and had trouble breathing, we’d like to keep him overnight. You may take him home tomorrow, if everything goes well. Would you like to see Shawn now?’
‘Yes, please.’
They followed the doctor, Jack practically on her heels. When they got to the paediatric ward, Jack was told to be very quiet, since Shawn was sleeping. He went to his brother, while the adults stayed outside. Guilt washed over him. He should have done better, should have taken better care of Shawn. Very gently, Jack grasped Shawn’s hand.
‘This won’t happen again, I promise, little brother. I’ll take care of you.’
Jack was 9 when he got into his first fight. He wasn’t a very aggressive person by nature, preferring to solve a conflict by talking. Shawn, at 7 years old, was the one who’d usually start throwing punches. He was a little firecracker and many a time, Jack had found himself cleaning up Shawn’s wounds. Outwardly he would berate his little brother, but privately, he preferred fights being the reason for Shawn’s cuts and bruises, as opposed to a drunk dad.
Shawn always admired his brother’s cool headedness, whishing he could be more like Jack. However, Shawn was also one of the very few people who knew that Jack could be terrifying when properly angered. The first time he witnessed this was when he accidently ran into Eddie. Shawn didn’t like Eddie. The older boy was mean and scary. He was always stealing stuff or beating people up. But what Shawn hated most was that Eddie was always trying to involve him.
Like today. Shawn had just come back from the Matthews house and was almost at his trailer when he heard his name being called. He turned around and winced when he saw Eddie coming towards him.
‘There you are, little brother. Listen, I’ve got this little job tonight and I could really use you. What do you say, Shawn? Help your brother out?’
Shawn hated that Eddie insisted on calling him brother. Shawn already had a big brother, thank you very much. Jack was much better anyway.
‘No, I gotta go home.’
Eddie wrapped his arm around Shawn, pulling him closer. He was still smiling but the younger boy could tell his refusal was not appreciated.
‘Come on, little guy. We’re brothers, we’re supposed to help each other.’
Jack had always told him not to do anything Eddie asked him. Not that Shawn wanted to anyway. He tried to wriggle out of Eddie’s grip.
‘I said no.’
Suddenly he was shoved against his trailer. His head met the window, hard and Shawn let out a cry of pain. That really hurt! Eddie was holding him in place, hands fisted into the front of Shawn’s jacket. He wasn’t smiling anymore.
‘Wanna try that again, little brother?’
Before Shawn could respond, Eddie had unexpectedly let go, causing Shawn to fall to the ground. He instinctively curled into himself, waiting to be kicked. But it never happened. Instead he could hear a scuffle, a few meters away from him. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Jack pounding Eddie viciously in the face.
Jack was absolutely livid. The whole world had gone red and hazy. Nobody hurt his little brother, nobody! When he had heard Shawn cry out in pain, Jack had barrelled out of the trailer and straight into Eddie. He hadn’t even stopped to think about the fact that Eddie was six years older and a lot bigger than him. Every single bone in his body wanted to hurt the older boy for laying a hand on his brother.
When Eddie finally got the upper hand, Jack was shoved onto the ground. He immediately got up again, standing protectively in front of Shawn.
‘Leave my brother alone!’
‘Who’s gonna make me? You? I could kill you with one hand tied behind my back.’
Jack held his fists in front of him, like he had seen the boxers on tv do. He could feel the fear radiating off Shawn behind him, stoking the fires of Jack’s anger.
‘You can try. But I’ll kill you if you ever hurt Shawn again, understood?’
The two boys stood glaring at each other for a few minutes, before Eddie shrugged and walked off. Over his shoulder, he threw:
‘See you around, little brother.’
The moment Eddie had truly gone, Jack sunk to the ground, all the anger dissipating as his body ached all over. Shawn crawled next to him, gently touching Jack’s face. It earned him a wince. The little boy let out a sigh and stood up, holding his hand out towards Jack. The older boy stared at him in confusion.
‘Come on, big brother. I’ll take care of you tonight.’
Jack knew that most 11-year olds hated doing groceries. But he actually rather enjoyed it. Grocery shopping felt like a normal chore and thus, it made Jack feel like a normal boy with a normal life. Sometimes, Shawn came with him, but more often than not Jack went alone.
This morning, dad had been severely hungover and told Jack to get some food and dump Shawn somewhere, since the kid couldn’t stay in the trailer. Jack had decided today would be one of the times he took Shawn with him, since Cory was at a baseball game with Eric.
They had just left the grocery store, each carrying a bag, when someone called out their names. Jack turned around and saw Eric running towards him. Holding out an arm, he stopped Shawn in his tracks, who looked up in confusion before noticing Eric.
The older boy came to a halt in front of them, smiling.
‘Hey guys, what you up to?’
‘Buying groceries. Hey, I thought you were at a Phillies game with Cory?’
Shawn’s face lit up at the mention of his best friend. Eric, however, turned red and shuffled his feet, averting Jack’s gaze as he did so.
‘We, uh, we had to go home early. Cory got hit by a ball in the side of the head.’
Jack gaped at him. Beside him, Shawn let out a shocked gasp.
‘Is he okay?’
‘Yeah, just hurting. He could probably use a visit from his best friend, though.’
Shawn looked up at Jack, who gave his permission with a nod. Handing his bag to Eric, the youngest Hunter took off towards the Matthews house as fast as he could. Jack let out a sigh and reached out his hand to take the bag from Eric. The older boy pulled away, shaking his head.
‘No, it’s fine, I’ll help you carry it home.’
They walked in silence for a few moments, before Jack turned to Eric.
‘Okay, I’m curious. What exactly happened at the game?’
Eric shrugged, then gave a small smile.
‘It’s pretty stupid really. I got those tickets, right? And dad gave me enough money to buy two hotdogs, one for me and one for Cory. But as I make my way back to Core, I realised I’d eaten them both.’
Jack frowned.
‘That’s awful.’
‘No, that was the happy part. The sad thing was, I felt so guilty that I started running up and down the aisles, collecting money from people. A quarter here, a dollar there. Until I had enough to buy another hotdog. As I walk towards him, Cory reaches out his hand, giggling…and then a foul ball smacked him right in the side of the head!’
Jack winced in sympathy.
‘You know, that’s probably one of the worst stories I’ve ever heard. And that’s including all those stories Shawn comes up with when he has a sugar high.’
Eric nodded thoughtfully.
‘Yeah, you might be right. But at least it gives me a story to tell about my brother.’
‘True. So, did you actually get to see anything of the game?’
They talked about baseball for the rest of the way. When they’d reached the trailer, Jack took the other bag from Eric.
‘Thanks, man, I’ll take it from here. Are your parents bringing Shawn over or do I need to pick him up?’
‘Actually, I was hoping you might want to hang out with me. We could shoot some hoops.’
That certainly sounded a lot better than spending his Saturday in the trailer, looking after his dad.
‘Sure, just give me a few minutes to put the groceries away.’
Jack and Eric spent most of the afternoon playing basketball together. Mr. Matthews joined them for a few rounds, which was loads of fun. When the sun started setting, Jack went inside to get Shawn. He found his little brother in the kitchen, helping to set the table while Cory was sitting on the stairs, holding an ice-pack to his head. Mrs. Matthews smiled at Jack as he entered while Shawn bounded over.
‘Jack! Cory’s mom said we could stay for dinner. Can we, please?’
The older brother swore to himself that there would be a day when he wouldn’t be persuaded by Shawn’s puppy eyes. However, right now, Jack did not have the immunity he wished for. Besides, he liked hanging out with Eric.
‘I don’t see why not.’
His answer was greeted with a cheer, which was immediately followed by a groan from Cory.
‘Not so loud, Shawn. You’re making my head hurt.’
For the tiniest moment, Shawn froze, as did Jack. Then both Hunter boys shook it off and Shawn went over to Cory, apologizing.
During dinner, Jack was unnerved by how silent his little brother was. Shawn seemed terrified of hurting Cory further and wasn’t allowing a single sound to pass his lips. Jack was internally debating how to address it, when Cory solved the problem for him.
‘Shawnie, you don’t have to be quiet all the time. Just don’t shout.’
And just like that, the tension had disappeared and Shawn was joking with Cory. Eric nudged Jack and drew him into a conversation about basketball. By the end of dinner, they were fiercely arguing about whether Star Wars or Star Trek was superior and Jack had no idea how they’d ended up at that topic. Across the table, Cory and Shawn were whispering about something.
When Mrs. Matthews informed Eric it was his turn to do the dishes, Jack immediately offered to help. They were a few minutes in, when, to their surprise, Shawn joined them. Eric frowned at him.
‘Where’s Cory?’
‘His head was really bothering him, so your mom told him to go to bed. I had to tell you that you need to be very quiet when you go upstairs. Jack, Mr. Matthews offered to drive us home when you guys are done.’
After they’d put the dishes away, Jack guided a sleepy Shawn to the car. He was surprised when not only Mr. Matthews but also Eric got in. Not that Jack minded. It gave him some more time to spend with his friend.
Just before they arrived at the trailer park, Jack asked Mr. Matthews to pull over.
‘We’ll walk from here, if that’s okay.’
Mr. Matthews frowned.
‘Alright, if you’re sure. Do you need us to come with you? Shawn looks about dead on his feet.’
No, that was not an option. Jack had no idea what kind of state dad would be in and the last thing he wanted was for Mr. Matthews to see dad drunk. Nope, nope, not happening. Jack looped an arm around Shawn and gave a small smile.
‘Thanks, but I can handle him. We’ll be just fine, sir. Thank you so much for the ride home. Eric, I’ll see you tomorrow?’
‘Don’t doubt it. I heard Cory and Shawn talking about doing their homework together tomorrow.’
‘Okay, goodnight then and see you tomorrow.’
Jack wasn’t blind to the fact that the car didn’t move until he and Shawn were in the trailer park. They’d have to be careful around Mr. Matthews. The man noticed a lot more than Jack was comfortable with.
Jack was 13 when he finally gave up on his father. Chet Hunter was a complicated man. When he was sober and around, he tried his best to be a good dad. Drunk, however, the smallest thing was enough for him to lose his shit. If Virna was around, she usually kept Chet away from the boys’ bedroom. Only, she wasn’t home as much as she used to be.
As a kid, Jack would simply focus on keeping Shawn quiet. Dad rarely came to their room and he never laid a hand on either of the brothers. That changed when Jack was about 8. It wasn’t that Jack had done anything specifically that day, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Shawn had been having a sleepover at Cory’s, thank God. After dad had finally fallen asleep, Jack had dragged himself to Uncle Mike’s. The man let him stay without asking questions, although he’d given Jack a knowing look.
This month, dad had been home a lot. After the first week, Jack found himself wishing dad would just leave again. Things were so much easier when it was just Shawn and Jack. They didn’t have to walk on eggshells all the time. Jack wouldn’t find himself hiding in the closet, trying to keep his little brother quiet and straining to hear if dad was asleep yet.
It all came to a head when Shawn woke up in the middle of the night, feeling the call of nature. He was still half asleep as he stumbled down the tiny hall towards the bathroom. It was dark and that meant Shawn didn’t notice the bottle until he’d already tripped. He crashed against the wall, causing more bottles to start rolling and clanking against each other.
‘Boy, how am I supposed to sleep with all that noise!’
In a flash, Shawn felt himself pulled to his feet. His dad towered over him, stinking of alcohol and looking absolutely livid. Shawn gulped and stared at his feet.
‘Sorry, dad.’
‘That ain’t no answer! And look at me when I’m talking to you!’
A hand shot out and grabbed Shawn’s face with bruising force, making him look up.
‘I’m sorry, dad.’
His dad scoffed.
‘Sorry, huh? You sorry, boy? Come here.’
Shawn was dragged into the living room, where his dad finally let go. Then came the first punch. Shawn’s head snapped back with the force and he felt something wet dripping from his nose. Before he could react, another punch came. And then another. Tears burned in his eyes and fell down his cheeks. Not that it did him any good. He was shoved to the ground, which was swiftly followed by a kick to his side.
‘You think sorry makes it all okay, huh? Think that makes up for such a rude awakening? Answer me boy!’
‘I’m sorry! Stop, please! It hurts.’
He was curled up on the ground, head tucked under his arms. Sobs tore through him and his body felt like it was on fire. From the corner of his eye, he saw dad pulling back his foot for another kick. But it never came. Instead there was the sound of glass breaking and then an almighty crash that shook the floor.
‘Shawn? Oh God, Shawn!’
There were hands gently pulling at him, trying to get him to uncurl.
‘Come on, we gotta go. I don’t know how long dad will stay out.’
One of his eyes stubbornly remained shut, but he managed to open the other. He could just make out Jack’s face, tight with worry, hovering above him.
‘Jack?’
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m here. Can you sit up?’
Together, they managed to get Shawn leaning against the wall. Jack briefly tapped his little brother’s face.
‘I’m going to grab your shoes. I’ll be right back, okay?’
He grabbed the first pair he could find and gently forced them onto Shawn’s feet. His little brother stayed oddly compliant through it all. But when Jack hoisted him into a standing position, Shawn let out a pained cry and would almost certainly have collapsed if Jack didn’t catch him.
‘It’s okay. I’ve got ya.’
Jack placed Shawn’s arm around his shoulders and together they shuffled out of the trailer. Fortunately, most of the trailer park was asleep, meaning they could sneak off relatively unnoticed. Jack knew they couldn’t stay with their family, dad would find them within minutes. He had to get them both somewhere safe.
They had just left the trailer park behind, when Shawn started collapsing.
‘I can’t. It hurts.’
Jack grimaced. They had to keep moving, this place wasn’t safe. But one look at Shawn told him his little brother wasn’t able to walk any further. Alright then. If his brother couldn’t walk, then Jack would carry him. He guided Shawn to the ground, then squatted down with his back towards him.
‘Climb on.’
Shawn obeyed without protest and Jack found himself internally grateful that his little brother didn’t weigh much. As he adjusted his grip on his brother, he felt a wet spot against his back.
‘Oh, Shawn. I’m so sorry.’
He didn’t get a response, but he did feel Shawn nuzzling his face into the crook between his neck and shoulder. Mentally steeling himself, Jack set off down the street. He walked as fast as he could, afraid of hearing footsteps behind him. Every now and then, he whispered something to Shawn, who mumbled something in return.
It took him longer than normal and Jack sighed in relief when they finally reached the Matthews house. His back and arms were aching and Shawn had fallen asleep. As quietly as he could, Jack snuck into the backyard. There he gently lowered his brother to the ground.
‘Wait here, I’ll be right back.’
It was a matter of seconds to climb onto the roof, even with his aching muscles. The window was open and Jack briefly wondered if Cory always left it open for Shawn. Right now, that didn’t matter though. He snuck into the room and found Eric and Cory sound asleep.
‘Guys,’ Jack whispered. ‘Guys, wake up.’
There was a groan and then Cory was sitting upright, rubbing his eyes with his fists.
‘Wha’s going on?’
‘Cory, it’s me, Jack. I need your help.’
That woke the younger boy right up.
‘What happened?’
‘Later, I need you to wake Eric for me first. We’ll need him too.’
Cory threw his pillow at Eric, who came up swinging. He froze, however, when he noticed Jack standing in his room.
‘Jack? What are you doing here?’
‘Later. Shawn’s outside, I need you to unlock the door and help me get him inside. Cory, do you have a first-aid kit?’
Between the three of them, they managed to get Shawn upstairs and cleaned up. When Eric offered to get a mattress, Jack stopped him.
‘Just some blankets and pillows. They’re a lot easier to hide than a whole mattress.’
Eric frowned at him.
‘Why would you need to hide anything?’
‘Because your parents can’t know Shawn and I are here. Besides, we’re leaving first thing in the morning.’
Eric opened his mouth to argue but Cory interrupted.
‘Can we not do this right now? Shawn needs sleep and honestly, so do I.’
Although Eric caved, Jack knew the argument was far from finished. After making sure Shawn was comfortable, Jack pulled a blanket towards himself and closed his eyes. They would have to leave in the morning, but for now, at least, they were safe.
For Jack, it felt like the alarm went off only a few minutes after he had fallen asleep. He could hear groans coming from the beds and had to agree. Lying down again, Jack wondered if he could just close his eyes for a few more minutes.
That idea disappeared when someone knocked on the door. Eric jumped out of bed and started hiding the blankets and pillows, while Jack opened the window and pulled Shawn with him. After pushing his little brother onto the roof, Jack turned back to look at his best friend and held a finger up to his lips. He got a nod in return.
The brothers hid in the tree house until everyone had left. Jack was then presented with a dilemma. What now? If they went to school, Mr. Feeney would surely notice Shawn’s black eye and the huge bruise on his cheek. But if they didn’t go, someone would come looking for them at home. Neither of those situations were an option.
‘Jack? Shawn? You boys here?’
Both of them froze. Dad had found them.
‘Come on boys, I’ve been looking for you all morning.’
Jack carefully poked his head out. Dad was standing by the kitchen door, peering inside. He didn’t look mad, just worried. When he suddenly turned around, Jack wasn’t fast enough in pulling back. Dad gave him a small smile.
‘Hiya, son.’
‘Dad?’
Shawn poked his head out before Jack could stop him. Both boys noticed the enormous wave of guilt that washed over their dad as he saw his youngest. The man sat down heavily on the ground. Shawn tried to go to him, but Jack grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. His little brother stared at him in confusion.
‘No, stay here.’
Shawn tried to pull away but Jack held on tight.
‘It’s dad!’
Which was exactly why Jack didn’t want to let go of his little brother. Dad was the whole reason Shawn looked so awful. No way in hell was he going anywhere near the man.
Dad seemed to understand what was going on in Jack’s head.
‘I won’t hurt either of you, I promise.’
How was he supposed to trust that? Promises were easily broken, as dad had proved countless times. What did it say about Jack that he preferred the adults in his life to be absent? He knew it hurt Shawn every time dad and Virna left, but it at least meant that Jack’s job was a little easier.
‘Come on, Jack, he promised!’
Steeling himself, Jack made a decision. It was his responsibility to protect Shawn and he would do whatever it took. If that meant he had to hurt dad, so be it. He let go of Shawn and followed at a slower pace as his little brother scampered over to their dad. He stood back as dad cradled Shawn’s head, gently prodding the black eye with his thumb.
‘I’m sorry about that, boy. Does it hurt?’
‘About as much as a bottle over the head, I’d wager.’
Dad looked up at Jack’s response, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head as he did so.
‘Gotta say, boy, you took a good swing at me. Got some strength in you, that’s for sure. Hunter man through and through, huh? Well, can’t say I blame you.’
‘It’s okay, dad,’ Shawn piped up.
‘No, it’s not, son. You’re my boy and I shouldn’t hurt you. Listen, both of you, I promise, no more. Deal?’
Shawn immediately shook dad’s hand, then looked up with big eyes.
‘I’m hungry.’
Dad laughed.
‘That’s my boy! What do you say about some breakfast?’
‘Let’s go!’
Shawn ran towards the front, but Jack stopped dad with a hand on his arm. The man looked down at him, taking in the steely gaze.
‘Listen, dad. You gotta keep this promise, because it’s your last chance. If you ever get drunk again, I’ll run away with Shawn and you’ll never find us. Understood?’
He knew his words were hurting dad. But enough was enough. Jack was done with all those empty promises. Every time one was broken, so was Shawn’s heart. This was it. Either dad cleaned up his act or he’d lose his sons. His choice.
‘Understood, son.’