Becker's POV...

I hear noise from downstairs like glass shattering. This can't be good. Jack must be out of his mind again. "Alec, stay in your room," I try and shout but the words don't come out. I rub my throat with my fingers, It feels like something is lodged in my windpipe. Another glass shatters... I've got to check it out. "Please sir, just leave him alone," a scared but familiar voice says. Greya! No! I run to where the noise is coming from. "Where is that bastard child?" Jack yells in her face and grabs her by the throat, choking her. "No! Greya!" Nothing, not a sound escapes my mouth, she can't hear me. She turns her head towards me, her freightened emeralds pleading for my help. "Beck!....Beck," she's calling my name. "Beck!" I hear it louder.

"Becker, wake up," her voice causes me to bolt upright. Searing pain surges through the right side of my chest, forcing me back to reality. My hand grips my side, and my lungs constrict so I'm unable to catch my breath. Where the fuck am I?

"Hey, you're ok, it was just a dream." I hear her again and whip my head around towards her which causes me more intense pain. Greya!... She better not be hurt.

She's here sitting in front of me, she's fine I think. Unsure of what's real and what's not, I reach out and place my fingers under her chin to tilt her head up and examine her neck for any sign of injury. Her expression is one of confusion, but she doesn't say anything while I continue to examine her. I don't care how much pain I'm in, as long as she's not hurt.

I look down and she's holding her hand out to me, so I tentatively reach for it. I slide my hand into hers and she gives mine a little squeeze, forcing my lungs to fill with air again. "I'm ok Beck... Alec is ok," she looks towards the kitchen and I follow her gaze to where Alec and Chase are eating breakfast together and laughing about something. That makes me smile for a moment before turning back to Greya. I was dreaming. Fuck, I must look like I've gone completely mental. She looks like she wants to comfort me but isn't sure of how. That's my dumb fault. "I'm sorry," I try to force my hoarse voice to form the words.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Here, I made you some tea with honey, it will help soothe your throat," she grabs the mug from the coffee table and hands it to me. "Thanks," I cough.

"Do you have nightmares often?" She shyly asks. I want to tell her I'd have them every night if I didn't force myself to stay awake most of the time. Greya doesn't need to know that though, I've already frightened her enough over the last nine hours.

"I need to use the bathroom," I croak while pushing up on the pillow to support  myself  to a standing position.

"Sure, you know where it is. There are towels by the sink if you want to take a shower... do you need any help?" Do I need her help? Probably. I've already let her do too much. Now I'm nothing short of fragile and pathetic.

I avoid speaking and shake my head, showing her I don't need her assistance.

I shuffle at a snail's pace into the bathroom and shut the door. A hot shower will feel good. I turn the water on and begin unwrapping the ace bandage from my torso. The pain in my ribs exacerbate when I move my right arm, but it's not as painful as last night. Maybe it's just bruised.

I drop the wrap onto the sink and examine myself in the mirror. There are noticeable finger markings on the sides of my throat where Jack tried to strangle me. The right side of my chest about a hand's width below my arm pit is back and blue. I really hope nothing's broken.

I step into the shower and let the hot water pour over my head and down my back. The heat is helping to loosen my tight muscles. I grab the nearest shampoo bottle and as soon as I open it, I'm intoxicated by the smell of apples. My mind immediately drifts to Greya. She knows my secrets now and she didn't turn away, instead she took us in and cared for me. No one has taken care of me in so long, I forgot what it was like. It felt good, it felt like maybe I matter. What does she really think of me though? I'm broken beyond repair, and can only pray Greya doesn't see me that way too.

Selfishly, I've let her into my life, there's no going back, the damage is done. Letting her in was wrong in so many ways. She's already been through so much, yet she is so strong, stronger than I will ever be. Now that I've felt her, I know that I need her. Her touch is my only comfort, I crave it as well as fear it. My mind is so fucked up that my body still rejects her. God am I trying not to though.

There's no way she would ever want to be with someone like me. How can anyone be with someone who can't tolerate anything physical?  At least I got a glimpse of what it's like to be cared for last night, it's better than never experiencing it at all I guess.

Finally, I finish lathering my hair, doing the best I can with one hand. I can barely lift my right arm enough to get soap under my armpit without wanting to scream.

After turning off the water and patting myself dry with a towel, I contemplate how I'm going to manage getting dressed. Thankfully, Alec was able to grab a bag of clothes for us before we came here last night. Sweatpants are easy to slip on but now I'm going to need help with the ace bandage.

I make my way back downstairs, carrying a t-shirt and the ace wrap in one hand and try to find Greya. She's in the kitchen making something in a blender, so she doesn't hear me come in. My voice is strained so I silently wait for her to finish.

This is an opportune time to admire her. Her long silky hair flowing down to the tiny cotton shorts she's wearing. My eyes roam down her long athletic legs. She's perfect in every way.

The blender stops, so I stop drooling over her gorgeous body and adjust my sweatpants. I attempt to clear my throat, but it sounds more like a high pitched cough.

Greya turns around, holding two tall glasses of thick pink liquid. "Hey, how are you feeling after your shower?"

"Better," My voice now resembles a harsh whisper.

" I didn't know how your throat would handle food, so I made us some smoothies," she hands me one of the tall glasses.

"Thanks," I smile at her.

"Do you think you could wrap this around me again?" I hold out the ace wrap.

"Yeah, of course." She takes it from my hand and stands in front of me. My heart begins to beat faster the closer she moves to my body. My twitching hand places the glass on the counter next to me so I don't drop it. She notices that I prefer to keep my right arm bent and held across my chest. My ribs don't hurt as much that way.

Greya's green eyes watch me intently, a worried expression etched upon her face when I painfully lift my right arm ever so slightly for her to apply the wrap. I'm already a shaking mess when she grazes my skin with her fingers, and the pain only makes everything worse.

She pauses half way, still holding most of the wrap. There may as well be steam coming from her pretty little head with her thinking so hard. "I'm going to wrap your arm snug to your body so you don't have to worry about holding it there. It seems more comfortable for you that way," she says.

"I will only have one arm then," I manage to say a little louder.

"You don't need your other arm today. You are resting while the boys and I take care of you."

What! No.

"I can't ask you to do that, Love."

"You don't have to...we want to," she says and I look out the window to see Chase and Alec playing around.

"I think Chase is trying to teach Alec some soccer skills," she chuckles while wrapping my arm against my chest with the wrap.

"There, how does it feel?"

"It feels good, less painful this way," I admit.

She holds up my t-shirt while I slip my left arm through the sleeve and lift the shirt over my head. Greya helps me pull it down over my wrapped arm and when she pulls the shirt down my back, I feel her skin slide over mine again, causing my body to shiver. The feeling is foreign to me, yet I don't fully dislike it.

Her hand moves away quickly. "I'm sorry," she apologizes for something that's not her fault. My body hasn't quite figured out how to respond to her, or my mind. All I know is that I wish I could capture her soft plump lips with mine and feel her arms around me without freaking out.

"Want to drink your smoothie out on the patio so we can hang out with the boys?" She interrupts my thoughts.

I nod and grab my glass, following her outside. We sit at a small table, watching the boys kick a ball around. Alec spots me and jogs over. " Hey big bro, how are you feeling?"

"Better than last night," I tell him.

"Well we are staying here all weekend. Greya makes us chocolate chip pancakes."

"Yes, Greya makes the best pancakes," Chase chimes in. I silently chuckle at them.

I give Greya a look and she shuts me down immediately. "You're staying the weekend to recover, no refusing," she tries to be stern with me.

"I don't want to impose, Love, I've already caused you enough trouble," I begin coughing. My voice isn't ready to argue with her.

"You're not any trouble, and Chase enjoys having Alec here."

I want to ask her if she enjoys having, me here. I'm sure listening to my awful voice and looking at my battered torso is really enjoyable.

" Come on, it's Marvel marathon day," Chase shouts while dragging Alec inside with him.

Greya shrugs her shoulders and follows behind them.

"Alec, let's make the popcorn!" Chase excitedly fetches the popcorn bowls.

"I love this kid... I can't believe all the things he can do without seeing anything," I hear Alec say to Greya.

"Just make sure he doesn't burn the popcorn," she laughs.

It takes me a few minutes to get comfortable on the couch while waiting for everyone to join me. Greya appears first with a mug in one hand and an ice pack in the other.

She places the mug on the coffee table and then moves a pillow to my right side. Everything she does around me is slow and calculated, like she's afraid of how I'll react. I'm ashamed of myself for making her feel that way. "This will hold the ice pack to your ribs," she answers after I realize I'm staring at the pillow.

"And here's another cup of tea. I'm sure popcorn isn't going to be very soothing for your throat," she shrugs, then hands me the mug.

"Sit with me. Please," I softly plead. My mind is so unstable right now, and all of my insecurities are on full display. All I know is that I need her next to me.

She cautiously sits down on the cushion next to me at the same time as Chase barrels into the living room and starts feeling around the couch for blankets and pillows. He finds two pillows and a thick blanket and throws them onto the floor in front of us. Alec strolls into the room with two big bowls of popcorn and watches Chase make an area for them to sit with the pillows and blanket.

"Come on Alec, I made us a seat," Chase happily states as he jumps up and down on the pillows.

This kid is hysterical and I find myself laughing while clutching my ribs at the same time. Greya and Alec join in on the laughter, making my whole mood brighter.

"Ah, laughing hurts," I continue to giggle and cry.

Chase surprises me once more by finding the TV remote from brushing his hand around the coffee table. "The Hulk," he presses a button and speaks.

"Yes!!" Alec cheers and causes the biggest smile to appear on Chase's face. "You like the Hulk too?" Chase is beyond excited that they are both fans of the big green guy. Watching these too having fun together melts my heart. Times like these remind me that Alec is still a kid and it's ok to act like one.

"How does he watch TV," I lowly whisper into Greya's ear. It might be a weird question, but I'm curious.

"He loves listening to action movies, especially this one, and since he's never seen the picture, the voices and the loud sounds are his favorite parts," Greya looks over at Chase with pure admiration.

The ice pack is melting, so I place it on the end table beside me and sit back, sipping the warm cup of tea. The four of us enjoying a movie together; something I haven't experienced since I was a child.

Besides the nagging pain in my side, I feel strangely happy and I owe all this, no matter how short lived, to Greya.