I clutched Henry's hand in mine and I vowed that I would never let go. I was currently laying my head on his chest and he welcomed the touch with a new sense of need.

"Come on, Dee," Henry's raspy voice filled the room. "You've got to let go at some point." I shook my head and burrowed deeper into his chest and shoulder, my grip on his hand never loosened.

"Even when I take a shower?" he chuckled at me. I blushed and sat up in to my chair and pushed my hair out of my face and into a pony tail.

It had been a little over two months that Henry had woken up and I spent as much time with him as I could. Liv, the absolute angel that she is, would come and visit us when she wasn't volunteering at the animal shelter. She understood that Henry meant a lot to me and she encouraged me to spend time with him instead of her.

"During the day you can see him," she had whispered into my ear one night as we laid in my bed. "But at night, you belong to me." she gave my ear a playful bite.

My face blushed at the memory and I heard Henry laugh at me again.

"What?" I playfully glared at him.

"You're thinking about Liv, aren't ya?"

"Yeah. And?"

"It's cute. Honestly, it is." He held up his hands in mock innocence for saying cute, a word I can't really stand. "I really like her. She's pretty awesome and she makes you happy so she's okay in my book." I smiled at him in thanks.

"Speaking of awesome women, what about Gabs?" I nudged him with my foot. "You can't keep your eyes off her when she enters the room."

"Eh, can't keep a guy from staring at a girl with a figure like that." Henry chuckled again and scratched his head."I want to bounce a dime off her-"

"Henry!" I threw my hands up. " I don't want to hear about the things you want to do to Gabs' body!"

That made my brother laugh in earnest. It felt really good to hear my brother's laugh after such a long time of him being silent.

"Oh, I need to get up." Henry grabbed the edge of his hospital bed and swung his feet over to the side that I was facing. I stood up out of my chair and grabbed onto his arm the way that Gabs had shown me and had Henry use me for support to stand.

Since it had been a while that he had last walked and from the injures in his legs, he was eager to be up and walking but sometimes pain had held back his efforts. He soon started taking physical therapy and it had helped immensely. Gabs was out on vacation and she had taught me how to do everything properly, since some of the nurses on this floor were a little too rough.

"Oh my yes, it feels so good to finally walk." Henry looked down at his toes and flexed them against the cold linoleum and sighed.

"Would you like me to get your house shoes?" I asked and he shook his head no.

"They kind of make things slippery and they're getting old and gross on the inside." He wrinkled his nose in disgust and I laughed as I supported him so he could walk wherever he pleased. He refused to use the walker stating that it made him feel old so he instead used either me or Gabs, neither of us minding.

"So did you hear that they're letting me out here soon?" Henry asked as we stepped out into the hallway and down towards the courtyard, his favorite place at the hospital because it's flowers are beautiful.

"Yeah. I'm pretty stoked. How do you feel about it?" I asked, holding onto his arm firmer as he clutched at my other hand.

"Terrified to drive again and I'll miss Gabs but I'm glad to be away from hospital food." he wrinkled his nose again, rousing a laugh from me.

"Well, that's to be expected. You better snatch up Gabs quick before someone else sweeps her off her feet."

Henry just rolled his eyes in response.
"I know that mom doesn't like her-" Henry began.

"Pfft," I interrupted. "Don't care about what mom thinks and wants for you. You do you. I've stopped caring about what she wanted me to forever ago."

"When did you get so brave and cheeky?" He pinched my thumb. "Oh, I bet it came out when you started dating Liv and she taught you how to respect yourself. Damn, I owe that girl a pie or two."

"A pie or two," I repeated after him and we laughed together. We finally reached the courtyard and I helped Henry sit at the old steel bench at the center of the courtyard in front of a beautiful fountain that had koi fish at the bottom tier. Their colors being reflected by the bright sun and shined through the water.

My body seemed to be at absolute serenity sitting on that bench with my brother. His hand was still clasped in mine, reminding me of when we were children and how our father told him to hold my hand since I tended to run off after butterflies or something that would entertain a child. The soft sound of the fountain calmed my nerves that came every time I stepped foot into a hospital and the birds with their ever present chirping settled me more at peace. I looked over and Henry had closed his eyes, taking in the much needed sun.

I looked down at out joined hands once again, noticing how some spots were still riddled with small black and blue bruises from the crash and being in the hospital bed. I looked up towards the sun and closed my eyes like my brother was. A small smiled drifted upon my face as the thought of Liv and I owning a house with a backyard that would mimic this courtyard and how I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her beside me.

My brother clenched my hand and let out a soft sigh. I clenched his hand back and my smile only grew.