My mate left a few minutes after we finished talking, leaving through the balcony door with a promise to come check on me tomorrow but going through the front door and "announcing" herself to the house and not through the balcony door.

My sister and I stayed where we had been seated while we watched her leave before Melody stirred first and cleared her throat while she shifted on the desk.

I turned to look at her and saw that she was already looking at me with a tight smile on her face and worry as well as something else in her eyes while she stared at me.

"Now, are you ready for that shower, T?" she asked and stood before she started to make her way to my dresser for some clean clothes.

"Yes," I said and rolled my eyes, pressing my lips into a thin line while I watched her go to my dresser. "Why are you going through my drawers?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, for one, I am not in your drawers just yet, but I will be soon. And two, I am doing it because I am going to get you clean clothes so that you can have something to wear after your shower, duh," Melody said and rolled her eyes. "Why? Are you hiding something in your drawers that you don't want me to see?"

"Yes," I said and nodded in confirmation. I leaned back in my seat and folded my arms across my chest and legs together while I watched her place her hand on one of my drawers about to open it. "Condoms."

Melody stopped with her hand on one of my drawers without opening and turned to look at me, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself. She slowly blinked and set her jaw, pressing her lips into a thin line. "You are joking, right?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me. "Do you seriously have condoms in your drawers that you don't want me to see?"

I shrugged and grimaced, trying but failing to keep a smile off of my face. "Are you going to continue to see?" I asked and cocked my head to the side while I studied her. "Or are you going to let me do it?"

My little sister scoffed a laugh and rolled her eyes, pursing her lips in annoyance and amusement. "Very funny, T," she grumbled before she turned my attention back to my drawers again, being very hesitant about the secrets that I may have in them. "Are you wanting to wear jeans or shorts?" she asked.

"Shorts," I said and leaned further back into my seat, "and boxers. No shirt."

Meldy nodded and grabbed what I wanted from the drawers, pressing her lips into a thin line. She didn't say a word and walked to the bathroom, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, knowing full well that she was going to get the water started in the tub and then a towel for me.

"Very funny, Mel," I said when I heard the water start, and she bit back a snicker. I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. "You know that I am able to take care of myself. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to and can," she said and finished with the bathroom. "Are you ready to get in that shower of yours?" she asked while she exited the bathroom and walked over to me, and I nodded and started to struggle to stand.

My whole body screamed with the soreness and pain that I was feeling, and I waved my sister away from me. "Don't," I said and shook my head. "I need to do this on my own, Mel. Now, are you staying here until I am done?"

"Yes," she said and nodded in confirmation. "I am going to sit down in your desk chair as soon as you get out of it." She frowned and furrowed her brows, and a look of worry flashed through her eyes. "I do not like this at all."

I bit back a small smile before I stood all the way. Sweat gleamed on my forehead, and I started to make my way to my bathroom.

Mel set her jaw and pressed her lips into a thin line, and a look of worry flashed through her eyes. Her whole body was tense, and she wanted to help me, even though she knew that I wasn't going to allow her to do it.

"I'm fine, Mel," I said and shook my head. "You don't need to worry about me. I can do this."

I hope...

"I'm having Dad on standby," she said, and rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. "He's fine with sitting at the door until you are done. He isn't even going to enter the room." She bit back a small laugh and shook her head. "I am sure that he is grumpy about it, but he knows that you don't want him in here."

"I'm surprised that he hasn't knocked on the door or whatever," I said, and Melody laughed and nodded in confirmation. I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, tucking my head closer to my chest and biting back a smile. "I will see you soon. Thank you for everything you have been doing, Mel. I appreciate it."

Mel's smile turned sadder, and she tucked her head closer to her chest. Pain and sadness flashed through her eyes while she stared at me. "I feel like that I was t-"

"Shut up," I said, interrupting her while I shook my head and pursed my lips in annoyance. "You aren't the cause of this or whatever. If you were, then I would have told you. Ok?" I flashed her a small smirk and a wink. "I don't mind getting injured if it means that you and everyone is safe. I'll survive whatever comes my way and will do it a million times over. Ok?"

My sister hesitated before she slowly nodded, biting the inside of her lip. Her eyes became filled with pain and sadness. "Ok," she said, her voice barely above a whisper before she cleared her throat and shifted in the seat. "Now, go ahead and take that shower, and I will see you after you are done."

I smiled and slowly nodded. "I'll see you after I am done."

And with that, I entered the bathroom and closed the door behind me, letting the mask that I was wearing fall just a tad.

Exhaustion and pain washed over me, and it took all of my self-control not to sit on the ground but to continue toward the shower, with the only thing on my mind being the need to be clean from the hospital stay and everything that I had been through for the past couple of days.

And then after that, it would be time for a nap because just moving drained me of the energy that I had, and I knew that it was going to take a bit until I was feeling like myself again.

Oh Goddess, me...