13

There was a sharp pain in his chest. What the fuck hurt so much? Mike tried shifting his position and groaned in pain from the effort.

What the hell happened last night? The memories came back slowly, Danni, the frat house, the explosion on his head. He tried to open his eyes. It was dark. He felt around for his lamp. *Click*Click. Mike sighed, "Hello?" he said. Why did it sound muffled? He felt of his face. Bandages. 'Oh you must be really fucked up,' he thought.

"Mike? Are you okay?"

"Sarah, he's awake."

Mike was dimly aware of his sisters moving around the room, and felt the bed move as they gently moved toward him.

"I can't see shit." Mike said, waving his hands wildly for a second. "Fuck, ow, damn it that hurts," he said, sharp pains coursing through his chest. It was really hard to breathe and it felt like someone had taken a bat to his ribs.

Slowly, light began to leak through his bandages. He realized someone was taking them off his face. Sarah always did overdo it. Mike waited as patiently as he could for them to be removed.

Light poured into his eyes. "Ouch," he said, holding his hand up to the window. He was in Sarah's room. "Why am I in here?"

"Because you are heavy and we're much smaller and therefore weaker than you." It was Sarah removing his bandages.

"Oh yeah," he remembered that Sarah's room was on the ground floor, not upstairs like he and his other three sisters. "What the hell happened after they jumped me?"

"The big guy at the door actually jumped in, but only to keep them from killing you. He put two and two together, probably the only one in the place intelligent enough to do so, and put a stop to... it." Mike still couldn't see, but that had to be Emma. Sounded like her anyway, "You knocked out four other people before they took you down though. Six in all, it was kinda... awesome"

"Emma!" Sarah scolded her. "Your brother getting beaten to death isn't awesome."

"He didn't get beaten to death. He single handedly kicked the crap out of six people, left damage on as many more and then got hit over the head with a beer bottle. Then those cowardly bastards got more than a dozen licks in after he was unconscious. "So that's what that was." He raised his hand to his head and felt a painful, almost comically sized lump there. "Ouch," he said again, for what he was sure wouldn't be the last time.

"Danni", he said abruptly, starting to come to his senses, then he asked. "How's Danni?"

"I'm fine," she said, sitting somewhere very close to him.

He relaxed as he heard her voice, knowing that she was okay. His vision had finally adjusted to the light. She was sitting in the chair next to his bed. It looked like she had been there awhile, and there were tear streaks on her cheeks.

He looked down at himself. "Well? I gonna be okay, right? Someone say something."

"You have some bruised ribs and had a sizable bump on the head, along with some scattered superficial bruising, you'll be fine, in time," that was ever so analytical and straightforward Beth.

He turned and looked at Danni again. "You sure you are ok?"

She continued to look down, trying not to cry. He tried to let her off the hook, reaching over and patting her on her leg. "It's okay, it's okay. We can talk later," he said.

That's when her dam of calmness burst.

"I'm so sorry Mike," she said, tears starting to stream down her face. She made a soft wailing sound as she laid her head on the bed, sobs wracking her shoulders. He tried to shift in the bed and move so he could put a hand on her shoulder or something. He was stunned that she was so hurt.

"I should never have gone to that stupid party, then you wouldn't be hurt and I wouldn't feel like such an ass." She lifted her head up and suddenly wrapped her arms around her brother.

He felt stunned for a minute, then reached up and put a hand on her back, softly patting her. "It's okay Danni. I'm going to be fine, Beth said so," but she kept just kept crying. Sarah came over and hugged her from behind, tears in her eyes as well.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Danni was saying into his shoulder, over and over. He ran a hand through her hair.

"It's okay Danni, really," he said.

"I love you Mike," she said suddenly. "I know we fight all the damn time, and you mostly just drive me crazy, but I don't want you to ever forget that you are still my brother and I love you." Mike squeezed her tightly, "I know you do, Danni. I know."

Emma came over and hugged him, "I'm glad you are okay, bro," then whispered in his ear, "but no bull shit, you kicked some serious ass."

"So, what happened, Danni?" Mike asked.

She raised her head and shrugged, looking back down quickly.

"I don't remember much, just waking up at home on the couch, and then seeing you in Sarah's room all bruised and cut. It all kinda fell into place then, and I just felt so selfish, so dumb." She wiped her face and took a deep breath.

"Did someone drug you or something?"

"I guess," she said, shrugging again. "I was drinking with a few guys from the party, and I know you aren't supposed to take a drink from anyone that you don't know and trust. I didn't, but they must have put something in it when I was distracted. I remember playing pool and starting to feel sleepy. Someone said they had somewhere to lie down. I remember a lot of noise and bright light. The last thing I can remember before waking up is someone pulling my skirt up. I guess that was just before you kicked the door in." She started to weep again.

"I'm not mad at you Danni, and I don't think you are dumb. I'm just glad we got there in time."

"Me too. I just don't think I'd ever be able to tell you how glad I am that you found me. I don't' think I'll ever begin to repay you."

"Well, maybe you can start by calling me Mike, instead of Michelle."

"Or Mickey," Sarah chimed in.

"Or pigfucker, or Mickeypoo..." said Emma, rattling off a few more.

"I think she gets the idea," Mike said, "Ya'll can stop trying to, uh, help?"

"I'm going to call you Mike, from now on. I promise," she said. "I swear."

"Are you hungry?" Beth asked, leaning over and hugging her brother. "Would you like an omelet or something?" He squeezed her, trying not to cry in pain as she caused him agony.

"Starved, but I can get up and make something," he said, trying to rise.

"NO!" all four of them yelled in unison.

"You stay in bed, you big dummy," Sarah said. "We'll get whatever you need, okay? You just rest and get better."