35. Chapter Thirty-Five

35

Chapter Thirty-Five

Kieran

I ’m cold, shit. I have that same feeling I did when I laid on the floor of The Pit that night I was stabbed. Blinking my eyes open I look around. Where am I? What is this? I’m laying in my room but it looks different, everything is just a little off. The door to my room flys open and in walks my Ma. I have to be dreaming, right? There’s no way the five foot three, auburn hair, bright green eyed woman standing and staring at me in shock is my Ma.

She looks just as shocked as I do when she turns and yells over her shoulder, “Aidan? You need to get in here.” Turning her attention back to me she chokes out, “Kie?”

The same time I force out, “Ma?” I jump out of the bed and run over to her scooping her up in my arms. I’m not cold anymore.

We stand there embracing each other until the voice of my Da rumbles through the room, “A leanbh, what are you doing? You can’t be here.”

Untangling myself from my Ma, I turn to my Da who pulls me into a tight hug. After a moment he pulls back, confusion and hurt laced in his expression, “You can’t be here yet, my boy. You have to go back.”

“What are you talking about? I can’t go anywhere? I don’t know how to? I want to stay with you guys.”

My Ma smiles fondly at me, “Oh baby, you’ve grown so much. You have a sweet nephew, more to come, a soon to be wife, and eventually your own kids to get back to. You have the sweetest heart, you always have. You have to go love them the way Da and I would if we could.” I start to tell her that I don’t have any of that except a nephew but Da cuts in before I have the chance.

“You have that girl, Nix. You have to go back to her, she needs you a leanbh. We’ve seen you. You love her like Rowan does Clara, like I do your Ma. Go back to her son.”

“How? You keep saying to go back but aren’t saying how.”

“You know how, Kieran. Leave and go to her.” He grips the back of my neck and pulls me into his embrace again.

“What if I want to stay here with you guys?” My heart is torn, I’ve missed my parents so much, I can’t leave them again. At least I don’t think I can.

“We will never make you leave, this is your choice. We just want you to consider who you’re leaving behind to stay here with us.”

This is an impossible decision, and I don’t want to make the wrong one. Maybe I’ll just stay here a little longer, I’m not ready to be cold again.