When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 113

After Sheila wrapped her arms around Carrie, Carrie just clung to her, looking for comfort the way any scared kid would. It wasn’t until the panic finally faded that her mind flashed to Nelly. Was her mom okay? Had she gotten hurt?

“Your mother already left. Are you sure you’re all right? Maybe we should go to the hospital and have you checked out.” Sheila’s voice was soft, her face creased with worry as she looked Carrie over.

But this time, Carrie didn’t feel the usual warmth. When it really mattered most, it was Nelly who rushed to her side without even thinking. Ms. Olson was nice, sure, but Carrie realized she’d been wrong all along. It was her mom who loved her most.

Sheila noticed Carrie zoning out and gently brushed her cheek. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you still feeling off somewhere?”

Carrie shook her head.

“You should go home. I’ll take Carrie to the hospital.” Brody came over and took Carrie’s hand. His other arm hung at a weird angle, something clearly not right.

Sheila spotted it immediately and grew even more anxious. “Are you hurt too?”

“I’m fine.”

“Let me see…”

Before Brody could protest, Sheila reached for his arm. His face tightened with pain, and up close, Carrie saw sweat beading on his forehead.

“That’s blood…” Carrie’s voice shook as she spoke.

She was startled by the dark red stain spreading beneath Brody’s shirt, and tears welled up in her eyes all over again. Brody really was badly hurt. To protect Nelly, he’d scraped his arm so badly against the pavement that a huge patch of skin was gone.

At the hospital, Jessie looked shocked at the wound. In some spots, you could nearly see bone. Even though it was just a flesh wound, it had to hurt way more than most people could take. The injury affected the nerves in his hand, so anesthesia wasn’t even an option. Treating it was pure torture.

Jessie worried he might not be able to handle it and offered him a piece of cloth to bite down on, but Brody refused. He barely made a sound the whole time, just gritted his teeth and got through it.

“How did you even end up like this?” Jessie had never seen anyone so tough. There was a little bit of respect in her eyes, but when she glanced at Sheila waiting outside, her admiration mixed with something colder. He was so distant with his wife, but for the other woman, he wouldn’t even let himself cry out in pain.

“Is this hospital always so nosy, or did you just forget about patient privacy?” Brody replied, his voice flat and icy, not bothering to look at her. He sounded even more dismissive than she did.

Sheila hadn’t expected him to send her away again. They’d already talked everything through. Brody had promised he’d divorce Nelly and be with her. Why did it feel like everything changed after he saw Nelly again?

Tears stung Sheila’s eyes. “Brody, did you change your mind?”

“I keep my promises.” Brody rubbed his forehead, still not looking at her. “But you really should take a hard look at yourself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sheila was confused.

“Nelly was right.” Brody’s voice dropped even lower, sounding rough. “If you really care about Carrie, you can’t just let her do whatever she wants.”

Sheila froze. She couldn’t believe even after everything, Brody actually listened to Nelly. Nelly had embarrassed him in front of everyone. How could Brody let that slide?

Sheila’s chest tightened, her frustration threatening to spill over. But in front of Brody, she dropped her head fast. “I’m sorry. I just wanted Carrie to be happy, and maybe I didn’t think things through. But I really do love her, with everything I have.”