Right There with You

by R. J. Sable

  I took two biscuits from the packet before passing it back to Jason who took one for himself and gave the rest to Ben and Hannah. Not one, but two biscuits, all to myself; I could get used to this.

  “We're having a few people over next Saturday if you two want to come,” Ian nodded to Ben and Hannah.

  “Cool,” Ben nodded, unable to hide the surprise in his voice as he looked from Ian to Jason. “That'd be great, thanks.”

  A party next weekend? This was news to me. It was really nice of Ian to invite Ben and Hannah. I smiled up at him appreciatively and he winked at me.

  Jason and I hugged Ben and Hannah, and Ben shook Craig's hand as they went to leave after a quick lunch consisting of sandwiches and salad. Jason followed Ben to the car and spoke to him away from the rest of us. Ben nodded and gave him another hug before climbing into the driver's seat.

  Once we got back to the house, Ian stood by the fireplace with his legs set apart and his arms crossed across his chest. Karl was by his side, mirroring his stance. Oh dear, this doesn't look good. I tensed involuntarily, recognising their military personas in action.

  I lowered my gaze and waited anxiously by the door for them to speak.

  “Time for some fun,” Ian smiled, but it didn't quite meet his eyes.

  I glanced up and saw that they were both glaring in Jason's direction. Jason remained relaxed and unaffected as usual as he stared back at them.

  “Work out gear, back down here in five minutes,” Ian ordered, looking around at the rest of us.

  Not quite what I was expecting. I glanced up at them again in confusion. They looked like they meant business so I didn't question them. Tugging on Jason's hand, I nodded my head towards the door so he would follow.

  “Wonder what they're up to,” I frowned at Jason as we shut the door of my bedroom.

  Jason took a second to look around my room and I realised he hadn't seen it before. I blushed as I watched him taking in all my old posters and the other junk I had pinned to the wall.

  “They're intent on me proving myself worthy of you or some other bullcrap,” he rolled his eyes as he read one of the letters my best friend Alex had written me which was pinned over my bed.

  “That sounds like fun,” I frowned as I rooted through my bag looking for some exercise clothes. “Hurry up, they'll be pissed if we're not down there in less than five minutes.”

  Jason shook his head at me resignedly but started digging around in his bag for clothes.

  We got back down to the lounge just as Karl did and I breathed a sigh of relief that we hadn’t gotten there after the others and started off on a bad note. I glanced around at my brothers. Jake and the twins looked decidedly grumpy but the others seemed pretty nonplussed. Both Ian and Karl were positively giddy with anticipation and I was fairly sure we were in for something gruellingly difficult.

  “You set off,” Ian nodded to Karl. “I'll finish setting up here and meet you after five kilometres.”

  “Yes, sir,” Karl nodded and motioned for the rest of us to follow.

  Sounds like we're going for a run. I glanced at Jason, still relaxed, although I was pretty sure I could see a little tension around his eyes. I figured he'd be okay. Jason and I had run long distance together a few times and he was pretty comfortable with it. He was used to pretty regular training as well so I didn't think it would be too much of a problem.

  Whatever I'd thought, I was wrong. The run was beyond torturous. We'd run around twenty-five kilometres in less than two hours. I was absolutely exhausted as we returned to the house and I collapsed onto the grass panting heavily and removing my trainers to rub my aching feet. Jason didn't look quite as worn out as me but he was obviously tired.

  He joined me on the grass and began stretching out his muscles with me. I pursed my lips apologetically and leant closer to him as I stretched my thighs.

  “I love you,” I said under my breath so my brothers wouldn't hear.

  “I love you too, baby,” he whispered back, giving me a brief smile.

  “Get your asses up!” Ian demanded, pulling me up from the grass by my arm.

  We all stood in a line except for Jake who was excused to check his blood sugar. Ian talked us through the next part of his plan. I groaned inwardly as I listened to him describe a backbreaking assault course that he'd set up in the back garden and an endless list of arduous exercises that we had to complete before we could call it a night. There is no way I'm going to survive that.

  I could barely stand by the time I'd finished the assault course. Kill me now. I pleaded that some miracle would give me a new boost of energy. I forced my body to begin the first set of jumping jacks, every single muscle was threatening to give way. Almost everybody else was nearing the last set of exercises.

  I collapsed before I could complete the second set. I tried to force myself back up but my stomach rebelled, forcing my lunch back up as I knelt on my hands and knees in the grass. Jason rushed to my side as best he could with his beaten and battered body. He pulled my hair away from my face and held it there until my stomach stabilised.

  Karl brought a bottle of water over and I accepted it, sipping tentatively but finding it hard to swallow.

  “You're done,” he grunted, bending down and helping me to my feet. “Can you stand?”

  I tried to take my weight off of him but my legs were weak and shaky. I shook my head and kept my arm around his shoulder. “No, sir,” I managed weakly.

  He'd been observing and judging rather than participating in this part of the torturous ordeal so he thankfully had the strength left to pick me up and carry me into the house.

  Karl scooped me up effortlessly and carried me to the downstairs bathroom. He popped me down in the bathtub and left me to strip and clean myself. Don't fall asleep in the tub, stay awake. I focussed all my energy on removing my underwear and scrubbing myself clean.

  It took far longer than it should have done to take the stairs to my room and I collapsed onto my bed with relief as soon as it was within reach. I shut my eyes and tried to ignore the aches that plagued every inch of my body.

  “Jamie,” Jason whispered. “You'd better wake up, little squirrel.”

  I groaned as I attempted the near impossible task of forcing my eyes open. Crap, how long have I been asleep? I gritted my teeth and forced myself up to sitting, letting the towel fall away from my body. Jason pulled one of his t-shirts over my head and helped me put my knickers and shorts on. He looked exhausted. He winced slightly at many of his movements and I knew he was trying hard to hide his discomfort from me.

  “I'm so sorry, Jason,” I whispered, horrified that my brothers were putting him through this.

  “It's okay, baby,” he soothed, stroking my arm as he sat down next to me in his jogging bottoms. “You're more than worth it.” He helped me up and supported half my weight as he guided me back down to the ground floor to join the others in the kitchen. Everyone looked half dead, with the exception of Ian and Karl who'd not participated in the assault course or most of the exercises after it.

  “Check Jelly over,” Ian ordered Craig as he saw me coming into the room.

  He nodded and picked up his medical kit from the island. He poked and prodded me a bit, shining a light in my eyes and checking the basics whilst I sat on a stool. He made me drink another glass of water and a glass of disgusting salty tasting liquid, which almost had my stomach turning again.

  I took the opportunity to look him over. He looked tired as well. That was saying something considering he usually spent at least an hour a day working out, two on some days and several on weekends. Jake and Matt were probably tied for looking the worst and I knew Jake could react badly after intense exercise. Karl had been forcing him to drink water and check his blood sugar at regular intervals so he wasn't in grave danger but he still looked pretty ill.

  “How you feeling, Jason?” Ian grinned, slapping him on the back.

  Jason winced slightly but didn't give too much away. “Bit tired,�
� he shrugged. “The run was good though.”

  Ian looked moderately pleased with himself. “We'll see if you enjoy it as much tomorrow,” he smirked.

  Tomorrow? There's no way any of us can do this again tomorrow. I looked at Ian incredulously. Is he serious? He stared back at me unblinkingly, his mouth set in a hard line. He is serious. This is ridiculous.

  This wasn’t the first time Ian and Karl had done this. Whenever one of us messed up big style, and an ass kicking just didn’t feel like enough, they always forced everyone through a backbreaking physical punishment. It usually resulted in a week of muscle soreness and everyone hating whoever messed up in the first place for putting us through it. I didn't understand the point of it this time though. Is Ian trying to make everyone hate Jason? What has this got to do with Jason 'proving' himself?

  “We're doing it again tomorrow?” I asked, trying to hide the horror in my voice.

  “Morning run, then the rest when I get back from work,” Ian nodded.

  “Why?” I asked, my heart sinking at the thought of going through it again.

  “Because I said so,” Ian frowned.

  I lowered my gaze, sensing that he wasn't too happy with me. “Yes, sir,” I murmured.

  Ian handed me two protein shakes and demanded that I drink both with my dinner. I groaned inwardly. My stomach felt strangely full and I doubted I could drink any more let alone eat. Elise had made three huge lasagnes, which the others greedily dished out onto their plates. The twins were practically drooling as they waited for Ian to begin.

  She'd made a single serving vegetarian version for me which now sat on my plate. The heat rising off it warmed my eyelids and made me drowsy. I glanced up from my plate to see that Ian still hadn't started and I got the distinct feeling he was enjoying making us all wait. It was a family rule that nobody ate before the oldest person at the table.

  Jason was sat on the other side of the table from me, next to Danny and Jake. He looked pretty famished as well and another wave of guilt washed over me for putting him through this. It may have been a bad idea for him to come back here with me.

  Finally, Ian started eating and the others practically dived into their food. They couldn’t have eaten any faster if they'd liquefied it and poured it straight down their necks. I made my best effort at mine but every bite felt like a chore. Just the act of chewing was wearing me out. By the time I was half way through my food, the three large lasagnes were gone and mine was the only plate that had not been licked clean.

  I supposed it wasn't long before somebody poached the rest of my dinner and I tried my best to get a little more in before the inevitable moment came. I knew at least a couple of them were eyeing my plate greedily. I paused to open my second protein shake and looked around at them all curiously when nobody moved to take my food.

  “You all sick or something?” I frowned. It was usually impossible to keep them away from my food, especially after exercise.

  “Just hurry up and finish, Jelly,” Karl chided.

  “I'm pretty full,” I said honestly. I didn't think I'd be able to eat the rest.

  “Eat it,” Karl frowned.

  I think I preferred them taking my food to making me eat more than I was comfortable with. I felt all eyes on me as I tried to finish the rest off and it didn't exactly make things easier.

  “Can you all stop staring at me?” I pleaded.

  A few of them looked away but I could feel Ian's eyes on me. I sighed inwardly and forced myself to get back to it. I was beyond full, I doubted I could get a single morsel more into my stomach but there were only a few mouthfuls left now and I forced my way through, washing it down with the rest of the protein shake. I felt decidedly sick.

  “Finally!” Jake moaned as I pushed the plate away.

  The others chuckled and began clearing the dishes away.

  Jason and I sat in the lounge with Jake and Craig. I was thoroughly exhausted and just wanted to go to bed but it was only eight and I doubted I could get away with it.

  “I'm knackered,” Jake complained as he stretched out on the sofa.

  “Join the club,” I mumbled.

  “Don't let Ian hear you say that,” Craig chuckled. “He'll send you out there again.”

  “Or kick my ass with some weird ninja thai-kwan-karate or something,” Jake grumbled.

  I would have laughed if I wasn't certain my ribs would break from the extra strain on my muscles. Craig was channel-hopping and stopped when he found some wrestling.

  “Come on, Craig,” Jake sighed, “Can't we just watch a film or something?”

  Craig shook his head and aimed a cushion at Jake. Jake dodged the cushion but didn't retaliate which wasn't his style. He must be even more tired than he's letting on.

  “I'm gonna have to sleep here,” I mumbled to Jason as I leant into him. “I don't think I'll ever be able to move again.”

  Jason chuckled gently and kissed the top of my head.

  “Reed,” Craig warned upon seeing Jason’s affection. “I'm not so tired that I won't kick your ass.”

  “Best save our energy for tomorrow, don't you think?” Jason smiled, keeping his voice calm.

  “I'm working an early shift tomorrow, I won't be home for the run,” Craig grinned.

  “That's not fair!” Jake complained.

  “Life's not fair, stop being a whiny little bitch!” Craig retorted.

  “Swear jar,” Ian announced.

  We all jumped slightly, none of us had seen him slip into the room.

  “Jesus, Ian, you scared the crap out of me,” Jake frowned.

  “Ah, then my ninja thai-kwan-karate training is complete,” he pressed his palms together and bowed with a goofy grin on his face.

  This time I couldn't help but laugh, although it was short lived due to my muscles protesting. Ian stood in front of Jason and me and motioned for Jason to move over, away from me. Jason shook his head and kept his arm around my shoulders. Ian stared at Jason a few seconds longer before smirking.

  “Jelly, move,” he ordered, gesturing for me to move away from Jason.

  “Ian, please,” I frowned. “Why can't I sit with Jason?”

  “I'm not going to ask again, Jelly,” Ian frowned.

  I could hear him returning to solider mode and I really didn't think my body could take any more punishment so I reluctantly scooted away from Jason so that Ian could sit down between us.

  I scowled as Ian put his arm around my shoulders and moved to pull away but he held me in place.

  “Don't sulk, Jelly,” he frowned. He didn't sound angry any more, I was fairly sure he was back to being himself.

  “Why are you being so mean?” I asked, resting my head against him. “Have I done something wrong?”

  “Not you,” Ian shook his head.

  “You're trying to punish Jason?” I frowned, glancing between the two of them.

  “He brought it on himself,” Ian shrugged.

  Yeah right. I glanced at Jason and saw him shaking his head, a bemused look on his face.

  “I just want what's best for Jamie,” Jason frowned. “I don't see your problem with it.”

  “My problem is that you can't stop sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong,” Ian grinned.

  Jason laughed and shook his head. He clapped Ian on the shoulder and stood up from the sofa, turning to leave the room.

  “I really wish you could get along with him,” I pouted at Ian.

  “We're getting along just fine,” Ian grinned.

  “You're trying to kill him!” I protested.

  “Just making sure he fits in,” Ian shrugged. “And teaching him a lesson.”

  “What lesson?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

  “That he doesn't get to make the rules.”

  I frowned in confusion. What does he mean?

  “When we spoke on the phone he went off on a little rant about the way we treat you and a whole bunch of bullsh-” he stopped just in time to avoid paying
the swear jar and took a deep breath.

  I couldn't believe Jason had had a go at them. I frowned, what had he said? “I didn't know,” I frowned. “Sorry.”

  “It's fine,” Ian shrugged. “He did have a good point about the food thing.”

  Is that why nobody has been taking my food? It seemed I had Jason to thank for being force-fed ridiculous amounts of food.

  “So why are you doing this to him?” I asked.

  “Because he needs to earn our respect,” Ian scowled.

  “He's my boyfriend,” I said quietly, worried Ian's mood was souring again.

  “And you're my little sister,” he answered simply, squeezing my shoulder gently.

  I sighed and resolved myself to accept the situation. Jason came back in with a glass of water and sat down next to Ian once more. I barely had the energy to do anything so I sat there quietly, perfectly contented to listen to the others.

  Everyone else seemed tired as well so there wasn't a lot of talking but they were surprisingly non-hostile with Jason. They weren't treating him like a friend but they weren't being rude or aggressive either and I appreciated it.

  The second the clock showed nine, I decided to chance going to sleep.

  “Is it okay if I go to bed now?” I asked Ian.

  He nodded and stood up to help me up from the sofa.

  “I'll come with you,” Jason nodded, standing to join us.

  I expected Ian to complain and flat out forbid Jason and me from sleeping in the same room but he didn't. I blinked up at him in confusion but wasn't about to question it.

  “Sleep tight, Jellybean,” he said as he hugged me. “These stay on, understood?” He tugged gently at my clothes and I nodded. I didn't care if he wanted me to stay clothed as long as I got to sleep in the same bed as Jason.

  I almost sighed with relief as I lay down on the soft mattress and let my sore body relax into it. I was dreading going through the same process again the next day but, for now, I just wanted to enjoy a good night's sleep with Jason.

  “Are you okay, my little squirrel?” Jason asked as he slipped into bed beside me in his boxers.

  “Everything hurts,” I pouted, rolling onto my side so I could hug him. “But I'm okay, how about you?”