One week later

Aleysa wakes up early and she looks over at me. "Are we going to the gardens today?"

I look outside and see the sun shining and there's not a single cloud in the sky. "Yes, we are. Jai is looking forward to it as well."

She smiles. "Really?"

"Yes, all he spoke about last night was going to the gardens with us. Do you want to know a secret?" She sits up in the bed and nods. "I don't think he's been to a garden before. I hope he doesn't get bored."

Aleysa laughs. "How can he get bored with my beautiful big sister at his side? If he gets bored I don't want him in your life."

I rise and move over to the bed. I hug her. "I love you, Aleysa."

She smiles. "I love you more, Chloe. Can you pass me my backpack I want to wear something nice today."

I climb off the bed and I walk over to the chair that has all Aleysa's stuff. I carry the bag over to the bed.

She takes it from me and she looks through it. She pulls out a pair of jeans that hasn't been worn before and a small t-shirt. "Can you help me get changed?"

"Sure," I help her out of the bed. I undo the buttons on the hospital gown. I help her into her clothes.

As Aleysa climbs back into bed Jai enters the room. He looks at her. "You look pretty. I got something for you." he pulls a teddy bear from behind his back and he gives it to her.

Aleysa takes the bear from him and she hugs it. "I love it. Thank you very much."

Jai ruffles her hair. "You're welcome. Are you ready to go to gardens?"

She nods. "Chloe's not ready though. Maybe, you should help her."

"Shut up," I mouth.

She giggles.

I pick up my backpack and walk into the bathroom. I quickly change and walk back into the room. I see Aleysa in the wheel chair and Jai's standing behind her.

He looks at me. "The nurse came in while you were in the bathroom. She put your sister in the wheelchair."

I touch his arm. "It's alright. You don't need to explain it to me. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," he starts to push Aleysa. "You don't need to come into work today. I called work and told them we won't be coming in today. I hired someone last night and he's starting his first shift tonight."

"Are you sure you don't want to be there when the new guy gets trained?"

He shakes his head. "I trust Kye. He's one of the best bartenders I've had." He opens the door to his car.

Jai lifts Aleysa up and places her in the back seat.

I fold up the wheelchair and put it in the trunk. I walk to the passenger side door and climb in.

Jai shuts the door and he rounds the car. He climbs into the front seat. He turns the key and the car rumbles to life. He looks at me and then at the mirror. "Are you ladies ready?"

Aleysa smiles. "Yes," she looks out the window. "Is Nate going to join us?"

I look out the window. "Your brother told me he would think about it. I told him what time we were leaving, but it doesn't look like he's coming."

Her face falls. "He doesn't care about me. All he ever does is plays football and hangs around his friends."

I pull my phone out of my handbag and I see a missed call on it. I see Nate's number and then I see a message and I click on it.

Nate: I will be there soon. I have to drop the guys off at school. I need to be back before school is out for practise.

I turn to Aleysa. "Look at what I got from Nate."

She takes the phone from me and looks at the message. "He's coming?"

"Yeah," I look at Jai. "My brother is coming. He won't be much longer. I'll look for him." I step out of the car and make my way to the entrance of the hospital.

Nate jogs over to me. "I thought I was late?"

I shake my head. "Never, before we go to the car I want you to know that my boss is coming with us."

He looks around the carpark. "Who's your boss?"

"Jai Marshall."

He shakes his head. "I've read magazines with him on them and they pretty much say that he's a bad guy. I don't want you around a guy like that."

I pull him towards the car. "He's not a bad guy. You'll see for yourself when you meet him. Besides, you shouldn't trust everything you read." I open the door for him and he climbs in. I walk over to the passenger side and climb in. "Jai, this is my brother, Nate. Nate, that's Jai."

Jai turns towards my brother. "Hey, man."

Nate narrows his eyes and remains quiet.

Aleysa kicks him.

He turns towards her. "What?"

She looks at him. "Don't be rude."

Jai pulls the car out of the hospital parking lot and he drives towards the gardens.

At the gardens I step out of the car and make my way to the trunk. I open it and pull out the wheelchair. I set it up before wheeling it to my sister's side of the car.

Jai opens the door and he lifts her out. He places her in the wheelchair.

Aleysa look at him. "Can you push me around?"

Jai looks at me. "Is it alright with you?"

Nate steps forward. "No, it's not. I'm going to wheel her around."

I have to talk to him about his attitude. It's not like him to talk like this to strangers. What's gotten into him?

"Jai, can you stay with Aleysa for a bit. I need to talk to my brother." I pull Nate away from them. I sit on a table and turn toward him. "I told you earlier to be nice to him. What has he done that you don't like?"

"He's going to use you like he did the other girls he's had walk into his bar. You're a better girl than the ones that have been in his life. He will hurt you and I'll be the one left to pick up the pieces when he leaves. I'm thinking about you, sis."

I look at him. "Nate, all you need to concentrate on is school and football. Everything else I'll take care of. Next week you'll be back in your own bed and your friends can come over on the weekends."

"Are you going to be home then?"

"Yes," I look at Jai. "I want you to apologise to Jai for your behaviour. Also, he's not going anywhere. So, you're going to have to put up with him for a while."

He sighs. "Fine, I'll apologise." Nate walks over to him and he says a few words. They shake hands. Nate starts to push Aleysa to the entrance of the Botanical Gardens.

At the entrance of the botanical gardens Jai takes his card out of his pocket and places it on the counter.

I look at him. "You don't need to pay for us. I can do that."

He shakes his head. "No, I want to do this. I want to show your brother that I'm not a bad guy and that he shouldn't believe everything he reads. Most of the things are fabricated bull made up by people that want some extra cash in there greedy hands." Jai looks around. "For all we know there's some reporters hanging around this place. You'll be in the papers with me. They're going to dig into your past."

"I don't really care." I tell him. "It's not like they're going to find anything interesting about my family, except my parents were murdered in a home invasion and I was left with my two younger siblings to care for." I whisper in his ear. "It's not like anyone's going to find the proposal right?"

He nods. "I made sure that no one except the lawyer, you and I know the existence of it."

"Chloe, can we take a photo in front of the statue together?"

I smile. "Sure," I give Jai my phone. "Can you take a picture of us?"

Jai takes the phone from me and he takes the picture of my family.

A woman walks over with her husband. She asks. "Can I take a family photo for you?"

Jai nods. He gives her my phone and he walks over to me. He wraps his arm around my waist and smiles as the woman takes our picture. He walks over to her and takes the phone from her.

She looks over. "You've got such a beautiful family." She says to Jai.

Jai smiles. "Thanks, I'm a lucky guy to have them."

Nate looks at me. "Is he kidding."

I cover my brothers mouth. "Nate, stop trying to cause problems. There's no need to."

He pulls my hand off his mouth. "I think I'm going to go to school. It looks like you've got everything under control with this guy. When he leaves you don't come crying to me. I will stand away from you and tell you "I told you so."

I shake my head. "What's wrong with you, Nate?"

He yells. "You! Since, Aleysa got sick again you've forgotten about me. You spend all your time at the bar and at the hospital. You haven't even come to one of my games. Mom and Dad made time for me. You don't."

I look away from him.

He's not wrong. I've been ignoring him. I thought he was happy with living with his best friend and his family.

"Nate, are happy staying at your friends house?"

He shakes his head. "I want my family back. I miss being with Aleysa and you. We're a family."

I didn't know he was feeling this way. He never told me.

"I'm sorry, Nate." I run by hand through my hair. "I didn't know you felt like this. How about I go to your next game. Tell me when and where it is and I'll be there in 'My brothers a Quarterback' t-shirt."

He laughs. "I don't want to see you in that. That would be as bad as seeing Mom wearing my number on a tank top when she came to my games."

I smile. "I wish I was there to see more of your games over the years, but I had to work.""

Nate touches my arm. "I know, Chloe. You had your own life to live. I was proud that my big sister was doing well for herself."

I didn't do that well for myself. I just managed to have enough money to buy food for a week.

Jai turns towards me. "I think you're taking on too much now. I want to give you some time with your siblings too." Jai looks at Nate. "I didn't know that she was neglecting you. If I did I would have gone a different way with giving her a job."

Nate looks at him. "Did you give her a job just because she told you about my sister?"

Jai looks at him. "I didn't know about Aleysa being sick until after I returned from New York."

That's where he was for two weeks.

"Chloe demanded to see me and when the bar manager refused, she tried a different way to get my attention. She held a lighter up to one of the fire sprinklers. When I saw what she was doing I told the bar manager to send ear to my office. She wouldn't have left until she got a job and that's one of the things that I like about Chloe. She's determined."

Aleysa looks at us. "Can we go somewhere else it's getting hot."

I walk over to her and push her towards the fountain.

"It's so pretty." Aleysa gushes. "These are the things I'm going to miss."

I stop pushing her and lean in front of her. "You're not going to die, Aleysa. I'm not going to let that happen."

She shakes her head. "You weren't around the first time I got it. It took its toll on Mom and Dad. They were sad all the time." She places her hand on my face. "I can see it's taking its toll on you. You would be better off if I wasn't alive."

"Aleysa Knight. I don't ever want to hear those words out of your mouth again. You need to promise me that you're going to fight it."

She remains quiet. "I'm not going to promise that to you. It might be a lie and I don't want to leave you with that hanging over our heads. I will try to fight my hardest. Is that alright with you?"

I hug her. "Alright,"

Nate and Jai are sitting on a table talking.

Aleysa looks at Nate. "I told him not to believe everything you read in magazines, but he wanted to think the worst of Jai without getting to know him. I hope today will show him that Jai is a good guy and he's someone that we need in our life."

I smile. "Thank you, Aleysa, for giving him a chance."

She touches my arm. "I haven't seen you smile much since you moved back home. When you talked about Jai I could tell you like him."

I push Aleysa over to the guys and I sit next to them. "What are you two talking about?"

Nate looks at me. "You. I told him if he hurts you that I'll make sure he regrets it. He was perfectly fine with my threat and he also promised to go with you to my game."

"I want to go too." Aleysa says.

I look at her. "I'll talk to your doctor and see if we can get you out for the night."

The clouds above us are turning dark and I look at my siblings. "We should go before the storm hits."

I take Aleysa to the car.

At the car it decides to start raining. I put Aleysa in the car and she tries to strap herself in. She looks at me. "I can't do it."

It starts pouring as I buckle her up. I walk to the front passenger seat and sit next to Jai.

He pulls out of the parking lot of the Botanical Garden and then heads to the hospital.

Jai pulls the car into the undercover area of the hospital.

I step out of the car and help Aleysa into the wheelchair. I start shivering from my soaked clothes.

Aleysa looks at me. "You should go home and have a hot shower. Stay home tonight. Nate and you need to spend time together."

I smile. "Thanks. I might just do that."

A nurse takes Aleysa away and I walk back to Jai's car. "Can you take me home?"

"Sure,"

Nate looks at me. "I'm going to take the car. Do you want me to come home tonight?"

"Yes, we're having dinner and we need to talk. Actually, leave the car here and we'll get Jai to drive us to the car tomorrow."

Jai smiles. "Are you using me for my car?" He jokes.

"And other things." I wink.

Nate shakes his head. "I don't want to watch you flirt. It's as bad as Mom."

I laugh.