Buy One, Get Two and Three... - 47. Chapter 47

Toby

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Toby looked around to stare at Tara. “I’m going to bed. Since I can’t be with my brothers I want to take some pain pills and get some sleep.” He wasn’t really that tired but he did want to be alone for a while. Well, actually, what he wanted was to be with his brothers, but Sherri had insisted he and Daniel needed constant supervision for twenty-four hours minimum. Tara had then apparently said she’d watch him while Oliver took Daniel. Silas had, of course, decided to follow Daniel and Toby hadn’t known whether he was welcome to follow them to Carlos and Oliver's place or not. So, here he was at home alone with Tara. He’d talked her into letting him go to his own home so he was comfortable, but he couldn’t convince her to leave.

A hand on his shoulder shocked him out of his dark thoughts. His instincts kicked in immediately and he turned slamming the person behind him down on the floor and straddling them. He cursed as Tara’s wide eyes came into focus under him.

“Shit!” He jumped up and went to rush away, only stopping when Tara grabbed his arm.

“Stop.” She demanded.

Ignoring her he twisted out of her grip and ran up the stairs. As soon as he was in his room he slammed the door and twisted the lock home. Panting for breath he set his back to the nearest wall and slid down ‘til he was sitting on the carpet.

His head hurt, his eyes were burning with tears, and he didn’t know what to do.

He’d let his brothers down—again. He hadn’t been able to stop Daniel getting hurt. He hadn’t even been able to save Silas. If it hadn’t been for Carlos he might be dead, and Silas might have got hurt as well as Daniel. What idiotic, trained, undercover agent doesn’t check out an entire room before engaging the enemy? What fucking idiot leaves his back-up behind?

Toby moved his hands to his bandaged head and let the tears fall.

Tara

Did Toby really think a locked door was going to keep her out? Tara snorted, she’d been picking locks since she was sixteen. She wasn’t going to go against the medic’s orders. Twenty-four hours of supervision were her orders and supervised he was going to be.

Five minutes and she was easing the door open. She took in the sight of Toby curled on the floor and crouched beside him. Carefully, she patted his knee to get his attention, she didn’t want to startle him again. Although, if there’d been a bed to catch her? No, there was time to think things like that later. When everyone had had time to heal.

When she got no response, she moved to put an arm around his shoulders. He let out a low cry and turned into her arms. She held him tight and waited as he cried. This seemed to have been a long time coming and very much needed.

He cried himself out and soon fell asleep. Tara was glad he was small like his brothers and lifted him to set him on the bed.

She tucked him in and settled herself beside him sitting against the headboard. Finding the TV remote on the bedside table, she activated the big screen mounted on the opposite wall and found one of her favorite shows.

It was going to be a long night.