I Didn't Know I Could Break Your Heart

Marrietta shook slightly as she opened the door to her apartment and walked in. Her keys made the same sound as always as she threw them into the bowl by the door and the room surrounded her with the same safe feeling. She did not know why but she had thought that the entire place would feel different now that she was leaving it. She felt as if something should be wrong here and that is why she would have to go.

Footsteps sounding in the hallway made her jump, but it was only Rodger. There was something forced about the smile on his face as he kissed her hello and asked, "How was your trip?" His voice was unsteady and his eyes darted around the room nervously.

"It was good..." Marrietta replied. She reached out for the counter and grabbed hold of it, using it for balance. Rodger was the one who was always right on the ball, so seeing him looking so scared made her terrified. "I... I have to go out of town again on the weekend, I hope that's not a problem?"

"No, not at all," He replied almost mechanically.

She stared at him, "Are you okay?"

"Me?" He paused, "I'm fine, Mary, just listen-" He was starting to sound normal again when a groan sounded from the living room. Rodger swore and looked back, fear etched across his face. It was silent for almost a minute before he turned back to her.

"What's going on?" Marrietta demanded, her voice shaking, "Who's back there? What are you hiding, Rodger?"

He blinked, "Don't scream, but Steven's here. He's been crashing on our coach all week while you were gone. He flew in, actually, just a little after you left and showed up at my door, so I let him stay."

She shot him a look, "Why would I be mad about that? Of course your little brother can stay." She raised her voice and called, "Hey, Steven, come out, I want to say hello."

There was a groan and then a shuffling noise came from the hall. Rodger swore again as he got out of the way to make room for his brother. Under his breath, he said, "Just remember, don't scream."

"Why would I-" Marrietta was cut off mid-sentence when the sound of shuffling stopped. Her heart was pounding ten times faster than she ever remembered it going. The scream that she would have let out was muffled by Rodger's warnings, but the tears in her eyes fell thick and fast.

Steven swore, "Come on, tell me, how bad is it?" He turned to his brother and Marrietta bit her lip to stop herself from gasping again. He glanced towards Marrietta, "She didn't really seem like a crier when I met her, so what's going on? Would you just give me a f*cking mirror?"

"You say he's been here for a week?" Marrietta let out before she could stop herself. Steven turned to her and she let out a muffled sob. "Rodger, you are the worst f*cking doctor in the entire world! Go back and lie down, Steven... I'll... I'll be there in a minute."

He shrugged and left the room, leaving Marrietta and Rodger alone. The look in her eyes said it all. They were hampered with such a strong grief and good dose of shock that Rodger didn't need any words to figure out what she was asking him. He took a deep breath.

"It was Carlos... he was drunk, like really, really drunk..." Rodger paused for a moment and walked forwards, taking Marrietta's hands, "I think he was high too because Steven said he smelled weed and... well, you've met Carlos... he doesn't like Steven when he's sober... when he's drunk and high... he hates him."

Terror played all across Marrietta's face. Her joy from the week spent with Tyler and of his proposal had completely gone from her life. All she had left to feel was a terrible, overwhelming sadness.

"Are you really defending him?" She choked out, "After... after what he did... I'll kill him!"

"Good luck with that," Rodger said and she stared at him quizzically, "No one knows where he is. Steven woke up and the first thing he did was run to the airport and get out of town. I've called dad and he says Carlos came home that night too drunk to tell him anything and by morning, he had leaped out the window and ran for it. Dad didn't even know what had happened until I called, he just knew both of his sons were gone."

Marrietta stared at Rodger, "Are you telling me that Carlos hated Steven for what he meant for the family and... your dad didn't even care? Your dad thought of Steven as a son anyways and Carlos was just bitching about it for nothing?" Her voice had risen to an alarming level and Rodger was trying to quiet her down.

"Carlos was older than me when it happened and he's the only one of us who actually knows what went down between mom and dad and well... it screwed him up..."

"Stop defending him!" Marrietta screeched, tears once again threatening to spill down her cheeks. She shook her head and said in a low voice, "I've got to go take care of him... why don't you go work or something, you can't have done much lately with Steven around."

***

Marrietta made sure to take a deep breath before she entered the living room. Steven was lying on the couch with his eyes closed and he looked so much worse after making his way back down the hallway. She knelt down beside him and opened the First Aid kit with shaking hands. He was too young to look this way.

Pouring rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball, she brushed his hair away from his face. He winced slightly at her touch, but said nothing. There was a long scar running down his temple until the middle of his cheek and she dabbed it softly. The stinging sensation felt almost pleasant to him.

"Here, take this," Marrietta whispered, handing him a plastic bag filled with ice wrapped in a towel. He took it in a shaking hand and held it up to his blackened eye. He didn't cringe as the ice touched his skin, a sure sign of how much he had endured. "Did... did Rodger clean out the cuts on your body?"

Steven nodded weakly as Marrietta moved from working on his face to working on his arms. The cuts were all relatively clean, but none of them were close to healing. It took all of Marrietta's willpower not to cry as she got rid of any blood and rubbed cream onto the scrapes.

There were bruises all over his chest as well and he pulled away slightly whenever she touched them. When she was done, she laid a blanket over him and backed away. But she couldn't resist in asking, "How come you got beat up so badly? When I met the two of you... you seemed about equally matched."

For the first time since she had come in, Steven opened his eyes. They shone with tears as he whispered, "I didn't want to hit my brother."