Priceless & Broken

"Why did you guys come down here?" I asked, staring out the back window.

Kevin and Joe offered to transport me from the hospital back to my house.

"We had to make sure you were going to be okay," Kevin answered stiffly.

They still hadn't gotten over the news Miley had told them a few days earlier.

"Aubrey, you're not getting rid of us again. We don't want to lose touch. We want to know how you and Stormy are doing. Just because you're not officially part of the family anymore doesn't mean we don't think of you as family!" Joe exclaimed from the passenger seat.

"But -- "

"No, Aubrey. Nick would kill us if we lost you again."

A knot formed in the pit of my stomach.

"He knows about everything."

I threw my hand that wasn't wrapped up in a cast in the air.

"Why don't you just tell the whole world what I'm doing? What I'm doing is MY business -- not Nick's, and not yours." I crossed my arms and concentrated on calming down.

"Maybe it isn't mine, but it's Nick's; you have his child."

"Well, maybe he would know what I'm doing if he wouldn't have cheated. Better yet, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if he wouldn't have cheated," I stated coldly.

I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Danielle and Miley walked out on the porch; their faces were expressionless. Their eyes moved away from me and looked at the two men getting out of the car. Miley's face changed to regret instantly when she saw that their faces were hard.

"Where's my baby?" I looked around at everyone who sat in my living room.

"I'm right here, mommy!"

All the anger and coldness that I had inside of me left as soon as I heard that melodic voice. I turned around, dropped to my knees, and wrapped my arms around the tiny body in front of me.

"Mommy, where have you been?" Stormy asked softly.

"I've been hurt. I got some big boo-boos, and I had to stay at the doctors." I chose my words carefully.

"Are you okay now?" Stormy questioned.

I nodded my head and kissed her forehead.

"I'm going to take a shower. You guys can order some food if you'd like." I slowly stood up and made my way down the hall.

"Don't get your cast wet!" Miley yelled after me.

"I won't!" I yelled back as I shut my door.

***

I was currently on my bed curled up with Stormy. Everyone had left not too long before that. Miley hadn't asked me about the argument I had with Joe, and I was thankful for that. Tomorrow, I would need to start looking for houses in Texas. I needed another fresh start. I needed to get help; I would get help.

My eyes suddenly felt heavy as my fingers stroked through Stormy's hair. I knew my pain medication would be wearing off soon, so I got up and went to find some more. I tip toed through the living room when I found Miley passed out asleep on the couch.

As soon as I found the bottle, I popped a pill into my mouth. I nearly choked when I heard Miley's rough voice behind me.

"You should have called me. I could have gotten that for you."

I quickly shook my head. "I've got a broken arm, Miley; I'm not helpless. Besides, you looked pretty comfortable on that couch."

"Well, are you hungry? I think we have some leftovers."

"I'm fine. I just got up to take my medicine before I went to bed."

"Oh, well, when did you want to move to Texas? What part of Texas would you like to move to?"

"I was thinking Dallas. And, I want to leave here as soon as possible."

Miley nodded slowly. "I'll get on that tomorrow. I'll make some calls. We could probably be out of here by the end of this week."

I smiled softly and hugged her. "Thank you for everything. I may not act like it all the time, but I'm glad you moved in. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't."

"Don't worry about it. I'll always be here for you."

I pulled away but gripped onto her arms. "I'm going to get help. As soon as we get to Texas, I'm going to see a therapist. You won't have to worry anymore."

Miley's eyes glistened with tears. "That's all I ask."

"Come on. It's been a big day. We need our sleep."

***

"Aubrey!" Miley shouted.

I walked out of my room and saw her sitting on the couch with her laptop.

"What's up?" I asked, plopping down beside her.

"I found a house. I was just wondering what you think about it."

I looked at the screen and saw what she was talking about.

"I like it. It's cute," I stated.

"All right, that's awesome because I've already contacted the realtor."

I shook my head with a smile on my face -- that's Miley for you.

"So do we start packing?" I was just a little bit confused on what to do.

"That would be a great idea. I'll call someone about a moving truck."