Shelter by Ashley John Read Free Book Online Page A

died, Elias. I almost lost you.”
    “I know!” he cried, hands slamming on the table, “Damn, do you think I don’t know all of this?”
    “No,” she shrugged and laughed, “because you keep doing this to us! You always go back to your default settings, hurting everybody around you. You’re selfish Elias, and you always have been.”
    “I know I’m selfish!” he said, “But I’ve been the only person to ever have my back, so what do you expect?”
    “Don’t start with that shit,” she laughed, “we had the same childhood and I turned out fine.”
    It was Elias’ turn to laugh. Does she really believe that? Looking her dead in the eyes, he knew she didn’t believe it when she couldn’t sustain the gaze.
    “The difference was, you had the brains and I might as well have been invisible.”
    “You have a brain,” she rolled her eyes, “you just never knew how to use it.”
    Leaning back in the chair, Elias rubbed his face, exhausted from the sudden therapy session. He knew it was a long shot coming to see his sister. In vain, Elias hoped Ellie would have helped him out even if part of him secretly hoped she wouldn’t. When he heard a plastic bottle rattle on the desk, he moved his hands and opened his eyes.
    “What are those?” he stared at the orange plastic.
    “Anti-depressants,” she pushed the bottle across the desk, “Cymbalta, from my personal stash.”
    Elias reached out and snatched up the bottle before his sister could change her mind. It wasn’t what he had been expecting but it was something.
    “Why do you need anti-depressants?” he asked.
    “Well, my brother is in and out of rehab, my husband doesn't talk to me and my mother doesn’t know how to hug me,” she shrugged, “they’re a last resort. Take them before you go to bed and they’ll help you sleep. You’ll wake up feeling a little calmer. It can take a few days but you’ll settle out eventually and you’ve got enough for a couple of weeks.”
    Smiling, he nodded his thanks, knowing he didn’t need to say it. Arching her eyebrows to the door, Ellie let him know that he had over stayed his welcome. He opened the door and the guy from the line huffed heavily as he pushed past him.
    “Everything done?” Caden was still sitting in the chair he had left him in.
    Patting the pill bottle in his pocket, Elias nodded, ready to get back to his apartment and away from the crowds of people. He wasn’t used to having to deal with so much on a clear mind and he was starting to wonder how everybody else lived with the madness of the world without a little help.
    “Hey, Elias,” Caden called after him as he headed for the door.
    “What?”
    A warm, soft smile twinkled across Caden’s rugged features, “See you in an hour for your next home visit.”
    “Right,” Elias mumbled heading outside, “bye.”
    Shielding his eyes from the bright afternoon sun, Elias tried to get the image of Caden’s smiling face out of his mind, but he couldn’t. It had been so kind and friendly, as if he was actually looking forward to the visit. Don’t be dumb, Elias, he’s being paid to be your babysitter.
    When he reached the bakery on the corner, his fingers wrapping around the orange plastic of the pill bottle, he wondered if there was more to Caden than he thought.
     
    ***
     
    “Sweetie, is that you?” Caden heard his mom call from the kitchen, “I’m making chicken, you want some?”
    “Sure,” he called back as he shrugged off his jacket, “I have time for chicken.”
    He headed into the small family kitchen where Bruce was sitting reading the morning paper.
    “What are you doing here, anyway?” Caden slapped Bruce warmly on the shoulder, “Shouldn’t you be at the bar?”
    “Sharon’s holding it down,” Bruce closed the paper, “thought I’d come and see mom.”
    Their mom turned around, fingers covered in slimy breadcrumbs as she coated the chicken, “He’s just hungry, that’s what he really means.”
    Caden had