Chapter 16

I was half-asleep when I felt someone shaking my shoulder.

"Bunny," Elijah's voice cut through my hazy exhaustion. "Wake up."

I groaned and curled further into my blankets. "No."

Elijah sighed. "I have to go to work today. I can't take another day off, but you're still too sick to go to school. Diana is coming over to stay with you."

That got my attention, but I barely managed to crack my eyes open. "Diana?"

"Yes," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "She said she'd be here soon, so you won't be alone. Easton's still really sick, and I need to leave soon."

I yawned and nodded sleepily, not having the energy to argue.

From outside the room, I could already hear arguing.

"I should drive," Alex's voice came from the hallway. "I'm obviously the best at it."

Miles scoffed. "The best? You literally almost hit a parked car last week."

"That was not my fault! The car shouldn't have been there."

Henry groaned. "You two do realize that neither of you even have your license yet, right?"

"Technicality," Alex muttered.

"Yeah," Miles added. "Doesn't mean we're not better at driving than you."

Henry rolled his eyes. "You can't be better at something you legally can't do."

"Details," Miles shrugged.

Elijah stepped into the hallway, looking so done. "Henry, you're driving. End of discussion."

Henry smirked at the twins, victorious. "Because I have my license."

Alex huffed. "That's literally the only reason."

"Which is the only reason that matters," Henry shot back.

"Ugh," Miles groaned. "Fine. But if you crash, I'm telling everyone it was my turn to drive."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Not happening."

Elijah crossed his arms. "And Leon and Lucus want a ride too, so don't forget to pick them up. Diana's on her way, so don't take forever leaving."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Diana's coming here, so they don't have a ride," Elijah explained.

Miles smirked. "So basically, we get to annoy Lucas in the car?"

Alex snickered. "Oh, this will be fun."

Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just go."

"Yeah, yeah," Henry muttered, already grabbing the keys. "We're leaving."

Alex and Miles grumbled but followed him out the door.

Elijah sighed, shaking his head before looking back at me. "And that's why I can't leave you alone with them."

I huffed a sleepy laugh, still curled up in bed. "Good choice."

"Come on," he said gently. "Let's get you settled downstairs before Diana gets here."

I yawned but didn't argue as he helped me up, guiding me down to the couch.

A little while later, I heard the front door open and Diana's cheerful voice. "Good morning, boys!"

There was a mix of greetings as the twins scrambled to leave, and then I heard her footsteps heading upstairs.

A gentle knock sounded at the door. "Adrian, sweetheart? Can I come in?"

I groaned in response, which was apparently enough of an invitation because she stepped inside.

She smiled softly as she walked over. "Oh, honey, you look miserable."

I sniffled, too tired to argue.

She placed a hand on my forehead. "Still warm. Have you eaten anything?"

I shook my head.

Her expression turned firm but still kind. "Well, that won't do. Let's get you something light, okay?"

I just whined, but she didn't budge. Instead, she helped me sit up, wrapping the blankets around me before guiding me downstairs.

Diana was nothing like my brothers when it came to taking care of someone. She was gentle, patient, and didn't push me too much. She made me some warm tea and cut up some fruit, which I actually managed to eat.

Most of the day was quiet. She let me stay curled up on the couch while she read, occasionally checking on me. At one point, she put on a show, and I dozed in and out of sleep while she watched.

By the time school ended, I was still exhausted, but at least my stomach didn't hurt as much.

The front door swung open, and loud voices filled the house.

"Baby bunny, we're home!" Miles called.

"Ugh," I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head.

Diana chuckled beside me. "Be nice."

The twins walked in, followed by Henry, Leon, and Lucas.

"Why are they here?" I mumbled.

"Lucas wanted to check on you," Leon smirked.

Lucas sat on the arm of the couch and looked down at me. "You look awful."

"Thanks," I muttered.

Miles grinned. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of our baby brother."

I tensed immediately. "Don't."

Henry smirked. "Oh, but we should! After all, we raised you."

"Yeah," Alex grinned. "We've seen everything."

I already knew where this was going. And I hated it.

"Like the time he pooped his pants at the grocery store," Miles said with a wicked grin.

Lucas burst out laughing. "Wait—what?!"

My face burned. "I was three!"

"Still happened," Henry said, smirking.

"And remember when he tried to cut his own hair and ended up with a bald patch?" Alex added.

Lucas and Leon lost it, laughing so hard they were practically crying.

"Oh my god," Lucas gasped. "That's amazing."

I groaned and buried my face in the blanket. "I hate you all."

"Aw, baby bunny's embarrassed," Miles cooed.

"Alright, boys," Diana finally said, bless her, "leave him alone."

"But it's funny," Lucas grinned.

I glared at him. "I hope you fall down the stairs."

"Love you too," he said with a grin.

Before I could respond, the front door opened again, and Elijah walked in, looking exhausted. "What's all the yelling?"

"They're being awful," I mumbled dramatically.

Elijah sighed and shook his head, but before he could say anything else, Diana stood up. "Don't worry, dinner is already made."

Elijah blinked in surprise. "Really?"

She smiled. "Of course. I figured you'd be tired after work."

Elijah looked so relieved. "You're a saint."

"Tell me something I don't know," she teased.

We all sat down to eat, even Easton, who managed to make it downstairs. He still looked tired, but he was definitely better than earlier.

Dinner was surprisingly nice. The teasing had stopped (for the most part), and it actually felt normal for the first time all day.

Dinner was finally over, and I was just starting to feel a little better. Easton still looked tired, but at least he wasn't half-dead like this morning. Diana and the boys were all still hanging around, filling the house with way too much noise.

I should have known that was a bad sign.

"Alright," Alex smirked, leaning forward on the couch. "Since we're all here, I think it's time for some baby bunny stories."

I instantly sat up, alarmed. "What? No."

Miles grinned. "Oh, yes."

Lucas perked up. "Wait—baby bunny?"

Alex and Miles snickered. "Oh, yeah," Miles nodded. "We've been calling Adrian that forever."

Lucas grinned. "I love this. Continue."

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "I hate you all."

Elijah leaned back in his chair, looking far too amused. "I'm interested. Let's hear it."

"Okay, okay, first story!" Alex clapped his hands together, looking way too excited. "Adrian was seven, and we were at the park, right?"

"Oh, no," I muttered.

"Oh, yes," Alex grinned. "So, we're all playing, and Adrian suddenly freezes and grabs my arm, looking completely panicked."

Miles giggled. "I remember this!"

"Turns out," Alex continued, ignoring me, "he really needed to pee. But instead of telling us earlier like a normal person, he waited until the last possible second and peed his pants in the middle of the park."

Lucas and Leon burst out laughing, while I groaned loudly.

"I was seven!" I snapped.

"Still funny," Miles shrugged.

"Okay, okay," Henry smirked. "My turn. This one's from when Adrian was a baby."

I winced. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes," Henry grinned. "So, Easton was changing Adrian's diaper, right? And for some reason, Adrian thought it would be a great idea to start peeing mid-change."

Lucas was already laughing, and Leon was grinning.

"The best part?" Henry continued. "It went everywhere. Like, all over Easton's shirt, the wall, even the changing table. Easton was screaming."

Easton, who had been silent until now, suddenly scoffed. "Screaming? I was not screaming."

"You absolutely were," Elijah said, smirking. "I was there."

Easton rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, but in my defense, he had perfect aim. It was like he planned it."

Miles snorted. "Baby Bunny—sniper mode."

I groaned. "I hate all of you."

"Yeah," Alex snickered. "And you still managed to attack Easton."

"I was a baby!" I whined, my face burning.

"Yeah, and you're still causing chaos," Elijah said, smirking. "Not much has changed."

"Alright, last one," Miles grinned. "This is a classic."

"Just let me die," I muttered.

Miles ignored me. "Adrian was five, and we were out shopping with Elijah and Easton, right? And Adrian sees this giant stuffed bunny—like, huge, almost as big as him—and he grabs it, refusing to let go."

"Aw," Diana smiled. "That's actually cute."

"Oh, it was," Miles nodded. "Until Elijah said we couldn't buy it, and Adrian had a full meltdown in the middle of the store."

Henry snickered. "Screaming, crying, kicking the air—the whole thing."

Elijah grinned. "Oh, yeah, I remember that. You clung to it like it was your lifeline. I swear, people were staring like I was the worst person ever for not buying it."

Easton chuckled. "To be fair, I probably would've caved and bought it for him just to shut him up."

"You did buy it for him," Elijah pointed out. "The second I turned around, you were at the register, paying for the stupid thing."

Lucas and Leon were dying of laughter at this point.

"You guys are the worst," I grumbled, crossing my arms.

"Aww, come on, baby bunny," Miles teased, ruffling my hair. "We love you."

"Yeah," Lucas grinned. "Besides, it's funny."

Diana shook her head, smiling. "Alright, boys, leave Adrian alone."

"Thank you," I sighed, giving her a grateful look.

"But," Lucas added with a smirk, "the nappy story was legendary. I am telling Chloe and Sophia tomorrow."

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. "Don't you dare," I said in a serious tone before we finally settled in the living room to watch a movie. At some point, I ended up curled up against Easton.

I missed him. He'd been sick all day, and even though Elijah and Diana were great at taking care of me, there was just something comforting about Easton being there.

I didn't even realize I was falling asleep until I felt him shift. His arm rested around me, keeping me close.

I let myself relax, feeling safe for the first time all day.

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Word count: 1703

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

Thanks for reading my sixteenth chapter and please vote and leave a comment.

More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*