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“Go where?” Casimir questioned, entering the kitchen with a thin veil of sweat covering his forehead.

“You got those boxes in here that quickly?” One of Miesha’s eyebrows shot into the air while she picked at her chicken.

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be in here, now would I?” He replied, washing his hands. “And y’all didn’t answer my question. Where we going?”

“To the cookout at the fire station.” Miesha answered before Danica could.

A playful grin crossed his face. “Doesn’t that firefighter that Dani had a crush on work ther…”

“Okay!” Danica shouted over him, getting a laugh out of her siblings. “That was a long time ago, and we’re not going there. I’m only showing my face since I never got the opportunity to give him a proper thank you.”

“I bet you do want to give him a proper thank you.” Casimir’s smile converted into a smirk.

Danica gasped loudly, throwing a balled up paper towel at him as Miesha giggled. “You’re so fucking sick.”

The three of them shared a round of laughter, and finally, Danica felt a sense of peace since making the decision to return home. Quality time with her family was exactly what the doctor ordered to get her out of the rut she’d been stuck in for months.

They finished dinner, and continued working well into the night to get the house looking at least halfway decent. By the time they called it quits, two of the bathrooms, living room, and Danica’s bedroom, were all set up enough for her to be comfortable until they could tackle another round of unpacking.

Leaving Miesha and Casimir to their own devices, Danica went to take a quick shower to wash the day away and help relieve some of the stiff tension in her muscles. Stumbling out, she stopped short upon seeing Miesha sprawled out in the king size bed in her pajamas.

“Um, ma’am,” Danica pursed her lips. “What are you doing?”

“Welllllll, since it’s so late, I figured I’d take advantage of the second bathroom to shower and spend the night here.” She offered up an innocent smile, but Danica wasn’t buying.

“You lie like a damn rug. What are you really do…”

Danica was interrupted when Casimir strolled into the bedroom without a care in the world, rubbing a towel through his thick, curly hair with one hand and dragging a blanket into the other. Tossing in into the hamper, he flopped down onto the bed on the other side of Miesha, letting out a yawn.

One look between her brother and sister had Danica’s eyes filling with tears as she finally pieced together what they were up to. Up until recently she hadn’t had to sleep by herself in over a year, something that she’d expressed on more than one occasion to them. Them spending the night with her was their way of letting her know that she no longer had to tackle the battle of healing from the trauma she’d suffered alone. Shooting them a smile, she flipped off the light and climbed into the bed, cuddling up with Miesha.

“I love you guys.” She sighed, adjusting the comforter around her thin frame.

“We love you too, sis.” Casimir replied without hesitation. “And we got you.”

“Forever.” Miesha chimed in.

Danica’s smile grew as she closed her eyes, ready for what would probably be the best night’s sleep that she’d gotten in a long time.