[Niall's POV]

When we came back downstairs, Dee was still propped up where we left her, but she looked more alert and held a cup of water in one hand. She and Sybil were talking quietly with one another, which seemed to be going awkwardly, judging by tenseness of their body language.

“All right," I interrupted, kneeling down and opening the box. “Let’s get this started.”

"Do you need any help for this?” Sybil asked, her mouth set in a hard line.

"No, I think I should be good," I told her with a nod, leaving her free to escape.

“Cool.” Without another word, she stood and headed upstairs, probably to her room.

Parker gazed at me and Dee, seeming unsure if he should join Sybil or stay with us. He also looked a few seconds away from bursting into tears again.

“I know you’ve had a long day, bud. You can stay if you want, but don’t have to,” I assured him, wanting to give him an out for both his sake and Dee’s. It would kill her to see him cry.

He turned to her, still conflicted, his expression one of uncertainty.

"Hey, sweetie, you've already helped so much. You can go do something else—it's okay," Dee said gently, flashing as much of a smile as she could muster.

"Okay..." Parker said, still hesitating a little.

Dee's expression softened. "Hey, come here," she said, stretching out her arms for a hug.

I think that made it harder for the little guy to fight back his tears, but he didn't waste any time. Parker padded over and gripped Dee in hug. He blinked furiously, and his mouth quivered, contorting into a tight frown that threatened to unleash a sob. I didn't stop him, but I was thankful his sister couldn't see his face.

"Thanks, Parker," Dee whispered, rubbing his back gently.

Parker nodded and slowly pulled away when he was ready. He looked down and tried to hide his face beneath his dark brown bangs. "I'll see you later," he murmured, sniffling loudly.

Dee smiled, but her gaze was sad. "See you later, sweetie," she said almost as quietly.

Parker nodded, lingering another few moments before turning to follow where Sybil had gone.

After Parker left, we spent several minutes in silence while I opened the medical kit and began to take out the items I needed.

I grabbed an alcohol wipe and ripped open the packet. “I hate to bring this up, but I think you need to talk to Sybil later,” I said to Dee quietly.

She set her water down and watched me as I touched the wipe to her forehead. She flinched as the cloth pressed against her skin.

“Sorry,” I murmured, lifting the wipe.

“It’s fine. Just the alcohol stinging,” she replied, nodding for me to continue.

I dabbed it gently against her wound, cleaning it and trying to remove any excess blood. Dark red crust formed over the injury, and I was careful not to press too hard and cause the bleeding to start again.

“I’ll talk to her later tonight,” Dee commented quietly. “Just wanna give her some space first.”

I nodded. “Probably a good idea,” I agreed, moving on to wipe the dried blood off the rest of her face. “You need to be straight with her, though.”

Dee sighed, one hand clenching into a fist. “She’s only fourteen. That’s too much to put on her.”

“I get you’re trying to protect her, but by trying to hide this—” I motioned to her, “—you’re just making her more worried.”

Dee frowned and didn’t say anything for a while, letting me finish cleaning off her face. When I was done, she swallowed and looked away. “She’s so young,” she said. “We were all too young.”

I stopped and sighed, letting the wipes fall to the floor. “Yeah, we were,” I agreed.

She was referring to what happened during and after the hurricane. She was fifteen then—a year older than Sybil now. Dee had a habit of trying to shield the kids from a lot, and I always suspected it had to do with how little we were protected.