The Boys Next Door

It was exactly three weeks since that night. Since then Dani and Terri had moved across the fence and were staying with the boys next door. Staying in the other house was out of the question. The police had cordoned off the place, as a crime scene always is, for a week. The investigation was simply routine and a formality. Frank had been an escaped murderer… He’d taken hostages, drugged and tortured them and tried to strangle Terri. Self defense was undeniable since his fingers had left bruises on her neck. There was also all the injuries he’d inflicted on the others. No one was pressing charges.
Louis’s nose had been broken so severely they'd had to do surgery to clean it up. He’d been saddled wearing a metal splint and tape for a week afterword . He was now sporting just tape and slight bruises under both eyes, which Danielle found strangely sexy. And Louis loved that.

Harry had been in surgery for hours after they reached the hospital and Terri refused to speak until she’d seen him when he regained consciousness. Frank had damaged nerves and some tendons, but the Dr. had assured them Harry would be fine and after physical therapy he’d be 100% in no time.
That had been three weeks ago today. He still walked using a cane but was leaning on it less and less as the days went by. Today Terri sat with him in the porch swing of “the house next door”. The leaves were beginning to change to reds and golds, oranges and browns. Danielle and Louis had gone to get takeout for dinner. Tonight was a Friday night but there’d be no Chinese food tonight… Tonight was pizza night. Pushing with her foot on the rail, Terri slipped her hand into Harry’s. He turned and smiled at her, lacing his fingers through hers and raising her hand to his lips. She never tired of looking at him and she stared at him now for a long moment. The words Danielle had told her a few days ago echoed in her mind… Love doesn’t follow a schedule. It most definitely does not, she agreed silently.
Just as they leaned into each other Louis drove up. Dani, Niall and Liam all piled out of the truck where they had squeezed in on top of each other to go on the pizza run. Niall bounded up the steps and eased into the swing beside them, followed by Liam, forcing them to squeeze in even closer.
“We got beer to go wi’ the pizza! ” Niall stated, looking at Harry. “But not for you… You’re still bein’ medicated!” he ruffled Harry’s hair and grinned. It seemed none of them could resist touching Harry since the trauma of that night. Louis and Danielle were practically one… They couldn’t resist touching each other, but that was nothing new.
Terri breathed deeply drawing the early autumn air into her lungs. It felt like the first real breath she taken in years. Looking at her new family she remembered Danielle’s words on the day they’d moved into the other house…
“We're gonna be just fine here. ” and she knew in her heart that they would.

Notes