She is My Sister by Joannie Kay Page A

the project alone,
and he will automatically fail both of us.   That is not going to happen.   We are going to work together, without drama, or I am going to take you
in hand.   That, dear Brooke, is my
final warning.”
    Brooke looked at David, then reached down and picked up a
candy bowl from the end table.   She
threw it at him and it crashed into the television across the room, missing
David by mere inches, and shattering the tv screen!   “Go to hell, David Worth!”
    When she turned to run out of the living room, David reached
for her and stopped her from leaving.   He picked her up and put her over the back of the sofa, and started
spanking the seat of her jeans.
    Brooke screamed bloody murder, hoping her Dad would come to
her rescue, but when he did come to see what was going on, she heard David tell
him she was throwing a tantrum, and he pointed to the candy dish lying on the
floor in front of the broken screen on the television.
    “We just bought that tv ,
daughter!” John Hart exclaimed.
    “Daddy, make him stop!”
    “I will not!   If
your Mama threw something at me I would paddle her good and proper!   You earned a spanking, daughter.”   He turned around and left the room, and
to her dismay, David continued spanking her until she was forced to apologize
and tell him she was sorry for her tantrum.  
    “Brooke,” he said, lifting her from the sofa and turning her
to face him.   “I know you might not
believe this, especially right this moment, but I do care about you.   That hasn’t changed.   It tears me up to see you acting as
though you don’t give a damn about yourself.   What are you thinking?   You are smart, talented, and
beautiful.   You have so much to
offer, but you don’t seem to care.   You need to stop; this party girl image isn’t the real you!”
    “What would you know?” she demanded.   “You aren’t the one trying to live up to
the four perfect sisters!   Look at
them, David!   They are all so damned
good, and I can’t even keep a boyfriend!”
    “Who says you have to live up to your sisters?” he asked
softly.   “You have your own special
talents, honey.   I’ve watched you in
action.”
    “Please tell me then, because I am lost, David!”   She sobbed, heartbroken, and he pulled
her close and held her while she cried, doing his best to comfort her.
    When she quieted, he said, “Your talent is nursing,
Brooke.   Haven’t you realized how
everyone comes to you for help when they are feeling bad, or if they get
hurt?   Remember when Professor McCabe
collapsed in front of his math class?   You were the one who saved his life while we were waiting for the
paramedics to get there.”
    “I just knew what to do, and no one else stepped up.   I couldn’t just stand there and let him
die!”
    “No, you couldn’t.   And, you kept everyone from moving that girl when she fell on the ice
last winter and broke her leg.   You
got blankets to keep her warm, and you kept her from going into shock.   You. Did. That.   It wasn’t your sisters, but you!”   He held her at arms’ length and said,
“I’ve always wondered why you didn’t take up medicine in some way.”
    “Really?”
    “Really.   Why
don’t you give it some thought?”
    Brooke wondered if David could be right.   In the meantime she owed him a sincere
apology.   “David, I’m sorry.   For everything,” she admitted.   “For throwing the dish at you; for
giving you such a hard time over the assignment, and most of all, for cursing
you last year when you were only trying to help me.   It hurt so much when you walked away,
and I haven’t dated anyone since!” she admitted.
    “I haven’t dated anyone either; my heart still belongs to a
certain little girl with a terrible temper.” He smiled, and then said solemnly,
“I’m sorry I walked away, Brooke.   I
should have spanked you right then and there, and saved us both a year of
hurt.”
    “I felt terrible and I didn’t