by A. L Long
Closing up the bag, I took it to my room and slid it under the bed. This day couldn’t get any shittier until the caller on my cell came up as the hospital. Thinking that I was going to get some good news about my brother, I received the worst news ever. Something was very wrong with him. The ultrasound test was wrong. He was slowly dying inside.
~****~
“Your brother needs to have surgery. His body is beginning to shut down,” the head doctor of ER advised. “If we don’t get him into surgery soon, he will die. Nurse, please prep Mr. Hyatt for the transfusion in the event it is needed.”
“Wait, transfusion?” I questioned.
“Yes. I understand that you are his brother. He has a better chance of surviving with a sibling’s blood than with what we have on hand.”
“I won’t be a match.” I said hesitantly. “He isn’t my real brother.”
“This may pose a problem then. We won’t know until we look inside. The best thing you can do for him is pray.”
Even though Josh wasn’t my brother, like I stated to the nurse, he was the only family I had. I didn’t know what I would do if anything happened to him. Watching him being wheeled into the OR put a twist in my gut, like something was telling me that this could be the end.
Seven hours had passed and still no word on how Josh was doing. I was beginning to feel helpless as I sat in the waiting room along with all the other family members waiting to hear how their loved ones were doing. I only hoped that when the time came to give me the news, it wasn’t going to be that he didn’t make it. The last thing I wanted was to go through what the man sitting next to me had just gone through. I’d been through it once, and going through it again would kill me.
Keeping my focus on the double wooden doors, my thoughts drifted to how I found out that Josh wasn’t my real brother. After Mom and Dad died, it was my responsibility to go through their things before selling the house that we were raised in. I knew I shouldn’t have read Mom’s journal, but it was like trying to keep a hand out of the cookie jar. Finding out that Josh wasn’t my real brother just about tore me in half. The minute I found out that he wasn’t blood, I should have told him. Now, I can’t even help him. To this day, I can still remember my mom’s first entry.
My dearest child, Oct, 17th
If you are reading this journal, it is because I have put off telling you the truth about your life far too long. Because of my weakness, you will have to read about it instead of hearing it from me. Your real name is Joshua Cunningham. You were born in Topeka, Kansas, at the Topeka Correctional Facility for Women. Your biological mother gave birth to you before dying from a knife wound to the stomach. We never knew who your father was and there was nothing mentioned in your mother’s arrest record. Our guess was that she really didn’t know. I hope that one day you will be able to understand why we kept this from you and find it in your heart to forgive us.
When the doors finally began to open, it was like everything was moving in slow motion. As the doctor headed my way, I knew the news he was about to share with me wasn’t good. Standing to my feet, I approached him nervously. His head was hung low, which told me to expect the worst.
“Is he…” I began, unable to get another word out.
“He’s alive. The damage was much worse than what we thought. His bleeding, although slow, was found in his liver. Unfortunately, the damage was too extensive and a portion of his liver needed to be removed,” the doctor explained.
“So, he is going to be okay. Right, Doc?” It was more of a plea than a question.
“There is another problem. Your brother has primary sclerosing cholangitis, also known as PSC. This type of disease is rare and has a very low survival rate. Even with a transplant, there is no way of knowing that he will survive. All we can do is put him on a donor list and hope for the best.”
“So, are you telling me that my brother is dying?” I cried.
“I am afraid so. We will make him as comfortable as possible, but soon his liver will stop working.”
“How long?” I asked, trying to remain calm.
“There’s no way of telling for sure, but based on his condition, not long.” The doctor advised, unable to look me in the eye. “I would suggest you begin making arrangements and let family know.”
“I’m his only family.” I looked above me for answers as to why this was happening.
CHAPTER SIX
Charlie
When the cab driver pulled in front of my brother’s house, I paid him with everything I had. Luckily for me, I was able to scrounge up enough change to pay him the $20.79 that I owed him for the fare. When he looked at me, like he was waiting for a tip, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Sorry,” before exiting the cab. I had never ridden in a taxi before. I guess I should have taken the tip into account.
I just couldn’t believe that my brother would leave me sitting alone in a bar. It didn’t make any sense. Pulling my keys from my bag, I unlocked the door and slipped inside the empty house. I knew Nick wouldn’t be able to call me since I had his phone, but maybe he would have left me a message on the land line. Walking over to the kitchen counter where the cordless phone was resting in its cradle, I looked down to find that there were three new messages on the answering machine. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the button and began listening to the messages that were left. Sadly, none of them had anything to do with where Nick might be. He would, however, be glad to know that he has three additional people interested in hiring him.
Pacing the floor, I put on my thinking cap, past the thought of strangling him, and tried to figure out what to do. I remembered that in a crisis, there was always a call made to the hospitals to locate missing persons, at least there was whenever I watched one of those crime shows on television. Walking back to the kitchen, I searched for some sort of telephone book so that I could begin contacting hospitals. Just as I was beginning to dial the first number, an unknown caller showed up on my cell. Hesitating, I decided that I probably should answer it just in case it was Nick.
With an uncertain greeting, I said, “Hello,” to the caller.
“Charlie. It’s Nick. Thank God you answered,” he gasped, his voice sounding strained.
“Where the hell are you?” I hissed.
“At Bellevue Hospital,” he confessed. “I need you to do me a favor.”
Do him a favor. About the only favor I was willing to do was knock him on his ass for leaving me alone at that bar, but when he said that he would explain everything when I got there, I decided to hear him out. Before we ended the call, I warned, “You better not move until I get there.” I wasn’t about to be dumped again.
Cursing to myself, I went to his room to retrieve the extra set of keys that he said were laying on his dresser next to the small box. Just like he said, they were right next to a wad of money that he promised would cover the tab at the bar and the cab ride there. Taking what I needed, I contacted the taxi service and waited for him to arrive. Luckily the driver who dropped me off still in the vicinity so I didn’t have to wait long.
~****~
When I finally got to the bar, the bartender that was there earlier was no longer tending bar. Instead, an attractive girl with reddish-blonde hair was slinging drinks. Walking to the end of the bar, I waited for her to finish with the customer before waving her over. When she got close enough, I requested, “I need to settle the tab for Nick Winters.”
“Sure thing, toots,” she said with a fake smile.
If I had to guess, Nick was probably well acquainted with her based on the way she looked at me. Scanning the receipt she was holding in her hand, she walked over to me. With a fake smile to match her fake boobs, she said, “It will be eighty bucks, Long Island.”
I should have been pissed at her new name for me, but I really didn’t have time for this game. Handing her a hundred-dollar bill, I told her to keep the change. There was no way I was going to wait for the change, and even though she didn’t deserve the large tip, Nick needed
to pay for leaving. Turning on my heels, I headed out the door, making my way across the street to where Nick’s car was parked. I should have been scared to drive in a big city, but all I could think about was getting to Nick and finding out what the hell happened to him.
Taking a few minutes to set the GPS on my phone, I pulled away from the curb, careful not to hit any oncoming traffic. It occurred to me why there was always so much honking going on in the city. It was all the crazy drivers out there who were cutting off other people. Finally, after cursing for a few minutes, I was able to enter the flow of traffic. As I drove I paid close attention to the GPS; the last thing that I needed was missing a turn or worse, get lost.
With a left here and a right there, I eventually made it to Bellevue Hospital. I pulled around the side, hoping that I would find a place to park. Parking at hospitals was always a nightmare; at least it was in Charleston, where my dad was taken when he got hurt. After circling the lot several times, I spotted a car pulling out just as I came around the corner. Entering the hospital, I wasn’t sure where Nick would be. The best thing to do would be to start at the Emergency entrance. Following the signs that were hung from the ceiling, I guess I should have been looking straight ahead instead of up for the next indication of where I needed to go. When I began rounding the corner, a man standing over six feet tall slammed right into me. His arms came around my body, steadying me with his own. Looking up at him, my eyes widened, dumbfounded by who was holding me.
“Ryan?” I question with denial in the back of my mind.
“Charlie?” he answered back.
Looking around for no other reason than to see if he was with anyone, I smiled up at him and said, “Wow. You have really changed.”
“I hope you’re saying that in a good way,” he responded.
Even though he looked amazing and it was good to see him, the thought of how we parted soon surfaced in my head. Pulling away from him, I crossed my arms and asked coldly, “So, you still in the military?”
“Nah, I work for a security company called Jagged Edge. Left the service about two years ago.” His stance shifted as he crossed his arms. “How about you? Do you still live in West Virginia?”
“Not sure why you would care, but no. I live with my brother here in New York,” I said confidently. “Why did you stop writing me back?”
“I didn’t think I was the right guy for you, Charlie. The military has a way of changing a man.”
“Well, just so we’re straight, that wasn’t a decision for you to make. You broke my heart, Ryan,” I muttered, unable to look him in the eye for fear I would break down. “I have to get going. My brother is somewhere around here.”
Before I could walk away from him, he took hold of my arm, capturing my eyes with his. His hand came up and brushed a stray hair from my cheek. “You take care, Charlie Winters.”
Nodding my head, I walked down the long hall trying to keep from looking behind me. Who did he think he was, anyway? Looking all sexy, gorgeous like that. Shaking my head, I realized I needed to get my mind straight and find my brother. Ryan Hyatt needed to be gone and out of my head.
Coming to the Emergency waiting area, I walked up to the reception desk and politely said, “Excuse me,” my words grabbing the attention of the nurse behind the desk. “My brother Nick Winters said that he was here. Is there any way to find out where he might be?”
“You bet. Let me see what I can find out for you,” the nice nurse said.
While I waited for her to find the information I asked for, I looked around the room to see that most of the people waiting were not very happy. Matter of fact, most of them looked really grief-stricken. Looking back down at the nurse, I kept my eyes on her while she looked up what I needed.
“Here we go. Looks like he is being released. If you like you can step through the door and see him before he leaves,” she shared.
Nodding my head, I heard the door buzz, letting me know that she had unlocked it so I could enter. As I walked through, a lovely nurse was waiting on the other side to show me where my brother was, I scanned the area to find that there were many patients being tended to by several doctors. With the care they were receiving, if I ever got hurt, I knew this would be the place to be taken to.
Stopping in front of a glass sliding door, I could see Nick struggling to get his shirt on. Rushing to his side, I held his sleeve out so that he could slip his arm through it. It was then that I noticed a bandage wrapped around his middle. Unable to hold back my concern, I wailed, “Oh, my God, Nick. What happened to you?”
“Not here, Charlie. I’ll tell you as soon as we are safely home,” he choked, sending an uneasy feeling down my body.
I wasn’t sure what happened to him, but his response scared me enough to be concerned. Something happened at that bar and I had a horrible feeling it was really bad. Not saying another word, I let it go for the time being as I assisted him off of the bed and to his feet. Knowing that it would be much too far for him to walk all the way to the car in his condition, I hunted down a wheelchair that a nurse was so kind in letting me take.
Getting Nick settled in the chair, I headed back in the same direction that I came from and followed the signs. It was the only way to get through the maze of hallways. Pushing him at a slow pace, I began to wonder if I was going to be running into Ryan again. I still didn’t know what he was doing here. Maybe it had something to do with the company he worked for. I needed to stop thinking about him because all it did was upset me more. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t. He quit the military almost two years ago and not once during that time did he ever try to get in touch with me. After everything we shared, he could have at least let me know that he was back in the States.
When we finally got to Nick’s car, I helped him get settled in the front seat. As angry as I was about him leaving me in that bar, I felt really bad that he was in so much pain. Closing the passenger door, I wheeled the chair to the front door of the hospital where an orderly was waiting to take it. I really needed to get out more, I thought to myself as the hot guy grabbed the chair from me with a smile that could tame the wildest beast. Being in contact with two guys in the span of thirty minutes who were hotter than any men back home was definitely an incentive to never leave New York.
~****~
“Okay, spill, Nichols. You’ve been looking over your shoulder ever since we left the hospital,” I stated flat out, knowing I wasn’t just imagining things as I filled the glass with water.
“You may want to sit down for this, Charlie,” he replied, walking over to the window and closing the shades.
Something had him spooked and I needed to know. “What’s going on, Nick?”
“When I went to the back of the bar to relieve a brew, I heard some commotion coming from the back door. I knew I should have minded my own business,” he hesitated as he walked over to the other window to close that blind. “I saw something that I shouldn’t have and now I’m afraid they want to make sure I don’t say anything.”
“You aren’t making any sense, Nick. What did you see?” I questioned, handing him the water and two pain pills.
“I saw a man get killed. Right in front of my eyes, Charlie. He fell back and the blood began pouring out of his neck.”
“Oh, my God, Nick. You have to go to the police. If these people know that you saw them, you are as good as dead yourself,” I cried.
“I can’t go to the police. I am as good as dead if I do. I just need to hang low for a while until I can figure this out.”
I didn’t agree with Nick, but he did have a point. If they did find out that he went to the police with what he witnessed, he could very well be a dead man. There had to be a way to keep him safe. “Ryan,” I thought to myself. He worked for a security company. Not only that, he was a Green Beret, for Pete’s sake. Surely he would be able to help. Keeping this to myself, I decided to call it a day. Come tomorrow, I was going to put my feelings for Ryan behind me and ask him for his help.
&
nbsp; CHAPTER SEVEN
Ryan
It’s funny how things worked. I was feeling like my world was coming to an end, knowing that Josh didn’t have much time left on this earth. But when I saw Charlie, all of that changed. She hadn’t changed one bit since high school. She was still the prettiest girl I had ever known. I was such a dumbass for letting her go the way I did. I just couldn’t see her wasting her time waiting for me, especially if I didn’t come back. Damn, I should have looked her up when I got back to the States. I thought for sure she would have settled down. I wasn’t even sure she hadn’t. Our conversation was so abrupt, we never got into that.
