With This Ink in Our Skin We've Sealed Our Fate
Eleven
"Let's celebrate! The turn of the age for Miss Bree Bloodshed! Happy 22nd, sister Shadows!"
I took a drink of the rum and Coke that Brian brought me. We had already been drinking, so all of us were pretty drunk. Matt was smoking a bowl through the window.
"Having fun, baby girl?" Brian whispered in my ear.
I shrugged. He looked down at me, "What's wrong?"
I pointed at Matt, and Brian rubbed my shoulder, "Baby, don't worry."
"He's just so fucking bipolar when he's high and drunk, and I don't want to deal with it on my birthday," I said.
"What the fuck did you just say?!"
"Noth--"
"Bree, what did you just say?" he asked, glaring at me, an empty beer bottle clutched in his hand.
"You were b-bipolar when y-you were drunk and h-high?"
Matt raised his hand, and the next thing I saw was darkness.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Matt raised the beer bottle in his hand and broke it over Bree's head. She fell backwards and hit her head on the corner of the coffee table. I had launched at her, but she's so small, the trip down took quicker than it would've for someone else. I felt myself sober up as I moved her into my lap.
"Bree? Baby, open your eyes. Bree!"
"Holy shit, I'm calling an ambulance!" Zack shrieked from somewhere else.
Matt kneeled down and stared, wide-eyed at his knocked out sister. He put his hand out, but I smacked it away.
"Don't fucking touch her," I growled, "You're lucky I don't punch you in the fucking mouth."
He put his hand in his lap. The entire party was still as they watched me try to coax Bree to wake up, or comforting a friend.
"Baby girl, please," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.
"What the fuck happened?!" Val shrieked, coming into the living room with Ashlynn.
"Your stupid fucking boyfriend got pissed at Bree for pointing out the obvious, and broke a beer bottle over her head. Then she fell backwards, hit her head on the coffee table, and passed out."
Val glared at Matt, who looked up at her.
"Oh, God, Val, please, don't be mad at me," he begged.
"If that's what you want," Val said, "you shouldn't have broken a beer bottle over your sister's head."
The ambulance came, and Matt choked on his breath.
"We're going to tell them that she tripped and fell into the coffee table, and hit a beer bottle that was on the table," I said, coming up with a believeable lie.
Matt looked at me, "You aren't going to get me in trouble?"
I motioned Jimmy over to the door, "No," he looked relieved, "We do need a lead singer."
-----------------------------------------
"Guys, you know I didn't--"
"Matt, nobody wants to hear it," Johnny shot at him.
"Don't try and fix this," Zack spat, "When we're over it, you'll know."
I ran my hands through my hair, and watched the girl I love. She's been in a coma for two weeks, and we got time off from the label. Normally, they wouldn't give us the time, but they know what Bree means to us. They know what she means to me, but they don't know that this is Matt's fault.
"Jim--"
"Don't even try to talk to me," he hissed, "You know you're lucky that I haven't beaten the shit out of you."
The doctor walked in. He smiled at all of us, "Hello boys."
We all gave him the nod, and he proceeded to check the machines that Bree is hooked up to.
"Everything's looking really good, boys," Dr. Letterman said, "She should probably wake up really soon."
I smiled, "Thanks Dr. Letterman."
He nodded and walked out of the room. I looked around the room. I was sitting between Bree's bed and the wall. Zack was sitting on the other side of the bed with an empty chair where Gena had been sitting. She, Val, Michelle, and Leana had gone home to freshen up. We had gotten her a private room, but needed a joined room, being there were so many of us. On the other bed was Matt. Nobody wanted to sit near him, so he was sitting criss-cross on the other bed, alone. Along the back wall was a couch, where Johnny, Ashlynn, and Jimmy sat. There was a chair between the bed and the couch that a doctor had brought in. Dylan was sitting there now.
"What if she wakes up and doesn't remember us?" Ashlynn said, breaking the silence.
I glanced up at her, a pained look in my eyes. She put her head down.
"Sorry, B," she said, quietly.
I shook my head, "Don't worry. It's a possibility, I just didn't want to think of it."
Johnny put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. I heard a stirring on the bed and looked at Bree. She was staring back at me.
"Baby?" I whispered.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Tears came to my eyes, "Oh God, baby girl, it's me, Brian."
"Brian?" she asked.
I nodded, "Brian."
She stared at me, "I've never seen you before. Why are you crying?"
Dr. Letterman came in, I guess Zack called him in. She looked at him.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm your doctor," he said, "Can I check you over, sweetheart?"
She nodded, "Sure."
The doctor performed a few tests on her, then looked around.
"Any family here?"
Matt raised his hand, "We don't really want him anywhere near her," I said, "He's the reason she's here."
"If he's present in the room, I can give you the report," Dr. Letterman said.
"I'm right here," Matt said.
"Well, as you all know, she has amnesia. Her memory will probably be back in a week or two, but she has to stay here for therapy and until her wounds heal. Now, who was she closest to besides her brother?"
Zack and I raised our hands, "I'm her boyfriend, and he's the best friend. Well, all of us are her best friends, but more-so Zack than any of us," I said.
The doctor took this into consideration, "Sir," he said, looking at me, "When she's in recall therapy, you are to go with her."
I nodded, "Okay."
The doctor walked out of the room and Bree looked around, "Wow, there's a lot of people here."
I smiled, "Do you remember any of them?"
She shook her head, "Just you."
"We're your family, Bree," Jimmy said.
"My family?" she asked.
"Not your blood family," I explained, "Except Matt, he's your brother."
"Who's Matt?" she asked.
Matt walked behind Zacky, "I am."
"We don't want you talking to him right now, though," Zacky said.
"Who are you?"
I sighed, "I'm Zack."
She smiled, "Hi!"
He just smiled faintly, "Hey."
"Why can't I see him? He's my brother."
"Because, it's his fault you're in the hospital," I explained.
She nodded, "Okay."
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"Okay, Brian, she's going to be looking at pictures of people that she knows, and she's gonna tell you what she thinks of when she sees them. She is going to be throwing them away, so she might start ripping them in strange ways, so I'm just warning you."
I nodded, "Okay."
We opened the door to Bree's hospital room and she smiled, "Brian!"
I grinned, "Hey."
She motioned me over to her and gave me a hug. I felt butterflies pull my stomach. I handed her a stack of pictures.
"What is this?" she asked, looking down.
"You're gonna look at all the pictures, then get rid of them any way you want."
She smiled, "Okay."
She was looking at a poster of My Chemical Romance, "This one looks really familiar," she said, pointing at Gerard.
I smiled, "Your sister is dating him."
"Rose?" she asked.
I smiled, "Yeah."
She looked at the poster, and tore it in half, cutting their legs off from their torsos. She started ripping their torsos in half long ways. She stuffed the poster in a garbage bag. After a few posters, she came across an Avenged Sevenfold one. She stopped all her movements and stared at it.
"I remember," she said softly.
I glanced at her, "Remember what?"
"Everything. I said to you that Matt was bipolar when he was drunk and high. He broke a bottle over my head and I blacked out after that."
"You hit your head on the coffee table on your way down," I said.
"You didn't try and help me?" she asked.
I walked over to her, "Bree, it was over in a second. Plus, you're short, so you hit your head quicker than anyone else would've."
She smiled sadly, "Don't make fun of me."
I kissed her forehead, then kneeled in front of her, "I'm not."
She stared into my eyes. I put my hand on her knees, and she tangled her fingers in my hair.
"C-can I kiss you?" I asked.
"Please," she whispered.
I leaned forward and pressed our lips together, for the first time in a month. I stood up and she lied down, pulling me on top of her. We started making out, and she ran her hands down my sides to my belt loops, which she put two fingers through to hold onto me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The door opened and the therapist came in. Brian jumped out of fright and landed on the floor. I started laughing and trying to sit up, but gave it up as a bad job. Once I calmed down, I looked at the therapist.
"I'm really sorry," I said, smiling and wiping the tears from my eyes.
She smiled, "Don't worry, hun. Do you remember anything?"
"Everything," I said.
The therapist grinned, "Really?"
I nodded, "What's your older sister's name?"
"Amy. She's in the WNBA and we don't get along," I said.
Brian nodded, "That's true."
The therapist smiled, "That's great. We're gonna send in all your friends, okay?"
I nodded, "Sounds good."
The door shut and I looked at Brian, "I don't wanna see Matt," I said.
"You don't have to talk to him," he said, "But you know him, he won't leave."
I grabbed his belt loops again and pulled him over to me. He leaned down and kissed me. The door opened again, and the guys walked in. Zacky wrapped his arms around me.
"Don't scare me like that ever again, baby, okay?"
I hugged back, "I won't, Vengeance."
He kissed my forehead, and sat down on the chair he's been sitting in. Johnny was staring at me.
"I remember everything, J Christ."
He smiled, "You haven't called me that in a month."
I gave him a hug, too. He went over to the couch. Ashlynn was standing there.
"Don't leave me with these people like that ever again, okay?"
I gave her a hug, "You need the practice, honey."
Jimmy was staring at me quietly.
"It's me, Jimmy," I said.
He nodded, "I know."
"Come here."
He walked toward me and gave me a big hug. I buried my face in his shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked.
I nodded, "Yep."
He kissed my forehead, and that left Matt standing in front of me. I felt Brian sit on the bed and pull me onto his lap.
"Bree--"
"Matt, I don't want to hear your fucking mouth," I hissed.
"Let me--"
"She said she doesn't want to hear you, and quite frankly, neither do I," Jimmy said.
I leaned back against Brian, pressing my back to his chest. Matt sighed.
"I'm sorr--"
"Shut up," Zacky warned.
I took a drink of the rum and Coke that Brian brought me. We had already been drinking, so all of us were pretty drunk. Matt was smoking a bowl through the window.
"Having fun, baby girl?" Brian whispered in my ear.
I shrugged. He looked down at me, "What's wrong?"
I pointed at Matt, and Brian rubbed my shoulder, "Baby, don't worry."
"He's just so fucking bipolar when he's high and drunk, and I don't want to deal with it on my birthday," I said.
"What the fuck did you just say?!"
"Noth--"
"Bree, what did you just say?" he asked, glaring at me, an empty beer bottle clutched in his hand.
"You were b-bipolar when y-you were drunk and h-high?"
Matt raised his hand, and the next thing I saw was darkness.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Matt raised the beer bottle in his hand and broke it over Bree's head. She fell backwards and hit her head on the corner of the coffee table. I had launched at her, but she's so small, the trip down took quicker than it would've for someone else. I felt myself sober up as I moved her into my lap.
"Bree? Baby, open your eyes. Bree!"
"Holy shit, I'm calling an ambulance!" Zack shrieked from somewhere else.
Matt kneeled down and stared, wide-eyed at his knocked out sister. He put his hand out, but I smacked it away.
"Don't fucking touch her," I growled, "You're lucky I don't punch you in the fucking mouth."
He put his hand in his lap. The entire party was still as they watched me try to coax Bree to wake up, or comforting a friend.
"Baby girl, please," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.
"What the fuck happened?!" Val shrieked, coming into the living room with Ashlynn.
"Your stupid fucking boyfriend got pissed at Bree for pointing out the obvious, and broke a beer bottle over her head. Then she fell backwards, hit her head on the coffee table, and passed out."
Val glared at Matt, who looked up at her.
"Oh, God, Val, please, don't be mad at me," he begged.
"If that's what you want," Val said, "you shouldn't have broken a beer bottle over your sister's head."
The ambulance came, and Matt choked on his breath.
"We're going to tell them that she tripped and fell into the coffee table, and hit a beer bottle that was on the table," I said, coming up with a believeable lie.
Matt looked at me, "You aren't going to get me in trouble?"
I motioned Jimmy over to the door, "No," he looked relieved, "We do need a lead singer."
-----------------------------------------
"Guys, you know I didn't--"
"Matt, nobody wants to hear it," Johnny shot at him.
"Don't try and fix this," Zack spat, "When we're over it, you'll know."
I ran my hands through my hair, and watched the girl I love. She's been in a coma for two weeks, and we got time off from the label. Normally, they wouldn't give us the time, but they know what Bree means to us. They know what she means to me, but they don't know that this is Matt's fault.
"Jim--"
"Don't even try to talk to me," he hissed, "You know you're lucky that I haven't beaten the shit out of you."
The doctor walked in. He smiled at all of us, "Hello boys."
We all gave him the nod, and he proceeded to check the machines that Bree is hooked up to.
"Everything's looking really good, boys," Dr. Letterman said, "She should probably wake up really soon."
I smiled, "Thanks Dr. Letterman."
He nodded and walked out of the room. I looked around the room. I was sitting between Bree's bed and the wall. Zack was sitting on the other side of the bed with an empty chair where Gena had been sitting. She, Val, Michelle, and Leana had gone home to freshen up. We had gotten her a private room, but needed a joined room, being there were so many of us. On the other bed was Matt. Nobody wanted to sit near him, so he was sitting criss-cross on the other bed, alone. Along the back wall was a couch, where Johnny, Ashlynn, and Jimmy sat. There was a chair between the bed and the couch that a doctor had brought in. Dylan was sitting there now.
"What if she wakes up and doesn't remember us?" Ashlynn said, breaking the silence.
I glanced up at her, a pained look in my eyes. She put her head down.
"Sorry, B," she said, quietly.
I shook my head, "Don't worry. It's a possibility, I just didn't want to think of it."
Johnny put his arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. I heard a stirring on the bed and looked at Bree. She was staring back at me.
"Baby?" I whispered.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Tears came to my eyes, "Oh God, baby girl, it's me, Brian."
"Brian?" she asked.
I nodded, "Brian."
She stared at me, "I've never seen you before. Why are you crying?"
Dr. Letterman came in, I guess Zack called him in. She looked at him.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm your doctor," he said, "Can I check you over, sweetheart?"
She nodded, "Sure."
The doctor performed a few tests on her, then looked around.
"Any family here?"
Matt raised his hand, "We don't really want him anywhere near her," I said, "He's the reason she's here."
"If he's present in the room, I can give you the report," Dr. Letterman said.
"I'm right here," Matt said.
"Well, as you all know, she has amnesia. Her memory will probably be back in a week or two, but she has to stay here for therapy and until her wounds heal. Now, who was she closest to besides her brother?"
Zack and I raised our hands, "I'm her boyfriend, and he's the best friend. Well, all of us are her best friends, but more-so Zack than any of us," I said.
The doctor took this into consideration, "Sir," he said, looking at me, "When she's in recall therapy, you are to go with her."
I nodded, "Okay."
The doctor walked out of the room and Bree looked around, "Wow, there's a lot of people here."
I smiled, "Do you remember any of them?"
She shook her head, "Just you."
"We're your family, Bree," Jimmy said.
"My family?" she asked.
"Not your blood family," I explained, "Except Matt, he's your brother."
"Who's Matt?" she asked.
Matt walked behind Zacky, "I am."
"We don't want you talking to him right now, though," Zacky said.
"Who are you?"
I sighed, "I'm Zack."
She smiled, "Hi!"
He just smiled faintly, "Hey."
"Why can't I see him? He's my brother."
"Because, it's his fault you're in the hospital," I explained.
She nodded, "Okay."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Okay, Brian, she's going to be looking at pictures of people that she knows, and she's gonna tell you what she thinks of when she sees them. She is going to be throwing them away, so she might start ripping them in strange ways, so I'm just warning you."
I nodded, "Okay."
We opened the door to Bree's hospital room and she smiled, "Brian!"
I grinned, "Hey."
She motioned me over to her and gave me a hug. I felt butterflies pull my stomach. I handed her a stack of pictures.
"What is this?" she asked, looking down.
"You're gonna look at all the pictures, then get rid of them any way you want."
She smiled, "Okay."
She was looking at a poster of My Chemical Romance, "This one looks really familiar," she said, pointing at Gerard.
I smiled, "Your sister is dating him."
"Rose?" she asked.
I smiled, "Yeah."
She looked at the poster, and tore it in half, cutting their legs off from their torsos. She started ripping their torsos in half long ways. She stuffed the poster in a garbage bag. After a few posters, she came across an Avenged Sevenfold one. She stopped all her movements and stared at it.
"I remember," she said softly.
I glanced at her, "Remember what?"
"Everything. I said to you that Matt was bipolar when he was drunk and high. He broke a bottle over my head and I blacked out after that."
"You hit your head on the coffee table on your way down," I said.
"You didn't try and help me?" she asked.
I walked over to her, "Bree, it was over in a second. Plus, you're short, so you hit your head quicker than anyone else would've."
She smiled sadly, "Don't make fun of me."
I kissed her forehead, then kneeled in front of her, "I'm not."
She stared into my eyes. I put my hand on her knees, and she tangled her fingers in my hair.
"C-can I kiss you?" I asked.
"Please," she whispered.
I leaned forward and pressed our lips together, for the first time in a month. I stood up and she lied down, pulling me on top of her. We started making out, and she ran her hands down my sides to my belt loops, which she put two fingers through to hold onto me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The door opened and the therapist came in. Brian jumped out of fright and landed on the floor. I started laughing and trying to sit up, but gave it up as a bad job. Once I calmed down, I looked at the therapist.
"I'm really sorry," I said, smiling and wiping the tears from my eyes.
She smiled, "Don't worry, hun. Do you remember anything?"
"Everything," I said.
The therapist grinned, "Really?"
I nodded, "What's your older sister's name?"
"Amy. She's in the WNBA and we don't get along," I said.
Brian nodded, "That's true."
The therapist smiled, "That's great. We're gonna send in all your friends, okay?"
I nodded, "Sounds good."
The door shut and I looked at Brian, "I don't wanna see Matt," I said.
"You don't have to talk to him," he said, "But you know him, he won't leave."
I grabbed his belt loops again and pulled him over to me. He leaned down and kissed me. The door opened again, and the guys walked in. Zacky wrapped his arms around me.
"Don't scare me like that ever again, baby, okay?"
I hugged back, "I won't, Vengeance."
He kissed my forehead, and sat down on the chair he's been sitting in. Johnny was staring at me.
"I remember everything, J Christ."
He smiled, "You haven't called me that in a month."
I gave him a hug, too. He went over to the couch. Ashlynn was standing there.
"Don't leave me with these people like that ever again, okay?"
I gave her a hug, "You need the practice, honey."
Jimmy was staring at me quietly.
"It's me, Jimmy," I said.
He nodded, "I know."
"Come here."
He walked toward me and gave me a big hug. I buried my face in his shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked.
I nodded, "Yep."
He kissed my forehead, and that left Matt standing in front of me. I felt Brian sit on the bed and pull me onto his lap.
"Bree--"
"Matt, I don't want to hear your fucking mouth," I hissed.
"Let me--"
"She said she doesn't want to hear you, and quite frankly, neither do I," Jimmy said.
I leaned back against Brian, pressing my back to his chest. Matt sighed.
"I'm sorr--"
"Shut up," Zacky warned.