The Bond of Brothers

After winding through what seemed like miles and miles of stripped trees and broken limbs, Pete pulled in to the nearly complete garage that was attached to the two-story cabin-style home. He had purchased the old house and property nearly a year ago, but had yet to finish any of the home improvement projects he had wanted to do. His to-do list was a long one and not a single thing had been accomplished. It seemed like work was always pulling him away for one reason or another. If they weren’t in the studio, traveling to finish mixing songs, then they were out on the road. Time here was often hard sought after and very rare. It was a damn shame that it took a tragedy to get them all to slow down and in one place.

The house was dark, which normally would not have been odd if it weren’t for the fact that that he had contracted a crew to install a security system while he was away. It wasn’t like the extravagant system he had installed at his main estate in Florida, but the damn lights outside should have at least come on. “Damn it.”

Without any light to help guide him, Pete left the truck’s bright lights burning until he could figure out which of the hundred keys would unlock the front door. Cursing all the way, Pete climbed the front steps, crossed the porch and into the foyer. Inside was darker without the illumination of the moon and few stars out. Pitch blackness clung to the corners and distorted the shadows that crept around the tall windows. Hulking furniture draped in flowing white clothes warped into ghosts. Monsters reached out to snare whoever dared to cross their paths. Pete laughed uneasily and chided himself for thinking such childish thoughts. There was no such thing as ghosts or spooks. The boogie man did not exist. But just to be safe, Pete fumbled for the light switch. No boogie man or monster could stand the killer rays of a GE light bulb.

The cool surface met his finger tips, but he didn’t feel the light switch. With a sigh of relief he finally found it and flipped it up. Uh oh. Nothing. He blinked in wait of bright blazing lights, only to be left in deep darkness. “Goddamn old house!” It looked as if the storm that had ripped through this part of the eastern US had left its mark. There wasn’t a lick of electricity for miles. He should have deducted that fact from the lack of working street lights on the road just before he turned on his long driveway. His mind had been miles away though.

If this day got any worse, he was going to scream his head off. Now, he had to maneuver his way in the dark and hopefully manage to do so without tripping over some thing laying in the floor or his own damn two feet. Lightening streaked across the sky outside his living room window, bringing Pete to a halt. Mother Nature wasn’t done with them yet. Since he could not fix himself something in the dark, Pete opted for just hitting the bed instead. That was the only slightly productive thing he had the desire for. The idea of eating made his stomach flip.

A loud pop sounded and everything came to life at once. The sudden buzzing sounds of the answer machine battled over the sudden noise blaring from the television and stereo. Pete suddenly felt like he was in the middle of a Stephen King movie with killer appliances.

“Beep! Please leave your.....beep!” The screeching answering machine shouted after Pete found the remote and cut off the combination of news reporters and rock music. He glared at the irritating machine. Lightening must have struck it causing the tape to repeat the same words over and over again. “Beep! Please leave your...”

“God almighty! Shut up!” He slammed his hand down on top of the infuriating device. Silence finally fell, but noise continued to ring in Pete’s ears. The loud thumping of his heart was the only other sound he could make out. That had scared the shit out of him.

Now he had light and could retreat into the kitchen and whip himself up something to eat. He took one glance at the stairs and decided to stick to his other plan. He was exhausted. After driving all day and then the emotionally draining sight of Patrick at the hospital, Pete could barely hold himself up. He would eat tomorrow. He would face Patrick. Tonight, he just wanted to forget the world.

***********************************************

The hospital room was almost empty. Elisa sat beside Patrick like she had been doing all day. Her hand held his while she watched the heart monitor. It was a miracle that he was still alive. Elisa silently prayed for another. God, bring him back to me. Back to us. We need him so much. Forgive us of our times of weakness. You know Patrick is a good man. Inside he is honorable and loving.

“You need to get some sleep, sister-in-law.” Kevin. leaned in the doorway. She thought he had left with his parents. “You know Patrick would tell you the same thing if he could.”

“I keep hoping he’ll open his eyes.” Elisa’s voice came out weak with pain and exhaustion. “If he does, he won’t know where he is. That’ll scare him.”

“First thing he will see is your beautiful face.” Patrick’s older brother smiled warmly at her. “Then he’ll know he’s safe and to not be afraid.”

She wanted to say thank you, but tears began to flow from her eyes. Her strength gave way and she collapsed into the grief she had been desperately trying to fend off. Kevin came to her aid and held her tightly. There was only so much Elisa could take and she couldn’t handle any of this alone. His hand caressed her back as he pressed the side of his face against he damp cheek. “It’s going to be okay. Patrick has surprised them all. He’s not the type that will give up. You know he won’t leave you and Matt alone.”

“There are just so many things I don’t understand.” Elisa pulled away and met his gaze full on finally. “Did you see him yesterday afternoon? What the hell was he doing last night?”

He sighed and glanced towards his silent brother. “I don’t know what to tell you. I talked to Patrick on Thursday and told him I was going to be out of town. He said something about planning a special weekend, but that’s it. He seemed anxious, but I figured that was because he was pushed for time. He wanted to make things up to you.”

“He told you about the fight?” She didn’t know why that should surprise her. Patrick was always close to his big brother. That night they had argued, Patrick had left their home upset. None of the guys were in town at the time, so he would have turned to Kevin. She pushed back the nervous breakdown she was ready to have. “Patrick felt so bad about that night. He can beat himself up so much, even if no one else holds him to blame.”

“Sounds like Patrick.” Kevin smiled at her. “He didn’t hit you that night, right?”

The question startled her and her throat tightened. “Patrick could never do that. I was the one who threw the glass at him. Chunk it up to postpartum depression. My behavior has been very out of whack. Patrick didn’t know what was wrong, so he left.”

“You know Patrick loves you and Matt so much.” Kevin’s tone softened. Leaning forward, he touched Patrick’s bandaged forehead. “He’s do anything for you two.”

“I know.”

He cleared his throat as the heavy emotions that seemed to flow from Elisa, filling up the room around him, began to suffocate him. “I better go.”

“Please, Kevin.” Elisa stood up and curved her left arm through his. “Stay for awhile.”

***************************************

Patrick’s father guided his mother to his car. Despite her protests, he knew that he needed to get her back home. It would not help Patrick or Patricia for the tired woman to maintain a constant vigil by her youngest son’s side. Echoes of Dr. Patton’s words echoed through his mind. He heard them over and over again as he drove her home. Massive head trauma. Coma. Irreversible brain damage. He wanted to allow himself to cry, but Patricia was depending on his strength. Even though they had not been together as a couple since Patrick was around 8, it didn’t mean that he didn’t care for this woman. She had bore him three beautiful children whom he loved more than life itself. She needed him to be strong and, by God, he was going to be.

The ride home was silent, but at that time words were not really needed. They both knew what each other was feeling. They couldn’t voice the fear. They had to stifle it until they could unleash the pent up misery alone. He pulled up into the driveway surprised to see Mark already out in the driveway in wait. The spoke briefly offering words of encouragement before Mark helped his wife out of the car, thanking him, and led her up to their bedroom. He slipped a sedative in a cold glass of water and urged her to drink without argument. Once she was asleep, he tip-toed down the stairs and into his study. He didn’t want to think about planning his step-son’s funeral, but the doctor had not really offered them much hope. The truth was, they would most likely not be worrying about how they would attend to Patrick’s needs once he woke up. Most likely they would be facing the agonizing decision of letting him go.

He sat at his desk but didn’t turn on the lamp. Staring off into space, the agony hit him full force. Mark covered his face and cried. Patricia would not see his moment of weakness. Now it was safe to feel the pain and the anger. He may not have been Patrick’s real father, but he loved him like a real son. “Why, God? Why Patrick?”

This was not the first time they had to sit by and wait while Patrick clung to life. The first time had struck them just as swiftly and without warning. Patrick was much older now, but that did not make the situation any easier. They were once again powerless when he needed them the most. Elisa and Matthew needed the strength of the family too, but it all felt so forced. They all were afraid to speak out loud the terribly frightening thoughts that were running through their minds. So, despite the closeness they all claimed to embrace, they all felt alone. He could not bring himself to cry in front of his family. Patricia refused to talk about the possibility that this could turn out like the many nightmares that had plagued her since Patrick’s birth.

He allowed himself this one moment of weakness. While alone, he could feel every ounce of pain that tore through his heart. But as soon as the sun rose up and Patricia came down stairs, he would put on the familiar mask. God would do what was needed. His Will would be carried out, their understanding was not really important. If Patrick was taken from this world, he would be forever safe in the arms of their Father. Mark closed his eyes tightly. Those words did nothing for him. The only thing that he would accept was Patrick waking up. Nothing else.