Because Dandelions Are Pretty

"Bill?" Tom's voice broke through Bill's silent sitting after a few minutes.

Bill wiped away the last remnants of his tears and forced a smile at his brother. "Ja?"

"What're you doing down here? And why does it look like you were crying?" Tom asked worriedly, squatting down next to Bill. He threw an arm around his younger brother's shoulders and gave him a small shake. "Are you scared? About your operation?"

Bill shook his head. "Nein. It's that girl, Aubrey. She..." he sobbed once hard before he regained control. "She's hurt bad. She needs a leg removed."

Tom's eyes widened. He could already see why Bill was so distraught over something that didn't even involve him. Bill had always cared a lot about other people, sometimes even a little too much. It was almost as if he could feel the pain that the other person was going through. He always was a little sensitive...although the word 'little' might be an understatement at this point.

"It's just..." Bill wiped at his eyes, trying not to smudge his eyeliner, "she reminds me of me, believe it or not."

"What are you talking about? You've never met her before!" Tom reasoned.

"I don't mean personality. I mean situation. Look at me, Tom. I'm getting an operation on my vocal cords, the very part of me that keeps me singing and helps me do what I love every day. Aubrey's doing the same thing. She's a fencer – her legs are all she's got. The only difference..." Bill shut his eyes, "...the only difference is that after all of this, I get to keep doing what I love. Aubrey doesn't have that chance."

Tom wrapped his other arm around him and gave Bill a tight squeeze. "There's nothing you can do about it, though. I'm sorry to break it to you Bill but..."

"Nein, I know," Bill sniffled a little. "But at least now I know why she affects me so much. We're both alike, and then again, we're not."

Tom nodded even though the sentence made little literal sense. "When are they going to...y'know..."

Bill shrugged. "Her parents are coming down here to be with her for the operation. I don't know how long that will take..."

Tom saw something like determination flash in Bill's eyes. He stood up and moved in front of Bill, grabbing a hold of his brother's shoulders so that they were forced to face each other.

"You can't honestly be thinking of trying to be there with her during the surgery, can you?" Tom asked.

Bill merely shrugged. "If she has hers before I have mine, why not?"

"Bill, you don't know her!"

"I've spoken to her while she was in the room!"

"No, Bill. I mean you really don't know her. Aside from her name, injury, and profession, you don't know squat about Aubrey Vasser!"

The sounds of two pairs of footsteps interrupted Tom's lecture. The twins looked down the hallway to see an older man and woman, holding onto each other's hands. The man had blondish hair, with a few grey areas along the roots. The woman's hair was black and flew everywhere in thick clumps. Bill could already tell: these were Aubrey's parents.

Breathless, they marched towards their daughter's hospital room and wrenched the door open before shutting it behind them. They didn't even look twice at the two boys, one with electrified hair and the other with long dreads. Bill watched the closed door with anxious eyes. Tom said nothing, not wanting to break Bill's concentration.

Noah's voice then rang out of nowhere: "Bill, you're still here?"

Bill looked to his right and saw the younger boy approaching him slowly. He then looked over and saw Tom sitting next to him. "Who's that?"

"This is my twin brother, Tom," Bill introduced them.

The two boys shook hands and exchanged mumbled hellos before Noah said, "Bill, why are you still here?"

"I want to make sure your sister is okay," Bill answered honestly.

"W-Why?" Noah stuttered.

Bill wasn't sure how to answer that question himself. He stared at Noah for a few seconds before saying, "I just do."

Tom resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the plain answer, but Noah seemed to accept it.

"I wish there was some way I could help her," Noah said, heaving a sad sigh. He leaned his back against the wall next to Bill. "She's probably ignoring my parents in there. She doesn't want to see anybody, not even me, but I know there has to be something to cheer her up."

"Did you find out when it's going to happen?" Bill asked. "The uh...operation?"

"An hour and a half. They're preparing the medical staff and cleansing their equipment. It takes a while."

"That's when your operation is, Bill," Tom said in English, giving his twin a nudge on the knee. "What a coincidence."

Bill sensed the sarcasm in Tom's voice but chose to ignore it.

"I knew I should've packed it with me," Noah muttered angrily to himself.

"Packed what with you?" Tom asked.

"My guitar. I got it for my tenth birthday, but even though it's mine, Aubrey plays it a lot. We pretty much share it." Noah snuffled his feet around. "We always used to believe that music could save your life and do wonders for your soul. If I had that guitar for her, I'd feel at least a little less useless."

"What kind is it?" Tom's eyes were bright with interest all of a sudden. Finally, a topic that wasn't depressing that he could get involved with.

"A Gibson SG. Red. No finish," Noah recited.

Tom whistled, impressed. "Bet it feels good."

But Bill wasn't thinking about the feel of the guitar. Instead, he jumped up from his seat, an idea hatching in his mind. He knew the perfect means to brighten Aubrey's day.

"Bill? What are you doing?" Tom asked, getting up as well.

"I'll be back soon. You don't have to come with me," Bill instructed, turning towards the waiting room and walking swiftly down the hallway.

"You're leaving? Now? Why?" Tom trailed close behind his heels, switching to German in his confusion.

"I need to take care of something," Bill said firmly, walking past a very surprised Georg and Gustav sitting in the lobby chairs and reading magazines.

"Why now? Can't it wait till after your surgery?"

"Nein. Are you coming with me or not?"

Bill had one hand on the glass doors of the hospital, ready to exit as soon as Tom gave an answer. Tom looked back to his fellow band mates with an annoyed sigh. "We'll be right back!"

They could only nod in understanding.

Tom still had no idea what Bill was up to, but he knew he had to follow his brother and make sure nothing happened to him while he was out.

Anyway, Tom was ready to bet his soul that whatever Bill had planned involved doing something for Aubrey Vasser.