Another Brother, chapter 7
The wind was strong. The rain had left the ground wet and covered with puddles. The wind rustled in my hair. I looked down at the water below me. The waves violently splashed up against the edge of the rocks I was standing on. At night in the dark the ocean looked black. The night sky was filled with clouds so dark they looked black. Every now and then the moon reflected in the water then diapered behind the clouds again.
I sat and watched the ocean. This is the end. I have to reason to go on, no purpose. I have no money, no dreams, well I had dreams, but not any more. I have no way of achieving it now.
"There is no point" I said to myself. I once again pulled the photo out of my pocket. And looked at it for a while. This time I didn't cry. I had said goodbye. And that was it.
I stood up on the jagged rocks. Looked out towards the sea. I couldn't swim. I bent my legs and prepared to jump.
I launched myself into the air. When I hit the water it was like ice, my finger tips went blue.
My lungs quickly filled with water. I gasped for air, but only got water. I looked around out to sea, then back to the jagged rocks were I had jumped from. I splashed around. I didn't want to save myself, but it was like a reaction.
Soon my head was completely under water. I was sinking, as the water that filled my lungs pulled me down.
My arms reached for the surface grabbing for the air, but I was in too deep. All I could reach to was more water.
I felt faint, my legs stopped kicking, my arms stopped waving.
My head stopped thinking. The panic was over. All that surrounded me was black...
A group of kids, about 16 or 17 where mucking around on the bridge above the rocks. They were completely unaware of what had just happened.
They where trying to convince one of their friends to jump in from the bridge and take a swim.
"Come on, don't be a wimp!" one of the older looking ones persisted.
"Fuck no man its fucking like 2 degrees out here!" he disagreed.
"Oh, where sorry we wouldn't want little, Ben to get his little toes wet now would we?" Teased another. "Come on man, just do it, you're one of the best swimmers I've ever met." he added more seriously.
"Fine." Ben sighed in reply. Giving in, he took off his t-shirt and shoes and stood up on the edge of the bridge. He braced himself. He raised his arms above his head and dived in. He feel from such I hight he reached the bottom very quickly.
That's when he thought he'd have a little fun, and stay down there as long as he could to freak out his mates. He reached around to grab onto a rock or some thing to hold himself down.
He waved his arms about until he hit some thing...
His hart stopped. He may not have been able to see it through the dark, black water. But he knew it was a person. He instantly kicked into panic mode.
He grabbed the arm again. He went to yell, but his mouth just filled with water. He launched himself up, when he reached the top and his head was out of the water he gasped for air. His face so pale he could camouflage in snow.
"Cold is it?!" laughed his mates looking down at him.
"Shut the fuck up! There's a body down there!" he screeched.
"Oh, very funny. Were not that dumb," they replied.
"No I'm serious! Some ones down there!" he yelled.
"Sure, sure." Is all they replied sarcastically, with out even considering he was telling the truth.
Ben had no time to convince them, he went down for a second time, swimming towards the body.
His friends stood and watched.
"What the fuck is he doing? He can't be serious, he doesn't think he's honestly gonna get us does he?" One of them joked.
When he reached me he grabbed my hand and pulled me up enough so he could get hold of my waist. I was as skinny as a twig so he had no trouble lifting me. He brought me to the surface. And held my head above the water. He treaded water with one hand while hold me with the other, while he caught his breath. He gasped and splashed around for a while. Until his friends saw him with the body.
"Mother of jesses fucking god!" is all that came out one his friends mouth.
All 5 of then instantly ran down over the jagged rocks and knelt down by the shore and helped Ben life the motionless body out of the water. They all carried me across the rocks to the sand of the beach.
"What do we do?" One of them shouted. "Is he breathing?" another yelled. Ben shoved then out the way and knelt down beside the body. He put his ear up against, the bodies mouth. He shook his head. Then he put his ear against the chest.
"There's a heart beat! Call an ambulance." He instructed. While his friends called 911.
He placed the body gently on its side and opened its mouth, realising the water from inside. He attempted mouth to mouth resuscitation. Ben's dad was a life guard, so he had been taught how.
With no luck all they could do was wait for the ambulance.
When the ambulance arrived, three men rushed out, two of them went to the body. The other went to the kids. He asked them all there versions of what happened. All being the same he dismissed it as an accident, and a rescue mission.
"Young man, you're a hero. Its kids like you who need to be rewarded." He said to Ben as he climbed back into the ambulance and drove off with the body inside.
Mike was sitting impatiently in the emergency room hallway. Waiting, just waiting for Estella to come out of surgery. He hated the way the doctors left him so UN-informed about what was going on with his nine-year-old daughter.
Mike watched as doctors rushed about, some people who had just arrived in ambulances speed past on there portable beds.
Mike sat and waited, Estella's surgery had been going for 3 hours now.
Mike had seen Estella since the accident, but it was her third operation. This one was the final one... This was the one that if a success, she would walk again, if not. Well you get the point.
As another ambulance pulled up another doctor came running, a boy was wheeled in, on a hospital bed from the ambulance.
As it sped past Mike, something caught his eye.
He recognized the drenched little boy that was being taken to intensive care.
"Fuck!" he yelled. "Ryan!" he called down the hall way. He got up from the chair where he had been sitting and chased the bed down the hall, he caught up with the doctor.
"What's going on?!" I demanded. Looking down at me to cheek he had the right kid.
"Sorry that's classified information sir. Please sit down." The doctor said calmly as he followed the nurse wheeling the bed.
"He's my baby brother!" Mike demanded. "Just tell me, is he going to be okay?" he finished as they entered the intensive care unit.
"Only time will tell. You can't come any further sir." Replied the doctor as I was wheeled away. Mike watched as once again I disappeared out of his sight.
"Why did I kick him out? He didn't push Estella, he wouldn't of... He didn't." Mike said to himself. "Oh, fuck, he needed me, he may have been trouble, but I could of worked on it with him, like a real brother would of. Instead I just threw him out. Left him for dead. I'm no brother."
Mike sat in the hospital once again. Knowing nothing, not knowing if his daughter would walk again, or if his brother would live. As time ticked by Mike sat. He waiting all night. With out a wink of sleep. He waited at the hospital until the doctor pretty much forced him to go home and get some rest.
Mike went home, not that he got much rest though. He couldn't sleep. Who could sleep at a time like this?
He lay and watched the clock. He saw the hours go by, 12am 1am 2am, 3am, and 4am. He lay awake, thinking. Wondering if he would have a family ever again.
I sat and watched the ocean. This is the end. I have to reason to go on, no purpose. I have no money, no dreams, well I had dreams, but not any more. I have no way of achieving it now.
"There is no point" I said to myself. I once again pulled the photo out of my pocket. And looked at it for a while. This time I didn't cry. I had said goodbye. And that was it.
I stood up on the jagged rocks. Looked out towards the sea. I couldn't swim. I bent my legs and prepared to jump.
I launched myself into the air. When I hit the water it was like ice, my finger tips went blue.
My lungs quickly filled with water. I gasped for air, but only got water. I looked around out to sea, then back to the jagged rocks were I had jumped from. I splashed around. I didn't want to save myself, but it was like a reaction.
Soon my head was completely under water. I was sinking, as the water that filled my lungs pulled me down.
My arms reached for the surface grabbing for the air, but I was in too deep. All I could reach to was more water.
I felt faint, my legs stopped kicking, my arms stopped waving.
My head stopped thinking. The panic was over. All that surrounded me was black...
A group of kids, about 16 or 17 where mucking around on the bridge above the rocks. They were completely unaware of what had just happened.
They where trying to convince one of their friends to jump in from the bridge and take a swim.
"Come on, don't be a wimp!" one of the older looking ones persisted.
"Fuck no man its fucking like 2 degrees out here!" he disagreed.
"Oh, where sorry we wouldn't want little, Ben to get his little toes wet now would we?" Teased another. "Come on man, just do it, you're one of the best swimmers I've ever met." he added more seriously.
"Fine." Ben sighed in reply. Giving in, he took off his t-shirt and shoes and stood up on the edge of the bridge. He braced himself. He raised his arms above his head and dived in. He feel from such I hight he reached the bottom very quickly.
That's when he thought he'd have a little fun, and stay down there as long as he could to freak out his mates. He reached around to grab onto a rock or some thing to hold himself down.
He waved his arms about until he hit some thing...
His hart stopped. He may not have been able to see it through the dark, black water. But he knew it was a person. He instantly kicked into panic mode.
He grabbed the arm again. He went to yell, but his mouth just filled with water. He launched himself up, when he reached the top and his head was out of the water he gasped for air. His face so pale he could camouflage in snow.
"Cold is it?!" laughed his mates looking down at him.
"Shut the fuck up! There's a body down there!" he screeched.
"Oh, very funny. Were not that dumb," they replied.
"No I'm serious! Some ones down there!" he yelled.
"Sure, sure." Is all they replied sarcastically, with out even considering he was telling the truth.
Ben had no time to convince them, he went down for a second time, swimming towards the body.
His friends stood and watched.
"What the fuck is he doing? He can't be serious, he doesn't think he's honestly gonna get us does he?" One of them joked.
When he reached me he grabbed my hand and pulled me up enough so he could get hold of my waist. I was as skinny as a twig so he had no trouble lifting me. He brought me to the surface. And held my head above the water. He treaded water with one hand while hold me with the other, while he caught his breath. He gasped and splashed around for a while. Until his friends saw him with the body.
"Mother of jesses fucking god!" is all that came out one his friends mouth.
All 5 of then instantly ran down over the jagged rocks and knelt down by the shore and helped Ben life the motionless body out of the water. They all carried me across the rocks to the sand of the beach.
"What do we do?" One of them shouted. "Is he breathing?" another yelled. Ben shoved then out the way and knelt down beside the body. He put his ear up against, the bodies mouth. He shook his head. Then he put his ear against the chest.
"There's a heart beat! Call an ambulance." He instructed. While his friends called 911.
He placed the body gently on its side and opened its mouth, realising the water from inside. He attempted mouth to mouth resuscitation. Ben's dad was a life guard, so he had been taught how.
With no luck all they could do was wait for the ambulance.
When the ambulance arrived, three men rushed out, two of them went to the body. The other went to the kids. He asked them all there versions of what happened. All being the same he dismissed it as an accident, and a rescue mission.
"Young man, you're a hero. Its kids like you who need to be rewarded." He said to Ben as he climbed back into the ambulance and drove off with the body inside.
Mike was sitting impatiently in the emergency room hallway. Waiting, just waiting for Estella to come out of surgery. He hated the way the doctors left him so UN-informed about what was going on with his nine-year-old daughter.
Mike watched as doctors rushed about, some people who had just arrived in ambulances speed past on there portable beds.
Mike sat and waited, Estella's surgery had been going for 3 hours now.
Mike had seen Estella since the accident, but it was her third operation. This one was the final one... This was the one that if a success, she would walk again, if not. Well you get the point.
As another ambulance pulled up another doctor came running, a boy was wheeled in, on a hospital bed from the ambulance.
As it sped past Mike, something caught his eye.
He recognized the drenched little boy that was being taken to intensive care.
"Fuck!" he yelled. "Ryan!" he called down the hall way. He got up from the chair where he had been sitting and chased the bed down the hall, he caught up with the doctor.
"What's going on?!" I demanded. Looking down at me to cheek he had the right kid.
"Sorry that's classified information sir. Please sit down." The doctor said calmly as he followed the nurse wheeling the bed.
"He's my baby brother!" Mike demanded. "Just tell me, is he going to be okay?" he finished as they entered the intensive care unit.
"Only time will tell. You can't come any further sir." Replied the doctor as I was wheeled away. Mike watched as once again I disappeared out of his sight.
"Why did I kick him out? He didn't push Estella, he wouldn't of... He didn't." Mike said to himself. "Oh, fuck, he needed me, he may have been trouble, but I could of worked on it with him, like a real brother would of. Instead I just threw him out. Left him for dead. I'm no brother."
Mike sat in the hospital once again. Knowing nothing, not knowing if his daughter would walk again, or if his brother would live. As time ticked by Mike sat. He waiting all night. With out a wink of sleep. He waited at the hospital until the doctor pretty much forced him to go home and get some rest.
Mike went home, not that he got much rest though. He couldn't sleep. Who could sleep at a time like this?
He lay and watched the clock. He saw the hours go by, 12am 1am 2am, 3am, and 4am. He lay awake, thinking. Wondering if he would have a family ever again.
