The words echoed in his mind.
... "There's been an accident….. I think it's best if you come immediately"
Ste had frozen; his phone dropped, his limbs numbed, Doug had now become part of the room, his words and actions redundant.
Ste's thoughts turned to Cheryl, to Brendan's boys, to Eileen, to himself. What would he do in a world without Brendan? How would the boys cope without their father? Who would take care of his baby sister? In that single moment, Ste was broken, not just for his own possible loss, but for those who shared the love of Brendan.
"You're gonna be okay, you hear me?!"
Brendan had been drifting in and out of consciousness, unable to remember anything. He tried to open his eyes, nothing. He focused instead on what he could hear; Cheryl beside fighting with him, the doctors and nurses fighting for him, his own thoughts fighting against him.
You deserve this, this is how it ends. The people who you've hurt in your life deserve this day, your death is their freedom.
Brendan was stunned by the fatal honesty of his own mind. Did he really deserve this? All that he had been through as a child paid for all of the bad things in his life, surely?
Brendan could feel his hand being held; it was soft, gentle, everything that he had never been, it was Cheryl. He tried to open his eyes for her, nothing.
Ste burst into the room. He must have run all the way to the hospital, but now he was still, silent, shocked. Before him lay the only person who had every really known him, understood the pain he had felt, been there for him when others hadn't. He thought of the people in his life in recent years; there had been only one constant, the man now lying motionless in front of him, his best friend, the love of his life.
Finally his eyes turned to Cheryl; he embraced her, holding her as tightly as he could. There were no words, nothing that needed to be said.
Then wiping the tears from his face, Ste sat down and held Brendan's hand. Cheryl watched and saw how gentle her great friend was with Brendan. She knew as well as anyone that she couldn't help Brendan now, that role lay with Ste.
She trusted him, and knew that Ste would bring her brother back. With a half-smile towards the two men, she left the room.
Brendan awoke. He again tried to open his eyes, nothing. There were no sounds now, everything was quiet. He heard the door open and an abrupt stop of previously running feet.
The door closed and quiet was restored. Cheryl, who had been sat at his right side, now stood up and walked towards the door. Brendan still heard nothing, but could sense that the silence was significant.
Brendan could feel his right hand being held once more, again with the gentleness and softness of Cheryl's, but something was different.
The room remained silent for a few more seconds, until the sound of footsteps and the opening and closing of the door marked the fact that Brendan was alone with the person now clutching his right hand. Although he wasn't sure as to who the hand belonged to, Brendan felt no fear; for the first time in what seemed an eternity, he felt at peace. He rested his mind, and let his thoughts wander.
