What Makes A Family
A Four Brothers Fanfiction
Enjoy.
I fell out of bed and groaned when I hit the floor, still relatively hung over from the night before. I'd barely made it home, but thanks to the watchful eyes of my friends, I'd gladly not made the mistake of going home with Mr. Nobody. I sighed and looked up when my roommate walked in, smirking at the earful I was about to get.
"Jesus, you look like hell Kate."
I laughed weakly as I pulled myself into a semi-sitting position, running my fingers back through my tangled hair, "I feel like hell." She pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest, setting her jaw in half-hearted anger. "Yeah and you almost got your little ass picked up by some idiot who just had the vibe of a serial killer." I rolled my eyes, wanting nothing more than to get breakfast as I attempted to stand and promptly fell back to the ground. "But I didn't get picked up by some idiot who was probably a serial killer so you don't get to yell at me- besides, I have a headache and if you yell…"
Trish shook her head and sighed, tossing something at me. Instinctively, I caught it and looked down at my cell phone, raising an eyebrow. "Its been ringing since two this morning," she murmured.
"Shit."
"Seems like some really serious shit. Someone must've really wanted your ass last night."
When I dialed the number back I was greeted by a polite 'hello'. "Hi; are you the one that's been calling my phone all night," I questioned, unsure of the voice on the other end of the line. "Really Katherine- first I spend all night trying to get a hold of you and now you greet your favorite big brother like a stranger. Nice."
"Why the fuck are you calling me Jerry," I asked quietly, feeling all of the blood drain from my face.
Trish seemed to be alarmed, mouthing for me to hang up the phone. I shook my head as I started to protest, Jeremiah laughing humorlessly over the phone and I narrowed my eyes angrily before he continued to speak. "You need to come home. Now," he said almost demandingly, the need to rebel welling up inside of me. "Fuck you dude- Detroit is not home for me. I told all of you fucks when I left that you'd never see me again. I swear, I fucking hate Mercers-"
"Kate, shut the hell up and listen to me, okay? Baby… Mama died last night."
It was only a whisper, but my whole world went silent as I struggled to comprehend what he had just said to me.
"Mom's dead? Mama is dead? Jerry- Jerry!"
Evelyn Mercer had been my saving grace; when I was a child, I was orphaned in an act of violence- an act perpetrated by my father, an act that killed my mother. After being shuttled from home to home for years, I landed in the arms of Detroit's miracle worker and there, I found a family that I began to call my home. And even after all that we went through together- when the rest of my family had abandoned me- she was still there, always the one to stand by my side.
And now, she was gone.
"Kate," Jerry said quietly.
I began to hyperventilate, unable to catch my breath even as I struggled to speak.
"How Jerry? I need to know how," I sobbed, my hand curling into a fist on my thigh. He sighed quietly and if I had been there, I would have sworn that he would be sitting in his kitchen somewhere in the dark. Jerry would be staring at the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose as he attempted to find the words. "It was… uh, it was a convenience store hold up. She was… shot; they said she went quickly. She didn't suffer," Jerry replied, sniffling quietly. I cried and he was silent on the phone, listening to me as I came to terms with my grief.
"I'm coming. Right now- I'm coming home Jerry."
Jerry exhaled deeply, "Yeah Kate. We need you."
I hung up with my brother and stood up, trembling slightly as I attempted to stay on my feet. Trish looked at me sadly, her lips parting as her eyes searched mine carefully. "You look like you lost your best friend," she whispered, the words seeming to pain her.
"I feel like I did," I replied.
"And now I'm going to lose mine. You already told me that your death would be waiting for you there."
Trish watched me as I moved to my closet, robotically pulling my suitcase out and beginning to pack my things. She then moved to stand over me, her hand on my shoulder, "Katie, I cannot lose you too. You know that my husband walked out on me, that I lost my baby- I'm telling you now that I can't handle losing anyone else that I love." I looked up at my best friend and shook my head, swallowing. "I'm not going anywhere."
She smiled and sank down to the floor where I was, taking the balled up clothes from my hand. "Go take a shower baby; I've got this," Trish murmured, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. I smiled despite how much pain I was in and went to get myself together, knowing that I was in for hell the minute I stepped foot on Michigan soil. Not only was I returning to bury the one person I could say picked me up out of the gutter and saved my life, I would be reunited with the few people that had made a talent of getting underneath my skin.
Jerry would probably be ticked off that I had kept away for so long.
Chances were that Bobby wouldn't even be there.
Angel would still be brooding over things that happened in past that I had yet to make atonement for.
And Jack, he'd kill me; that much I was sure of.