AN: This is a oneshot story I've had in mind for quite a while now. I wanted to share it with you in part because I'm a sucker for the brotherly bond stories on this site and wanted to contribute one of my own, and also to let you all know I'm still alive. For those of you who have been waiting for me to finish Poseidon, I promise I will do it eventually...it's just a matter of when. I've been very busy at my current job which has left me very little time for writing. But I hope to be able to get to it soon. I also hope to eventually start up again with Terminator: Ashes. For now, I hope you like this little oneshot.
It takes place in Boston in the year 2031 when the twins are roughly in their late 30's. Cody is an established physician and surgeon at Boston General and Zack owns a sporting goods store. I don't own the Suite Life or it's characters.
Cody's POV
Cody walked down the hallway of the hospital trying to catch his breath. Anxiety attacks such as this were rare, to the point of him not remembering ever having one in the last 10 years. He passed by a nurses station as he quickly headed for the exit to the outside courtyard.
"Dr. Martin are you alright?" a nurse asked him as he made his way past.
"Uh...yeah, yeah Jane I'm fine I just need to get some air is all" Cody managed.
He walked out of the east wing and down some steps. He opened a door and he was out in the hospital's central courtyard. He walked over to a bench that was situated in some sunlight and sat down. Taking deep breaths he was soon able to calm down and resumed an even breathing rate.
Why am I reacting this way? I've consulted hundreds of patients before...
As he sat contemplating this an answer came to him from another part of his mind, as if answering the part of him that had asked.
You know exactly why you're reacting this way...because this one hits way too close to home
Cody sighed, agreeing immediately with the short argument that had taken place in his mind. He knew right away what he needed to do. Although he usually made an effort not to talk about difficult cases he encountered at work with his close friends and relatives, this time he knew he had to. This was one case he couldn't keep to himself. He pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. Soon a voice answered that made the tears and anxiety threaten to return anew.
"Hey broseph" Zack said
Cody struggled for a second to find his voice and make it sound as calm and level as he could make it, which wasn't easy at all. He started to speak but had to clear his voice right away before starting again.
"Hey Zack, how's your day going?" Cody asked.
"Pretty good, we've been really busy today. I guess with the sudden good weather everyone decided to come buy some new gear. How about you? On break from patching people up right now or something?" Zack replied.
"Something like that..." Cody began before pausing briefly "...hey Zack I need...I need you to do me a favor" Cody said, this time unable to keep a tremor from entering his voice. He knew Zack would pick up on it immediately and sure enough when his brother replied his tone was very serious.
"Sure, anything" he said.
"Can you come over to the apartment tonight after you get off work?" Cody asked.
"I guess so, is something wrong?" Zack asked.
Cody knew that Zack could already sense something was wrong so he knew lying about that fact would do no good. But he wasn't going to get into it now over the phone.
"Well...let's just say I..." Cody began.
What! You what! What can you tell him that won't sound sappy and give him yet another excuse to tease you for being over sensitive?
"...It's just been a while since we've had a guys only night and with Bailey out of town right now this would be a great time to have one don't you think?"
Oh good one, I'm sure you convinced him everything's fine with that one...
To Cody's surprise Zack seemed to just accept that answer.
"Okay, yeah sure, sounds great...I can be outta here around 8" Zack said.
"That works, that's when my shift is over. So, let's say 8:30?" Cody replied.
"Alright, you want me to bring anything?" Zack asked.
"No, I'm set. I even have that sparkling wine you love so much. Been saving it for a guys night" Cody said.
"Awesome, alright bro see you then" Zack said.
"Okay, thanks man, bye" Cody said and hung up.
Zack's POV
Zack had been dealing with customers all day long. The sudden springlike weather had been steadily driving up the customer count into his sporting goods store. It had been constantly busy through lunchtime and was only now beginning to finally slow down. When it got to a point where he was able to step away and let his staff deal with the remaining customers, he began walking up the stairs towards his office. It was then that his cell phone rang.
Cody...hmm, he usually never calls me when he's at work, wonder what's up
He clicked answer on his phone.
"Hey broseph" he said.
He could hear a short pause and then Cody cleared his throat.
"Hey Zack, how's your day going?" Cody asked.
Zack could tell almost immediately that something was wrong. Being twins it was almost impossible for one twin to not instinctively pick up on the mood of the other one in an instant. But Zack decided for now just to pretend he didn't notice.
"Pretty good, we've been really busy today. I guess with the sudden good weather everyone decided to come buy some new gear. How about you? On break from patching people up right now or something?" Zack replied.
"Something like that..." Cody began before pausing briefly "...hey Zack I need...I need you to do me a favor" he said.
Now Zack knew with absolute certainty that something was very wrong. He could hear that his brother was trying very hard to keep his emotions under control. Zack knew right away that whatever his twin was about to ask him he'd do it.
"Sure, anything" he said.
"Can you come over to the apartment tonight after you get off work?" Cody asked.
It seemed like an odd request. Although the brothers did see each other these days, it was usually in group settings with Cody and Bailey inviting Zack, and whoever Zack was dating at the time, over for dinner. They rarely did anything one on one anymore.
He must need to talk to me about something important
"I guess so, is something wrong?" Zack asked.
"Well...let's just say I..." Cody began before another pause.
Yes something is very wrong
"...It's just been a while since we've had a guys only night and with Bailey out of town and you single right now this would be a great time to have one don't you think?"
Zack wasn't buying that for a second. Something big was bothering his brother and if he needed him to come over he was going to be there for him.
"Okay, yeah sure, sounds great...I can be outta here around 8" Zack said.
"That works, that's when my shift is over. So, let's say 8:30?" Cody replied.
"Alright, you want me to bring anything?" Zack asked.
"No, I'm set. I even have that sparkling wine you love so much. Been saving it for a guys night" Cody said.
"Awesome, alright bro see then" Zack said.
"Okay, thanks man, bye" Cody said and hung up.
Zack stood looking at the cell phone in his hand. Worry began to creep into his mind. It wasn't common for anything to shake up Cody these days. He was Mr. cool under pressure Dr. Martin, P.H. D. professional surgeon. Thoughts of what it could be ran wild through the older twin's mind.
What if he found out he's sick or something...what if it's a disease like Parkinson's...
As he walked into his office and sat down contemplating this an answer came to him from another part of his mind, as if answering the part of him that had asked.
Oh how could that be! If it was something like that you'd be sick too, you're his twin!
Zack sighed and set to work on his office duties but found he couldn't concentrate. In the end he got up and headed back to the sales floor. He couldn't wait for 8pm to come around.
Normal POV
Cody couldn't wait to get off work as well which was strange for him. Usually he loved every minute he got to be at the hospital. But today, feeling as he did, it was obviously a different story. He'd had no more consultations or surgeries that day so he'd gone to the E.R. to help the staff down there. Thankfully most of the cases he dealt with were small things like a lady with a severe headache and another person with minor chest pains. He could deal with things like that in his sleep so it was not a problem to order the appropriate tests and do the appropriate follow ups.
At 8pm he signed out and got into his car and headed for his apartment. When he pulled up he was surprised to see Zack standing there by his car waiting for him. It caused a lump to form in his throat as he knew Zack had come over early because he knew something was wrong. He decided to pretend he didn't know this though as he parked behind Zack's car and got out.
"You're early" Cody said as he walked up and gave his brother a quick hello greeting.
"I know...I was able to get out of there earlier than I thought so I just headed over" Zack said
He's such a bad liar,he's the owner of the store,he can leave whenever he wants Cody thought.
"Well good, you can help me with dinner" Cody said and the two headed into Cody's apartment building.
As they ascended up to Cody's apartment on the 28th floor of the highrise there was a certain tension in the elevator. Cody knowing Zack wanted to ask him what was wrong and Zack knowing Cody didn't want to say anything yet. They entered the apartment and Cody immediately set to work on cooking their dinner.
"Do you really want me to help? You remember what happened when we were 12 and you wanted me to help you bake your Cody's cookies" Zack said.
Both of them laughed over the memory of the resulting flour flicking, egg smashing, and pie throwing.
"Good point" Cody said.
Zack went over to the TV and found some football on but while he paid some attention to it he was also half watching Cody in the kitchen. His brother was hard at work on another of his cooking masterpieces, but as Zack watched he could tell that his twin was distracted, sometimes having to go back to the fridge or cupboard to get something he'd forgotten. This too was very much unlike him. One time Cody looked over to catch Zack eying him and he quickly looked away and turned his attention back to the game.
Distracted or no, Cody could cook in his sleep and soon there was a full course meal of Atlantic Salmon, green beans, and baked potatoes ready to be eaten. He'd even tossed a salad and set aside some pears for later. They ate sitting on the couch with TV trays so they could watch the game. They ate mostly in silence, every now and then commenting about Zack's day at the store or how the rest of Cody's day went, or to comment on a play in the game. Eventually, they finished and even had a nice desert of ice cream and cookies.
Once they cleaned up, and this Zack did help with, Zack turned to Cody and began.
"Cody, I think it's time you told me what's bothering you. I heard it on the phone and I know you didn't invite me over just to have a "guys night" while Bailey is away" he said.
Cody sighed, knowing his brother was right. It was indeed time to talk.
"Ok...but let's go out on the patio...it's unseasonably warm tonight and I've missed being able to sit out there and look out at the skyline" Cody replied.
Zack nodded and they headed out. Once they were seated on the patio furniture Cody began.
"You know that I don't usually like to talk about the more difficult cases I encounter at work with family and friends. For one thing most of the time it violates doctor patient confidentiality...but mostly I don't cause, unless you're a fellow doctor, it would just bore you..." Cody said, pausing to see if Zack would comment. When he only nodded for Cody to continue, he did.
"...well, as you know I've encountered hundreds of cases, and done many many surgeries in the last 15 years...and I've even lost people on the table. It's a hard thing to deal with. It's especially hard when children are involved. I've had a few kids die on me...it's difficult. But usually I deal with it fairly easy and move on. You have to in my line of business. I can't afford to take the hard cases personally. So usually I'm okay. But not this time..." Cody trailed off.
Zack could see that his brother was starting to get emotional. Whatever he was about to say, it was going to be difficult for him.
"There's this boy that we're monitoring right now...he's...he's very sick. He needs a heart transplant or he's going to die. He's 12-years-old..." Cody said, stopping as his voice broke.
There's more to it than that. If it was a simple matter of it just being a young boy who was sick and likely to die, it would sadden Cody, yes, but as he said, he'd have the professional detachment to deal with it a lot better than he was apparently dealing with it. Zack thought as he waited for Cody to go on.
"If it was just that I could deal with it..." he said, seeming to read Zack's thoughts "...but...it's his big brother that got to me today..." Cody said as tears began streaming down his face.
"He followed me out of his brother's room and, acting very much like one would expect a protective older brother to do, he asked me to level with him...was his brother going to be okay..." Cody said, trying very hard to speak at this point. "...so I did...I told the truth...that his brother needed a new heart and he just had to pray and hope someone donated one we could use...he asked me how likely that was...but this time I couldn't tell him...I couldn't tell him that it wasn't very likely...so I just told him to pray, that one would arrive in time...so he walked off and I just fell apart. I started thinking about if it was me in his shoes. I thought about what must be going through his mind. Actually, I pretty much knew exactly what must be going through his mind...cause it's the same thing that would be going through your mind Zack" he said.
Zack looked confused. He shook his head, signaling he didn't know what Cody meant exactly.
Cody started crying even harder then.
"Zack...they're twins! Identical twins!" Cody said.
Then Zack knew. The realization crushed his heart like a vise, making it ache for Cody. He leaned over instantly on the swing and hugged his brother. As he held him Cody struggled to go on.
"They...they even look like we used to at that age...they remind me so much of us!" Cody cried.
Zack still didn't know what to say so he just kept hugging him.
"I just started thinking about what I would have been thinking and feeling if I was faced with losing you...it just...it hit way too close to home. It felt like I was looking at us somehow" Cody sobbed.
Finally Zack found the words to say.
"It's not us, and that didn't happen...it's not going to happen...I'm here and you're here and I'm not going anywhere" Zack said, looking into his twin's eyes, a few tears falling out of his own. Cody nodded, calming down a bit.
"I know, logically I know that, but if that boy dies...I just know what it's going to do to the brother. Even though in this case he's the older one and his younger brother is the one that's sick, even if it was the other way around, like in our case, I know I'd still feel the same way as that boy is going to feel" Cody said.
"Well Codes...just like you said...just have faith and pray that a heart will make it in time" Zack said.
Cody nodded. Zack let go of him and they just sat in silence for a few moments.
"It scared me Zack, seeing them, I almost feel like I need to turn this case over to a colleague just cause of the emotions involved...but I've never been taken off a case in my life, of my own choice or anyone elses" Cody said, finally composed.
"Well, if you feel your emotions will get in the way of your ability to operate on the kid should a heart arrive, then I think yes you should. But I know you Cody. I know you have the strength and ability to realize that this is not about us...you can be objective here" Zack said.
"Yeah I know, it's just...this is the most difficult case I've ever encountered...I guess it just threw me for a loop. I had to tell you about it" Cody said.
"I'm glad you did" Zack replied.
"I guess part of it was just the what ifs. I mean, obviously we didn't ever go through anything like that...but what about the future, from this point. What if something happens to you someday...I don't know how I would deal with it. You've always just been there. I mean, I know we don't see each other nearly as much these days but still...there has never been life without you and knowing this boy faces life without his twin I guess just got me thinking about if I ever had to face the same thing" Cody said.
They were silent for a few more seconds as Zack thought about his response.
"Cody, I know over the years I haven't been as open about my emotions as you...but you do know...you have always known that I love you right?" Zack asked.
"Sometimes it's been hard to tell, but yeah, of course, obviously I know that...have always known that" Cody replied.
"Well, it's my fault for not making that as clear as I should have in the past. But I do, always have. I don't know what the future holds, no one does...but if I can help it I'm not going to leave you, ever. You don't need to be scared about that. Even if one of us would die we wouldn't be apart forever. It would suck big time...but we'd be together again eventually. And if this boy should die...he'll see his brother again someday too. We have a bond that not even death itself can break and I'd assume they do too. If you just keep all that in mind along with the fact that you're doing all you can to save him...I think you'll be able to work this case and be just fine" Zack said.
Cody just sat wonderment, listening to his brother's words. They were just what he needed to hear.
"Thanks Zack, you're the best...I really mean that" Cody said.
"Thanks, right back at ya bro. And hey, you mentioned that we don't spend as much time together as we used to. Well let's do something about that. Why don't we have a "guys night" every now and then?" Zack said, playfully slapping Cody on the arm.
"Yeah, that sounds great" Cody said, finally cheering up.
So, with renewed hope Cody spent the rest of the evening with his best friend.
Epilogue: The young boy did eventually receive a donated heart in time to save him. Cody performed the operation with all the skill he had come to perfect over the years. Later, Cody told Zack at a future "guys night" about the release of the boy from the hospital, how his big brother had dutifully pushed his twin in the wheelchair as they walked out and how the boys had both thanked Cody. Cody in turn thanked God for not only saving the boy, but for keeping him and Zack together all these years safe and sound. He prayed also that it would always be so.