This is the story before, during, and after the events that occurred in Four Brothers told by the eyes of their dog Gunner. This is my first story so I'm learning. This is rated M mostly for language and some violence. I hope you enjoy it.
This first part occurs when the brothers are all still living with their mother. Everyone is in high school. Jerry is in his final year and Bobby's been held back so he still goes to school too.
I don't own any of the characters except Gunner.
Gunner-The Beginning
"I just don't understand", thought the dog as she sat in the back seat of the van licking her bleeding paw. "What did I do wrong?" She tried to be good. She really did. Beep! Beep! A car horn blared at the dog's car as the drunk driver in the front ran the stop sign. The dog hated the smell of alcohol. Whenever she smelt it, she knew she had done something wrong. She feared the man with the dark black beard and glazed over eyes when he began to drink. After a few beers he would seek her out and beat her. The dog couldn't understand that the man was just angry and depressed, venting his frustration on the world. In her eyes, she was wrong, she had done something bad, and she deserved it. Her head still hurt and she was a bit dizzy from the last blow.
All at once the car stopped. The man stumbled out of the front seat and went to open up the back door. "Now's my chance!" thought the dog. I'll apologize and make things right. As soon as the door opened, she licked the man's face in an apologetic kiss, hoping that whatever she had done would be forgotten. The man just pulled her from the van, closed the door, got in the front seat and began to drive away. The dog was frozen in confusion and fear. How would she get home? Where was she? Why did he just leave her? "I must have done it this time!" the dog moaned in horror. He had never abandoned her before. She began desperately chasing the van. Chasing the life of pain. The only life she knew and expected. He fed her, kept her in a warm house, what more could she ask for. Now she would be alone, out on the cold streets. She lost sight of the van, but continued on anyway. Turning down different streets, running around the maze-like roads of Detroit. She forgot about her throbbing head, her paw that stung with the force of a thousand needles. She wasn't even thinking at this point, now she was running blindly, chasing after only the hope that the man would come back to her.
Thump! The dog's feet were suddenly no longer beneath her. She flew through the air, landing on her side in a heap of snow on the sidewalk. The car that hit the dog showed no concern and continued on its way. The dog tried to get up, but her right front leg just couldn't hold her, and the pain was finally too much to bear. She never felt more alone. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be. Maybe she would finally be able to find peace. As the dog began to close her eyes she heard a voice. "MOM! COME QUICK!" A boy, probably in his last year of high school, came running over to the dog's side. "Jerry stop!" yelled a woman, the boy's mother, "That dog's hurt. There's no telling what it will do to you!" The dog looked up into the black boys eyes. He looked stressed and very upset. She attempted to lick his hand to apologize for what she'd done wrong. She must have done something wrong, that was one of the same looks the man would get before he hit her. Another boy, white and older than the one beside her, came rushing out of the house to see what his brother was yelling about. Seeing the dog he calmly made his way over and assessed the situation. "Must've gotten hit by a car. The bastards didn't even stop." The boy's eyes were hard and angry. "Bobby Mercer! What did I tell you about your language?" The mother was trying to apprehend the boy, but she seemed more concerned about Jerry who now had both hands wrapped around the injured dog in a bear hug. The dog was confused by this. She had never been embraced before, but didn't try to escape it. It felt comforting. "We have to take her to the vet!" pleaded a now teary-eyed Jerry. Evelyn Mercer, their mother, who was involved in foster care and always helped whatever child needed it, was not about to turn away from an animal that also needed help. "Bobby, go get Angel and the blanket we keep on the couch. If we can get her onto the blanket, then we can carry her into the car."
Bobby disappeared inside the house and emerged with a blanket, his younger brother Angel, who was black and his youngest brother Jack who was white. Angel fearlessly approached the new dog, but Jack, more timid and unsure of what the dog would do to him, went to his mother. Bobby and Angel tried to get the dog onto the blanket, but she kept squirming in pain. "Jack!" called Bobby, "come over here and give us a hand will ya?" Jack went over to his brother's but stood there clueless, wondering what they expected from him. Jerry realized that he was stronger than his younger brother and left Jack to comfort the dog while he helped his brothers move her onto the blanket. Finally, the three oldest brothers were able to get the dog onto the blanket and Bobby and Angel carried the dog to the car. Jerry sat in the middle, with the dog lying on top of him, while Angel and Jack sat on either side petting the dog to try and offer it some comfort and relief from the pain. Evelyn and Bobby got into the front and the mother drove the four worried boys and the injured dog to the hospital.
"What do you mean you can't do anything?" growled a furious Bobby as he tried to be heard over Jerry's sobs. The vet had just told them he couldn't help the dog. "I'm sorry" the vet said, "but without an owner to accept the cost of the surgery, the dog will have to be put down." "She can't die!" Jerry sobbed. Now Jack's eyes started to fill with tears as he realized the full meaning of what was going on. As his tears started to fall as well, it only enraged Bobby more. Angel quickly grabbed Bobby before he could permanently damage the vet's jaw and pulled him back. "So your just gonna do nothing! Sounds like everyone else on this fucking planet! Nobody cares do they!" Bobby broke free of Angel and went to swing a punch directly into the vet's nose. Luckily, his mother stepped in just in time. "Now I don't see why you can't just this once help that poor dog and bend the rules", she said calmly. "It's not that simple" said the vet with a slight anger to his voice at almost being assaulted, "it's against our policy. If I help one, I have to help them all. Also, there's a very good chance she isn't even adoptable. A lot of those wounds are old. It looks like she's been hit. Those kinds of dogs can be aggressive. Not suitable for a home. She'd have to be put down anyway."
Hearing this, Jack began to cry even harder. "Mom!" he choked out, he knew too well what it was like to be hit. He understood her pain and the fear he had seen in her eyes. He understood that she was afraid and alone. "We can't ju- - just leave he- - her. We- -We…" he trailed off unable to finish his sentence through his tears. "Calm down Jackie", Evelyn said, looking her son in the eyes. "We're not going to leave her. I didn't give up on you; I won't give up on her." With seriousness to her eyes, she turned to the vet. "Do the surgery." The vet was tired of this conversation. "I already told you..." he started, but then Evelyn cut him off "I don't care how much it costs. I'll pay for it." "How we gonna do that ma?" asked Bobby, "We've already cut back on so much. Jackie can't even afford a haircut!" Bobby couldn't help it. His brother's hair was always a mess. The joke lightened the mood and Jerry was able to stop crying. Evelyn gave Bobby a look and replied "we'll manage. We always have." She than sat down in the waiting room with her sons to wait for the surgery to be completed. It would be a long night!
I'm sorry if it seems kind of slow right now. I'm trying to set up a background story and build the relationships between people and dog. I'll try to add more humour and more action.