Brax had just woken up from a fitful sleep. He lay on the bed in his dingy motel room, thinking about the life he had left behind, the woman he loved and his baby son. His heart ached with sadness that he would miss out on his son's life – he'd already missed out on enough precious moments. And he could never go back for they all thought he was dead. For one thing, if the authorities found out, he'd be heading straight back behind bars. Secondly, for his family, prison was one thing, but the idea of their beloved Brax faking his own death would be entirely another. It seemed things were broken beyond repair.
And then Brax's thoughts turned to Ricky. She would never forgive him for what he had done, he knew that. Yet he loved her so much that it hurt. He would always love her – Erica Sharpe would never be far from Darryl Braxton's thoughts. She had well and truly captured his heart. Then there was the baby – their beautiful little Casey, named in memory of Brax's departed brother, the Uncle he would never meet. It broke Brax to know that he wouldn't get to be a father to his son and that Casey would grow up without his Daddy's love. He could only hope that one day when his son was old enough, that his Mum would sit him down and tell him how wanted and loved a baby he was by his Dad. Brax looked at the one photo he had – Ricky and newborn Casey at the hospital – with deep sadness. He stroked his thumb over their faces and knew he would always carry them in his heart.
On top of all the emotions following the accident and its aftermath, Brax ached physically too. His ribs were at the very least bruised and at the worst, possibly even broken. And there was nothing he could do – no way could he go to a hospital; it was just far too dangerous.
Feeling like he needed to move, Brax decided to get up and have a shower, hoping that the warm water might relax his body. He walked into the small bathroom and carefully stripped off his clothes. Having set the water running, he examined his body in the mirror whilst he waited for it to come warm. Aside from the pain he felt in his ribs, Brax saw that his body was now covered in bruises that had come up since he'd said goodbye to Ash the previous morning. It was fair to say that he was feeling pretty rough. Brax gingerly pressed a hand to one of the bruises and winced. He knew he'd need to rest here for a few days before moving on to the next unknown place. That was the reality of his life now.
Brax stepped into the shower and let the water cascade over his body as he turned his face upwards towards the ceiling. But rather than relaxing, he could feel himself becoming tearful. There was a lump in his throat, he was unsure if he could live a life like this, where he was constantly looking over his shoulder, and without the family he loved so much. Brax slid down the tiled wall as his tears flowed, mixing with the shower water, and his body shook with sobs. It was then as he cried that he felt a sudden and sharp pain in his chest. He knew then that one of his ribs was most definitely broken and that without medical help he would be in serious trouble. Struggling to breathe, Brax managed to stand, turn off the shower and wrap a towel around his waist before heading to find the pre-paid phone that he had in his possession. There was only one person he could call, one person who knew he was alive. And that person was Ash.