Chapter 3

Hal's POV

I got up unusually early that day. I crept quietly out of the room so as not to wake Maggie up. Maggie has recovered fully and I was glad to have my partner back. But only a few weeks later another disaster hit the 2nd Mass. Kym was captured by Karen and was seriously injured. She is still unconscious three days after she was released. Ben had almost gone berserk. There was rage in his eyes and he looked like he could murder Karen with his bare hands. Dad and I have to restrain him and calm him down. Since that day, Ben has been very quiet and dejected. Every single moment he has, he would wait by Kym's bedside in the hospital, hoping she would wake up soon. This morning I wanted to talk to him before he leaves to see Kym thus I hurried down the hallway leading to his room that he shared with Matt. Just as I arrived outside of his room the door flung open and out walked Matt.

"Hey, is Ben inside?" I asked my little brother.

"Nope! He hasn't been back to the room since that day Kym got injured," he said as a matter-of-fact. So Ben has been at the hospital all these while. Why didn't I think of that?

"Thanks kiddo. I'll see you later at breakfast. I'll go look for Ben,"

"Sure," he replied as I hurried towards the hospital building.

The day Kym was injured, Ben became a different person. It was as if he went back to the times when he accidentally shot dad and the times after Jimmy died.

During those months, Ben became cold, angry, aggressive and distain. Every time I tried to have a conversation with him, his answers are either one word or direct. Our relationship was getting strained and it was getting extremely difficult to break through to him so I seek Kym's help in talking to him. They became very close after she was rescued from skitters' attack where Ben and I found her during one of our patrols. Kym has a way of breaking through Ben's defenses that none of us brothers could. After the talk with Kym, Ben slowly got better. Now, with Kym being injured by Karen, I don't want him to go through that phase again.

As I reached the hospital building, I saw Ben seated outside of Kym's room. There was a worried look on his face. He looked tired and troubled too. I hope this time round I can get through to him without any arguments or disagreements.

"Hey, bro. Have you been here the whole night for the past three days?" I asked. He looked up and nodded and went back to his sketch book. Those spikes on his back gave him many abilities and one of them was drawing. It still feels strange to me for him to draw. While we were growing up and before the invasion, art was his worst subject. He has to seek mom's help for every single art projects in school. It was the only subject that he ever failed before. Now looking at how he sketched in details, it amazes me. As I looked carefully, the person he was sketching was Kym. Without a word, I sat down next to him.

"Do you remember the time when you were in 6th grade and you had this art project where you have to draw something or someone that you like?" I said after a moment and waited for him to respond. When there was none, I continued. "You drew a portrait of mom and I made fun of it. You were so angry that you tore off the portrait into pieces and…."

"And you felt so guilty that you tried to put the pieces back together using a tape," Ben finished my sentence and looked up with a faint smile. "When I refused to submit the portrait, you went to Miss Smith, my art teacher, told her what happened and submitted my art homework on my behalf," Ben continued.

"And you got a B+. Mom was so proud of you…and so was I," I told him. "Ben I am sorry for what happened to Kym. Don't shun yourself from the rest like before. I am always here if you need to talk about it. I know you might see me as the dumb jock but I am here, always, for you and Matt," he smiled, turned away and back at me again.

"Kym….," he hesitated before continuing "She is someone very close and dear to me just like how you, Matt and dad are to me. She understands me in ways that not many could. She is never judgmental about me or my spikes. She never questioned or doubted about me before. She went through so much pain with the loss of her family that in a way she understands how I felt about losing mom and Jimmy. And now with her badly injured inside there, still unconscious, it makes me so angry that I could….I swear I could….," Ben's voice was strained. I could sense how tired and overwhelmed he was over all these.

"I know, this is exactly how I felt when Maggie got hurt," Ben turned to me and I sensed he comprehends that somehow I understand his feelings. Ben is different than before, I noticed. He still keeps to himself when he is troubled but he is no longer hot-headed like last time.

"Let's grab some breakfast," I suggested. I don't think Ben has been eating lately.

"You go ahead. I'll just stay for a little while,"

"Nope. You are coming with me." I insisted and he finally gave up. On the way, we met Maggie and we went for breakfast together. She gave me a smile when Ben wasn't looking. She has been concern about Ben and I. She knew I had been having a difficult time trying to think of a way talk to Ben and from the looks of it, she knows it has been settled. I was glad too. My family is important to me, even more so now. My brothers, no matter how much we fight, and disagree with one another, they are important to me.

We met Matt in the cafeteria and joined him for breakfast. Just then we saw one of Anne's assistant approached our table.

"Ben, she woke up," that's all it needed for Ben to get up and dashed across the cafeteria towards the Hospital building. Matt, Maggie and I looked at one another and gladness came over us.