I didn't think I'd get to post this one today, but here it is :)
Thanks to all for the encouraging words and please don't hold back if you have any suggestions! I welcome them and do take them to heart!
Dicslaimer: I do not own Four Brothers and I do not make any money from this story.
Chapter 10: What Really Happened?
"Come on; get your ass out of the bed." Bobby sounded irritated. "I ain't telling you again."
Craig rolled over, putting his back to the nuisance that was trying to pull him out of his dark, peaceful, long needed sleep. "I'm not going to school today." He muttered.
"No, but you sure as hell are getting out of the bed, putting some clothes on and coming down stairs for breakfast. It's eight o'clock." Bobby's voice rose slightly.
Hands grabbed Craig's arms and he was dragged out from under the blankets. His confused mind struggled to comprehend the movement. It took a second for him to realize he was being stood on the cold wood floor directly next to the bed.
"Get your clothes on." Bobby ordered.
Craig turned and started to crawl back into the bed.
"Oh no, you are not pulling this with me." Bobby grabbed him from behind and pulled him back off the bed. "For someone who didn't want to go to sleep you are sure anxious to stay asleep now. You get your clothes on, right now."
"Well for someone who wanted me to go to sleep you sure are anxious for me to wake up." Craig made a face. "I'm tired." He cried out.
"I already know that. I've known that for three fucking days." Bobby commented. "But you are not going to sleep all day and be up all night. Now get your clothes on."
Craig's mind was still half asleep, and he felt confused. "Where's Mom? She'll let me sleep."
Bobby was quiet for a long moment. "Mom's not home right now. Put your clothes on." He sounded less irritated.
Craig reached up and rubbed at the sleep that was still trying to take over his eyes. "I don't want to." He turned to get back into the bed again.
Bobby grabbed him again and pulled him across the room to stand in front of the dresser. He started pulling the over sized t-shirt off the boy without saying a word. He proceeded to dress him in jeans, long john shirt and blue flannel shirt. The whole time Craig was slowly coming to his senses.
By the time Craig was dressed he was actually awake. He realized what he had said and how Bobby had dressed him. "I'm sorry." He muttered.
Bobby drew in a deep breath. "Would you stop saying that every time you open your mouth?" He didn't sound angry.
Craig looked up at his brother.
Bobby shook his head. "New rule, you aren't allowed to say you're sorry. I don't care what you are referring to at the time; you are not allowed to use those words." He walked towards the door. "Come on." He called out.
Craig followed Bobby down the stairs. Jack and Angel were already downstairs, the table was set and there was a plate of pancakes sitting in the center. Angel was setting a bottle of syrup on the table and Jack was pouring milk into the glasses. Bobby grabbed the boy's arm and pushed him down into the chair he had assigned to him for Thanksgving dinner. "Right there," He muttered.
Bobby put one pancake on the boy's plate then filled his own with three of them and handed Angel the plate. "I ain't fixing it for you, you can do that yourself." He smeared butter on his pancakes and then slid it over to Craig.
Craig put the butter on his pancake and then syrup. The syrup was steaming. He ate his pancake without really thinking about it. He actually felt hungry for the first time in a while and the pancake tasted good. He was barely finished with the first one when Bobby dropped another one his plate. "You are eating at least two of them." The man informed. "You can have more than that if you want, but at least two."
Craig didn't argue, he was hungry enough for two. He'd always liked pancakes. It was probably his favorite breakfast.
"Did you call Jerry?" Bobby asked no one in particular.
"Yeah, he's gonna meet us there." Jack answered.
"Good." Bobby glanced at the boy to make sure he was eating. "What time does the place open?"
"Nine o'clock on the weekends." Jack looked up at Bobby.
Craig wanted to ask what his brothers were talking about, but wasn't sure if he wanted to know. After the events of the night before, he was certain that where ever they were going to go to meet Jerry it wasn't going to be good.
Craig had barely finished his second pancake when Bobby stood. "Are you full?" He looked at the boy.
Craig nodded his head.
Bobby looked at him for along moment, as if he were expecting something more.
"Yes, I'm full." Craig muttered.
Bobby nodded his head. "Come on, you can't go out with no shoes on your feet." He motioned for the boy to follow him to the living room.
Craig obediently stood and followed his brother to the other room. He found a pair of socks and shoes resting on one of the chairs. Bobby sat on the couch and used the remote to turn on the TV. Craig picked up his shoes and sat in the chair. He pulled on his socks and shoes quickly. He had to use the rest room, and was awake enough now that he was remembering more from what had happened in the middle of the night. He glanced at the TV and then over to Bobby who was flipping through the channels slowly.
"Bobby?" Craig spoke quietly.
Bobby looked at him.
"I have to go to the restroom." The boy spoke cautiously.
Bobby shrugged his shoulders as he turned off the TV and stood. "Well come on."
Craig did what he needed to do with Bobby standing at the door. He flushed the toilet, washed his hands and looked over at Bobby. "Can I brush my teeth?" He asked.
"You can brush your teeth; comb your hair, put on your makeup, whatever you want to do. You have at it." Bobby laughed.
Craig brushed his teeth and then washed his face quickly to try to wake up the rest of the way. He jaw was extremely sore for some reason. He rubbed at it a little when he used the hand towel to dry off his face.
"Does that hurt?" Bobby asked.
Craig looked over at Bobby. "Some." He muttered.
"It looks fine." Bobby sighed.
"It is." Craig picked up the comb and started combing his hair.
"Then why did you just rub at it?" Bobby walked up behind him. "I smacked that side of your face trying to wake you up. Did I hurt you?" He sounded worried.
Craig looked at Bobby in the mirror. "No. It's fine." The first several minutes after he woke up in the bath tub were a blur in his mind.
Bobby took a hold of Craig's arms and turned him around to face him. He reached up and rubbed his hand over the spot of his jaw that was aching. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you; I was just trying to wake you up." He spoke quietly.
Craig felt awkward at that moment. Bobby actually sounded sorry. "I'm fine Bobby. The doctor said it would be sore for a while." He muttered.
"The guy hit you pretty damn hard, huh?" Bobby asked.
Craig swallowed hard and looked away from his brother.
"It's okay. You don't have to tell me shit about what happened. I'm not gonna ask you shit about it." Bobby didn't sound angry, for a change. "Are you done in here?"
Craig nodded his head.
"Good, let's get downstairs and see if your brothers are ready." Bobby pulled the door open and walked out of the restroom.
Craig followed Bobby down the stairs and to the kitchen where Angel and Jack were drying the last of the breakfast dishes and putting them away.
"You ready?" Bobby looked at his watch. "It's ten minutes to nine." He announced.
"Yeah, we're ready." Angel finished drying one last plate and handed it to Jack who put it in the cupboard. "Are you taking Craig?" He asked while he tossed the towel onto the counter.
"We already talked about this. He goes where we go." Bobby glanced down at the boy.
"You really think it's a good idea." Jack shook his head.
"Hell, I think it's just what he needs." Bobby grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him back into the foyer and handed him his coat.
Craig put on his coat slowly, watching his brothers grabbing their own coats. "Where are we going?" He asked quietly.
"We're gonna go find out about this witness that was supposed to have seen who did the shooting." Angel answered, but he sounded as if he were choosing his words carefully.
"Don't 'sugar coat' it for him." Bobby pulled the door open and looked at Craig. "We're going back to the store, asking questions, and asking to see the video from that night." He announced.
Craig's stomach dropped to his knees. The look on his face must have given away how he suddenly felt.
"You can't tell me what I need to know. That's cool. But I need to find out. It's gonna be okay. Your brothers are gonna be there with you, and you don't have to watch anything." Bobby grabbed his arm and pulled him through the front porch then outside. He walked him to the car and opened the driver's door. "Get in."
Craig climbed into the back of the car and waited while his brothers climbed in. Angel climbed into the back of the car this time, letting Jack ride up front with Bobby.
As the car grew closer to the store Craig could feel his breakfast churning around in his stomach. He didn't want to go to the store; he didn't want to be inside the same building that his mother had died in. He didn't want his brothers to look at the video and see just how scared he had been, how he hadn't done anything to help their mother in her final moments.
Angel reached over from his position behind Jack and gave the boy a gentle pat on the leg. "Don't worry little brother; you heard what Bobby said, you don't have to watch."
Craig didn't comment, he just leaned against the side of the car and looked out the window, his arms wrapping around his stomach and holding hard. He thought that maybe when they got to the store he could make a break for it when they all got out of the car, but then, he knew his brothers could all run pretty fast so all that would accomplish was making Bobby mad again, and the man was just now getting over being mad at him. At least he thought he was getting over it. He was talking to him again, finally, and what he was saying didn't sound angry.
He wasn't ready for it when the car pulled up to the curb along the side of the store. He didn't move when Bobby, Jack and Angel climbed out of the car. Bobby stood at the open door for a few moments, as if waiting to see if the boy would move to push the seat up on his own. When it became obvious to the man that the boy wasn't going to climb out he leaned over, pulled the seat up and motioned for him to get out of the car.
Craig looked at Bobby. "Can't I wait in the car?" He asked quietly.
Bobby didn't answer the question; he simply reached in, grabbed Craig's arm and carefully pulled him out of the car. He pushed the seat back and shut the door a little harder than he needed to.
Craig didn't move, he wasn't sure if he could move. Jack walked up to the glass door and looked inside while Bobby took a hold of Craig's arm and pulled him up to the side of the car, leaning back against the hood. He didn't let go of Craig's arm and the boy wondered if the man had read his mind about running off to get away from this.
Angel leaned against the car on Craig's other side, pretty much trapping him, just as Jack returned from the door, "No one is in yet." He announced.
Craig stared down at the pavement beneath his feet. The fear was building up inside of him. If Bobby had let go of him at that moment he was sure he would bolt without really caring how angry Bobby got about it. His body was starting to shiver but it wasn't from the cold. Bobby let go of his arm long enough to slide his arm across his shoulders and around his neck, pulling him back against the car and directly next to him. "What the hell are you so scared of kid?" He asked quietly. "You don't have to watch anything you don't want to." He sounded the same as he had the night before when they were standing in front of that same store.
Craig felt his throat tighten up on him as his eyes started to sting.
Angel leaned over and put his arm at the boy's back. "You just put your back to the monitor, and it will be fine." He took Bobby's lead.
Craig couldn't stop his body from shivering. "I don't want to go in there." He muttered the words before he realized he was even thinking them.
"You can't hide from it Craig." Bobby gave him a gentle squeeze. "Nothing is going to happen. We are going to be right there with you."
Jerry's car pulled up behind Bobby's at that moment. He got out and walked up to his brothers. Craig caught the sight of the owner of the store walking up the street towards them. He knew the man; he had known him for a couple of years. He felt his chest starting to ache, and his ears started to ring. He didn't really hear much of what his brothers were saying. He could hear Angel telling Jerry that they had found out last night that the shooting wasn't random, that the witness was lying. He heard bits and pieces of the conversation, but his eyes were glued to the grocery store owner closing in on the steps. Jack took notice of the man about that time, and then Bobby's attention was drawn to him. They moved away from the car, Bobby moving his hold to Craig's hand, pulling him along like a small child. Craig didn't look at the door or the man. He heard Jack introducing himself and his brothers as Evelyn Mercer's sons. The man's gaze fell on Craig. "She was a good woman, I liked her very much." He sighed. "Craig?"
Craig looked up at him but didn't speak.
"Let's come inside." The older gentleman spoke softly and turned to unlock the door.
Craig felt his body pulling away from Bobby, but the man pulled his arm up to grip his upper arm. Craig felt another hand grip his other arm and looked over to see Jerry taking hold of him.
They walked into the store. Bobby seen that Jerry had a hold of the younger boy and let go of him while he explained calmly to the store owner that they were trying to find out what had happened that night in that store.
Ahmed was more than happy to put the video tape from that night into the VCR so that the men could watch the tape. He warned them before starting the tape that it wasn't pretty, and he looked at Craig, a worried expression on his face.
Bobby stood right at the counter, watching the tape. Angel and Jerry both stood on either side of Craig, Jerry still holding the boy. Jack was standing just behind them. Craig looked down at the floor, but his mind started to estimate what his brothers were watching. He turned his head slightly to his right, looking to the back of the store at the meat counter. The floor in front to the meat counter was where she had died. He stared at that spot as that night started to play back in his mind.
Ahmed whispered something to Bobby along the lines of him taking Craig outside for them if they would like.
"He stays with us." Bobby shook his head and glanced back at the boy. He followed Craig's gaze for a moment, then turned back to look at the video monitor.
Craig couldn't get the picture of his mother lying on the floor, blood pooling under her, out of his mind. He could smell the blood from his memory. He could feel the blood as his hand slipped in it as he knelt next to her lifeless body. He managed to pull his gaze away from that spot, but in doing so he found himself staring at the meat counter, behind it actually. He was amazed at how vivid it was all coming back in his mind. He'd spent nearly a week trying to bury the memories of that night, fighting to bury them in some far corner of his mind where they couldn't hurt him. He felt sick inside as he remembered the words the masked man had said to him as he had backed him behind the counter, where he had just walked from. The gun was in his face, and the man was laughing, telling him that he was lucky because he wasn't supposed to be there. What that meant was beyond the boy at that moment. The man's free hand had swung down on him so hard it felt like a sledge hammer slamming him in the left side of his face. He'd fallen back into the wall, and would have ended up on the floor right then, but the man caught him around the waist, twisting him around so that the boy's back was to him. One hand moved down to Craig's jeans, unfastening them, and pulling on them. Craig struggled, but the gun was again shoved into his face. In only moments the man had a grip on him where no man was ever supposed to touch him again. The laughing that rang in his ear caused his knees to buckle, and the man went to the floor with him. Then his words, telling him he'd wanted to do this to him for a long time. The voice was familiar, and the boy knew he had heard it before, but he couldn't place it. Then he'd said he'd heard from a good source that the boy was a good fuck. Craig had been frozen with fear. If the second man hadn't come around the counter telling the first to stop the bullshit he wouldn't have been unable to stop what was about to happen. They had left him there, behind the counter, frozen with fear, and dazed almost into unconsciousness from the hammer like blow that had been inflicted.
Jerry let go of the boy's arm and winced, turning away slightly. Angel made a similar movement. Behind him, Craig could hear Jack whimper slightly. He knew the video had to have been showing the shooting. He wasn't being held by any one at that moment. He moved back slightly, and Jerry and Angel didn't stop him, as their eyes were still peeled on the monitor. Jack had turned around, putting his back to all of them, and he knew if he were going to run, now would be the time. No one seemed to notice he was there. His mind was playing it back in his head again.
The seconds ticked by as he knew they were watching what had happened after his mother had been shot. It was Angel that cursed quietly under his breath, "Oh fuck no. That son of a bitch," And the boy knew for certain his brothers would never forgive him. No one was looking at him; they were watching the video playing back the nightmare that had been haunting him for the past week. He quietly moved his way back towards the door, fighting off panic as his brothers watched the shooter's moves after Evelyn Mercer was lying dead on the floor in front of the meat counter. He felt the cold glass of the door under his hand after what seemed an eternity.