Addie An: Hello there my favourite readers! :D How've you been? I've been good myself, a little crazy but good! And, because I didn't want to torture you with the wait, here is chapter ten! Don't forget to review later!

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Chapter 10:

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Bobby didn't stop running until he was sure he was miles away from where Chester was. The only stop he made was to grab his meager belongings and after that he ran and ran until he felt like his lungs would burst from the effort. He stopped in a deserted alley to catch his breath. Leaning against the cold brick wall, he gasped and coughed.

"Shit," he managed to gasp out. He was bent over, hands on his knees, breath coming out in short bursts. "Fuck."

The events of the previous hour were beginning to hit him; a lightning bolt of realization striking him. Sidney, the kid he knew and regarded as a brother, was dead and it was no one's fault but his own. The thought that he aided in a young kid's death struck him physically and he was sick all over the cold ground for the second time in less than an hour. When he was finished, he stood upright and inhaled deeply. What he had to do was clear in his mind.

He had to go home.

There was no other way around it. If he stayed, Chester would kill him. He deserved it and probably more but he also had a family. He didn't want to die at 21 years old, on the streets like everyone he met expected him to end up. He wanted to be home with his mother and his brothers and forget this ever happened. His guilt would always be there and he would punish himself for the rest of his life but he wanted, needed, to go home.

After taking another breath to steady himself, Bobby grabbed his bag from the ground where it had fallen and turned out of the alley. He flipped up his hood so his face would be covered and headed to the bus station. He turned his back on Colorado and the bad things that had happened there and he never looked back.

If he knew what would happen eight years later, he would have faced Chester then and there. But of course, life just doesn't work like that.

...

If Bobby Mercer was one hundred percent sure of anything in his life at that moment in time, it was that waiting rooms were the worst form of torture for anyone to endure. He'd like to get his hands on the sick bastard who invented the waiting room and show him what real torture was. It wasn't just the invention of the waiting room that was bothering him but more the waiting itself. Bobby was anything but patient to begin with and having to wait to hear if someone he loved was alive or dead was far worse than anything else he would have to endure in his life.

They had been waiting for nearly two and a half hours since Jack was taken into the operating room. It was silent almost the entire time-save for when Jerry asked if anyone wanted coffee. The Mercers were the only ones in the waiting room that day; an odd thing considering the crime and accident rates in Detroit. The four sat in the worn out purple chairs, identical expressions of worry on each of their faces. They was silent but it was clear that each had a thousand questions burning through their minds.

Bobby knew his family wanted an answer from him but he couldn't give it just yet. He was in his own mind, re-living parts of the past that he thought he locked away for good. Old guilt crept its way back from the depths in which he had buried it and a new, fresh wave of guilt washed over him. In his mind he repeated the same thing over and over again until it became like a mantra.

It's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault...

He was the one who started it. He sold the drugs to Sidney. Guilt hit him like a punch in the stomach when Sidney flashed through his mind. Bobby hadn't thought about him in eight years and the memories made him sick. He, though inadvertantly, had brought this on himself. If he wasn't such a bad person then he wouldn't have gotten into a situation in which he owed money. If he wasn't such a bad person he wouldn't have sold drugs, drugs that got an innocent teenager killed. If he wasn't such a bad person he wouldn't be sitting in a hospital waiting room, waiting to find out the fate of his little brother.

He groaned inwardly, putting his head in his hands as he silently repeated his new mantra.

It's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault, it's your fault...

"Ms. Mercer?"

Bobby looked up when he heard the gruff voice of the doctor. Evelyn, Jerry and Angel were on their feet. Bobby rose slowly as his mother looked worriedly at the doctor. Dr. Solomon, a tall man with a bushy grey moustache and a head of grey hair, offered them a smile.

"He's all right," he said and a collective wave of relief washed over them all. "He was brought here just in time. We were able to save him before the drugs reached his heart. He's in stable condition."

"Is he awake?" Evelyn asked, tears of joy falling from her eyes.

Dr. Solomon shook his head. "He's still unconscious. He will wake up. But when is up to him."

"Thank you, doctor!" Evelyn said, grabbing his hand. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "May we see him?"

"Of course," Dr. Solomon said, smiling warmly. "Are you all family?"

"We're his brothers," Angel said and the doctor nodded.

Dr. Solomon led them into the room where Jack was. Bobby stood frozen in the waiting room for a moment. Bobby was relieved to hear that Jack was alive but the relief didn't aleviate the guilt. Would Jack really want to see him after all the pain he caused him? For a moment, he wanted to turn and run out of the hospital. But Angel called to him and with a deep breath, he followed his family into the room.

...

The hospital room was small and quiet. Its walls were painted a light blue that pretty much looked white and all that adorned it was a small night table with one drawer next to the hospital bed. It was private, Jack being the only one in the room. The only sound in the
room came from the heart monitor that was attached to Jack. It beeped steadily, keeping an eerie sort of rhythm.

Evelyn, Jerry and Angel walked straight into the room and approached the bed. Bobby hung back, leaning against the wall by the door. His arms were crossed over his chest and for the first few moments, he averted his eyes from the hospital bed. A little gasp escaped Evelyn's lips as she saw Jack and Bobby finally looked up. Jack lay still in the bed, a hospital gown hanging off of him and wires running every which way across his body. It was a difficult sight for his family to see.

"Oh Jack," Evelyn said softly. She grabbed his limp hand and held it.

Jerry and Angel walked over to the otherside of the bed, across from Evelyn, and looked down at their younger brother with pained expressions on their faces. Jack already looked frail and fragile when he was healthy but now, being sick and in the hospital, he looked even more fragile and vunerable than usual. Bobby hadn't moved from his spot against the wall. He watched the scene before him but his guilt prevented him from participating.

"It's my fault," Bobby said suddenly. His brothers looked up at him and Evelyn turned to face him.

"What do you mean it's your fault?" Evelyn asked, her expression set to confusion. She knew that there was something amiss about the whole situation but she didn't see how the blame could be placed on Bobby.

"What are you talking about, Bobby?" Jerry asked, his eye-brows raising slightly.

"The person who did this," Bobby began. He paused, took a breath and then continued. "The person who did this did it to get to me."

"That guy in the car?" Jerry asked. "Who was he?"

Bobby looked at his family, at their waiting faces and shut his eyes for a moment. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. As he spoke, he looked down at the linoleum tiles, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Eight years ago, I went to Colorado," he began.

He didn't move or raise his eyes as he told the story from his past. And he told the entire story. He told them how he met Chester and how they got into trouble with a drug dealer. He explained how Chester made a deal with the drug dealer and how they had to sell drugs to pay their debts. He explained-with some difficulty-how he sold the drugs that killed Sidney and how when Chester found out he ran.

When he finished, the room was as silent as tomb. They all were shocked at his story and for the first few minutes, no one said anything. Finally, the sound of Angel clearing his throat filled the room.

"So-the guy following Jack?" Angel asked.

"Chester."

Jerry looked at him, his mind putting two and two together. "And Jack's friend Mark-"

"Is Chester's brother," Bobby said with a nod.

"Holy shit!" Angel exclaimed when a memory of a few days prior hit him. "Jer-we saw him, this Chester guy! He asked us for directions that day when we were walking!"

"Shit!" Jerry said, remembering. "That's messed up."

Bobby took another breath and he ran a hand through his hair. "So it's my fucking fault."

"No!" Evelyn said suddenly, breaking her silence. "It is not your fault!"

Bobby looked at her incredulously. "What? Did you not hear my whole story?"

Evelyn nodded. "I did. And that was eight years ago, Bobby. You made a mistake."

"A mistake." Bobby scoffed. "A mistake is when you cheat on a test. Someone died because of me and now Jack-now Jack almost dies because of me!"

"Jack is alive!" Evelyn exclaimed, gesturing to the bed. "You cannot put the blame on yourself! Do you understand me, Bobby?"

Bobby wanted to protest and scream that it was his fault but instead he just nodded silently. "Yeah."

"Good," Evelyn said, recomposing herself. "Now boys, please do me a favor and go home."

"But-"

"No!" she said, raising her finger to silence Jerry. "I'll stay with Jack. I don't want you boys to have to sit here and worry too." She turned to Bobby, fixing him with a stare. "And you especially need to take some time for yourself."

"Okay, Ma," Bobby said with a tired sigh. He turned and left, nodding at Angel and Jerry to follow him before he disappeared out the door.

Angel and Jerry both gave Jack's arm a little pat before leaving. Evelyn smiled at them and told them she would see them later. When she was alone she pushed some of Jack's hair from his eyes and settled into a chair, getting ready for the long night ahead of her.

…

The walk from Jack's hospital room to Bobby's car was completely silent. Angel and Jerry remained a few paces behind Bobby, casting glances at each other as they tried to keep up with their older brother. After a silent elevator ride and a short walk through the lobby, they were outside and walking-still silently-towards Bobby's car. He had parked it there after they had followed the ambulance to the hospital.

Bobby unlocked the car, opened the door and sat without a single word. Jerry opened the passenger side door, letting Angel move into the backseat before getting in next to Bobby and slamming the door shut. Bobby turned the key in the ignition and shut the radio when an annoying pop song blasted from the radio. Still the silence hung heavy; the tension radiating from Bobby so tangible that a butcher knife would be too weak to cut through it. Angel and Jerry held their breath and waited for what seemed inevitable.

And then finally the wall that Bobby was keeping up to block his anger gave way and he snapped. He banged his fist against the steering wheel and screamed a bunch of obscenties in one breath. Angel and Jerry jumped when he suddenly flew into a rage but they said nothing nor made an effort to stop him. They waited until he was done. When he finally did stop, he turned to his brothers. He was breathing hard and the anger he felt was still clear on his face.

"Motherfucker!" he said, slamming the steering wheel once more. "I can't believe this is fucking happening!"

Jerry shared a look with Angel wo nodded at him to talk to Bobby. "Bobby, do you want me to drive?" he asked tentatively. He didn't want to anger him but Bobby looked in no condition to drive.

"I'm fucking fine!" Bobby said in reply. He shifted the car into to drive and sped off from the parking lot and onto the street. "It's ny fault," Bobby said, his voice coming out lower than before. "My fucking fault!"

"It isn't, man," Angel said. He was pressed against the backseat, his seatbelt strapped tightly against his body.

"The fuck it isn't!" Bobby exclaimed, pressing down harder on the gas. "I'm the one who got his brother killed and now he came back to kill mine!" He paused for a moment then said, "If Jack had died..."

He let his words trail off. He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

"He didn't die!" Jerry said, looking at him. "He is alive!"

"Yeah? Well someone else isn't."

"You cannot blame yourself," Jerry said. He was always the more rational, level-headed one. "Did you force the kid to take drugs?"

Bobby turned to look at him but he didn't answer. After a few seconds he turned his eyes back to the road.

Jerry nodded. "Exactly. You didn't force the kid to take drugs. He did it of his own free will. And you can't be responsible for that."

Bobby grinned his teeth together tightly as he spoke. "I still sold him the drugs."

"I don't give a fuck!" Jerry exclaimed loudly, banging his fist on the dashboard for emphasis. "That happened a long time ago. It's done! You have something to deal with right now!"

"What are you gonna do, Bobby?" Angel asked. He had been quietly observing up until then. "About this Chester guy?"

Bobby kept his eyes straight on the road in front of him. He didn't hesitate to answer. "I'm gonna kill the motherfucker."

"But-"

"What?" Bobby asked, making eye-contact with Angel through the rearview mirror.

"What about his brother? Jack's-well that kid Mark."

Bobby didn't answer. He kept his eyes focused straight for the rest of the ride home. No one spoke anymore; each of them lost in thoughts of their own.

...

The next morning the sun shone brightly and despite the weather, a few birds still remained in the trees and sang a happy tune. The leaves had long since turned orange and red and littered the cold ground, their bright colours decorating the drab streets. Kids on the street laughed and called to each other, playing games and enjoying each other's company. An outsider looking in would describe the morning as bright, happy and the start of a good day.

But Bobby Mercer wasn't paying any attention. The sky could be plagued with meteors and the fires of hell cpuld be raging around him and he wouldn't notice. His mind was filled with only one thought, only one mission as he got into his car and turned the key in the ignition. He drove in silence-he didn't have patience for the radio-and mulled over what he was going to say. Fifteen minutes later, when he arrived and parked in the hospital parking lot, he still didn't know. Shutting the car off, he took a deep breath and walked towards the front doors of the hospital.

Bobby stalked through the hospital with determination, not stopping to look or talk to anyone except the nurse coming out of Jack's room. She told him that his mother had gone to the cafeteria to eat, much to her urging, and that Jack was still unconscious. Bobby nodded in reply and walked past her into Jack's room. Bobby shut the door behind him and slowly made his way to the chair by the bed. He sucked in a deep breath when his eyes fully took Jack in. There wasn't much change from the day before. He was still covered in wires and the only sound was that of the heart monitor beeping steadily. Jack lay on his back, head propped up by two pillows and his arms at his sides. Bobby couldn't help the feeling of guilt that flooded him as he looked at his baby brother lying there.

Bobby sat in the chair and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands. For a while he wasn't sure what to say or even if he could manage to speak. But finally, after several inhales and exhales, he said, "Hey Jack."

Of course Jack couldn't answer. Bobby scoffed lightly when only silence greeted him. Some wishful part of him had hoped that Jack's eyes would pop open magically and that he'd be awake and all right and they could go home and forget that the Chester bullshit ever happened. He cursed himself silently for being so foolish. This was real life and not some story or fairytale where everything turned out good. He was stupid to ever let the thought pass through his mind.

"Jack," Bobby said again. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Listen kid-I don't know if you can hear me." He scoffed to himself. "You probably can-Jesus, I don't know how this shit works! I just wanted to-"

He stopped for a second, again unsure. What did he want to say? What could he say? 'Gee, kid, sorry for almost getting you killed. My bad!' He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It wasn't easy for him. Bobby wasn't the guy to talk about emotions or feelings. He'd usually be the one heckling someone who did get too emotional. But the nagging feeling of guilt was making it hard to keep everything locked inside. He had to talk to Jack-even though it was a fifty-fifty chance that he could actually hear him.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Bobby continued, the words now come forth from him like a gushing waterfall. "It's my fault you're in here. And I don't give a fuck what anyone says becausw it is." He looked down at the floor and chuckled bitterly."Fuck kid, I don't ever expect you to forgive me or anything. Never talk to me again, I don't care! Just-wake up, okay? You're needed more than you think. Just please, Jackie, wake up!"

He had to stop again before the tears that were in his eyes fell. He swiped at his eyes and forced himself to take a composing breath. He looked back to his brother again and for the first time consciously noticed the many fresh marks that were on his body. Bobby saw that he was beaten up before but too much shit had happened that he never took the time to really look. Jack was covered in cuts and contusions; knife cuts adorned both of his arms and the bruises on his face were evidence of him being beaten. His wrists were red and some of the skin torn from the ropes that bound them together tightly. The cuts were treated and bandaged and the bruises had already begun to fade but the scars-whether on the surface or not-would always be there. The sight of this caused anger to rise from somewhere deep within Bobby.

"I'm gonna kill him," Bobby said, gripping the side of the bed so hard that his knuckles turned white. "I promise you that, Jack. I'm gonna go after Chester and I'm gonna empty my gun into that motherfucker!"

Jack's face remained unresponsive. Bobby stood, pushing the chair backwards as he did. He leaned over his brother. "You listen to me, Jackie," he said. "I promise you that I will kill Chester. But you gotta wake up, kid." He put his hand over Jack's and whispered almost inaudibly, "I love you, kid."

With that, he walked out of the room, a new sense of determination taking hold of him. He was going to find Chester and he was going to make him pay. No one crosses Bobby Mercer and lives long enough to tell the tale.

...

"NO PUEDO CREER QUE HARÍA ESTO! TÚ ERES TAN ESTÚPIDA! IMBÉCIL! ¡TE ODIO! NUNCA QUIERE HABLAR CON USTED NUNCA MÁS!"

Angel leaned against the wall in the hallway of the hospital and sighed deeply as he watched Sofi's retreating back. He knew she wasn't going to take news well but he didn't think she'd freak out and scream at him in a public place, in Spanish no less! But then again, this was Sofi. He sighed again as she turned the corner and disappeared from sight. She had caused such a scene in a place that generally remained quiet. The male nurses looked at him with sympathy while the women looked at him like it was his fault. With a shake of his head and uet another sigh, he pushed open the door to Jack's room. He had gotten over one hurdle and now it was time to tell his family.

Everyone looked up at him when he walked in. No doubt they had heard Sofi screaming at him a few seconds prior.

"Trouble?" Bobby asked, a hint of a smirk on his face. Being tired and worried didn't stop him from heckling.

Angel scoffed in reply and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Jerry shared a look with Bobby and they both chuckled. Evelyn turned in the chair by Jack's bed to look at him. Concern was etched on her face.

"What was that about, honey?" she asked.

Angel shrugged. "I was just-" He stopped himself. He couldn't make excuses anymore. He took a deep breath. "I have to tell y'all something."

"What?" Bobby said. "You finally came out of the closet?"

"Fuck off, Bobby!" Angel said then regained his composure. "I'm serious. I've decided-I'm joining the Marines!"

The shocked silence that fell over the room was to be expected. Bobby and his mother stared at him with matching expressions of surprise and if Angel wasn't one hundred percent serious he would have laughed. He didn't think he ever saw Bobby looked so surprised before. Jerry knew already and he looked proud of his brother for finally telling the rest of the family. He was beginning to grow impatient for one of them to say something.

"Well? What do you think?"

The answers came rapid fire then, one after another from Bobby and Evelyn.

"The fuck?"

"The Marines?"

"When?"

"Why?"

"After Christmas," Angel said. "I feel like it's the right thing to do."

Evelyn stood and went to him. Her eyes were filled with worry. "I don't want you getting hurt!"

"I won't, Ma," Angel assured her. "I promise. It's just something I have to do."

Bobby snickered. "Do we get to call you jarhead?"

"Shut-up!" Angel said with a chuckle. He looked down at his mother. "Don't worry, Ma. It'll be all right."

"Good for you, man," Jerry said, giving him an appreciative nod. Angel smiled in response.

"Are you sure about this, son?" Evelyn asked again.

"I'm sure."

"Ahh come on, Ma!" Bobby said with a wave of his hand. "He'll be fine!" He glanced at Angel and scoffed. "Your timing sucks, though, Ang!"

"Yeah I know," Angel replied sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"It's all right," Evelyn said, easing back into the chair by Jack's bed. "I'll just be worried is all!"

"Aren't you always?" Bobby asked and she chuckled.

Despite the recent circumstances and the worry that had fallen over the Mercer family since Jack was brought into the hospital, the mood in the room was happy; a bit like old times. Angel was glad that he finally got it off his chest. Now the only thing left was for Jack to wake up.

...

"Don't fucking point that thing at me, man!"

Bobby had a few different guns laid out on the dining room table before him. He picked up his silver gun, his favourite, and was aiming it at Angel. He scoffed at Angel's protest.

"Don't you gotta get used to having guns point at you?" he said with a chuckle.

"Shut up," Angel grumbled, something he'd been telling Bobby ever since that afternoon.

"What exactly is the plab, Bobby?" Jerry asked from his seat next to Angel at the table.

Bobby's face darkened, all signs of humor disappearing. "We're gonna find the son of a bitch and I'm gonna put a bullet in his face."

"Oh smart Bobby!" Jerry said, shaking his head. "And where do you think you're gonna shoot him?"

"At his house."

Angel raises an eye-brow. "You really think he's just going to be waiting for you at his house?"

"I don't need to think," Bobby replied coolly. He picked up a larger gun and cocked it. "I already fucking know."

"Really?"

"Yes, Jerry, really!" He put the gun back down and he leaned across the table to look his brothers in the face. "Chester didn't come here just to kill Jack and be done with it. He wants to call me out! His ultimate revenge is to kill me!" He stood back upright and went back to examining his guns. "So yeah," he said, "you're damn right he's waiting for me."

"I don't believe that, man," Angel said, shaking his head.

"Believe it."

"You're gonna get yourself killed, man!" Angel exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Fuck you, Angel," Bobby said. "I know what I'm doing!"

They continued arguing back and forth. The shrill ring of the phone pierced the air and Jerry gets up to answer it.

"Hello? Oh, hi mom."

Bobby and Angel stopped talking instantly once they heard it was their mother on the phone. She was at the hospital and said she would only call if she had news. Jerry spoke quietly into the receiver as Bobby and Angel waited impatiently.

"What?" Jerry exclaimed. "Oh yeah-we'll be there right away. We're leaving now."

"What is it?" Angel asked.

Bobby's stomach twisted, expecting tje worst. When Jerry hung up and turned to them he asked, "What did she say?"

"It's Jack."

...

Addie AN: And there you have it! Tell me what you think! Until next time- Addie