Chapter Title: Alive and Safe and Whole

Series Title: Unlikely Brothers

POV: Dashen

Ages in this chapter: Tanner (12) Dashen (18)

Chapter Summary: Injured on the job, Dashen thinks his brother is dead.

"Tanner, if you're dead, I swear I will kill you. Wake up, damn it!"

No response. No nothing. Just the still form of my brother. Head in my lap. Small battered body lying flat on its backside. I'd tried to breathe life back into him, but a minute passed, then another and nothing. My hands brushed back his longish hair and ran firmly over his bruised face, desperate. I smacked him a few times. Not helpful, I realize, but frantic.

Faintly from behind, I heard Colton's voice. "Healers are on their way, Dash. Keep him breathing!"

Keep him…I can't. He's not breathing! "Colt!"

Once more I push breath into him then smacked at his face again. Looking for a sign. Any sign. Breathe, damn it!

My head fell forward and cushioned next to his. "Tanner. Please. Don't do this to me."

An eternity passed. I was sure of it. My imagination allowed me to feel the tiniest puffs of breath against my ear. It tortured me into thinking that my brother was alive. That he wasn't lying lifeless in my arms. Another brother lost.

But then I felt the puff again. And again. And…this wasn't my imagination. Couldn't be. Even my own mind couldn't be so torturous, could it? My thoughts swam. My head hurt. Things were fuzzy. Were they supposed to be so fuzzy?

A hand touched my shoulder.

"You can let him go, Dashen."

No, no, no and hell, no! I clung tighter, my head buried against his still. I wasn't letting him go. I let one brother go. Not this one. No.

The hand became more insistent.

"You need to let us take him, Dashen. You did your part."

I did my part? What the hell did that mean? I let my little brother die in my arms? Second time in my crap-hole of a life?

The hand disappeared and was replaced by a larger one. The one that had been on my shoulder reappeared touching Tanner's lifeless face. I lifted my head enough to see as the larger hands began to pull me away. The light hurt my eyes and I briefly closed them in pain. I tasted blood. Dripping down my face. My blood? Tanner's? What was happening? Quin? Was that Healer Quin taking my dead brother away? I tried to clutch him tighter, but her hands took Tanner and the other hands kept me from following.

Helpless, I reached toward the body that the healers were taking from me. I pleaded with them to stop. To not take my brother. Not again.

The other hands, those on my shoulders…Colton. He crouched beside me, a steady presence. Trying to look over at him, I saw a blurred version of his large, blond-haired frame and my shoulders fell limp; I leaned to him.

"They took Tanner."

"Quin can help him, Dash. She can get him well."

Get him well? She can revive the dead now? When this this magic happen? And what the hell was Colton talking about?

"Get him well? No. He's dead. He died. I let him die. Just like Kossi."

"He's not dead, you idiot."

Idiot. I deserved that one. As usual. Even now. But…even now? Even Colton wouldn't call me an idiot in a time like this. That would be cruel and nothing more than a stab in the heart. But, he had. Why? And why did my head hurt so damn much?

Could it be…no. No, I'd felt him die. Held him. Couldn't get life back into him. Tanner was dead. Wasn't he?

"Colt, what's happening?" I licked weakly at the blood dripping over my lips.

"You busted your head pretty badly. You're getting blood on my new tunic too, you know. Things are probably a little fuzzy at the moment."

A little? Understatement of the eon.

But it wasn't what I was referring too.

"Not my head. Tanner. Tanner's dead. Right?"

"Didn't I just tell you no? Gotta listen when I talk, kid. It's usually important. Your brother is alive and safe and whole. He's beat up a bit, but he's alive. You kept him breathing just like I told you. You don't remember?"

"He was dead. Really dead. Then he wasn't. Was he? Colt…"

I fell further against him, tears mixing with blood on his new white tunic. He'd kill me for it later, I was sure.

"Stop it, Dash. Stop talking. Stop thinking. Just listen. Tannerlin is alive. You are alive. Your brother is on his way to the hospital. It's where you'll be heading in a minute. And stop bleeding on me, damn it."

My brain tried to move my body away from him. No more bleeding on the tunic. But my body wouldn't work right and Colton's arm around me told me the opposite of what his words did. He wouldn't let me pull away. But I was bleeding on him. Crying on him. And making a mess and he hated it and he wouldn't let me go. I don't understand…

"Colt…"

"Didn't I just tell you to stop thinking?"

"But…"

"Stubborn as a swamp rat. Good thing your brother is the same way. Can you stand?"

Stand? That involved legs, didn't it? And balance and…no.

"Don't think so."

"Figures. You and your lazy ass. Come on."

And I was lifted and moved to places unknown. Or to the hospital or something. I still didn't know what was happening. My head bobbed around, banging against a shoulder. More blood on someone. On me. On home. Colton?

"Damn it, Dash, stop wiggling around. I need to put you down. Bed. Hospital bed."

"Why does my head hurt so bad? I'm bleeding. Tanner..."

The giant arms put me down onto something soft. The blond head backed away. Was that Colton? I was having more and more trouble remembering anything and the room was going dark. But my brother...Tanner...

"Tanner..."

"I told you, the healers have him. He's alive. You'll see him soon."

"Dunno...think..." The brain fuzz gave way to blackness and my thoughts to nothing.

Then I woke up. Little did I know it was three days later. Later from what...no idea, but it was later. Strange people were around me. Four of them? Five? They were tiny and different. I didn't know them, but they all hurried out when...Colt?

"Student healers. Lots of them. They were studying concussions. Lucky you got to be their first concussed patient, Dash. Congratulations on that."

"Um," I groaned. "Thank you?"

"I told them to leave. They're all scared of me, it's great." Colton was proud of himself, always, when it came to intimidating people of any age. I tried to refocus him as I focused me.

"Colt...you are very loud and I don't remember where...where is my brother? Why is my head pounding? Am I bleeding? Tanner?"

The big man sat down and thankfully lowered his bellowing voice. "You have a concussion. We literally just talked about that fifteen seconds ago."

"Tell me..."

My head hurt so badly, the light from above was making it worse. I guess Colton could see that because he went to turn them off. The window-daylight was enough. I still didn't understand and where was my brother?

"Better?" He said to me with the lights off.

I nodded and repeated his name. "Colton..."

"Listen, kid. You and Tannerlin were on a run. You got nailed. You both got hurt. You both will be fine. You have a bad concussion. Tannerlin is in a room down the hall. He had the wind knocked out of him pretty badly and did stop breathing for a brief time. He is alive and safe and even awake. Believe it or not, it's you we need to worry about, not him. He'll be here to see you soon, assuming you can stay awake."

I'd always stay awake to see Tanner...or, perhaps not. I felt myself drifting off again, I suppose it was my body trying to escape my aching head. Or something medical like that. What the hell did I know? Had to see him though, just to make sure...then I could sleep. Maybe if moved and got out of bed...oh bad idea. My legs started moving and were pressed back down. My head lifted off the pillow at the same time and an explosive bout of nausea slammed into me and everything came spewing out. Mostly in a bucket, but some on me.

I saw Colton press a call button. Someone to clean me up. He wasn't going to do it if there were people getting paid for the job. He did take a minute to lecture me though.

"This is why I said that Tannerlin will be down to visit you, you idiot. Concussion, remember? Severe. Comes with lots of puking and dizziness and grogginess. You should know the drill by now, you've had at least three head injuries since I've known you. Scalp must be made of sponge or something."

One of those tiny healer trainee things cleaned me up and scurried out again when Colton grunted that she had spent enough time in the room.

"Why are you being mean to that poor girl?"

"She was taking too long."

"She made me smell better." I reached up to scratch and itch on my head and my hand was swatted down. "Ouch. It itches." I looked at my fingers. "And it's bleeding. Why is my head bleeding?"

"I really am talking to an idiot. Dashen, concussion. You were hit in the head. It bleeds. Remember that."

"Can't. Concussion, remember?" I retorted, being the bed-ridden smart ass that I was. "Just wanna see my brother."

Colton stood and stared at me, probably wondering why he'd helped me all those years ago. "Why the hell did I help you all those years ago? You are such a pain in my...damn it, kid. Why? I'll get your brother. Idiot. I swear to the Gods..."

He loved me. He did. He'd never admit it, but he did. And when he returned I have no idea how much time later (could've been a minute, could've been three days) with my little brother in tow, I knew he really did love me. I only got a hug from Tanner though. I was okay with that. I did get a grin from Colton just before he left.

"I'll be back to bring you home when Quin says it's okay. You two idiots take care of each other, understand me? I'll see you soon."

I told you he loved me. Loved us. Me and my brother who was alive an safe and whole. My head still hurt and I couldn't move without puking, but I had my family. That was enough.

END