"I know you're missing Brax, but you can't keep taking it out on everyone else. If there's one person you should be angry at, then it's the big fella. He's the one who shopped himself into the cops and pled guilty in court." Heath says.
"But we're the ones being punished for it." Casey mutters as Kyle walks in, heading straight to the counter as Heath walks over to him.
"What can I get you, love?" Irene asks him.
"Triple espresso, make that with an extra shot or two." Kyle says.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Irene frowns, glancing at Heath.
"Nah, it's not." Heath says.
"And what would you know?" Kyle snaps.
"Geez, calm down bro. I was just saying it wasn't a good idea. You need sleep, not caffeine." Heath says.
"Sleep? I'm running two businesses, both of which are short staffed because I can't keep up with all of the workload. Do not tell me what to do when the gym would have gone bust by now if it wasn't for me running it in my spare time! I get that I didn't know Brax as long as you guys did, but he's still my brother. Do you see me going off getting drunk every night, or doing what I please just to punish everyone else for something Brax did, huh? No, because I'm the one actually trying to keep our businesses open, and a roof over our head because no one else seems to care!" Kyle bursts out, his heart beating out of his chest.
"Mate, we're grateful you did that, but you didn't need to worry about both of them. We could have sorted something out." Heath says as Casey walks over to them.
"You weren't sorting anything out, that's why you've had clients quit their memberships and all but one of your trainers quit their jobs, including Casey! I haven't had a day off in weeks because if I left the gym or Angelo's alone for minutes, they started falling apart. I can't even remember the last time I got a full night's sleep because I'm up at 6 to open the gym and I'm not leaving Angelo's until gone 1am just so things are ready for the next day! I can't even sleep by the time I get home because my mind is racing about what I have to face the next day. I've been doing all of this and you haven't been making things any easier for me when I've got just as much to do at home as well. When do I get-" Kyle couldn't even finish his sentence, feeling extremely short of breath, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
"Kyle, mate what's wrong?" Heath asks, placing his hands on Kyle's shoulder, feeling him shaking.
"Can't… Breathe…" Kyle pants, tears springing to his eyes as he clutches at his chest.
"Nate!" Irene exclaims as he notices the British doctor walk in, heading straight for them.
"What's wrong?" Nate asks, instantly eyeing up Kyle before moving him over to a chair to sit down.
"He can't breathe." Heath says, briefly noticing Irene shut the diner to give them privacy.
"Just take some nice deep breaths for me, Kyle. In and out, copy me." Nate says, getting Kyle to copy him. "That's it, just keep doing that for me."
"What's wrong with him?" Casey asks.
"Kyle's having a panic attack, it's coming under control nicely now." Nate says, briefly glancing back at him before focusing back on Kyle. "Your heart is still racing and you're still shaking, so just carry on those deep breathes in and out for me. Is this the first time this has happened?" He asks Kyle, who shakes his head. "How often has it happened?"
"Dunno… Maybe a couple times a week. More at night." Kyle mutters, more of a whisper than anything. "I just can't sleep, my mind races about what I have to face the next day and then I can't breathe. It normally gets better after about an hour."
"Why haven't you seen someone about this?"
"I don't have time." Kyle shakes his head. "I've got too much to get done. I need to get back to Angelo's-"
"That's not a good idea. You look exhausted, your heart rate is still a little high and you're looking a little thin. How long have you been neglecting your health?" Nate asks.
"I don't have time to focus on myself. I have too much to do." Kyle mutters.
"Like what?" Nate asks.
"I have to run Angelo's and the gym. They're short staffed and we can't afford for them to go under. I really need to get back to them now." Kyle says, about to stand up when he has a dizzy spell.
"Woah, you're not going anywhere apart from home to get some proper rest and something to eat." Nate says, holding Kyle steady.
"No-"
"Doctors orders." Nate firmly says. "I'd like to book you in so we can talk about these panic attacks you've been having and to work through a schedule for you so you don't neglect your own health any longer. Heath, Casey, you're capable of minding the gym and Angelo's for Kyle aren't you?" He asks, wondering why they hadn't been anyway as they were family businesses.
"Yeah, of course we are." Heath says.
"I can go there now while you take Kyle home." Casey says to his older brother.
"Yeah, okay." Heath nods. "Why don't you help him out to the ute."
"Sure." Casey says, him and Nate supporting Kyle outside as Heath walks over to Irene.
"I'm sorry you had to shut up, I'll pay you the losses." Heath says.
"No you won't. The only thing I want from you is proof that you are going to step up for your family and be the big brother Kyle and Casey needs. This should be a real eye opener for you and I want to see Kyle getting better. You need to start taking responsibility and help that poor boy through this." Irene firmly says, having heard through Bianca that things had been left to Kyle. "I get that things must be hard without Brax around, but that's no excuse to be abandoning your responsibilities at home and at the gym."
"I know." Heath sighs. "I didn't realise things would get this serious. I don't know what to do."
"You start by making sure Kyle starts focusing on himself again, especially making sure he goes to talk to Nate about this. You give him some leave from work and take over things yourself with Casey's help. You need to be their brother and start taking control of things." Irene says.
"Okay, thanks Irene." Heath says.
"You know where I am if you ever need anything." Irene says before Heath leaves to take Kyle home.
"Here, make sure you eat it." Heath says, placing a sandwich down in front of Kyle before sitting opposite him. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asks, not really sure what to do. He hadn't been around when Casey was having bad mental health issues, so wasn't sure what to do now. "I'm always here if you need to, it can be about anything."
"You don't need to worry about me." Kyle mutters, picking at the sandwich, but he wasn't eating it yet.
"I'm going to because you're my brother and it's clear you need me." Heath says.
"I don't need anyone! You're the one that made it clear you didn't care anymore, I'm the one who's actually been trying to keep this family together and the businesses running because no one else cared!" Kyle snaps as he stands up, trying to rush to his room, but Heath had gotten in front of him first, holding him back.
"Mate, I'm so sorry. Things kinda went off the rails after Brax was arrested… It shouldn't have been left to you to play the big brother, because that's my job. I'm older, so it should have been up to me. I'm going to change that now, I'm going to take charge." Heath says, needing to for the sake of his brothers. "You did a great job keeping everything going so far, but take a huge step back, cause I'm taking over." He says, Kyle faintly nodding.
"I'm just so tired." Kyle whispers.
"I know." Heath sighs. "You're going to take time for yourself now, starting with getting some food into you, and then a good night's sleep." He says as Bianca walks through the door.
"What's happened?" Bianca asks, sensing something was wrong.
"Kyle's just had a bit of a rough time…" Heath says, not really sure what to say. "A breakdown. I was off getting recked and he was dealing with everything here."
"Are you going to be okay?" Bianca asks her brother in law, getting a small nod in reply.
"We have to stop putting all of our worries onto Kyle, it's not fair on him." Heath says, still not sure what to do, then Casey walks through the door as well.
"I'm glad you've finally come to that realisation." Bianca stares at her husband.
"Why aren't you at work?" Heath asks.
"I've shut the gym and Angelo's up for the day so we can focus on things here. The staff understood and I've explained that things are going to be different from now on." Casey says.
"Okay." Heath says, looking back at Kyle, who looked a little lost. "Come on, let's get some food into you." He says, guiding Kyle back to the dining table.
"Casey, could you sit with Kyle for a moment? I just need to talk to Heath." Bianca says, Casey nodding as she leads Heath out into the garden.
"You don't have to." Kyle mutters.
"It's fine." Casey shrugs, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through, especially with the gym. I took a lot out on you after Brax was sent down, I expected things from you that I shouldn't have and I never realised how much this would affect you as well. We should have stuck together, not fallen apart. I never took into account how much you'd have to take on with Brax gone."
Kyle was now basically the owner of Angelo's and also the gym with all the work he had been putting in there since Brax went away. They were expecting him to take control of their lives as if he had no responsibilities of his own, or even struggling with Brax's absence, no wonder he's had a breakdown.
"Do you need anything?" Casey asks, wanting to make up for how he'd been treating Kyle over the weeks.
"I don't know." Kyle mutters as he eats small bits of the sandwich.
"You should finish that up and then get some rest. I'm going to help Heath out with the gym and Angelo's, so you don't need to worry about them. I'm taking control around here now, well as much as Heath will let me, so you focus on getting your head sorted." Casey says as Heath walks back in with Bianca.
"Everything good here?" Heath asks.
"Yeah." Casey nods. "I was just telling Kyle how we'll be taking control of things now, so he can focus on himself."
"And too right you should. Things are going to be changing around here, and I'm going to make sure of it. Now Kyle, finish that sandwich and then go and get some sleep. I want you to try and get through the whole night without worrying about the gym or restaurant, your brothers are taking over them for a while." Bianca says. "And I don't want you even thinking about returning to work for a while, these brothers of yours can start pulling their weight around. We can spend some time focusing on getting you better again. What do you reckon?"
"That sounds good." Kyle lightly smiles.
"Things are going to change a lot now, aren't they?" Casey asks.
"Yeah, they are." Heath says. "But just because I'm going to take charge around here now, and be the big brother you both need, it doesn't mean I'm going to replace Brax. We just can't carry on with how things have been, and I'm not going to let that happen."
"I know that. Brax would be ashamed of how we've been treating things around here, how we've been treating Kyle. We can change that now. You did a great job keeping things running considering all the pressure and stress you were under." Casey says to Kyle, willing to do anything to make it up to him.
"I had to else they'd go bust." Kyle lightly shrugs.
"That's our responsibility. I'm not letting you back to work until Nate gives the green light, and even then I might not agree to it if things are still going to put pressure on you." Heath says.
Although Kyle was struggling with the fact that things were going to be changing now, he was actually really relieved that he wasn't going to have to worry about the gym or restaurant for a few weeks. He knew it would probably be longer if things were still a bit stressful with them, Bianca would make sure of that. He didn't mind anymore, things were going to change now and he was willing to accept it.