Northern Districts Hospital

It had been 12 hours and one quick update since Kyle went into surgery. Heath, Brax, Casey and Ricky were sitting in a relatives room waiting. Bianca had gone to get them some coffees, and when she came back, opening the door up, she assumed they thought she was a nurse with an update as they all turned to face her. The only update they had was four hours into the surgery and it was more to say the surgery was off to a great start.

Heath was still a complete mess. He didn't know what had come over him, it's like he turned into a completely different person since finding out his little brother had a brain tumour. Brax was the same. Him and Heath hugged it out for a long time after Kyle was taken up to surgery, although both of them taking that to the grave. The girls had been there to comfort their partners after that, not having much hope on the matter.

Casey felt more alone than ever. Ever since his kidnapping, he had wanted revenge on Kyle. Whether it be a punch here or a hard jab in the ribs there, he did it. Breaking Kyle and Tamara up, and then getting back with her, was all part of his plan as well. Now he felt so evil and ashamed of himself knowing Kyle only took him to the desert because a brain tumour changed him. A brain tumour that could now kill him.

He knew it was sadistic, but he thought the brain tumour was revenge enough on his brother. But despite all that, if Kyle survived, he was going to fight to get the kidnapping charges wiped from Kyle's files. It was the least he could do. Kyle was suffering enough, he didn't want him to suffer even more for something that he already had remorse for. He wanted to go down to the station now, get it over and done with, but he didn't want his brothers to think that he was bored, or getting out because of his hatred for Kyle. Well, his now past hatred.

"Why don't I go and find a nurse?" Ricky says, breaking the brothers from their thoughts, them all now realising another hour had passed. The worst 13 hours of their lives.

"Yeah, it's been 9 hours with no news. That can't be good." Brax mutters, causing more tears to fall from Heath's eyes, this had broken him more than Rocco's death, he got through that as much as he could, and Brax knew they'd all get through this together as a family.

"I won't be a sec." Ricky says, walking out to find someone.

"Why don't we go for a walk once we have some more news?" Bianca suggests to her husband.

"I can't leave." Heath mutters.

"It will be good for you to stretch your legs. It's been a long day." Bianca says.

"I am not leaving until Kyle's surgery is over." Heath harshly glares.

"That could be hours-"

"Then I'll be here for hours."

"A nurse is going to find something out for us." Ricky says as she walks back in, taking her seat next to Brax again.

"Heath, maybe Bianca's right." Brax says. "Why don't we head out for some fresh air?"

It was something about Brax's tone that caused Heath to nod. And when a nurse came back saying Kyle was still in surgery and would be for a while longer, Brax and Heath went for some fresh air, having a deep chat about what would happen once Kyle was out of surgery.

Heath had already made it known that he wasn't going to leave Kyle alone, he didn't even care about what impression he gave off anymore, their little brother had a brain tumour and their lives were going to change because of it. He liked to think Kyle was more like him than his two other brothers, they had more in common and he wasn't ready to lose that yet.

Brax wasn't keen on leaving Kyle alone either, not after this tumour had been growing inside Kyle's head for three years and they didn't even notice any symptoms Kyle was having. They thought the headaches Kyle had were from the punches he was getting from Casey, but thinking about it he knew that wasn't a good thing either.

"Remember that day in Angelo's, I had to take Kyle off shift and step in till you could turn up, cause he was acting weird and had a bad migraine?" Heath says.

"Uh… Yeah, I think so." Brax faintly nods. "What about it?"

"He was acting weird then, like he wasn't quite with it. Do you reckon that was a sign of the tumour?" Heath asks.

"Yeah, I think it could have been. It took him a good couple days before he started acting normal again. I should have taken him to the hospital to find out what was going on, maybe if it was found sooner Kyle might have a better chance." Brax sighs.

"What if he doesn't make it?" Heath mutters, something Brax had been thinking about as well, and then had another hug that they would take to the grave as well. They stayed out a while longer, and were about to head back inside when Irene and Alf turned up to check on them.

"How are you darl?" Irene asks. "Sorry, what a stupid question."

"How's young Kyle doing?" Alf asks.

"Still in surgery." Brax mutters with a small shrug, amazed at the community he lived in. They hadn't been the best at keeping their crime down over the years, despite not being into that for a while now, but people had more respect for them now. He appreciated it, especially at times like this.

"Still?" Irene raises an eyebrow. "Bianca called me yesterday afternoon saying Kyle was going into surgery."

"It's been…" Brax glances at his watch, realising more time had disappeared without either of them realising. "It's been over 15 hours now."

"We brought you some food from the diner, you all must be hungry." Irene says as Alf and Brax talk some more to the side of them.

"Nah, I can't eat." Heath shakes his head, his hands starting to shake from his fear, lack of sleep, lack of everything.

"Darl, you won't be any help to Kyle when he wakes up if you haven't got the strength yourself." Irene says, earning a scoff from him.

"How come you've got hope that Kyle's going to wake up when he's got someone hacking away at his brain?" Heath asks.

"Kyle's got the best people working on that brain of his, and the fact that it's taken this long must mean they're doing it slow and steady instead of rushing it. He'll be okay." Irene says as Bianca runs over to them.

"What's wrong?" Brax asks, dread filling him all over again.

"Kyle's out of surgery, he made it through the surgery." Bianca says, Brax and Heath running inside before more could be said.

"We'll let you go, love. Make sure you get some rest." Irene smiles, handing Bianca the diner bags before hugging her.

"Thank you. Maybe those boys will actually eat something now. I'll see you later." Bianca smiles before heading inside.

Northern Districts Hospital

"So how did the surgery go? Is Kyle really okay?" Heath asks the surgeon.

"We got it all." Dr Green smiles. "The surgery couldn't have gone any better."

"Kyle's going to be okay?" Brax double checks, not wanting to miss anything about Kyle's recovery.

"It's looking hopeful. We're waiting for Kyle to wake up before we can find out if there were any post-op complications, but the surgery went well, that's the main thing." Dr Green says.

"Can we see him now?" Heath asks.

"Before you do, there are some things you need to know." Dr Green says.

"You said Kyle was okay." Heath says, his tone getting defensive, Bianca needing to hold him back.

"He is, but he's going to be surrounded by a lot of wires. We've placed a drainage tube in Kyle's brain to prevent the build up fluid, so don't be alarmed when you see it." Dr Green says. "We're going to start bringing Kyle out of the coma soon, but he may not be awake for long periods of time yet. All of his energy is going to be needed in his recovery, so rest is extremely important."

"Okay." They all nod before being led to Kyle's room.

As they reached the room Kyle had been placed in, they were slightly taken aback by how many wires there were surrounding him, despite the warning they were given. He was unusually pale, but Dr Green and Nate were happy with his vitals as a steady beeping sound echoed around the room. Things were definitely a lot calmer now, and they couldn't wait for Kyle to wake up.

Northern Districts Hospital

Later that day, Kyle had woken up from his coma. Dr Green was extremely impressed with Kyle's ability and was pleased to say that Kyle had no post-op complications that they needed to worry about just yet. Kyle's vision was blurry, but he hoped that was just temporary. Somehow it didn't even bother Brax or Heath, they were just happy Kyle was alive and were willing to deal with whatever came after that.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you awake." Heath beams, unable to stop tears from falling, but he was past caring if anyone saw, he had barely stopped crying since Kyle's diagnosis. "How're you feeling?"

"Sick." Kyle quietly mutters, still feeling weak from the surgery. "Can't see properly."

"The doc said you might have blurry vision and headaches for a bit longer. Apparently that's pretty normal, it will probably pass." Brax says.

"Probably?" Kyle frowns.

"Don't worry about that for now, you're awake, that's all that matters." Heath smiles, he was holding Kyle's hand, not sure when it happened but Kyle gripped back, a light grip at that. He was significantly weaker than before, but the doctors were hopeful it would get better with some rehab if needed.

"Hurts." Kyle whimpers.

"I know. But it won't be for long. All of this will be over before you know it." Heath says, feeling helpless. "See, I told you it would be okay, didn't I."

"Not over yet." Kyle sighs.

"No, not yet, but it will soon." Heath says, and then Kyle drifted off to sleep. "This is good, isn't it? Him being awake I mean."

"I think it is, yeah. Nate and that Dr Green sounded really hopeful, and he got this far, so I'm taking that as a win." Brax smiles as Ricky, Bianca and Casey walk in.

"Hey, how's he doing?" Ricky asks.

"He's doing well. He wasn't awake for long like the doc said, but it's a start." Heath smiles.

"We were going to head out to get some food, what are you guys having?" Ricky asks. "And don't think for a second about saying you don't want anything because I'm not taking no for an answer." She firmly says, smiling at their faces.

"Why don't you choose?" Brax says, handing her some money from his wallet before kissing her.

"Okay. We won't be long. You boys behave." Ricky smiles before leaving with Bianca.

"So he's really doing okay?" Casey asks.

"Yeah, he's doing fine." Brax nods, still feeling the tension between his brothers. "Listen, whatever this is between you two, forget it. Kyle's going to need all of us during his recovery and I will not have you at each other's throats all the time."

"You're not going to have any more problems from me. I've thought through a lot since we found out about Kyle's tumour. I've ended things with Tamara for good, and I'm going to work on building a good relationship with Kyle. We're brothers, I'm going to start acting like it and move on from the past. Nate's going to back me up when I go to the cops, and we're going to try and get the kidnapping charges taken from Kyle's file."

"That's great, it's a start." Brax lightly smiles.

"Doesn't make up for how you've been treating him. Kyle had an excuse, the tumour was causing him to act out. Yours was out of jealousy." Heath glares. "The only reason I'll stay civil is because I won't have things be awkward for Kyle, he needs me."

"Heath." Brax shakes his head.

"Kyle's sleeping. Don't wake him up." Heath says before sitting in the chair next to the bed.

Northern Districts Hospital

By the time Kyle was allowed to be discharged, he had started to feel a lot better, impressing them all as he started getting his strength back. And like they vowed during Kyle's surgery, Brax and Heath hadn't left Kyle since he'd woken up, taking it in turns to stay with him. He couldn't wait to get home, thinking he'd feel better about his recovery if he was at home with his family around all the time.

"Just take it slow." Heath says as he supports Kyle in walking inside.

"I can't go much slower." Kyle says. "And you said you brought food, so where is it?"

"Alright, you're worse than me!" Heath laughs, adjusting his grip on his brother as they stop just short from the couch.

"Uncle Kyle!" Darcy beams, running over to give him a gentle hug.

"Hey Darce." Kyle smiles.

"Long time no see mate." Brax smirks.

"You saw me this morning." Kyle frowns, then realises it was a joke. "Oh."

"Good to see you doing better." Casey mutters, Kyle lightly nodding before looking back to Heath.

"So?"

"Alright, let's get you out into the garden then." Heath says, supporting Kyle out with the rest of them joining them.

"I just want food and then sleep." Kyle says.

"So just a normal day for you then?" Brax smirks.

"No!" Kyle says. "Well it does seem to be recently but I was basically starved in hospital, the food was disgusting!"

"That's because you got used to having Angelo's all the time." Ricky laughs as Kyle sits down at the table, Heath sitting down next to him.

"Thought we'd have a barbie for the occasion." Brax says.

"Nate said more protein will be good for you, also fish and plenty of fluids." Ricky says.

"Please don't tell me you're putting fish on the barbie!" Kyle groans without thinking.

"Are you stupid?" Casey scoffs, Kyle merely looking at him before going quiet, no snarky remark like he did before.

"Nah, he's recovering after brain surgery, you massive tool." Heath glares at Casey.

"Sorry, it just came out." Casey mutters, seeing a huge difference in Kyle, normally they would have been fighting over something by now.

"There's some finger food here for you in the meantime." Bianca says, placing it down in front of him, shaking her head as Heath gets to it first. "Heath, you ate enough for two this morning, let Kyle have some."

"I am!" Heath mutters, handing Kyle half a tuna sandwich before taking the other half.

"I bet you're so glad to be home now." Ricky smiles.

"I've still got to go back to hospital loads but Dr Green said it was great that I was getting my strength back. It does feel great to be home now, maybe I might be able to sleep better as well." Kyle says.

"Well you've got enough meds to keep you going." Heath smirks, lightly nudging Kyle's arm.

"Oi." Brax warns. "No nudging or hair ruffling."

"It was a tiny nudge!" Heath mutters.

"You said you wouldn't mention hair!" Kyle huffs, not feeling self conscious of his half bald head.

"Sorry mate. There's nothing wrong with your hair, you can barely notice with the dressings covering most of it up." Brax says.

"But it will be when the dressings come off and then I'll be half bald with gross stitches and stuff." Kyle cringes.

"You're not the one who has to see the stitches all the time." Heath says, Kyle looking at him.

"You're not the one who has a throbbing pain in your head all the time." Kyle retorts.

"Mate, that was quite quick for you." Heath smiles.

"I hadn't noticed." Kyle shrugs.

"That's a good thing, it means you're starting to heal even more." Brax says as he puts the sausages and steaks onto the tray Ricky was holding. "Grubs up boys."

"Finally!" Kyle smiles as Brax puts the biggest steak on a plate before placing it in front of Kyle.

"If you want, we could shave the other half so it all grows back equally. It might take a while to grow back to how it was, but at least it won't be all different lengths." Ricky suggests, Kyle nodding in thanks as he had a mouthful.

"You can have your meds now mate, want me to get them?" Heath asks.

"I've got it, want a beer?" Brax says.

"Yes please." Kyle smiles.

"Not you." Brax shakes his head before going inside to get some beers for the rest of them.

"Nice try little bro." Heath laughs as he gets a steak and sausage for himself.

"Kyle, can I have a word?" Casey asks.

"Uh…" Kyle trails off, looking out of place. "Sure, go for it."

"Well, I… I just wanted to say sorry for all the fighting before." Casey says as Brax walks back out, handing the beers out before giving Kyle his meds. "I went to the cops, got the kidnapping charges against you wiped with the help of Nate. Think you're only Braxton without a criminal record now." He lightly jokes.

"Oh, well thanks, I guess. You didn't have to get it wiped, I still hurt you." Kyle mutters.

"The brain tumour must have been hurting you more. Nate said it had been growing for three years, and you didn't kidnap me that long ago. Just use it as an excuse and let's move on. We're brothers, we have to stick together." Casey says.

"Okay." Kyle lightly nods.

"Great, now that's sorted, let's leave it in the past. Bianca picked up a triple chocolate cake from the diner, so don't get too full." Brax says, they all knew it was Kyle's favourite and would probably eat the whole thing in one sitting if he had the chance, so Ricky was on hand to make sure that didn't happen.

"Thank you Bianca." Kyle smiles.

"Don't mention it. Just save me some." Bianca smirks.

"I can't guarantee that, but I'll try." Kyle grins.

"Everyone from the diner sends their wishes. We'll have to take a walk there for some more chocolate cake once you've built your energy up some more. Although that may be for a while, you're still really sleepy most of the time." Bianca says.

"I already feel ready for a nap. Heath wouldn't let me have one before being discharged." Kyle pulls a face.

"No, the doc wouldn't let you have one because he had to go through post discharge stuff with you." Heath shakes his head.

"I'm sure you could have gone through it for me. After all, it was the doctors who said I had to rest, so they kinda went against their own advice." Kyle says.

"Is this what we have to put up with now?" Heath scoffs. "We all know the big fella won't take backchat from you, and neither will I."

"I'm not giving backchat, I'm just saying." Kyle shrugs. "And I think the least I deserve after having a tumour removed from my brain is a bit of leniency. I'll happily take it down to three naps a day but I have to get something out of it."

"More than three naps a day is just sleeping, and what could you possibly get out of it?" Heath frowns.

"A beer wouldn't hurt, but considering I was told that was banned until I'm through the first stages of healing, I'll settle with pizzas and chocolate cake." Kyle smiles.

"Take it down to two naps a day and I'll keep you off work for a minimum of six months." Brax says, knowing he would do that anyway as Kyle was signed off work for the foreseeable future, from him and the doctor.

"That's pushing it!" Kyle shakes his head. "I'll settle with three."

"What are you like?" Ricky shakes her head, all of them bursting into fits of laughter. This was a start of something new for the family, an eye opener. Nothing would get between them and staying together, not if they had anything to do with it.