A/N: This chapter contains violence. You have been warned.
Dil and Tommy:
Dil walked down the hallway, feeling the hostile glances of his classmates on his back. Since the Valentine's Dance, he and Joe had been the recipient of those looks more often than not. The only people who still treated him the same were his circle of friends, and to his surprise, Meagan, who told him shyly that he and Joe made a cute couple.
'It would be all right, if only Tommy would come around,' he thought to himself. Even though Tommy's attitude was better than it was, he still wasn't comfortable talking to Dil about Joe.
Joe came walking up to him, glancing around nervously. "What are you looking for?" Dil asked curiously.
"Nothing important. I just don't want you to be any more shunned than you are."
Dil smiled at Joe's concern. "Don't worry. I'm a big boy. Anyway, are we still on for the movies after school?"
"Sure. I heard that this movie is full of HoYay! Of course, we will have to see and judge."
"Deal. Meet you at 4, alright?" Dil glanced at his watch and groaned. "I have to get to gym. See you." He dropped his voice. "Love you."
"Love you too," Joe whispered back, eyes sparkling. "Bye."
Dil ran the rest of the way to gym, happy and unaware of what was waiting on him.
Instead of his classmates milling around in the gym, all of the guys were in the locker room. When Dil entered the room, conversation abruptly stopped as they turned to stare at him with hate in their eyes...
... And he could taste the fear, his fear, in his mouth. He remembered an incident from childhood, when he was young and still was sickly. He and Tommy had been fighting, and as usual, he was congested from a cold. Tommy had clapped a hand over his mouth, and for seconds that felt like hours, Dil couldn't breathe. The fear had risen, unbidden, like bile at the back of his throat. He had been too scared to make a sound, bite Tommy's hand, or anything. He just stood there, terrified, until Tommy had realized what he'd done. He had apologized. Afterwards, they still fought, but never had Tommy ever put a hand over his mouth again.
He dimly heard the taunts and threats that his "friends" were directing at him. He still was concentrating on not reacting, not crying; not doing anything that would make them react any more than they were.
One of his long time classmates, Jim Mitchell, came up to him. "I bet you been looking at us the whole time we been changing in here!"
Some of the guys shouted agreement. Out of the corner of his eye, Dil saw two guys run out. He still felt like he was trapped in the glue that was binding him in place. He could tell that the wind had changed. Some of the people in the room who had tried to stay neutral were now giving him the same evil glare that he had been seeing in the halls.
"... Gonna teach you a lesson," a new voice said. Dil knew that was his key to run, but he could only close his eyes...
*****************************************
Tommy was sitting in the lunchroom with Lil and Kim. He was attempting to take apart a tuna sandwich when two out of breath boys came up to him.
"You gotta come with us," one of them panted.
"Why? Where?" Tommy looked at them in confusion. They looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place the faces.
"Dil... the gym... they're gonna hurt him!"
"....oh..." Tommy's brain shut down. He was out of his seat and running before he realized what was really happening. He was dimly aware of Phil turning to follow him, and the girls too, but he couldn't stop, because if he stopped....
They hit the double doors. The first thing he filed away was that the gym itself was empty. No teachers, no groups of rowdy boys playing pickup.
"Where!" he barked.
The boys didn't even flinch at his tone. "In the locker room."
************************************************
Pain...
He wondered briefly if he was dead. Although he could hear the many blows landing, he couldn't see them or feel them. One part of his brain was telling him that he wasn't dead, he was just in shock. Another part was hoping for Joe to be safe, for them not to get Joe. A very insistent part was chanting like a mantra, please tommy please tommy please tommy....
************************************************
Tommy opened the door of the locker room with Phil right on his heels. At first, he couldn't hear anything, but Phil tugged on his shirt and said, "This way." As they got closer, he could hear thumps and curses, but he couldn't hear anyone pleading for it to stop or ....
Tommy's heart was beating like a trip hammer as he rounded the corner and ran blindly into several boys, watching but not stopping it. He pushed through them and saw what appeared to be five boys dancing wildly. Their feet were flailing as they kicked the unconscious person beneath them. He grabbed the one closest to him and threw him into a bank of lockers. The other boys stopped as Tommy approached them. The ringleader stopped too and shot Tommy an utterly blank look.
"Hey Pickles, did you come to beat your fag brother too?"
Tommy could never remember that split second. One minute he was looking at the guy, the next minute the guy was out on the floor, and Tommy's knuckles were stinging. After the people were out of the way, he sat down next to his brother. "Go get help," he said calmly to Phil. Their eyes met, and then Phil ran out of the locker room. Tommy cradled Dil's head on his lap. "I'm sorry, Dil."
***************************************************
Later, they sat in the hospital. Tommy had refused to leave Dil's side, even as the paramedics came and they rode in the ambulance. He dimly remembered giving his keys to Lil, but his memory shut down, blocking out details that didn't pertain to Dil.
Dil. Who had just been beaten severely. The doctors had said something about internal bleeding, about maxillofacial damage, about head trauma. They had taken him to surgery over eight hours ago. He hadn't left Dil until the doctors had passed the 'do not enter' signs, and then he had stared helplessly at his brother until he couldn't see him anymore.
At the moment, he was sitting with Lil, who was holding his hand, which he couldn't feel, and Chuck, who was drawing angry thick lines on his sketch pad. His parents were there, and the DeVilles and the Finsters, and his Uncle Drew and Aunt Charlotte.
Angelica came running in. Seeing everyone there, she opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it again and made her way over to Tommy. Kneeling in front of him, she hugged him, and then whispered in his ear, "You look like shit."
"I feel like shit," he answered honestly.
She stood up. "Walk with me to the cafeteria?"
Tommy stood up, and so did all of the teenagers. "We'll be back," Angelica informed her parents.
"Why don't you run Tommy home so that he can... change his shirt." his father suggested tiredly.
For the first time, Tommy gazed down at his clothes and noticed the rusty stains on his jersey and jeans. 'It's blood. It's my brother's blood.'
Angelica, seeing the blood drain out of Tommy's face, said only, "Okay," and shepherded him out of the waiting room. The rest of the gang followed.
"Tommy, I still have your keys, all right? We'll follow you in your car." Lil gestured to Phil, Chuck and Kim.
"Okay." 'I'm covered in my brother's blood.'
The ride back to his house was mostly silent. Tommy asked Angelica, "Who told you?"
"Phil called, and then as I was packing, my parents called."
"I like you and Phil together," Tommy said abruptly.
When they pulled in front of his dark house, Lil got out of Tommy's car and let him in. "We're going to run to the school and get Chuck's car. We'll meet you back here."
Wordlessly, he nodded and went into his house. He started climbing the steps to his room as Angelica called up, "I'll be down here if you need anything!"
Instead of arguing that he wasn't an invalid, he went into his room, which looked the same as he had left it. He went over to his dresser and pulled out another pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Going into the bathroom, he gazed into the mirror. His skin was the color of buttermilk, and his normally sunny blue eyes were stormy. "Angelica's right. I do look like shit," he said aloud.
He took a quick shower before he changed. He was just coming down the stairs when his and Chuck's cars pulled back up to his house.
"Ready?" Angelica said, standing up from sitting on the couch.
"Yeah."
As he got back into his car, which Lil was still driving, Phil went to ride with Angelica.
"I told her that I liked her and Phil together," Tommy said quietly.
"They work surprisingly well." Lil drove through the streets smoothly. "Tommy... are you okay? Yes, I realize what happened, and no, I don't know how you feel. But you know that... Dil's like my little brother, too."
"I guess I'm numb," he said. "I know that I'll be torn up when it actually hits, but right now I can't feel anything."
"When it hits, I'll be there, okay? We all will. Susan and Tim are flying back tonight."
They parked in the hospital lot and ran back to the waiting room. "Any news?" Tommy asked his parents.
"Nothing yet," his mother answered.
As they sat back down, Tommy thought of something. "Did anyone call Joe?"
"I can. I have his number." Chuck went over to the bank of pay phones. "I forgot that you can't use a cell phone in a hospital."
"I'll go outside with you," Tommy said.
They walked back out into the crisp night. "Could you just dial the number for me? I want to talk to him."
"Tommy..."
"I'm not going to ask for his head on a platter. It's just... no one told him, and I think that I need to be the one."
Chuck dialed the number and handed the phone to Tommy.
"Hello?"
"Hello. Is Joe there?"
"May I ask who calling?"
"Tommy. Dil's brother."
"Hold on, please."
There was a pause, then a new voice asked, "Hello?"
"Joe? Hi, this is Tommy. Did you hear what happened to Dil?" Tommy asked inanely. Realizing how that sounded, he mentally winced.
"Um, I heard that someone got into a fight during gym today." Joe paused. "That wasn't..."
"Dil's classmates jumped him in the locker room," Tommy said emotionlessly. "We're at Santa Maria Hospital."
"Oh my god," Joe said softly. "I'll be right there."
"Okay. Come up to the 4th floor waiting room. He's still in surgery."
"I'm on my way. Tommy?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Tommy hung up. "He's on his way," he said to Chuck bleakly.
"Are we going to wait on him out here?"
"No, I need to be upstairs in case the doctor has news."
They walked back in and rode up in the elevator in silence. When they got to the waiting room, his parents were missing.
"Tommy, you just missed the doctor." Lil came up to him. "Dil's out of surgery. They had to do reconstructive surgery on his face, and removed his spleen, but you knew that. He also broke his right leg, and cracked some ribs. He's in recovery, and they let your parents in to see him. It's your turn next."
"Go in with me?"
"Sure."
They linked hands and sat like that until Tommy's parents came back into the waiting room. "We're going home," his mother told him. "The doctor said that he'll sleep through the night with the sedatives that he's on."
"Is your car here?" his father asked.
"Yes. Lilly drove me."
"Okay, see you at home then." His father ruffled his hair and they left. Tommy and Lil went up to the desk and asked for Dil's room.
"You can only stay a few minutes." the nurse said. "Remember that he's on heavy medication and that he might not be responsive."
She led them to a tiny room. "You have ten minutes."
Tommy went up to Dil's bedside. He was attached to a lot of different monitors, which were beeping steadily. His head and face were bandaged. The only thing that looked familiar about him was the shock of curly orange hair that was sticking up. Tommy touched it softly.
"I'm... sorry, Dil. I know that you just wanted me to understand.... but I wish that it wouldn't have taken this for me to see. I love you." He touched the hair again and then turned back to Lil. "I'm ready."
When they walked out to the waiting room, Joe was sitting there beside Chuck. When he spotted Tommy, he stood up and walked over to him.
"Is he..."
"He's asleep. You can go see him, if you want. Just ask at that desk there."
"I'm sorry, Tommy. If I hadn't asked him..."
"Dil didn't do anything he didn't want to." Tommy clumsily patted Joe's shoulder. "I'm heading home, because I want to be back early so he won't wake up alone."
"I'll be back, too."
"Bye."
Tommy walked to the elevators, with Lil right behind him. They made it to his car and got in. Lil drove without a word. When they pulled in front of their houses, Tommy asked Lil, "Will you stay with me?"
"Sure. Just let me leave a note." As she ran next door, Tommy went into his house and noted that both of his parents were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee.
"I thought you were going to sleep."
"We're wired now. After we calm down a little, then we can get some sleep." His father put down his coffee cup. "Did you see him?"
"Yeah." In the background, Tommy could hear Lil knocking. "That's Lilly. She's spending the night."
Tommy half expected his parents to protest, but they just nodded distractedly.
He went back into the living room and let her in. "Come on upstairs," he said awkwardly.
"Won't your parents be upset?"
"Won't yours?" he countered. "I already told my parents. They're in the kitchen."
They went into the bedroom and sat down on Tommy's bed. "Do you want to share this bed?" Lil asked.
His first response was to tell her to take Dil's bed. As he gazed at his brother's side of the room, the voices in his head started shouting.
(My brother's blood)
(Dil... the gym... they're gonna hurt him)
(internal bleeding... head trauma)
(hospital)
(Change your shirt)
The events of the day came crashing back into his head with a vengeance. Once he realized, really realized what had happened, (my brother was beaten) his whole body started shaking. He didn't realize that he was crying aloud until Lil hugged him.
"Shh... Tommy, you're screaming!"
He couldn't stop the noises that were coming out of his mouth, like a wounded animal. He screamed until his throat was hoarse, but the tears still flowed.
"Tommy, it's okay. He..."
"It's my fault," he rasped. "I'm his brother, the one person he should be able to come to for anything. If I had shown that I was okay with it, then other people would have... left him alone."
"It's not your fault!"
"All he wanted to do was show who he loved," Tommy mourned. "It's the same thing we do at school each day. We hold hands, hug, and sometimes kiss in the halls. Why is it okay for us and not okay for them?"
"I don' t know." Lil held on to him as the tears started to slow.
After the tears had stopped, they curled on his bed, wrapped up together. Tommy fell into a troubled sleep, still haunted by what had happened.
Phil and Angelica:
"So, how long are you staying?" They were sitting in an all-night diner, picking at some greasy cheeseburgers. Phil had mentioned that he hadn't eaten since breakfast, but seeing how the hamburger had soaked the bun was an appetite killer.
"As long as I need to. It's not like I'm behind in my classes." Angelica took Phil's hand. "You didn't tell me... how did you find out?"
"Well, I was walking to lunch to meet everyone, when Tommy comes tearing out of the lunchroom like a bat out of hell. Lil and Kim were right behind him. They shouted to me, "Dil's in trouble!" I took off after Tommy and we ran to the locker room. And... found him."
"How long had this been going on?"
"The persecution or the relationship?"
"Both."
"Dil started seeing Joe openly in February. They went to the Valentine's Dance together. People were hostile, but this was the first big incident that I heard of."
"The school population of SHHS never struck me as bigots."
"It's a small town. Being different is not accepted."
"How did Uncle Stu and Aunt Didi react?"
"They were surprised, to say the least. Apparently Dil and Joe had been together for a month before they even told anyone."
"Boy, you miss a lot when you're away," Angelica mused.
"Well, I miss you, Angie."
"Watch it, DeVille. Talk like that..." Angelica stopped and smiled fondly. Then she sobered up. "So what's going to happen to those boys? The ones who..."
"Um, I'm not sure. We left the school after the ambulance came. I guess the principal knows, because she's the one I talked to when I called 911." Phil yawned widely. "Sorry."
"It's okay. It is," Angelica glanced at her watch, "Almost one in the morning."
"Are you staying at your parents' house?"
"Yeah, might as well take advantage of the bed there. Why? You invitin'?"
"Not for that," Phil blushed. "It's just that... I never realized that there was hatred in the world like that. How can someone hate another human being so much that they would do their best to kill them?"
"That's the big one, Phil. If I knew, I would tell you." She stood up and Phil did too, after tossing some money on the table. "Look, if you want me to stay with you, I will."
"I do."
"Okay."
Chuck:
"Kim? Kim, wake up!"
Kim, who had been curled up in the passenger seat, sighed and sat up. "Are we here?"
"Yeah." They were at the airport, picking up Susan and Tim. Both of them had caught the earliest flights available, but they still weren't arriving until 3am and 3:30am, respectively. Susan had confessed to Chuck that she had booked her flight on her 'emergency' credit card. But she insisted that she had to be there, for everyone.
As they waited impatiently at the gate, Chuck touched Kim's arm. "How're you holding up?"
"I'm not trying to think about it. I can almost fool myself into thinking that we're just picking up Susan and Tim because..." Her voice trailed off and she looked away. Chuck waited patiently, knowing that Kim wouldn't want him to acknowledge her tears. She pulled herself together and looked up at him.
"What about you? How are you holding up? I can drive home if you want."
"I guess I'm just... I thought our town was safe. Of all of the things I pictured happening my senior year, witnessing a hate crime wasn't one of them."
"I know. I guess I just assumed that everyone would be would be okay with it as we were."
"Tommy wasn't okay with it," Chuck pointed out.
"But... true." Kim turned to stare out the windows and hugged herself. "You know, now I'm looking forward to school being out. I wanted this year to go on forever, but now I'm tired." To punctuate that, she yawned.
"Yes, you are. Hey, it's," Chuck glanced at his watch, "2:50am. You're entitled. And I agree. When I graduate, I'll miss being in school with you guys, but I'll be glad to be in San Francisco."
"Why, Chuck, I'm touched. I'll miss you too."
"So... is this the part where we hug?" he asked teasingly.
"Not on your life," Kim said, and then smiled wickedly as she threw her arms around her brother. "You know I appreciate you."
"I know." After they let go of each other, Chuck checked his watch again. "Five more minutes before her plane lands, then we have to do a mad dash across the airport to pick up Tim."
Chuck and Kim went up to the window to watch the plane descend and land, and finally pull up to the gate they were at. As soon as the doors to the ramp opened, Susan came dashing off.
"Susie!" Chuck said before he could stop himself.
"Chuckie!" she replied. "Now, enough with the flashbacks. Come here." They embraced, Chuck just enjoying the feel of his girlfriend in his arms. When they parted, Susan looked up at him. "So, any news?"
"He's resting right now. We're supposed to meet at the hospital at 6 so he doesn't wake alone, but I don't know if I'll make that."
They grabbed her luggage off of the carousel and made their way to the gate for Tim. As they sat in the uncomfortable seats, Kim curled back up and went to sleep. Susan laid her head on Chuck's shoulder.
"I wish now that I had never transferred to Purdue," she said softly. "If I had stayed at SMU, then I would have been here sooner."
"You had to do what's best for you," Chuck pointed out. "Besides, staying close to home because something might happen is not a good excuse."
"I know. I just feel bad."
Tim emerged from his plane. Chuck stood up and shook hands with him. Tim said a polite greeting to Susan before looking around for Kim. "She is here, right?"
"Look," Chuck pointed to where she was still asleep. Tim walked over and picked her up.
They retrieved his suitcase and made their way to Chuck's car.
"Where's everyone headed for tonight?" Chuck asked.
"My parents are expecting me," Susan said. "I called them before I went to the airport."
"And I'll probably get a hotel room," Tim said.
"You can stay with us," Kim said sleepily.
"I'm sure your parents will be delighted to have me in the same house as their 'innocent' daughter," Tim muttered.
"I have an extra bed in my room. You can sleep there," Chuck offered.
"Okay."
They dropped Susan off at her house, promising to come get her before they went back to the hospital. When they pulled in front of their own house, Chuck had to wake the passengers in the back seat. By the time that they got into their various beds, it was already 4:30am. Chuck immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.
Tommy:
My alarm went off with its usual soft tones. As I glanced outside, wondering why it was still dark, someone shifted next to me in my bed.
"Holy sh..." I pulled the covers down to reveal Lil, who was still asleep. I looked at her in amazement for a split second before my radio kicked into R.E.M.'s "Imitation of Life". As the song blared, the events of the previous day came back into my head.
Lil sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Tommy, you alright?"
"Yeah, I think." I climbed over her carefully and turned off my alarm. "You still coming with me to the hospital?"
"Of course. Want to take a shower first?"
Normally, I would make a joke about us showering together (to save water), but instead I nodded slowly and stumbled to the bathroom.
As I stood under the steaming hot spray, I tried to think about the things I had to do that day. Call the school and identify the guys who had attacked Dil, pick up his assignments from his teachers, pick mine up, because I was staying with my brother until he got better...
I shook myself mentally and got out of the shower. I toweled off roughly and put on a blue sweatshirt and jeans. As I came out of the bathroom, Lil was standing in the doorway of my room, fully dressed.
"How'd you manage that?" I asked her.
"Dashed next door. Phil and Angelica are getting ready now."
"You mean she spent the night over your house?"
"Just like I did," Lil pointed out. "I doubt any of us were in the mood last night." She realized what she said and blushed slightly.
"I didn't mean it like that. Um, could you call Chuck for me while I find some shoes?" As I went through my closet, wondering where exactly I threw my shoes last night, I heard Lil briefly talk to Chuck.
"He says that they'll meet us at the hospital, but not to expect them too early because they didn't get to bed until almost 5," Lil reported.
"What time is it now?" I finally found a pair of shoes and slipped them on.
"Almost 6:30."
"Okay. Keys, wallet," I muttered, as I grabbed the items and stuffed them into my pockets. "Ready?"
"Sure."
We got into my car as Phil and Angelica were emerging from next door. "Are you riding with us?" Angelica yelled.
"Okay." We ran across the yard and got into her car. "What time did you get in?" I asked Angelica.
"Around 2. We stopped to eat, but the food sucked."
The ride back to Santa Maria didn't take long, and we arrived at the hospital right before 7am. We went up to the ICU where Dil was. In the waiting room, families were sitting together, asleep. I was surprised to see Joe sitting there, sleeping in one of the chairs. I walked over to him and shook him gently.
"Oh, hey Tommy," he said groggily.
"Hey. Did you stay all night?"
"Yeah," he said simply.
"Thanks," I said sincerely.
I went up to the desk to ask to see Dil, and was informed that visiting hours didn't start until 9am. We decided to go and grab some breakfast before coming back to the hospital. I called Chuck and let him know what was going on. He said that they would meet us at nine, after his parents called the school to say that he and Kim would be absent.
We ended back at the diner that Phil and Angelica had gone to last night. As soon as I picked up the menu, my appetite fled. I put it back down and looked into the concerned face of Lil. "Not hungry, " I explained briefly.
"Maybe we can eat after we see Dil?" Angelica suggested. She, too, threw down her menu and stood up. "This food looks even less appealing now that I'm awake."
"Sounds like a plan," Phil agreed. "What do you think, Lil?"
"I don't care one way or the other. Joe?"
"Okay with me. So what'll we do now?"
"We can go to my house," Angelica said. "It's the closest to the hospital. And my parents are probably at work now."
"Did your parents go into work today, Tommy?" Phil asked.
"They weren't up yet when we left. I don't think that they will, though."
We went back out to the car and piled in. Joe had left his car at the hospital. The ride to Angelica's house didn't take long. She let us in and we sat in her living room, exhausted but too wired to sleep.
We started making small talk and ended up telling stories about Dil.
"I remember when I was twelve, and Dil was nine, I was over his house and I was showing Aunt Didi my new bra," Angelica explained. "Anyway, he was in the kitchen with us, and I didn't think he was paying attention to what I was saying. When I pulled it out of the bag, Dil asked his mother what it was for, and when she explained it, he grumbled, 'Man, girls get all the cool stuff'. I fell out of my chair laughing."
"What about the time he got us all grounded because he asked Mom and Dad why couldn't he go to co-ed slumber parties?" I interjected.
"Or the time that he hid out in the back seat of the car on one of Chuck and Susan's dates?" Phil said. "Come to think about it, that was just a couple of years ago."
"Why did he do that?" Joe asked.
"Who knows. Probably to prank on them, but it didn't work because Susan threw her sweater in the back and Dil's allergic to wool, so he started itching. Loudly." Lil laughed at the memory.
"What did they do once they found them?" Joe asked curiously.
"Just took him back home. That was par for the course for Dil." I sat back on the couch, and realized that I was actually talking civilly to my brother's boyfriend. 'I can do this,' I realized.
Angelica looked at her wall clock. "Guys, it's 8:30 now. If we leave for the hospital now, we'll be there right at nine."
We got back into the car. This time, someone cut on the radio, and a cheerful song was playing. "Hey, don't write yourself off yet. It's only in your head you feel left out, or put down on. Just do your best, the very best you can..." I kinda hummed along with the words. When it got to the chorus, everyone sang along.
"...everything, everything will be just fine, everything, everything will be all right, all right!"
Lil:
We pulled into the parking lot, still singing to the song. For some reason, I felt a lot better. I glanced at Tommy and he was looking a lot more relaxed, too.
He tugged my hand as we were about to go up in the elevator. "Hey guys, we'll meet you up there. We wanna stop at the gift store." Our friends accepted that and went up without us.
"We want to go to the gift store? Is this an attempt to get me to buy you candy?" I demanded teasingly.
"Actually, I wanted to tell you something before we went up to see Dil." Tommy cleared his throat and started, "I've been acting like a fool. No, I take that back. I've been acting like a damn fool. Joe's a nice guy. I liked him when we were in class together. So why, because he's dating my brother, should any of that change?"
"It's what I've been saying all along," I reminded him a little smugly.
"Yeah, yeah," Tommy shot back. Then his expression sobered. "I could have lost my brother yesterday. The very idea scares the shit out of me! And I was too stubborn to tell him how much he meant to me. But I'm going to tell him when we go up."
"Good for you, Tommy. You know, maybe I could give Phil a hug," I mused, as my eyes filled with tears.
Tommy groaned as he looked at me. "Jeez, Lilly, don't cry! Hug your brother if it makes you feel good."
Instead, I threw my arms around him. He stood stunned for a moment, and then gripped me tightly. We stood there like that for a moment before we let go.
"Well, ready to go up?" I asked, after carefully wiping my eyes.
"Yeah, I am."
We got into the elevator and rode up in silence, although we held hands and smiled at each other. Tommy and I both knew that the words we had left were for Dil.
When we got to the 4th floor ICU, where Dil was, our friends and family were there, laughing. My mom and dad were there, along with Mr and Mrs Pickles.
"Tommy, Dil's asking for you," Mr Pickles said. He ruffled Tommy's hair and told him to go on in. As he walked in the room, I sat down next to Phil and Angelica.
Without saying anything, I hugged Phil tightly. He returned my hug without a reaction. Sometimes, having a twin who's on your same wavelength is really nice.
Dil:
A knock sounded on his door. Really, the knock was unnecessary, because the door was open. Dil appreciated the effort, though. "Come in," he called, surprised at how weak his voice sounded.
Tommy stuck his head in the door. "Hey, little bro. Glad to see you awake."
"Glad to be awake," Dil replied. "Have a seat in one of the uncomfortable chairs."
Tommy did so, dragging it to Dil's bedside. "How are you feeling?"
"Not in this world, that's for sure. Morphine drip and all."
"And you're awake? Monster tolerance," Tommy commented.
"Yeah, well..." Dil didn't have the heart to tell his brother that sleep only brought back memories of what had happened yesterday. It was easier to be awake and in pain. Unconsciously, he reached up and touched where his face was bandaged. "What happened here?"
Tommy winced. "Um, you have a shattered cheekbone. The doctors went in and reset it, so it'll heal good as new."
"I don't remember that," Dil said softly.
"Dil, I want to tell you something. You're my brother, and I love you. Not to be all mushy or anything." Tommy got up and paced as he spoke. "Losing you would be one of the worst things that would ever happen to me, if not the worst. And... I like Joe. He's good people. But don't tell me things about him that I wouldn't like. I don't want to know if he's a good kisser. Don't think I could handle that."
"Believe me, I'm not telling. You might try to steal him," Dil teased. He started to smile broadly, but was rewarded with a stabbing pain in his cheek. He gasped audibly, which was enough for Tommy to panic.
"What? What's wrong? Do you want me to call the nurse?"
"No, I'm fine. I probably should watch the big cheesy grins, though. They put pressure on the cheekbone."
"When did the doctor say that you might be released?"
"In a week or so. I guess this means our spring break spectacular is out."
"No, we'll still go, even if we have to get you a wheelchair and send you hurtling down mountains."
"Tommy, we're going to Florida. There is no way that Mom and Dad will let me go." 'Although," thought Dil, 'it might have been nice for me to spend time with Joe in Florida. Us, blue skies, sand...'
"Dil!" Tommy's voice snapped Dil out of his reverie. "I've been calling you!"
"Sorry, I was spacing," Dil apologized. "What's up?"
"I think Mom and Dad would let you go, especially if I convinced them that you need the sun to heal better."
"Okay," Dil said doubtfully.
"Look, trust me on this one. Well, to change the subject, are you going back to SHHS? I mean, I haven't talked to Mom and Dad or anything, but..."
"Of course I am," Dil interrupted. "I'll be damned if those people keep me from going to the school that my friends and family do. Not to mention that it's the only public school in our town. I'd have to go to a private school."
"True," Tommy admitted.
"Are you going to get our assignments today from school?"
"I was planning to, yes."
"Look, there's some paper over there," Dil said, gesturing to the nightstand that was too far for him to reach. "Could you write something down for me?"
"Sure."
Closing his eyes, Dil began to picture the guys that had attacked him. Although Tommy had seen them, he didn't know their names, and Dil did. He slowly recited the list of names. "And you can give that to the principal for me, okay?"
"I was just about to ask about that. Phil said that he talked to her yesterday, but I don't know what all he told her."
Dil sighed, noting how the action hurt his chest. He shut his eyes. "Tommy, if you don't mind, I want to get some rest now."
"No, that's fine. Um, did Joe already come in to see you?"
"He's here?"
"Dil, he stayed all night at the hospital."
"Really?" Without thinking about it, Dil grinned, not caring about the pain in his cheek. "Man, he's crazy!"
"Try devoted," Tommy said admiringly. "Look, is it okay if I send him in?"
"Yeah, it's okay."
Tommy left the room, and Joe entered a minute later. "Hi, Dillon."
"Hi, Joseph. Please, sit down. So, how's the family?"
"Pissed that I'm here. 'You'll ruin your perfect attendance record!'" Joe said in a squeaky voice. "Like the fact that my boyfriend's in the hospital shouldn't stand in the way of school for once. Anyway, how are you feeling?"
"A little sleepy, a lot scared," Dil admitted. "I want to sleep, but every time I close my eyes, I see it happen over and over again. You know something, Joe? I'm a coward. I knew that those guys were up to something bad, but I just stood there. I couldn't even run. Didn't even try to defend myself. All I could do was take it."
"I don't think you're a coward," Joe said quietly. "I think you had a normal reaction. God knows how I would have reacted. Probably would have messed my pants or something."
"Yeah, well, still." Dil yawned as well as he could without putting pressure on the cheekbone.
"Look. I'll stay with you. Maybe that will help you sleep."
"Well, it's worth a shot. Thanks." Dil closed his eyes again and got as comfortable as he could. Joe took his hand as he lay there. Surprisingly, instead of thinking about the attack, he thought about Florida. Him and Joe walking through the beach, at sunset, Joe stopping occasionally to steal kisses...
Phil:
School after the incident was anticlimactic, to say the least. After Dil identified the guys, two more guys stepped forward as witnesses. All of the guys were expelled, not because of the incident, particularly, but because our school has an automatic expelling for fighting policy. Dil got of the hospital a week and a half after his attack, sooner than the doctors wanted him to stay, but Dil said that lying in that bed was doing more to hurt him than the whole thing had. Tommy came back to school after Dil got out of the hospital, but wasn't happy about it. We weren't happy, either, because Chuck, Kim, Lil, and I had missed about three days of school and the counselors wanted to count those absences as unexcused. Our parents came up to the school and argued that, but to no avail. So the week before our spring break started found us snappish and ready for the whole school year to be done with. Our teachers seemed to feel the way we did, because they didn't assign homework or anything. On Wednesday, our principal announced that we were having a school-wide assembly, with the theme being 'tolerance'.
When we heard about the assembly in homeroom, we groaned. "Like we really want to hear about what we've been living through for the last two weeks," Tommy said.
"My thoughts exactly," I agreed. "Why do we have to go, anyway? Everyone's gonna know who they're talking about."
"Maybe we can just cut out," Lil mused out loud. When we all turned to look at her, instead of blushing, she looked back at us steadily. "Well? We can round up Joe and Chuck and we'll go to Tommy's house and talk about spring break."
"Good, no, great idea, Lil!" Kim exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. "Can we stop and buy snacks? It'll be like a mini-party."
"Sounds good to me," I said. "Tell you what. Kim, you can get Chuck, and I'll get Joe, and we'll meet at the cars."
"You guys are really going to cut out?" Tommy said wonderingly.
I frowned at him. "Since when are you turning down a party?"
"Well, if I had suggested this, you guys would usually tell me to be serious."
"Sorry." I said, not sounding the least apologetic. "Is everyone in agreement, then?"
"Yes!" everyone said and laughed.
When the bell rang, signaling for us to go to the auditorium, I went to Joe's homeroom. He was just emerging when I got there. "Joe!" I called, to get his attention.
He trotted over to me. "Hey Phil. What's up?"
"Need to go to your locker for anything?"
"What?"
"Play along," I mock whispered, then raised my voice again. "Oh, you left your book in your locker? You should get that."
"Oh, yeah! Come on man, I'll get that for you." As we started moving to his locker, which was next to the exit to the students' parking lot, he asked, "So, what was that about?"
"We're cutting out. Grab your coat. No, wait!" A teacher passed us, and I made a point to look innocent until she passed by. "Okay, now."
As soon as Joe threw his things into the locker, we ran out the exit, laughing the whole way. "Now I know why I don't cut classes all the time," Joe said, panting. "I act like a dork."
Shaking my head at him, I patted his arm. "It's okay. Stick with me, and you'll learn from the master."
We walked over to the cars, where everyone except Tommy was waiting. "Okay, how did we lose him?" I asked.
"A teacher stopped him and asked him to say a few words at the assembly. He's trying to work up enough tears to tell them that speaking today would be just too traumatic," Lil explained. "He'll be right out."
As she was speaking, Tommy came running up. "We have to leave now. I just called home and Dil said that Mom's there and wants to tell us something."
"Wonder what it could be?" I said, as I sat in Chuck's car with Kim. Lil was riding with Tommy, and Joe was dropping his car off at his house.
"She probably just wants to ask us why we're skipping school en masse." Chuck said practically.
We stopped by Joe's house and he got into Chuck's car too. "Thanks," he told Chuck.
"No problem. Are you planning to go back to school today?" Chuck asked us.
"No," Kim and I said together.
"I mean, what's the point? All anyone will do is talk about the assembly anyway. I already live in an afterschool special, so why rub it in?" Kim said, rolling her eyes.
"Why an afterschool special?" I asked her.
"Think about it. This school year has had enough drama to choke a horse. The only thing missing is for Lil or I to become an unwed mother."
"Rule number 5!" Chuck shouted.
"Which is..." Joe started.
"No discussing TMI subjects while Chuck's behind the wheel. You know, that would not be a problem if you let me drive."
"No, you're not getting behind the wheel of my car!" Chuck patted the dashboard. "Just ignore her, Sherry. She's just playing."
"You named your car Sherry?" I blurted out.
"What? Not all of us can call our cars The DeVille Mobile like you do." Kim smirked at me.
"It rhymes," I grumbled, sitting back in the seat.
"Yes, it does." Kim patted my head. "And you thought of that by yourself? What a big boy!"
Chuck pulled up in front of the Pickles' house. "Okay, everyone out!"
We got out and ran to the door before Tommy could park his car. As we stood there discussing whether cars were male or female, the door swung open.
"Hey guys!" Dil stood there, carefully balancing on crutches. The only outward signs of trauma were the cast still on his leg and his bandaged cheek. Other than that, he looked his normal self. "Come in. Mom's waiting in the kitchen."
We all trooped into the kitchen, where Mrs Pickles was pulling out a batch of cookies from the oven. "Hi, kids," she said out of habit.
"Hi, Mrs Pickles," we chorused.
"Well, I talked to your parents, and we decided. You guys have really worked hard this year, and you deserve a break, so..." She handed Tommy an envelope. When he stood there for a minute, she said, "Go ahead, open it!"
He did so, revealing plane tickets. "These are to... Florida. Guys, we're going to Florida!"
The kitchen erupted with chaos. We started hugging each other and I'm sure I acted like my sister, but hey, Florida!
"When are we leaving?" Kim had the presence of mind to ask.
"You are leaving Friday night," Mrs Pickles told us. "And that's the other part of the surprise- since Chuck's eighteen, and the rest of you aren't much younger, we rented a house down there. It's your responsibility for a week."
"You mean, we're going by ourselves?" I asked, grinning.
"Yes."
========================================================================The angst section of the story is over! At least for now. Sunny fun commences next chapter!