The halls of the hospital were white, bare, long and cold. The smells
that filled the air were sterile. This is the place that I used to come if
Mom or one of my Aunts had a baby or the time Max fell out of a tree and
broke his arm. I passed the place where I watched my Uncle cry silently
when Aunt Paige had a miscarriage. The extremes of emotions that this
building held were breathtaking. Complete happiness collided with crushing
sadness and loss. Excitement mixed with regret and fear. I walked silently
as I followed my Aunts and Uncle Jason. Vic, Max and two of my other
cousins, Lance and Quinn, walked with me. Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige
stopped in front of a cold silver door and knocked lightly. Mom soon pushed
the door open a crack, the sisters exchanged whispers. I leaned closer to
see if I could catch any of the words. Aunt Paige turned and instructed
everyone except my brother and I to follow her. Mom waited until the rest
of our family had gone to the waiting room before she spoke.
"Marcus is not awake right now, they had to pump his stomach and he looks a little pale. But he is okay and the doctors hope that he will continue to improve. Vic, you can wait with me while Wyatt visits Marc and then you can come in with me," she explained tiredly. Vic looked over at me.
"Can I go in with you Wyatt, please?" he asked, ignoring Mom's request. I nodded and we walked in together. Marcus looked whiter than the walls that surrounded us. Marcus's eyes fluttered open and close, as if he were deciding whether or not he wanted to deal with the conscious world. His eyes finally opened.
"Wyatt..Vic," he croaked dryly. Vic silently ran to his side and hugged his big brother. Then he slowly stood and his cheeks turned pink.
"I...I have to go," Vic murmured and then ran from the room. I would have laughed at his show of emotion had we not been in this building. I approached the bed slowly and stared down at Marcus.
"What Wyatt, no hug from you?" he whispered with a weak laugh. I shook my head and frowned deeply.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked bitterly.
"Sorry?" he asked.
"Yeah, you should be sorry. I find you in a pool of blood with all of the pill bottles from the cabinet and you have the right to act confused as to why I would be mad at you?" I asked, trying to contain my anger. Marcus's eyes flashed with frustration.
"Don't lecture me Wyatt. We all make mistakes. You have a baby! At seventeen, all I did was try and make the pain go away! My mom is dying! Don't you get it Wyatt? She's the only thing in my life that's always been constantly there. How the hell are we going to fend for ourselves now?" he asked me, acid in his voice.
"Olivia may have been a mistake, but not a life or death mistake! And what do you mean that she is the only thing that is constantly there for you? I am constantly there for you!" I said defensively. Marc took a deep breath as if the regain strength.
"You and Victor have always been close and Reilly has kept you busy all year and now you have a baby. You know that Dad comes and goes and I know he loves us, but it's not the same. If I was gone, who would it really affect, other than mom?" he asked seriously.
"It would affect everyone! Me and Vic, all of your cousins, Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Jason, Uncle Mike, your friends, Dad!" I yelled. Marcus slowly rolled his eyes.
"Leave me alone Wyatt. I'm tired," he whispered. I sighed and started to leave. He cleared his throat and I turned and walked to his bed. He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes.
"What is it Marc?" I asked.
"I love you Wyatt," he said, then closed his eyes. I walked slowly from the room. Mom greeted me with a hug.
"The doctor said that we can go home tonight and come see Marc first thing in the morning," Mom said wearily. That night after we had picked up all of my younger cousins and Olivia from the neighbor, I sat down at the kitchen table with Max.
"Did he say why he did it Wyatt?" he asked quietly. I looked at Max and sighed.
"He said that he didn't have anyone in his life that was constant," I explained, leaving out Mom purposely. Max nodded and then his eyes closed suddenly and he gasped. I leaned towards him and waited for the premonition to finish. He paled and tears formed in his eyes.
"Wyatt we have to go to the hospital!" he cried. I grabbed his hand and we orbed to Marcus's room. As soon as the room came into focus I spotted my baby brother, only fourteen years old, hanging lifeless from a noose made with bed sheets. I cried out and Max ran out the door screaming for a doctor or nurse. I grabbed Marcus and orbed him into my arms and lay him down on the bed. I tried to heal him. Nothing happened.
"Self inflicted..." I whispered through tears. Max returned, crying, with two nurses and a doctor. They pushed me from the room and twenty minutes later they exited the room looking grave.
"I'll call your family," the doctor said, trying to sound sensitive. I crumpled to the ground and Max knelt beside me and we wrapped our arms around each other and we cried.
TO BE CONTINUED.
"Marcus is not awake right now, they had to pump his stomach and he looks a little pale. But he is okay and the doctors hope that he will continue to improve. Vic, you can wait with me while Wyatt visits Marc and then you can come in with me," she explained tiredly. Vic looked over at me.
"Can I go in with you Wyatt, please?" he asked, ignoring Mom's request. I nodded and we walked in together. Marcus looked whiter than the walls that surrounded us. Marcus's eyes fluttered open and close, as if he were deciding whether or not he wanted to deal with the conscious world. His eyes finally opened.
"Wyatt..Vic," he croaked dryly. Vic silently ran to his side and hugged his big brother. Then he slowly stood and his cheeks turned pink.
"I...I have to go," Vic murmured and then ran from the room. I would have laughed at his show of emotion had we not been in this building. I approached the bed slowly and stared down at Marcus.
"What Wyatt, no hug from you?" he whispered with a weak laugh. I shook my head and frowned deeply.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked bitterly.
"Sorry?" he asked.
"Yeah, you should be sorry. I find you in a pool of blood with all of the pill bottles from the cabinet and you have the right to act confused as to why I would be mad at you?" I asked, trying to contain my anger. Marcus's eyes flashed with frustration.
"Don't lecture me Wyatt. We all make mistakes. You have a baby! At seventeen, all I did was try and make the pain go away! My mom is dying! Don't you get it Wyatt? She's the only thing in my life that's always been constantly there. How the hell are we going to fend for ourselves now?" he asked me, acid in his voice.
"Olivia may have been a mistake, but not a life or death mistake! And what do you mean that she is the only thing that is constantly there for you? I am constantly there for you!" I said defensively. Marc took a deep breath as if the regain strength.
"You and Victor have always been close and Reilly has kept you busy all year and now you have a baby. You know that Dad comes and goes and I know he loves us, but it's not the same. If I was gone, who would it really affect, other than mom?" he asked seriously.
"It would affect everyone! Me and Vic, all of your cousins, Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Jason, Uncle Mike, your friends, Dad!" I yelled. Marcus slowly rolled his eyes.
"Leave me alone Wyatt. I'm tired," he whispered. I sighed and started to leave. He cleared his throat and I turned and walked to his bed. He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes.
"What is it Marc?" I asked.
"I love you Wyatt," he said, then closed his eyes. I walked slowly from the room. Mom greeted me with a hug.
"The doctor said that we can go home tonight and come see Marc first thing in the morning," Mom said wearily. That night after we had picked up all of my younger cousins and Olivia from the neighbor, I sat down at the kitchen table with Max.
"Did he say why he did it Wyatt?" he asked quietly. I looked at Max and sighed.
"He said that he didn't have anyone in his life that was constant," I explained, leaving out Mom purposely. Max nodded and then his eyes closed suddenly and he gasped. I leaned towards him and waited for the premonition to finish. He paled and tears formed in his eyes.
"Wyatt we have to go to the hospital!" he cried. I grabbed his hand and we orbed to Marcus's room. As soon as the room came into focus I spotted my baby brother, only fourteen years old, hanging lifeless from a noose made with bed sheets. I cried out and Max ran out the door screaming for a doctor or nurse. I grabbed Marcus and orbed him into my arms and lay him down on the bed. I tried to heal him. Nothing happened.
"Self inflicted..." I whispered through tears. Max returned, crying, with two nurses and a doctor. They pushed me from the room and twenty minutes later they exited the room looking grave.
"I'll call your family," the doctor said, trying to sound sensitive. I crumpled to the ground and Max knelt beside me and we wrapped our arms around each other and we cried.
TO BE CONTINUED.