As I have stated before, I really don't know what possessed me to write this. So far, though, people seem to like it and I seem to be writing in a furor so it will continue.

Reviews are really appreciated. I often read stories based on how good their reviews are so appreciate any and all feedback.

Chapter 3

The first thing that Alvin was aware of when they entered the room was that Theodore was beeping.

It seemed to be such an absurd observation, but the beeping was far more ominous than he could have believed. A monitor attached to his face was beeping. Another one attached to his chest was beeping. A third, that was apparently monitoring a morphine drip, was beeping. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The incessant beeping was so strong that it took Simon's gasp of fear for Alvin to really realize how badly Theodore really looked. A respirator mask rest over his face, penetrating his lungs, and the strange rhythm with which it counted Theodore's breaths for him made the fur on the back of Alvin's neck crawl. Multiple IV's lay penetrating his veins, one filled with a dark red liquid that could only be blood. Strange braces supported all of his limbs but his left arm, and bandages were everywhere. His face, though-

They had had to shave most of his fur off to accommodate the stitching. He looked strangely naked. Sutures that weirdly reminded Alvin of Brittany's inept repair sewing jobs snaked across the denuded skin. His face was swollen, and bruised in bizarre places due to the internal bleeding. Nowhere was any sign of the chipmunk who had only this morning been rhapsodizing over his newly acquired girlfriend.

"I'll leave you alone with him." He heard Dr. Rosewood say, for the first time realizing she was there. He was only dimly aware of her leaving.

"Theodore," He heard Simon say softly. "Oh, my god...Theodore..." Simon was holding Theodore's only good hand, and Alvin felt a brief flash of jealousy that his elder brother had already claimed that faint attachment to Theodore. Immediately he was horrified at his envy. Was he really so selfish? Instead of reaching out to his brother, he backed away.

He had done this. He was responsible for Theodore's death.

He didn't have the right to comfort his brother.

No one spoke for some time - Alvin didn't know how long. They remained, almost motionless, Dave standing near the respirator, occasionally stroking Theodore's cheek, Simon holding his baby brother's hand as if clinging to a life preserver, and himself pressed up against a wall, afraid to come to close to his dying younger sibling.

Finally, Dr. Rosewood reentered. "Have you made a decision?" She asked, her voice soft.

"No." Dave replied immediately. "May we have a few more minutes?"

"Of course." She left quickly.

Dave looked at them solemnly. "All right. Simon. Alvin." He glanced at Theodore, obviously wanting to include him. "We need to make this choice. As a family."

Simon looked at him helplessly. "I don't know what to tell you, Dave." He tightened his grip perceptibly on Theodore's hand. "I don't want to condemn Theodore...but this?"

"I know, Simon." Dave was grim.

Theodore is the heart. Alvin raised his hands helplessly. "I love him, Dave. Simon. I don't want him to die."

"I don't either, Alvin." Dave looked down at the son he had adopted so many years ago, and Alvin suddenly felt shame at all he had done that had hurt Dave over the years, unintentionally of course, but had hurt him all the same. It should be him on this hospital bed.

"But what we have to think of is this...would Theodore want us to risk it?"

No one said anything for a moment.

"Theodore was the eternal optimist." Simon finally said, breaking the silence. "He always looked for the good in things. The glass was always half-full."

"He loved unconditionally," Dave said. "No matter what life threw at him, he would care about your well-being and try to make your life a better one."

"He never gave up on anyone." Alvin said, his voice dead. "No matter how many times someone would fail him, would...would betray him, he would always love them."

"Well, boys," Dave took a deep breath. "What is it, then, do you think Theodore would want us to do?"

OoooOoooO

Dr. Rosewood wasn't all that surprised that they had chosen to keep Theodore on life support. She had been to more of what they had dubbed "terminal meetings" than almost any other staff in the hospital, and knew that when the patient was young, the family would grasp at any straw in a storm. Still, she wished that they had not done so in this case. To keep the young chipmunk alive was, in her opinion, cruel.

Not that she could tell the family that.

She rubbed her eyes as she entered the ICU for the last time that night, grateful that after her last rounds with Theodore she could leave for home at last. She halted when she heard the tear-filled voice that spoke to the unconscious chipmunk.

"I'm so sorry, Theodore." The voice of the middle child -Alvin, his name was - said. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I would give anything to switch places with you. If I hadn't been so selfish, this might never have happened. But no. I never even thought about what might happen to you. I just went ahead like I always do, thinking of only myself, never once thinking of anyone else." There was a muffled sob.

"Its my fault, I know. I understand that you'll never, ever forgive me. But I don't care if only you'll wake up."

"I'll take care of you, I promise. No matter what happens. You're my baby brother!" Dr. Rosewood felt an uncommon urge to go forward and take the grieving boy into her arms. Only her professionalism prevented her from doing that. It didn't prevent her from staying, however.

"I quit, Theodore. I quit music, I quit acting, I quit being me. I promise, I will be a better person. I will be a person that you can be proud of. That you can depend on." There was a pause. "I promise."

"Something wrong, Doctor?" David Seville asked from behind her, Simon with him, and she jumped.

"No, just checking on Theodore, Mr. Seville, before I leave." She assured him, glancing back at the draped room. "I'm leaving now, going home. Dr. Danning will be taking over tonight."

"Oh, ok." The dark-haired man said. "Thank you, for all you've done for Theodore, Doctor."

"You're welcome." She said with a slight nod.

She wished she didn't think that his middle son needed, in his own way, as much help as Theodore did.

The Sevilles didn't need any other worries right now.

OoooOoooO

Simon sat, leaning against the hospital bed half asleep. He was still holding Theodore's hand. Alvin had moved aside from where he had been doing the same, almost the instant Simon had returned last night.. Simon didn't question Alvin's gesture, although it did surprise him. He found, himself, that he couldn't bear to let Theodore's hand go. He could still feel warmth in it, and he clung to that, knowing that that warmth meant that Theodore was still here with them. As long as he could feel that life in his brother, hope stayed with him.

"Alvin, please, you need to go and eat something." Dave told the red-clad chipmunk earnestly. "Its been over a day since you've eaten."

"Not hungry." Alvin said. He had spent all of the last twenty-four hours in this room, sitting in a chair across from this bed. Nearly all of them had been spent in silence as well, or otherwise he had replied to questions with simple one or two word answers. Simon was starting to worry about him, now, too. The few times Alvin had met his eyes his gaze was almost vacant.

"I know. Neither am I. But we have to eat." Dave glanced over at Simon imploringly. "Simon, please. Take Alvin to the cafeteria. He at least needs to get some water, or he's going to start getting dehydrated."

"Not thirsty."

The zombie-like attitude of Alvin frightened him, and with one last look at Theodore's face, he reluctantly released his hand and stood. His own wave of dizziness hit him. He had been sitting here for a long time.

"Come on, Alvin, lets get a Coke or something." He said, reaching out to grab Alvin's hand and help him out of his chair. Alvin followed obediently. He didn't say anything else, and that worried Simon. He was afraid Alvin was going into shock. It had been known to happen, and the blank stares and limited verbosity he was showing made Simon think that if Alvin didn't seem to shake himself a little more into the world soon, he would find a doctor to look after this brother as well.

Not that he had been much more communicative in the last day. But he had at least tried to eat earlier and had left the room occasionally. Alvin seemed to be incapable of doing so independently. "Alvin, what do you want? A Coke? Some water?" Simon pushed through the door to the cafeteria. At this hour it was nearly deserted. "I think they have some sandwiches over here."

"My fault."

"What?" Simon turned around to see Alvin leaning in the doorway. The lack of life in his eyes as he met Simon's frightened him. "What?"

"I said, it's my fault."

"No, I heard you..." Simon moved towards his brother to comfort him, but Alvin moved away angrily. "Alvin, its not anybody's fault. These things happen."

"Things happen. But this thing happened because of me."

"That's impossible, Alvin."

"Really? Did the impossible ever stop us before?"

A terrible suspicion began to form in Simon's mind. "Alvin, what did you do?"

"I didn't mean for anything to happen." Alvin's face was tortured. "I just didn't think. I didn't think about him at all, like I never do. How could I have known...? But I left him. I left him, and now he's going to die."

"He's not going to die!" Simon protested roughly. "What do you mean, you left him?"
"At the supermarket...I saw Brittany with another guy, and I couldn't...I mean I just wanted to find out...and I left him. I forgot all about him."

"You left him there...just left him?" Simon couldn't control the fury that he suddenly felt. He found himself walking forward, his hands clenched into fists. "Its over a five-mile walk back home, Alvin! How could you leave him there? Didn't you think about the fact that he had no way home? That you had made him a promise? How could you be so irresponsible?"

Even though Simon was towering over him now, fist raised to strike, Alvin merely turned his head as if ready to receive the blow. "I didn't think, Simon."

Simon realized what he was about to do, and he had to force himself to lower his fists. He couldn't force his anger to abate, however. "That's the problem, Alvin. That's always been the problem. You don't think. Whatever is going around you, whoever it hurts, you never think about it until its too late. Well, its too late now, Alvin! Even if Theodore lives, he'll never walk again, and you can go gallivanting about the world as if nothing ever happened. Nothing ever happens to you. You're the golden child, the focus of everyone's attention – especially yours." Somewhere inside him, he knew that he should try to stem the flow of fury that had burst within, but he couldn't. He clenched his hands together to keep from raising them again into fists. "Well, you have my attention now, Alvin! Are you happy?"

"Simon, please," Alvin's voice broke. "I'm sorry!"

"Keep your sorries, Alvin. I have too many of them – far, far too many." Simon whirled on his heel, a sudden need to leave becoming overpowering. A lump the size of a boulder lodged in his throat as he flashed back to Theodore on the lawn, thanking Alvin for his offer to help him out after failing his driving test, a wide smile on his innocent face. A sob escaped him, and he paused at the door.

"And so does Theodore."

End of Chapter 3