I can explain . . . my computer CRASHED! Do you hear me? CRASHED . . . I now hate the phrase, 'Five to Ten buisness days'

Thank you for sticking this out with me!

Please give my BETA a round of applause! That's right Jazzergirl1, stand up and take your praise! She has helped me witha previous chapter, and I am truly grateful! Where would I be without her? I'll tell you, the gutters! So tomy BETA, a personal thanks!

Here is the next chapter!

Enjoy . . .

n waded around through the fog, reflecting on his life and his situation as he saw it now. Trey had beat the crap out of him and drugged him, hell Trey even hid him in a hole in his closet.

There was no pain in this place, but for all he knew, he could still be withering in his drugged haze. Ryan had always been dead set against drugs, but the almost immediate relief had brought him comfort.

That thought had stopped the teenager in his tracks, did he just admit to liking . . . drugs? He shook his head, Seth would never let him do drugs, and if he ever found out that he had some, Ryan knew that Seth would tear up the pool house until he found them.

He wondered if his family missed him. Did they even know he was gone?

During this entire nightmare that he had spent with his highly deranged brother, the time had never penetrated his mind or his senses. For all he knew it might have only been hours. Could he have possibly been in his hellish daze for days? His heart wrenched at that, he didn't want to think of what his brother might have done to him while he was in the throws of unconsciousnesst want to think of what his brother might have done to him while he was in the throws of unconsciousness.

Ryan remembered back to when he use to live in Chino with Trey. His older brother had often gotten violent with him after taking too much cocaine. One time in particular, when Trey had gotten home from a party, he had attacked Ryan, only thirteen at the time. The younger Atwood had been rushed to the hospital after a neighbor from their run-down apartment found him lying unconscious in the hall.

He'd been in a coma for an entire week; the doctor told him after he had woken that it was nothing short of a miracle that there was no brain damage. It was then that the doctor informed him that he had been almost bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat.

Ryan covered for his older brother by saying that a local gang had tried to recruit him, and that they had jumped him when he refused.

When he was well enough to go home, he stopped at his neighbor's house. And after thanking him, Ryan begged the man not to tell the authorities about what had really happened. The man skeptically agreed, but threatened to tell the police if it ever happened again.

Unfortunately for Ryan, the abuse continued. Although Trey had not been the cause for every injury; his mother's boyfriends played a hand at that also, to them he was only a punching bag. Trey promised Ryan that day in the hospital that he'd never snort cocaine again. What a joke! Ryan knew his brother would be doing it again. In fact, Trey was out getting tarred out of his mind only three months after the incident.

Ryan shook his head, now was not the time to dwell on his brother's empty promises. He needed to find out where he was, and more importantly if he could get out.

More memories and issues swarmed Ryan's mind, constantly reminding him that he was nothing. He was alone and he may not be going home to the people who might actually give a shit about him. Then the particular secret that had brought him to his current situation flooded Ryan's deeply dreaming mind.

Ryan was not a nosy person, and it was only by accident that he had overheard Marissa telling Summer about what Trey had done. There was no word in the entire world that could describe how angry he had been. He had wanted to kill his older brother, but would have been satisfied to merely maim him.

It angered Ryan that yet again Trey had overpowered him, had hurt him, and had almost ended his barely lived life. That realization had spurred him on, he had to fight to get out of this horrible drug and injury induced state of unconsciousness.

Ryan fought until he was exhausted. Someone was holding his hand, and whoever it was, they were talking to him. He couldn't quite make out the words, they must have been asking him a question, but it sounded like they weren't expecting him to answer.

As he came into more awareness the voice got clearer; it was his older brother.

Fighting hard to lift up his leaden eyes, Ryan mumbled incoherently, and finally forced his eyes open. His vision was blurry, obscuring Trey's features. Ryan realized that he must have startled him, because his horrified older brother let go of his hand.

Every part of Ryan's body screamed out in agony and the pain rippled harder when he tried to bring his unnaturally heavy hand to his head. The fire burning within the upper half of his body was the worst, and he feared greatly when his vision would not clear.

"Trey?" he whispered. Even though he would gladly get up and beat Trey to an inch within his life, he felt himself needing the comfort that only a brother could give him.

A cold cloth pressed firmly against his brow, relieving some of the ache that held strong.

"I'm here Ryan," Trey spoke as he gazed into his brother's overly glazed eyes. Ryan needed health care now, his fever was raging and a few of his injuries were beginning to bleed again.

He hated how Ryan was looking at him; those dilated blue eyes glaring pitifully at him. Although his younger brother didn't appear to really be seeing him, his eyes made Trey cringe openly.

It didn't matter if he was going to go to prison; he should have called for help a long time ago. He would never make that mistake again; Ryan had endured on of the worst beatings of his life and could have worse injuries than he could even dream of. A decision was made; Trey was going to do what every decent person should, and what he should have in the beginning.

He was going to take Ryan to the hospital.

Thank you for your kind reviews! TBC . . .