AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you all for the lovely reviews: Gzimmer3, Talia, Fanfiction.79, Bonnie Sveen Fan, and Braxtonboyzz123.

Enjoy this next chapter and Merry Christmas.

Next update should be next week some time.

Chapter 8

Brax glanced up as he saw the door to Kyle's room open.

Kyle had since gone back to sleep and remained in that way for the last hour.

"Hi," Ricky greeted and went over to Brax; kissing him gently.

"Hey. Hey mate," Brax greeted both Ricky and then Casey.

"What more did the doctor say?" Casey asked.

"Just said it's a waiting game now," Brax answered.

Kyle became aware of soft voices in his room and it caused him to flicker open his eyes again; only this time for longer than that morning.

"Kyle, you're awake again," Phoebe cheered softly.

Kyle forced a smile as he looked to Phoebe.

"Hi mate, how you feeling?" Brax asked; Ricky beside him, under his arm.

Kyle groaned, "I don't remember anything," he mumbled.

Watching his brother's damaged state boiled Brax's blood again, making him wish to seek revenge sooner.

"Kyle, you have to remember; you have to tell me who it was that is after you," Brax stated firmly.

Kyle shook his head drowsily.

"I don't know. I don't know anything that happened," Kyle mumbled.

"Do you remember making a call to me before your phone cut out and Casey found you?" Brax questioned.

He knew his brother still wasn't in the best of states but he had to make these attackers pay.

Kyle gazed over at Casey who stood to the end of the bed.

"Casey found me?" Kyle queried; almost as if he couldn't believe it.

"Yeah, I found you in the bushes just up from our house, after that rock went through the window," Casey recalled.

Phoebe glared at the brothers, disgusted that she had known none of this.

"I don't remember that," Kyle whispered honestly.

Brax ran his hands through his hair and let out a frustrated groan.

"You have to remember Kyle!" Brax snapped, before he was aware of what he was doing.

Ricky, Casey, and Phoebe turned to the frustrated oldest Braxton, giving questioning looks.

"I'm sorry," Kyle mumbled.

"Tell me: tell me right now Kyle! I can't have you end up in this state again!" Brax ranted.

Kyle coughed and wheezed.

"Back off Brax; the doctor said any stress could be serious for him!" Phoebe yelled.

It was enough to snap Brax out of his rant and he looked down at his younger brother.

"Sorry mate; rest up," Brax said softly and stormed out of the room.

Ricky was quick to follow behind and met Brax in the hall.

"Are you alright; what was that in there?" Ricky asked.

Brax sighed heavily.

"I don't know Rick. I just...I didn't mean to go off like that."

Ricky wrapped her arms around Brax's abdomen in a hug and rubbed the older man's back.

Brax rested his chin on top of Ricky's soft blonde hair; feeling the comfort of his girlfriend.

Once Brax and Ricky had left the room, Casey stood beside Kyle's bed.

"Glad to see you awake and on the mend," he commented.

Kyle nodded, "Thanks I guess for saving me."

Casey smiled, "No problem; that's what brothers do. Say you better get better real fast, because I need someone to beat in the Mad Racers video game."

Kyle forced a weak smile.

"I'll do my best."

Ricky and Brax walked back into Kyle's room; Brax feeling somewhat shame-faced for his raging behaviour.

"Mate, I'm sorry I took my anger out on you. I want you to get better so we can fix this," Brax apologised.

"I understand," Kyle said weakly, "I wish I could help you."

Kyle tiredly shut his eyes again.

"Why don't we head home?" Ricky suggested.

Brax firmly shook his head, "I can't leave him."

"Brax, you've barely had any sleep and you're irritated; you need a break, and besides Phoebe will stay with him the night; won't you Pheebs?"

"Yeah, I'm not leaving Kyle's side," Phoebe announced.

"See?" Ricky encouraged.

Brax sighed, "Fine, but I'm coming back first thing in the morning."

Ricky, Brax, and Casey made their way back home.

"Did Heath say anything about why he couldn't make it in to visit Kyle today?" Casey asked, as the three entered the house.

Brax shook his head; now feeling the tiredness from the worry, and lack of sleep.

"Bianca had an appointment on and Heath went with her. He said he'd probably pop in tomorrow," Ricky answered.

Brax flopped down on the couch and rubbed his fingertips over his head. Casey got himself a beer from the fridge and handed one to Brax.

"Oh, thanks mate," Brax replied, taking the beer from Casey's hand.

Ricky walked behind the couch and began rubbing Brax's shoulders to sooth the older man's exhausted muscles.

It was a week later when Kyle was stable enough to head home. With Phoebe fussing over him and Brax and Heath supporting their brother, Kyle was relieved to get into the house and sit down on the comfy couch.

As Brax and Heath dispersed into the kitchen and Phoebe went off to take a shower to freshen up, Casey sat beside Kyle and initiated a conversation with his brother; however as the minutes marched on, Kyle's foggy memory was slowly coming back.

Kyle was attentively watching his younger brother as he talked, but the thing was: Casey was in the same position he had been in the day of the attack.

Kyle's mind blacked out from all of his surroundings as he went into a flashback over the events of the day: the rock through the window, the suspicious car, his phone call to Brax... It was all coming back to him.

"Kyle; earth to Kyle; are you alright?" Casey called out.

Kyle shook the thoughts out of his head.

Casey's call had alerted Brax and Heath and now the older brothers were standing in the living room.

"Kyle, is something up?" Brax queried.

Kyle was confused over his flashback and wasn't even convinced he had thought right.

"Yeah, just had a thought that's all," Kyle responded.

Heath fare-welled his brothers: wishing Kyle a 'take care' before leaving back to Irene's house.

The remaining Braxton's ordered in pizza, with Ricky and Phoebe joining them, and all through dinner Kyle couldn't stop thinking about his flashed memory.

Maybe it was time to tell Brax? Kyle thought.

After Casey headed to bed at eleven thirty, Phoebe made a suggestion to follow suit, and requested Kyle do the same.

As Phoebe bounced her way down to the bedroom, calling her happy goodnights, Kyle called out that he would follow in only a moment; remaining still behind on the couch.

"Are you okay Kyle?" Ricky asked; she was situated next to Brax, snuggling in his arms.

"Um yeah; actually can I talk to you for a moment, Brax?"

Brax turned and gazed curiously up at his brother.

"Sure mate," Brax replied.

Kyle glanced towards Ricky and knew that it didn't matter her listening but he would have preferred explaining this one on one with his brother.

Ricky took a hint from Kyle's expression and shuffled her way out from Brax's arm.

"I'll leave you two to it, and I'll go make us a hot drink," Ricky whispered, leaving the living room with a smile in Kyle's direction.

"What's the problem mate; you in some discomfort?" Brax asked.

Kyle shook his head.

"I need to talk to you about who I think attacked me," Kyle said in all but a whisper.

Brax sat to attention and lifted one leg onto the couch in a half cross-legged position as he turned his body around to look at Kyle.

"You remember?" Brax questioned.

"Yeah, I think so. It all happened when I came back into the house and sitting on the couch with Casey earlier; it just bought memories back," Kyle explained.

"So what have you got for me?"

Kyle walked back towards the couch and sat beside Brax.

"I'm certain it could be prison inmates from when I was in Melbourne," Kyle started.

"Why would someone from Melbourne be after you?" Brax questioned.

Kyle looked down, not feeling ready to explain this to his brother, for it was a secret he had kept for so long.

"Kyle, what aren't you telling me?" Brax pushed.

"I've never told anybody this and I never thought I would have to, once I got out of those dreaded prison walls," Kyle whispered.

"But what happened was something unimaginable. There were these two guys that were in a similar ward than me; obviously they had slightly longer sentences than me, because I was only in for robbery, where as they were in for armed robbery, with some drug trafficking."

"Who were they?" Brax asked.

"Their names were Trevor Gunson and David or 'Dave' Cassar," Kyle told, "And during one time when we were out in the prison yards, I saw Dave and Trevor ganging up on one of the other inmates. Usually I kept my business, but what I was seeing I just couldn't hold back on standing up for this person."

Brax squinted his eyes in curiosity as he watched his brother's paled face, as he exposed the hidden truth.

Kyle swallowed hard as he tried to forget about the visions swarming his head of the horrible memories, but knew for Brax to know the truth he had to tell the whole story.

"Well it started from when I was briefly in the group home before I went into foster care after Mum died and Dad stopped coming around; which you knew," Kyle started.

"Hmm, I did," Brax mumbled.

"Well one night I'd gotten up to use the bathroom and when I walked down the hall I heard this muffled crying which sounded like this guy who was my friend at the home. I guess I got concerned and opened the door to see what was going on and..."

Kyle paused, gasping for a breath and the push to continue his hard tale.

"I saw my friend being held down and raped by one of the supervisors," Kyle explained.

Brax's eyes widened at hearing Kyle's shocking secret, but he couldn't piece it together; what did this have to do with the prison guys?

"Kyle, I'm sorry you went through something like that. You were never touched like that were you?" Brax hated to ask.

Kyle shook his head.

"I got into a foster home before they had a chance with me," Kyle responded.

Brax cleared his throat and adjusted his position on the couch.

"So what does this have to do with those fellows?" Brax asked.

Kyle swallowed hard again.

"Well the incident at the prison, was because I saw them trying to rape another inmate and the painful memories of seeing my friend in extreme pain and crying just became too much for me, so I came to this guys defense against Gunno and Big D; that's what they were called, and then a prison brawl got out and when the guards broke us up they found out what Gunno and Big D were up to and both of them got a longer sentence and separated to solitary confinement until their release date," Kyle explained.

"I still don't get why they would come all this way to summer Bay for you? Prison fights happen all the time," Brax said curiously.

"They said to me whenever they ever got out that I would pay for ruining their lives and that they would kill me. I guess that's what they are trying to do; just slowly," Kyle mumbled.

Kyle looked at his brother in complete reliance, as a wave of relief had lifted from his body over having expressed his secret he'd held onto for so long.

"Brax, please don't tell anyone else about what I've said," Kyle pleaded.

Brax shook his head.

"Your secret is safe with me mate, but why didn't you tell me any of this before; you know I would have listened to you," Brax implied.

"I know, but that was the past and I try not to think about it."

"Yeah, but the past can still cause problems for the present and future," Brax stated.

Brax rested hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"Well I'm glad you remembered and told me; I promise I will get to the bottom of all this, but it looks like we could be dealing with some trouble here," Brax commented; to which Kyle was quick to agree with a nod.

"We will have to have another family meeting and this time we better include Phoebe for the benefit of the doubt," Brax announced.

Kyle smiled, "Thanks Brax; guess I better get to bed."

"Yeah, Phoebe's probably waiting; you need a hand?" Brax offered.

Kyle shook his head; rejecting Brax's offer.

"No I think I should be right."

Kyle lifted himself off the couch and slowly shuffled his way to the bedroom where Phoebe was waiting, ready with a hug.

"I love you Kyle and I'm super glad you're home."

Kyle held Phoebe tight, not wanting his girlfriend he loved to be part of this mess, but what choice did he have?

Ricky heard Kyle shuffle out of the living room and came back out with two mugs of hot chocolate; glancing in the direction that Kyle had disappeared in.

"You two sort everything out?" Ricky quietly asked and took a seat back next to Brax, while placing the two steaming mugs on the coffee table.

Brax wrapped his arm around Ricky again and pulled her close.

"Yeah; Kyle's certain about who attacked him, and it's not something that is going to be a simple fix," Brax explained.

Ricky gently rubbed Brax's chest before giving him a kiss.

"You'll figure it out," she whispered.

Ricky then sat up and grabbed her hot chocolate; passing one to Brax and the couple then remained on the couch for another hour before heading to bed.