Chapter Seven
A Birthday Wish
Charles almost dropped the phone, was it possible-was he really talking to his son?
"Who is this?"
"Dad-it's me," Tyler said, he knew he sounded horrible, but did his dad really think it wasn't him?
"Tyler?" Charles voice was so questioning, Tyler wasn't sure how to answer him, to prove that it was him.
"It's me, dad-its Tyler," Tyler said, his voice was cracking with the stress but he was going to make his father know it was him.
"Tyler-," Charles said, there was no question in his voice this time, "You're alive!"
Tyler smiled to himself, coughing and wincing in pain before continuing, "Yeah dad, I'm alive."
"Where are you, are you alright, what happened, how are you even alive?" Charles poured out the questions almost as fast as Tyler thought Caroline's would, he almost laughed, but then thought better of it.
"Dad, please one question at a time, I was on the fiftieth floor when the plane hit-well it's kind of a long story," Tyler said not really feeling like going into the whole story.
"Are you alright?" Charles question was urgent.
"Well-," Tyler began.
"Tyler!" Charles said again.
"Dad, I'm alright, I'm at Saint Mark's hospital," Tyler said, his words were not forming the way he wanted them to, the pain meds were working.
"The hospital?" Charles said, he actually sounded worried; Tyler was tempted to ask who was he and what had he done with his father, but it took to much effort.
"The reason I didn't call you right away, well-I've been out for a while," Tyler admitted, before his father could come back with another question, he asked one of his own, the one he wanted to in the first place, "Dad, where's Caroline and what is she doing for her birthday?"
"Tyler-," Charles began.
"Dad please, we can talk all you want about what happened to me later, just please, where is Caroline?" Tyler asked, he knew what his father wanted to know, but he didn't want to take the time to tell him, not now, he had to know what and how his sister was doing before he fell asleep and it was beating him fast.
Charles sighed, "Ally was going to take here somewhere, and then we were going to go to ground zero and the cemetery, but I think this is going to be a better birthday for her after all, maybe one of the best."
Tyler smiled, his eyes heavy, "Dad, I'm falling asleep, I just wanted to let you know I was alright."
"Tyler, I'm on my way right now son, I'll call your mom from the road, and tell her to bring your sister there too. You'll be the best birthday present ever," Charles said. The other end was quiet for a minute, "Tyler?"
"Sorry dad, I told you I was falling asleep, but you're on your way, good, I'll be here," Tyler said and then thought about it, I'll be here? Where else would he go, he could hardly move.
"I'm leaving right now," Charles said, and Tyler was surprised when actually heard the door slam.
"Okay dad, okay, don't forget about Car-" Tyler didn't finish his sentence, the pain meds were doing their job, he fell asleep the phone falling loosely from his hand.
Caroline jabbed at her alarm clock as it went off. She looked at the digital numbers flashing at her, 7am September 18th 2001, it was official-she was twelve. She sighed as she pulled herself up; she walked over to her closet and pulled out Tyler's school sweatshirt that she had left there. It nearly reached her knees but she didn't care, it kept her warm and close to Tyler at the same time.
The clock buzzed again and Caroline picked up a book from her desk and tossed it at it. Her aim was right on, the book hit the clock, knocking it off her bedside table, it landed with a small thud against the floor. She sighed, not caring that she could have broken her clock and pulled the blue sweat shirt on over her head. She shut the closet door against her school uniform without a second glance. She was not going to school today; she didn't care if she was grounded for the rest of her life. She couldn't take it-not today.
Making her way downstairs, Caroline could smell her birthday breakfast being made in the kitchen. Homemade blueberry waffles, her favorite. She was kind of surprised when she entered the kitchen however. The whole room was decorated, there was a cake on the counter and her mom looked at her with a smile.
"Good morning, birthday girl," her mom said, her smile huge.
"Morning," Caroline said, wondering how long it was going to take for her mom to realize she wasn't wearing her school uniform.
"Why are you wearing that?" Diane asked-not long.
"Mom, I'm not going to school today. Please don't make me, I can't stand it- and knowing that Tyler's not going to pick me up-please mom-just today-please don't make me go," Caroline bagged, she was all but on her knees now.
Diane sighed, "You took away my surprise."
"I what?" Caroline asked, she was confused.
"I was going to surprise you, I already called the school, I told them that you weren't feeling well and that you were going to stay home today," Diane said flipping the waffles as she spoke.
Caroline's eyes widened, "You mean you lied?"
"No, I didn't lie, you aren't feeling well, you miss your brother and it makes you feel bad I can tell just by looking at you," Diane said, she knew how close her son and daughter had become, and she knew what losing Tyler had done to her little girl.
Caroline was still confused but she didn't argue the point, "Thanks mom," She said was the waffles were placed in front of her.
"You're welcome sweetie, happy birthday," Diane said as she kissed the top of her head.
After breakfast Caroline decided that she would walk down to the cemetery, her need to talk to her brothers was almost unbearable today.
"Mom, I'm going to walk over to see Michael and Tyler, is that okay?" Caroline asked standing up and bringing her plate to the sink.
"I thought Ally was picking you up?" Diane asked confused.
"She's taking me somewhere later, but I need to see them, is it alright?" Caroline asked, she had almost forgotten her promise to Ally about her taking her somewhere for her birthday.
"Oh course it's alright, just be careful," Diane said as she began washing the dishes.
Caroline nodded and was out the door in a matter of two seconds, just as the door fell shut behind her the phone began to ring.
It didn't take Caroline long to walk the five blocks to the cemetery on the edge of town. Even though it was New York City, the cemetery always seemed peaceful-at least it did to Caroline. It was the only place she and her brothers had left.
Caroline made her way up the small hill quickly and sat down between the stones once again. Her spot, the place she could call her own. The only place where she could talk to her brothers and know that somehow they were listening.
"Well-I'm twelve guys," Caroline said a single tear sliding down her cheek, "I wish you were here to celebrate with me, without you I really don't feel like celebrating at all." her charms jingled as she changed the way she was sitting, the lockets really being the only things that didn't make any noise.
Caroline's eyes turned to Michael's stone, "I wish I could remember-something-anything about you, Tyler told me a lot but that's all I know. I really do wish I could have known you Michael."
Sighing as she wiped away another tear, Caroline turned to Tyler's stone, "We were going to really party this year Tyler, remember? You said that we were going to go to the Art show that I wanted to go to and you were going to let me look at all the paintings until you were blue in the face with boredom," she tried to laugh, but it came out a sob, without even thinking, she slammed her fist into the dirt right below Tyler's headstone.
"You promised, you promised you would always be there for me, you promised you would protect me, you promised you would never leave me, you promised me you would be there, always!" Caroline yelled as her fists dug into the dirt that had never been moved. Just as quickly as she had started, she stopped and sank down, laying her head on Tyler's stone, sobbing.
"Tyler-I know you didn't mean to leave me," Caroline's sobs were reaching the uncontrollable stage but she didn't care, "But I needed you, I still do and you're not here."
Caroline sniffed and then remembered something Tyler had once asked her two years before, "Do you remember, on my tenth birthday, you told me the story of how each year on your birthday you were allowed one wish and you asked me what I would wish for?"
Caroline sighed and sat up, tears still pouring down her face, "I said drawing pens back then. Do you know what I could wish for now? I would wish to see you, hug you, even it was just for a minute. To touch you, to tell you I love you. That Tyler-that would be my birthday wish." She stopped trying to stop the tears and just let them fall as she once again laid her head against the only thing that was set in place in memory of the only brother she really ever knew.