So sorry for the wait between chapters, it's almost the end of the semester and it's a lot to do in school. I hope I'll have more time soon! Anyway on to the story :D I don't own four brothers or the song.

The bench was cold underneath him. He didn't know where he was, but he knew he was waiting, for what he didn't know. Time passed by slowly before he noticed his scrawny little brother walking towards him. Jack silently took a seat next to him.

"What are you doing here?" Bobby asked.

"You're waiting for me" Jack answered in a calm tone.

"I am?"

"Yeah" Jack nodded and Bobby swore he could see the same calm serene expression Evelyn used to have.

"Why?"

"I'm bringing you home"

Bobby nodded.

"MERCER!" Bobby flinched and stood at the same time Jack did, facing the voice. The air suddenly seemed thicker and suddenly he was there, standing right in front of them. "You owe me Mercer".

Bobby stepped forward so that he was shielding Jack. "I owe you shit"

Sweet's sinister chuckle caused a shiver to race down Bobby's back and he launched forward, desperate to act before everything went to hell, again. Only he couldn't move. He looked down at his body and froze at the sight of the bullet wounds. No no, they weren't supposed to be bleeding now, he was better now! Sweet's raspy voice forced his eyes upward again.

"I wasn't talking about you"

Before Bobby could react Sweet held a gun in his hand and Jack was standing beside him. Bobby blinked, the panic coursing through him.

"Bobby, it's okay" Jack spoke slowly as if trying to calm a wild animal "You know I always wanted to die anyway".

Bobby shook his head wildly and once again tried to move, but his feet were rooted to the ground. "No, no, not anymore Jack".

Jack smiled sadly at the desperation in his oldest brothers voice. "This is who I am"

"Not who you have to be" Bobby whispered, the familiar words from the past coating the air around them.

"Too late" Jack shook his head again, the dirty blonde hair falling forward.

The sound of the shot made him jerk and he screamed.

Bobby shot up, gasping wildly. He had managed to get his legs over the bed before he noticed his little brother sleeping in the chair next to the bed. He reached a hand out and when it connected with Jack's knee he let out a quiet sob and pulled it back. A noise in the hallway jerked him back to the present and he leaned back in the bed without taking his eyes from his sleeping brother. He wiped a hand over his eyes and wasn't surprised when it came back wet. His mind replayed the dream again and he shuddered. It's over, he told himself. Sweet is dead, they'd told him so. Angel had killed him. But God it felt so real...

He wished he could have been the one to kill him, he really did. But he could never regret saving Jack. He would have gladly died for him, still would, like he would for all his brothers. He wished... that he could have prevented this. He hates himself for not preventing this, for not being there... he hates himself for so many things, but most of all because when she really needed him he wasn't there. He will never forgive himself for that. The pain in his chest is worse, and he knows it's not just his heart even though that's a big part of it. He will never admit it, but it hurst and he can tell somethings not quite right with his body. It bothers him even though he tries to hide it. His thoughts stray to the dream again and he shivers thinking about his brothers facing down Sweet without him. He thinks about Jack and the haunted look in his eyes and he wonders what else happened while he was out of it. He dosen't want to talk about it, that much he knows, but that usually means that he should talk to him.

"Talk to me" Jack dosen't answer and I sigh in frustration, trying to hide how impatient I am. Patience is not something I'm used to showing, or having for that matter, but I try. "You've barely spoken a word the whole week, what's wrong?"

Jack sighs and hangs his head low, that blonde hair falling over his eyes. "It's broken".

I blink, completely in the dark as to what he's talking about. "What's broken?"

"The guitar. One of the strings snapped"

"A string snapped?" I asked to clarify and Jack nodded, still not meeting my eyes. I want to laugh, but I can tell it's not the right moment for that. I can be sensitive too, despite what people think. "Hey, no problem. We'll get new strings okay?"

Okay, so it's not always life or death when Jack shuts himself off, but I can't shake the bad feeling that's been in my chest since I first woke. A nurse enters and asks me how I'm feeling, I grudgingly tell her about the pain in my chest and she complains about me not pressing the button. I try to tell her it's not that bad but she must be a relative to Sofi as she completely ignores what I'm saying and soon I feel the familiar numbness in my limbs.

"You want to talk about him?"

Her voice is so gentle. So unlike anything I've ever heard before. She looks at me with those warm, kind eyes and I wonder how she came to care about me of all people. For some reason she does. I look down and shake my head slowly. "No point. Don't even know who he is"

"You want to try and find him?" Her voice tells me it would be okay if I did.

"No. I don't want to know. I don't need to. I don't have a father" That much I know. I never want to see him, whoever he is. I'm fine with not having a father. Before, it would have been different, but now... memories of another man come quickly and I try to push them back. He's gone, I killed him. I'll make sure I'll never have to be that way again.

"How's Camille?"

Jerry looks up from the paper quickly to meet my eyes, but looks away just as quickly. I haven't seen her around, not that I expected her to come visit me but since Jerry's been spending so much time here...

"She's fine, you know..." He shrugs, avoiding my gaze.

"She okay with you being here so much?" I study him closely, Jerry's a good liar but I know his tells.

"Yeah, sure, I mean she knows how important you guys are to me..."

And there it is. He's lying, she's not okay with it. She never really was. I feel guilty, as much as I want them here I don't want him unhappy. "Go home for a while, I'll be fine you know, you don't need to babysit me". And they don't, god knows I can take care of myself.

He hesitates and looks like he wants to tell me something but then Angel walk through the door with my living nightmare otherwise known as Sofi. I can't stop my groan, I don't even try, and she glares at me but without her usual venom. "Angel. Loca" I greet them, and only receive a mild glare in response from said Loca. What the fuck? "What's wrong with you?" Before she can answer Jack walk in, sipping his coffee from... I look closely at the label, Starbucks! That little fucker. He takes his usual seat and I reach for the coffee and glare at him when he pulls it away. Sofi keeps chattering about everything and nothing and I try to focus I really do, but she's weirder than usual and keeps shooting strange looks at Jack who as usual completely ignores her.

"Hey" She looks at me "Please shut up".

And she does. I lift my hand and rest it on my chest just to make sure I'm still breathin. Cause this is starting to look at lot like my idea of heaven. Except for Jack withholding the coffee. And then a thought enters my mind, and I let out a laugh. "Oh shit. I'm dying aren't I?" I feel bad for a second when I see Jack's face pale, but he soon scowls at me. Looks like he's moodier than usual today.

"Of course not! What makes you say that?" Jerry almost shouts, then turns quiet as he realizes that the whole floor probably heard him, he turns and quickly closes the door. "I mean, why do ya think that?"

"Well Sofi's listening to me so..."

"Fuck you Bobby" She snaps but quiets when Angel glares at her. Well this is new...

"That's the spirit Loca, you scared me" I mock her, but it dosen't feel like it used to. I'm tired, that must be it. She whispers something to Angel and starts to leave but before she opens the door she smiles at me, just a small smile, but from Sofi... I'm definitely worse off than I thought.

"I need your help"

I look up slowly. I was a bit surprised, the new kid had tried to come off all tough ever since he arrived, not wanting help from anyone. I toyed with the idea of refusing him, just for fun of course, but the look on his face told me that it was serious so I cramped down the urge to mess with him. "With what?" I could tell he was nervous but trying to hide it. He didn't look down though, keeping eye contact.

"There's a guy. He's got it into his head that I owe him something"

I chuckled inwardly. There's always a guy. With my luck it was probably ten. "Do you?" I looked at him seriously. I would help of course, but I need to know what I was helping him with.

"No"

I can't tell if he's telling the truth or not. I stand up and work some kinks out in my neck while smiling. "Well then, lead the way Angel".

"What's wrong with me?"

Doc takes his time to answer and then he looks up from his papers, which I guess hold my testresults and all the other shit they'd done on me since I woke up. My brother's not here, I had made sure of that when Doc said he wanted to talk to me. I needed to know what it was, just so I could... I don't know. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew I didn't want them to have to worry about me any more than they already did. I could see the tired lines in their faces, it needed to stop.

"Bobby, one of the shots nicked your lung"

I nodded. I knew that.

"We repaired the damage during your first surgery but these tests show that it's bleeding"

"My lung is bleeding?" I asked to clarify.

"Yes. And if we don't do something about that soon it might get worse than it already is. A bleeding lung will eventually lead to it collapsing, and then..."

"I die" I cut him off.

I could see the sympathy on his face "Yes. But now that we know what the problem is we can do something about it".

"Well what do you have in mind?"

"We need to repair your lung again, through surgery"

Of course. The one thing he didn't want done was the only thing left. How fucking typical. "I'll need to be sedated?" The Doc nodded, confirming what he already knew.

Well wasn't that just fucking funny as hell. He hated being sedated. It reminded him too much about before. Reminded him of a time when he would have done almost anything not to feel. Now he hated it, the feeling of loosing control, being vulnerable, unable to stop what was happening around him.

"Do you want me to call your brothers Bobby? Maybe you can talk to them and..."

"No. Don't say anything about this to them" His voice was firm and so was his gaze when he locked it on the Doc's. "They have enough to worry about".

"I'm sure they'll..." He started but he cut him off.

"I said no" The Doc sighed and obviously wanted to argue but decided to keep out of it for now at least. "When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as possible, tomorrow morning if everything goes according to plan".

Bobby didn't answer, his eyes staring out the window lost in his own thoughts.

"Oh thank you Bobby" Evelyn smiled brightly as he took the bag of groceries from her arms.

"No problem Ma, you need to take it easy you know, your not young anymore" He teased, laughing when she pretended to be outraged.

"Why I never, being called old in my own home, no dessert for you young man. Notice the word 'young'".

Bobby chuckled "I'm sorry Ma, you don't look a day over 30"

Evelyn laughed loudly and started putting the groceries away "Now now, I may be old, but I'm not stupid, remember that".

They ate their dinner and talked lightly about their day. Evelyn told him about work, well as much as she could, and Bobby talked about school, leaving out the detention he'd gotten for skipping class.

"Well it's friday night son, where are you off to tonight?"

"Thought I'd stop by Johnny's, see what's happening" His stomach clenched at the word 'son'. He still hadn't gotten used to being one, but he couldn't deny that it made him happy.

"I don't know why you go there, you're not even old enough to drink!" She scolded him lightly without any harshness.

"I don't go there to drink Ma, I just... hang around"

"Mhm..." She didn't believe him. She sighed. "The years go by so fast, soon you'll be old enough to drink, thinking of having your own place..."

Bobby laughed and took the plates and carried them to the kitchen, Evelyn following behind him with the glasses. "Wow, slow down Ma, you're not getting rid off me that easy"

"Oh you say that now, but soon I'll be old and gray and you'll be off somwhere else, having forgotten all about that old lady back home".

She had that teasing glint in her eye, but he thought he detected a trace of sadness in her voice. He set the plates down and turned back to her and placed a gentle hand against her cheek meeting her suddenly sad eyes with his serious ones. "I'll always remember you".

"Will you remember me when I'm gone?"

Jack startled at Bobby's voice breaking the silence in the otherwise quiet hospital room. He picked up the spoon he'd dropped and cleaned it quickly on his shirt. He'd been eating ice cream and watching a muted episode of family guy when Bobby suddenly spoke. "I thought you were asleep".

"Will you?"

He swallowed hard at the vulnerability he heard in his oldest brothers voice. Alarm bells sounded off in his brain and he took a quick inventory of the machines connected to Bobby, making sure everything was still as it should be. He let out a sigh of relief when they didn't show anything odd, but the anxiety made his body tense and his heart beat faster. "Don't talk like that".

"Will you?" His brother persisted.

"Of course I will. But don't say stuff like that, cause your not going anywhere" Jack told him firmly, cursing himself when his voice shook a little. "What's wrong?" he asked when his brother turned his head to stare out the window.

Bobby sighed, feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Jack..."

The panic was there in an instant, making his chest tight and his hands sweat. "No. No" He shook his head sharply, leaning forward "You're going to be fine, the doctor said so himself, just as long as you take it easy and don't strain yourself and..."

Bobby turned and looked at his little brother. He reached a hand out and placed it on his hands that were twitching. "Hey, take it easy. I didn't mean it like that I..." He trailed off, cursing himself. How stupid could he be saying something like that to Jack, especially now, he'd just been so lost in thoughts and, fuck. "Everythings gonna be fine Jackie, no matter what, you'll be fine".

"What are ya not telling me?" His question sounded as an accusation, and in a way it was.

Should he tell him? Every instinct in his body screamed no. It's too much for him, he's already strung as tight as he can be, and he said it himself that he's not in a good place, what if he does something stupid? All these thoughts raced through his mind, but when he looked into Jack's hurt eyes it didn't matter. He already knew something was up, Jack wasn't stupid and Bobby had led him on the trail by mistake. Or maybe not, maybe he'd wanted to talk about it, tell someone.

"Has the doctor said anything about your tests?" Jack interrupted his thoughts, and Bobby could see that he knew already. Not what it was of course, but that something was wrong. When you grew up the way Jack had, hell the way they all had, you came to expect the worse from every situation. It never really leaves you. Staring into his little brothers anxious eyes Bobby decided to tell him. Not because he wanted too, but because he owed it to him.

"My lung is leaking blood" The only response from Jack was his hands tightening around Bobby's. "I'm having surgery tomorrow. Doc wants it done as soon as possible. It's not that bad, but it could be, so better to take care of it as soon as possible". Bobby could see the pain in Jack's eyes, and the loathing he held for himself increased "I'll be fine". He wanted to promise, but he would never forgive himself if his last words to his brother were a lie. For a few brief seconds Bobby thought Jack would break, he had that look, Bobby had seen it enough times to know what it meant, but then it changed. The pain in his eyes were still there, his grasp on his hands just as tight, but his voice was steady when he spoke.

"We'll be here when you wake up".

"Are you serious man? You can't sell that shit around here, the cops gonna be on ya faster than your girlfriend gets around" Bobby laughed and took a deep gulp from his beer.

"She's not my girlfriend and please, I'm not afraid of no fucking cop"

Bobby laughed again and clapped him on the back, making him cough. "Aw did I hurt your feelings Donnie, I'm sorry".

"Whatever. I can sell wherever I want" Don bragged.

Bobby shook his head with a smile. He had known Don for a year now, he lived with a foster family that didn't exactly mind him staying out late. Meaning, they were to drunk to notice that he wasn't home. He glanced down and noticed how Don's hand kept straying to his pocket. He sighed. "I thought you quit that shit".

His hand dropped like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. "I have, week's been rough you know?"

Oh Bobby knew. He had quit that shit just in time. He knew what it did to people. He also knew that Don did as he wanted.

"COPS!" A voice suddenly called out.

Bobby and Don wasted no time getting the fuck out of the bar. They were underage and Don was carrying, getting frisked was the last thing they wanted. They ran for some blocks before stopping to catch their breath.

"Fuck!"

"Makes you feel alive right?" Bobby laughed.

"Makes me feel like an old man" Don replied, holding his chest.

"Cut back on the shit and you don't have to limp around dickhead"

"So tomorrow..." Angel rubbed a hand over his head.

Angel, Jerry and Jack were gathered in Bobby's room. Jack had convinced Bobby to tell them, he'd agreed after realizing that he wanted someone to keep Jack company while he was sedated. Also, hiding it would have been difficult. Something else Jack had pointed out.

"Yeah"

They'd already talked to the doctor about the risks, what they could expect, the time it would take and so on. The only thing they could do now was wait.

"Don't worry about me okay"

Bobby's voice was soft and Jerry was struck by how... small his brother seemed. It wasn't the first time that thought had entered his mind since they first saw him here, but it still shocked him. For several years he had tried to get Bobby to understand that he had to straighten his life out, to change, not for his sake, but for his own. It was only just now that he realized how much he depended on Bobby to be Bobby. To be the big brother that solved everything. The tough guy that always shook off every hurt, the guy that, stupid as it sounded, laughed in the face of danger. The brother they needed.

Softly sung words drifted down the hall, the notes escaping the old radio a few doors down with some difficulty, the haunting words seeming even more sad today than any other day. Most people pass it without even hearing the words. Some stop and listen for a while. We pass through life meeting people along the way, some we forget, some continue the same road we do for a while, and some people stay with us forever, even after we're long gone and all that remains is the dust from our bones and the memories in our loved ones hearts.

I will remember you, will you remember me? Don't let your life pass you by, weep not for the memories...

Hope you liked this chapter, has a lot of Bobby in it and I'm probably going to continue that road for a chapter or two. The others will of course also be there. I hope I did Bobby justice here, I feel like it's important to get "him" just right. And the bleeding lung stuff, I have no clue about that, I mean in my head it sounds reasnable, but I don't know. I googled a bit though on gunshot wounds but it was kind of confusing. The song is "Will you remember me" by Sarah McLachlan.