Chapter 22: Brax's doubt
Heath sat on the couch trying to concentrate on his homework when Casey crawled into the room and slapped Heath on the leg.
"Pway." "I can't now squirt. I have to get this homework done."
Casey continued to slap Heath's leg.
"Casey stop it. I'm trying to concentrate!" Heath scolded. Casey stopped and slumped against the lounge.
"You means" "Fine I'm mean. Now go away!"
With Heath focusing back on his work Casey climbed up onto the lounge and stood wobbling on the top edge before crashing into Heath's back and grabbing Heath's hair.
"Oww!" Heath yelled and struggled to get Casey off his back.
"Casey get off!"
"Pway!" Casey squealed. "Arg!"
Heath grabbed Casey around the waist, pulling his grip from his hair and threw him down on the couch next to him, pinning his arms.
"I said no! Now stop annoying me you little brat!" Heath shouted.
After hearing the yelling Brax quickly ran from the bathroom where he was finishing from a shower and saw Heath pinning Casey to the lounge and Casey screaming and struggling to break free. He couldn't believe it. He could just not get a break from the fighting between his brothers.
"Heath! Get off Casey right now!"
Brax yanked Heath off his baby brother and shoved him away, causing Heath to stumble backwards.
"How many times have I told you not to hit Casey?"
"I didn't!" Heath shouted.
"That's not an answer!"
"I don't know!"
"Too many and why do I tell you that?" Heath couldn't believe his brother was admonishing him again when it was Casey's fault.
"Because he's a stupid baby!" Heath huffed.
"No Heath! He's your brother and he's smaller than you! This is the last time I am going to warn you about this Heath!"
"But he grabbed and hit me! I bet you won't yell at him for hitting me, just baby him like you normally do! It's not fair you're always yelling at me but never when he does wrong!"
"Heath cut the attitude!"
"I did nothing wrong! I told him to stop pestering me and leave me alone!"
"How can you tell me pinning Casey to the lounge so he can't move isn't wrong?"
"I was just trying to do my schoolwork, like you're always nagging me to do!" Heath shouted.
By now the yelling between the brothers made Danny incredibly mad and he walked out of an adjoining room and approached his boys.
"What in blazers is going on out here?" He yelled.
"Nothing Dad. I can handle it." Brax replied.
"Sure you are." Heath huffed and crossed his arms.
Brax gave him a look to say shut up before their father became angrier, but Heath was just too mad at his brother to think.
"What did you say?" Danny questioned Heath. "Nothing." He mumbled.
"By the sounds of all the shoutin' clearly it ain't being handled Darryl. Now what's goin' on? I won't ask again!"
Brax sighed and looked to his younger brother, he didn't want his father getting involved but he knew it would mean a beating either way for all of them if he didn't start talking, but Brax hoped if he told the truth and explained to his father he wouldn't have the need to hit them.
Brax sighed, "I caught Heath and Casey fighting." Brax whispered. "But it's fine now Dad." Brax quickly added.
Heath glared at his brother, he was supposed to be protecting him, but he just served him straight up to his father. Danny glared at his boys.
"Heath!" Heath cautiously approached his father.
When Heath was within reach, Danny smacked him across the face. Brax flinched at the harshness of the slap.
"Let this be the last time I have to warn ya about fightin' with ya brother. Next time I'll take my belt to ya! Get out of 'ere!"
Heath turned to his older brother and Brax could see the betrayal and tears in his younger brother's eyes, as he held his redden cheek.
"Thanks a lot Brax! I hate you!" Heath shouted before running out the front door.
"Darryl!" Brax quickly glanced at his father. "I'm sick of telling ya to keep ya brothers in line! If you can't control their meaningless quarrels I'll be forced to take matters in my own hands and none of you will be likin' the consequences!" Danny grabbed the back of his son's neck. "Be lucky I ain't givin' that little brat over there me hand too, but if it happens again..."
"It won't Dad. I promise to keep a better eye on them." "You better." Danny stormed out of the room and Brax sat down on the lounge.
Casey approached his oldest brother and pointed at him. "Pway?" He asked. Brax shook his head.
"Casey did you climb on the lounge and jump on Heath after he told you no?" Casey nodded his head in agreement.
Brax felt angry and wished he had bothered to listen to Heath and none of this business with his Dad would have happened. Brax thought back to what Heath said how he never scolds Casey for doing wrong and only babied him. Brax looked at his baby brother.
"Casey?" Casey stared up at Brax. "What you did today was very naughty, grabbing Heath like that when he told you no." Brax said firmly before he turned his eyes to the floor.
Casey pouted and started to whimper. He climbed up on the lounge next to Brax and hugged him. "I sworry."
Brax pulled Casey onto his lap and cuddled him. "It's okay, just be a good boy from now on." Casey nodded and Brax held his brother close, he couldn't help thinking about how he treated Heath, he was really trying to do the best by his brothers but with them having so many demands on him as well as his parents and school it overwhelmed him.
When Heath finally returned home Brax approached him. "Where did you get to?"
"Out." Heath replied in a short tone. Brax sighed he couldn't blame his brother for being mad at him.
"Are you okay?" "What's it to you?" Heath turned to walk into his room.
"Heath, I'm sorry I yelled at you before. I told off Casey for what he done too."
"Is that supposed to change anything? I thought you were supposed to look out for us not notify Dad so he can..." Heath trailed off.
"Heath I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing to protect you boys from Dad's wrath being worse."
"Sure." Heath replied in a cold tone and walked into his room. Brax sat back down on the couch and punched his fists into the cushions. He felt so guilty over his mistake and his brother paid for it.
It was about 11pm that night and Brax still had not been able to get to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about everything, his brothers, school, and his parents. He didn't know what to do anymore, he tried his hardest, but maybe it just wasn't enough. Emotion and guilt poured over him, Brax felt so overwhelmed he couldn't take it anymore and started to cry.
Heath got out of bed to go to the toilet shortly after eleven and as he reached the bathroom he noticed Brax's bedroom light on and he could hear muffled crying. After finishing in the bathroom Heath walked passed Casey's room and saw his baby brother snuggled in his crib and grew concerned, if the crying wasn't from Brax comforting his baby brother that only meant one other thing.
Heath walked back down to Brax's room and opened the door. Startled by the opening door and seeing his brother, Brax quickly wiped his face on his sleeve.
"Heath what are you doing up?" Brax asked his voice shaky.
"Brax are you crying?" Brax gave a fake smile and dried his eyes again.
"Nah mate. Just go back to bed ay."
Heath ignored his brother and approached his bed. "Brax what's wrong?"
"Nothing mate, I'm fine, just go back to bed." Brax repeated.
"You don't look fine. Why were you crying Brax?" "I wasn't..." Brax started as he looked at his younger brother sitting in front of him, he knew Heath could be as stubborn as he was and wasn't letting up.
"If it's because of what I said to you and how I acted, I'm sorry, I was mad at you." Brax shook his head.
"You had every right to be mad. I should have listened to you, but that's not why I was crying." Brax whispered.
"Then why?" Heath asked.
Brax sighed. "It's just I don't know if I can raise you and Casey. I try my best to protect you and Casey but after you got hurt because of my actions today...I only want the best for you both, but I can't do it."
"Brax don't say that. What I said was stupid. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't feel safe and Mum and Dad would probably be hurting me more, as for Casey, he wouldn't have someone who loves him as much as you do. We rely on you Brax. I couldn't think of a better big brother to look after me."
Brax looked at his brother and smiled. "Thanks mate, that means a lot to me." Brax tapped Heath on the leg.
"Hey you better get to bed. It's late." Heath got off the bed.
"Night Brax." "Night mate. Thanks for checking up on me." Heath shrugged.
"I'm only doing what you would have done." Heath left the room to go back to bed, giving Brax a chance to realize his brother was right, there would be tough times and easier times but he was all his brothers had and he had no time to second guess his ability to raise them, whether it was right or wrong, it had to be better than their Mum and Dad's abusive efforts.