AUTHORS NOTE:
Thank you for all the wonderful reviews from the last chapter.
Enjoy this second bit. :)
Chapter 43: Injuries are worse than they seem
The following day Brax woke up with a groan and held his sore abdomen. He had not gotten much sleep. He felt short of breath and put it down to his injury and being tired. Brax walked into the kitchen and saw his brothers finishing their breakfast.
"Who made you breakfast?"
"Mum did before she went out." Heath replied.
Brax groaned, of course his mother would go out again. Casey still couldn't really look at his bruised up brother and focused on his empty plate before getting up and leaving for his bedroom.
"Dad not back?" Heath shook his head. Brax took away the plates and stood against the sink, leaning over he falls into a fit of coughs.
"Are you alright Brax?" Heath asked concerned. "Yeah mate."
"You don't sound okay?" Brax turned to his brother. "I said I'm alright!" He snapped.
Heath rolled his eyes and stood up to leave. "You sure are grumpy lately."
Brax watched as he brother left, he had been short with them lately. Brax violently coughed again, but this time as he pulled his hand away from his mouth what he saw made a cause for alarm. There was blood and saliva on his hand. Brax glanced up. This was serious.
Brax heard Heath walk back into the living room quickly washing his hand he approached him.
"Mate I need you to look after Casey for me today."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"Don't ask questions. Just do it!"
"Geez, alright don't bite my head off."
Heath walked down the hall to find Casey. "Casey hurry up."
Casey approached Heath. "Why?"
"Brax wants me to look after you today, so we're going to the beach."
"Is Brax coming?" "No dummy, so I'm in charge. Let's go."
"Why isn't Brax coming?" "Because he's not, okay!"
Heath led Casey out the door and as soon as they left, Brax grabbed what he needed and wandered into town. Brax knew he couldn't go and see a normal doctor as they would need his parent's permission for treatment, so he headed down to a clinic for disadvantaged teens.
Brax walked into the clinic, nervous on what he might find out. "Hi, may I help you young man?"
"I need to see a doctor please."
"What is your reason for this consultation?" The receptionist looked suspiciously at Brax and saw his numerous bruises.
"I'm having pains in my chest and coughing up blood."
"Right, just take a seat and a doctor will see you shortly." "Thanks."
When Brax was escorted into the consultation room the doctor instructed him to sit on the examination table.
"Now what can you tell me about your problem?" He asked as he examined the injuries on Brax's face.
"I've got pains in my chest, I've had difficulty breathing, and this morning I coughed up blood."
"How long have you had these symptoms?"
"The breathing and coughing started two days ago, but the blood this morning." The doctor noted down some of the information.
"And how did these injuries occur?" The doctor looked again at the bruising on Brax's face.
"I lost a bet and got beaten up." Brax lied.
"How old are you…Um…Brax?" The doctor read his details from the form. "I'm sixteen. Due to be seventeen in a couple of months."
"Okay, I need you to take your shirt off so I can examine your abdomen." Brax was hesitant, but removed his shirt.
The doctor was shocked at the bruises and injuries covering Brax's upper body. As he examined the injuries and saw the belt marks on Brax's shoulders he realized this was no regular teenage fight.
"How's your home life?"
"Fine." Brax answered getting suspicious of the doctor's questions. "No relationship problems with your parents?"
"No! What's this got to do with finding out what's wrong with me? I told you I was beaten up by some teenagers."
"Okay son, just calm down."
The doctor listened to Brax's chest and heard a rapid Heart rate and slight respiratory gurgling. He then tested Brax's blood pressure and found it to be quite low. The doctor took more notes and looked back at Brax.
"I need you to come with me to our Radiography unit. I need to take an x-ray of your chest." Brax began to worry. How serious was this?
"It's okay son. We will find out the cause of this."
Brax waited in the doctor's consult room for the doctor to return with his x-ray results. When he did he looked at Brax with concern.
"It seems you have sustained what is known as Pulmonary Contusion, in other words, bruising of your Lung tissue."
"Is that serious?"
"Not yet. But if left untreated it may lead to more respiratory complications. If you rest and take these pain medication tablets I will prescribe for you, you should be recovered within a week. I recommend that you focus on taking deeper breathes to get enough Oxygen flowing through your body, this may be painful, but the pain tablets will assist with that. I will give you a shot before you go and I want you to start these tablets tomorrow morning."
"Okay." The doctor gave Brax his analgesia injection into his thigh to avoid doing further damage to his upper arm muscles that he sustained in the beating.
Brax adjusted his clothes. "Now if any of your symptoms worsen at any stage, I want to see you as soon as possible." Brax nodded.
"You're not going to contact my parents about this are you?"
"Patient confidentiality is a high priority and we do not break that unless a child is in danger, but I do recommend that you tell your parents what is going on. Unless there is a problem?" Brax silenced.
"Son, we are here to help you if you are having problems at home, please come and talk to us."
Finally someone who was willing to help them, all he had to do was explain, but Brax knew it would cost his brothers dearly if he broke the silence.
"Thanks, but everything is fine."
"My pleasure and remember what I said, take care of yourself and we are always here." Brax smiled and left the clinic, heading home.
By the time Brax managed to get home he was exhausted. He heard Heath having an argument with Casey again and Casey throwing one of his anger tantrums. Groaning he entered the house.
"What took you so long?" Heath asked agitated.
"This pest here has been annoying me ever since this morning. He kept playing up at the beach and all the way home he's been on my back about some stupid thing."
Casey hit Heath in the arm. "It's not stupid!"
"Hey. Hey. Stop that!" Brax pulled Casey away from Heath. "Where were you anyway?" Heath questioned.
"None of your business." Brax replied walking into the kitchen with Heath following close behind.
"Well that's great. You expect me to look after that pest while you go off to some secret place." Brax sighed.
"Heath please. Not now. Look, what do you guys want for dinner?" Heath shrugged.
"Does it matter? We barely have anything decent anyway."
Heath softened his attitude when he saw Brax take a deep gasping breath and hold his abdomen before coughing harshly. "Sorry."
"It's fine mate. I'll see what I can find for dinner."
Heath nodded and glanced at his brother concerned then headed into the bathroom to take a shower.
Heath was kept awake by Brax's persistent coughing in the night and grew more concerned for his brother. The following day Heath didn't know how to approach Brax about what he heard last night, but continued to watch his brother with a worried expression as Brax tidied up around the house.
"Brax can we go somewhere today please?" Casey asked. Brax sighed.
"I'm sorry mate. Another time hey? Go and watch some TV okay?" Casey pouted. Heath walked over to Casey and led him to the living room.
"Let's see what we can watch, yeah?" "Okay."
Casey sat down next to Heath and watched some cartoons that were showing. Brax watched his brothers. He had to get better for them.
Heath kept glancing at Brax, keeping watch. Brax walked into the kitchen and got himself a drink to take his tablets. He ran his hand through his hair and gave a sharp breath, before he started to cough. Heath saw Brax run towards the bathroom. Heath tapped Casey.
"I'll be back in a minute okay?" Casey nodded not taking his eyes off the screen and giggling.
Heath heard violent coughing and gagging coming from inside the bathroom. Brax was again coughing up large amounts of blood. Brax cleaned himself up and opened the door, nearly walking into Heath and was surprised.
"Woah mate." Brax tried to laugh what just happened off, hoping his brother hadn't heard him. "All yours."
Brax waved towards the bathroom but Heath didn't move. Brax went to walk past him, but Heath stood in front of him. Brax saw the worried look on his brother's face and his eyes glassy.
"Heath? What's wrong?"
"What's wrong with you? I heard you just then… and last night. I know you're not alright so don't tell me you are! You're scaring me Brax!" Heath said exasperated.
Brax sighed and pulled Heath into a gentle hug. "I'm scaring myself."
"Please tell me what's going on." Heath begged.
"Alright but you mustn't utter a word to Casey. I don't want him to get upset." Heath nodded.
Brax checked Casey was still focused on his TV show and pulled Heath aside in the hallway.
"Yesterday when I asked you to look after Casey, I went to see a doctor at the clinic for disadvantaged kids. Because of Dad's beating the other day, it led to bruising on my Lung."
"Is it serious?"
"Possibly."
Heath turned away scared, so Brax quickly continued. "But that's only if I don't get the chance to heal properly. The doctor gave me some strong pain tablets, which is why I've been tired and grumpy lately and told me I need to rest. This will help it to heal. That's all you need to know."
"I wanna help you get better Brax. I hate that you're sick like this."
"I know mate, but there's not much you can do to make it better. But there is one thing you can do to help."
"You name it."
"I need you to help take care of Casey for me, so I can rest." Heath nodded.
"And Heath when I say take care of, I mean don't go teasing him, bossing him around, or being rough with him. Understand? If he gives you any trouble you let me know and I'll deal with it. I'm still in charge of you both, even if I am sick."
Heath nodded. "Okay. You can rely on me."
"I know I can mate." Brax squeezes his shoulder and smiles. "Let's get back to Casey before he gets up to something."
"Brax, please be okay. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"I'm not going anywhere mate. I'm tough remember." Heath smiled. "Just remember our little secret."
Heath nodded and the two brothers walked back to where Casey was in the living room. Brax ran his hand over Casey's hair.
"What are you watching?" Casey looked up at his brother strangely. He too had heard Brax coughing violently and sensed something was wrong. He still blamed himself for Brax being unwell and the more tired and distant Brax had become the guiltier and worried Casey became.
Casey turned back to the TV. "It's just a show." He told Brax quietly. Brax shrugged at his brother's quiet behavior and just put it down to Casey being tired.