Chapter 45: Truth be told

The following morning Brax sat in the living room while his brothers were in their bedrooms getting dressed. He wasn't feeling any better, he was coughing up more blood and found his chest hurt more than ever.

Heath walked out first and saw his brother sitting on the lounge. "Hey how are you feeling?" Brax ignored Heath.

"Heath I need you to take Casey to the park today. I have some things I have to do."

"What kind of things? Are you okay?" Heath spoke with slight panic in his voice.

"I'm fine mate. Nothing serious I just have to do something. Just do this for me please."

"Sure. Casey!" Heath yelled and Casey ran out of his room.

"Hey mate. Heath is going to take you to the park today while I go somewhere okay?" Brax said quietly.

Casey didn't answer. Go somewhere? Casey thought. Heath dragged him towards the door, as Casey stared back at his big brother, this was it. It was this going to be the last time he saw him alive. Casey couldn't help but feel guilty.

Brax visited the clinic again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm coughing up more blood and my chest hurts worse." Brax explained to the doctor.

The doctor listened to Brax's chest. Indeed it had become raspier. "Have you been doing the breathing exercises and getting rest?"

"Well not as much as I'd hoped."

"Brax I told you this is not going to help you heal. You are starting to have the first stages of pneumonia, from complications of not having the chance to heal, so I will give you some antibiotics to take and some more pain relief and I expect you to rest this time, otherwise you will end up in a serious condition, and you will have to be admitted to hospital. Now I'm sure you don't want that."

"No." Brax replied. "Good."

Brax made his way back home and decided to lie in his bed, drifting in and out of sleep.

Meanwhile at the park, Heath chased after Casey on the play gym. A realization suddenly hit Casey. Brax always played with him on the gym set when they went to the park and would hold him up so he could hang onto the flying fox and go across and now he would never get that chance again. Casey stopped, sliding off the gym and ran across the ground, collapsing onto his knees in the dirt and burst into tears.

Heath finally caught up with him, laughing. "I'm gonna get ya!"

Heath ran towards Casey but stopped when he saw Casey crying his eyes out. "Ah Case, don't be such a sook over a scrape." Heath joked.

Casey shook his head. Heath approached him. "What's wrong mate?"

"Brax always played with me on the gym." Heath didn't understand what Casey was getting at.

"Don't you like the way I play with ya?" Casey cried harder. Heath placed a hand on his shoulder. "Case?"

Casey looked up and latched onto his brother which surprised Heath but what surprised him more was what Casey yelled out next. "I don't want Brax to die!" Casey sobbed into his brother's shirt.

The words shocked Heath and he pulled Casey away from him. "Don't be stupid Casey! Why would you say such a horrible thing?" He yelled.

"Because he's… He's just gonna die and it's my fault." Casey wailed.

"Brax isn't going to die!"

"Yes he is!" Casey screamed. "He's hurt…and then you might…. And I'd be left on my own."

Heath couldn't understand Casey's rambling and became frustrated. "Casey I am telling you Brax is not going to die! So stop saying such horrible things, otherwise I will tell Brax how you've behaved when we get home and you'll be in big trouble." Heath threatened.

"It doesn't matter! Brax won't be home!" Casey screamed and ran out of Heath's grip, running away from the park.

"What did you mean by that? Casey!" Heath immediately chased after him, grabbing him just as he neared the road.

"Don't do that!" Heath yelled. Casey became weak in Heath's grip.

Realizing Casey was not going to settle, Heath pulled Casey towards a nearby bench and sat him down roughly. Heath lent down and placed his arms around Casey to block him and looked in his eyes. It wasn't until this time Heath realized how frightened Casey actually was.

"We are not moving until you tell me where all this is coming from." Heath told him firmly.

Tired from crying, Casey whispered. "He's sick and I heard him saying he had to go somewhere today…He's gonna die thinking that I hate him, but I don't. I love him! Heath I don't want him to die!"

Casey burst into a new wave of tears. "I'm scared."

Heath softened and grabbed his baby brother in a tight hug. "Don't you think that. Is that why you've been behaving differently around him?" Casey nodded.

"I…I thought that if he wasn't near me it wouldn't hurt so much."

Heath didn't know how to react, Brax was always the one doing all the comforting and knowing the right thing to say.

"Look why don't we go home and talk to Brax and get all this sorted out?"

"No! Please don't tell Brax. I don't want him to know!"

"Casey, Brax should know, if you're scared and confused about something, Brax would want to know."

"Please Heath…I don't want him to. I don't want to hurt him anymore." Casey pleaded.

"Arg, fine but it's still time to go home. Come on." Casey wiped his eyes on his sleeve then took Heath's hand and the two headed home.

When Heath and Casey arrived home Heath heard the shower running and figured Brax had come back from wherever it was he went. Needing time to think of what he was going to do, Heath told Casey to go to his room to play. Heath sat on the couch, confused. He wanted to confide in Brax but was torn against Casey's pleas.

Brax came out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. "Hey mate. How was the park?"

"Fine." Heath spoke shortly, not making any eye contact with his brother.

Brax could tell Heath was acting distant, so sat beside him on the couch. "Alright what's up?"

"Nothing." Heath answered.

"Heath I know when something's bothering you. Was it Casey? Did he act up for you?" Heath shook his head.

"Just drop it Brax! I don't wanna talk alright! Everything's fine!" Heath yelled.

He didn't mean for it to come out so snappy but he felt trapped and didn't know what to do. Brax got up frustrated.

"Heath I don't need this from you! It's bad enough with the way Casey's treating me! I don't need you doing the same!" Brax yelled and stormed out towards his bedroom, leaving Heath feeling guilty for upsetting and stressing his brother more.

Half an hour had passed and Heath finally made his decision to tell Brax what had happened. Heath stood at the doorway to Brax's bedroom. Brax was folding some of his clothes and turned to see Heath standing at his door.

"Hey mate." He smiled. "Hey." Heath replied quietly and walked into Brax's room and sat on his bed.

Brax could tell something was still bothering Heath. "Sorry for yelling at you before."

Brax smiled and tapped Heath on his arm. "Don't worry about it mate. Just don't make a habit of it." Brax picked up another item of clothing and folded it.

"Brax…Can I talk to you about something?" Brax put down his shirt he was folding and looked at his brother concerned.

"You know you can always talk to me Heath." Brax placed his hand on Heath's shoulder and sat down next to him on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"If someone asks you to not say anything, but you know the other person involved should know even if it might hurt them and cause unnecessary stress, what should you do?"

Figuring that Heath's cryptic question was referring to him and possible something Casey had told him, Brax answered.

"Well then you should tell the other person exactly what that someone has said, regardless of what this someone who told you not to tell wants, especially if this someone happens to be a five year old kid." Heath was shocked.

"Heath, what has Casey told you, that he doesn't want you telling me?" How did Brax know what he was referring to?

"I never said anything about Casey."

"Heath you didn't expect me not to figure that one out did you?" "I guess not."

"So spit it out."

Heath sighed. "Today at the park, he ran off crying and he said to me that you were gonna die." Brax was shocked.

"At first I thought he was just being stupid so I yelled at him but then I realized how scared he actually was. He really believed you were going to die and he was upset that you would die thinking he hated you."

Brax sighed. "Why would he even think that?"

"He said it was because he heard you being sick lately. That's why he has been behaving badly towards you, because he doesn't want to be near you…Because he said it hurts him to think you won't be here with him."

Brax ran his hand though his hair. No wonder Casey was like that toward him, who could blame him?

"That's not all...He said you being sick was all his fault."

Brax sighed. What a mess.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to worry you, but I couldn't deal with this on my own. Brax I'm sorry."

Brax shook his head. "Don't be mate. I'm glad you told me."

"So what are you going to do?" Heath asked as he watched his brother stand up.

"I have to sort him out. Make him understand."

This was the last thing Brax wanted, to get Casey involved. He didn't want him getting hurt, but knew by keeping his problem a secret it had only made things worse for Casey. Heath gave a weak smile and headed out of the room.

Brax finished folding the rest of his clothes and walked down to Casey's room. Brax smiled as he watched his youngest brother putting together a jigsaw.

"What you got there?" He asked playfully. Casey too focused on his jigsaw just replied, not realizing who he was replying to.

"It's a jis-saw puzzle." Casey smiled and turned to see Brax walking towards him. Casey stopped playing and stared at his brother.

"Heath told me what you said today, about thinking I'm going to die."

"I told him not to tell!"

"So it's true?" Casey froze.

"I didn't say anything! He wasn't supposed to tell!" He shouted and kicked his jigsaw across the room.

Brax approached Casey in enough time to stop him going into a tantrum and gently grabbed his arms.

"Hey it's okay. Come here."

Brax led Casey towards the bed and sat him down, taking a seat next to him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"He was right to tell me Casey. I want you to listen to me. I am not going to die okay?" Casey tried to struggle away, but Brax held him tightly.

"Yes you are! You're sick!"

"Yes Casey I have been sick, but I am taking stuff to make myself better okay. I'm not going anywhere." Brax pulled Casey's chin up to look at him. Casey's eyes were glassy. "I promise. Okay?"

Casey pulled his face away. "And one more thing, in no way is my being sick anything to do with you, because you've done nothing wrong to cause this and I don't want to hear any more about you thinking this is your fault you hear?" Brax warned.

Casey sat frozen, looking at his hands. "Casey?"

Casey stared up at his brother and nodded, then latched his arms around Brax's chest, causing Brax to wince, and started to cry. "I'm sorry."

Brax held Casey tightly. "Case you don't have to apologize."

"Yes I do! I was real mean to you and said bad things." Casey sobbed.

"Never mind about that. You know what? If I thought I would lose someone I cared about, I'd have acted the same way."

Casey looked up at Brax. "Really?" Brax smiled, "really."

"I was scared you were gonna go away and I'd never see you again."

"I know mate, but it's okay now."

"I love you Brax." "I love you too Case."

Brax pulled Casey away from him and wiped his tears away gently with his thumbs. "Alright?" Casey nodded.

"Well…Why don't you and I finish this jigsaw of yours?" Casey smiled and jumped off the bed.

Brax stood up and helped Casey pick up the pieces before he sat down on the floor of Casey's bedroom and helped Casey with his jigsaw.

Brax picked up one piece and went to intentionally put in it where it didn't fit. "Does this go here?" Casey giggled and pushed Brax's hand away.

"No, that's silly. It goes here." Casey guided Brax's hand to where the piece fitted.

"Ah. I'm glad you're helping me with this Case. I'd be getting it all wrong." Brax laughed, causing Casey to giggle.

"You're silly. You're doing that on pur-poss."

"I'm silly am I? We'll just see how silly I am."

Brax grabbed Casey and pulled him onto his lap, cuddling him as tightly as he could without hurting himself. Casey fell into a fit of squeals and giggles. It made Brax happy to see his baby brother laughing again. He had missed that and spending time with him.

Heath heard the squeals from the living room. "It must have gone okay then." He whispered to himself, smiling.

Brax felt a cough coming so placed Casey back down on the floor and stood up quickly. "I'll be back mate." He gasped and ran towards the bathroom, coughing.

When he returned he saw the worried look on Casey's face. "Now where was I?" He questioned with a smile, trying to cheer Casey up.

"That's right. I was…gonna get you!" Brax ran towards Casey and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"Brax" Casey whined, but couldn't stop his giggles.

Brax released Casey and as he went to grab him again Casey ran out of the room and down the hall squealing. Brax laughed as he walked out of the bedroom. Heath smiled and shook his head at his brother's playing.

"Come on Brax. Come and get me!"

"I wouldn't say that Case, you won't get much chance of getting away from Brax. He's pretty fast."

Heath laughed as he watched Casey puffing in the living room from running.

"I don't know about that right now mate. I think you might have a chance to get away from me Case."

The three boys heard a car pull up outside and knew their parents had finally decided to come home.

"That's the end of the fun." Heath said as he shrugged at Brax.

"Come on Case. Let's get you into the bath before dinner." Brax held out his hand and Casey ran to him. "But I was having fun."

"I know mate. Another time yeah?" Casey smiled and took his brother's hand.

"You alright out here Heath?" "Yeah."

"If anything happens you just give me a yell okay. We won't be long." Heath nodded. Brax then led Casey into the bathroom.