Chapter 7 – Deliberate act

NORMAL POV

The following day Brax went to the hospital to visit Casey. Walking into the room he saw Casey sitting up in the bed, he was still connected to the fluid bag and looked a little groggy but Brax was glad to see his brother more alert. Casey rolled his eyes when he saw Brax walk into the room. Why can't I just be left alone? Casey thought. Brax sat down next to Casey's bed and looked at his brother.

"How are you feeling?" Brax asked.

"Fine." Casey replied in a grumpy tone, not taking his eyes off the bed sheet. "I want to be left alone. Can you go?" Casey ordered.

Brax scoffed. "Not happening." He replied firmly and leaned in towards his brother.

"What?" Casey snapped under his brother's watchful stare.

"Don't you what me Case. What were you thinking doing something stupid like this?" Brax questioned firmly. Casey shook his head and huffed.

"What?" Brax questioned.

"What a joke." Casey replied, pointing to the name above his bed, only to receive a confused look from Brax. "Casey Braxton? It should be Casey Barrett...or unknown." Casey scoffed and Brax let out a huff.

"Casey will you stop it. You think getting highly intoxicated with alcohol to the verge of almost dying is some kind of joke?" Brax shouted.

Casey stared at Brax blankly. "Almost? Almost isn't good enough." He replied in a melancholy tone and turned away.

This really set Brax's emotions off. "Casey look at me!" Brax shouted and stood up, pulling Casey's face up to look at him. "Don't you dare speak like that! Don't you even think about that!" He yelled in an angry tone.

Casey just stared up at Brax with no emotion. "About what Brax? Suicide?"

Brax turned away. He couldn't believe Casey was even thinking this. He felt so angry he wanted to punch something. Brax ran his hands through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh before turning back to Casey and leaning down on the bed to stare his brother in the eye.

"Casey, you get this thought, out of your head, right now, or I swear I'm gonna belt it out of ya." Brax warned in a deathly tone.

"What difference does it make?" Casey yelled back. Brax pulled back frustrated.

"It makes a world of difference Casey!" Brax matched Casey's angry tone and yelled back.

CASEY'S POV

Brax was staring me down telling me how I shouldn't feel like killing myself was an option. What does he know? He's not in my position and hasn't had his life ripped out from under him! I couldn't shake the feeling of being such a failure with my attempt. I really didn't need this.

I had far too much going on in my head and I was still feeling stick from all the alcohol I had drank. I didn't want to be in the hospital, I didn't want all these questions, and I certainly did not want someone telling me how I should be feeling. I just wish everyone would leave me alone.

NORMAL POV

"Shut up! I don't have to listen to you. You don't even know what it feels like!" Casey snapped at Brax and turned away to lie down against his pillow.

Brax gave an exhausted sigh and sat back down in the chair. "No Casey I don't. So explain it to me!" Brax spoke firmly but Casey just ignored him.

"Casey talk to me." Brax ordered but Casey only shook his head.

"Brax just go away and leave me alone!" Casey snapped, before collapsing back on the bed feeling exhausted. He did not want to argue about this. He wanted to get away and that was that.

"No. I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me. Make me understand why you have such a stupid thought in your head that you want to kill yourself!" Brax snapped, trying to get through to his brother.

Casey sighed and faced Brax. "Just leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you!" Casey yelled.

Frustrated Brax got up and walked out of Casey's room. He could yell and demand Casey talk to him until he was blue in the face but it wasn't going to change Casey's mind, he was not talking.

Heath and Kyle had just walked into the hospital when they saw Brax storm out of Casey's room.

"Hey what's up?" Heath asked. Brax groaned and shook his head annoyed.

"How is Casey? Is he up yet?" Kyle asked. Brax stared at his brothers.

"Has the doc said if he's right to come home yet?" Heath asked, but still received a frustrated huff from his brother. "Brax what's going on?" Heath demanded.

Brax let out a heavy sigh. "This incident...Casey's stupidity to get himself drunk to oblivion was a deliberate act!" Brax shouted.

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked and Brax gave him a harsh glare.

"You saying the kid was trying to kill himself?" Heath questioned, beginning to feel angry.

"Can't explain it any better than that." Brax replied blankly.

"What is that kid thinking?" Heath yelled and stormed towards Casey's room. "I'm gonna smack his head in!" Heath shouted.

Brax went after his brother and pushed him back. "Don't." He replied harshly.

"What do you mean don't? I ain't letting my little brother think that trying to top himself is the way to go!" Heath shouted.

"Heath just don't." Brax spoke in a firm tone but hurt filled his voice.

"Brax you can't be serious? Let me into Casey's room so I can belt him one!" Heath yelled at his older brother.

"No Heath, it won't change anything! He won't talk!" Brax snapped.

"Well I'll make him talk! How can you just let him think that, Brax?" Heath snapped.

"Heath, do you honestly think I want my baby brother to kill himself? I already tried to get through to him!" Brax yelled.

Heath shook his head. "Well maybe you didn't try hard enough!" Heath just didn't feel like Brax's efforts had been good enough.

Brax gripped Heath's shirt and pushed him against the wall. Kyle walked up to his older brothers.

"Guys stop! This isn't helping anyone!" Kyle shouted, trying to calm his older brothers. Brax released his grip on Heath and turned away.

"Casey won't listen to anyone if he's in this kind of state. No matter how much you try to force him to. Until he's ready to change his mind on his own, nothing we do is going to make a difference." Kyle explained.

"Well that's a great way to think about this, isn't it Kyle?" Heath snapped sarcastically.

"I reckon once I'm through with him that thought won't even cross his mind!" Heath shouted, clearly in denial of the situation.

Brax gave Kyle a confused look. "What do you mean?" Brax questioned.

KYLE'S POV

I sighed as Brax asked me what I meant by saying Casey wouldn't listen no matter how much we tried.

"He's hurting too much." I explained.

"That's no excuse to be thinking about checking out!" Heath yelled.

"Heath enough. Let Kyle explain." Brax said firmly.

Casey's situation reminded me of someone that went to my high school in Melbourne. He was a troubled kid and no matter how much everyone around him tried to help him he just could not see past his inner demons and it made me realise you can't push someone into changing their mind, they had to realise things on their own time.

As much as I hated the thought of my little brother being like that, there was nothing that could be done. This was Casey's fight and it was up to him to battle it out. Heath, Brax, and I could only be there for side-line support.

I went on to explain to my brothers that someone in Casey's position, thinking about suicide and obviously feeling so overwhelmed that their judgment was too clouded over, that no-one could do anything to get through to them unless they wanted them to. Brax and Heath gave me a look that they didn't quite understand my meaning. I can see how they don't understand though it's a difficult thing to understand.

"If Casey's mind isn't ready to see through all this, of what's going on around him, then all he hears from everyone around him is just words with no meaning. He can't just snap out of this."

"So what do we do then? We can't just stand around and do nothing while Casey devises more plans to top himself!" Heath snapped.

"We won't be doing nothing!" Brax snapped back at Heath.

"We just have to be there for Casey. Listen to him when he's ready and not force him to talk but encourage him." I explained.

"What rubbish are you talking about Kyle?" Heath stated, showing slight annoyance.

I knew Heath was not one for civilized realisations, he worked more on his fists to sort out a problem.

"Kyle's right Heath." Brax said slowly.

"What?" Heath replied, obviously thinking Brax was crazy for agreeing with me.

"We can't push Casey. You know how stubborn he is and it'll just force him to shut us out more."

Heath slumped his shoulders at Brax's reply. "We have to do something. We can't lose the little squirt." Heath said in desperation.

I knew both Brax and Heath were hurting but it wasn't until I really saw their emotions come through that I realised how much they were hurting.

"I know you're worried about him we all are." I tried to calm the situation.

Brax went and sat down on a chair holding his hands over his face. "Arg!" Brax yelled. "We're all just going to have to keep a close eye on Casey until he has a break in his thinking." Brax said frankly.

Brax, Heath, and I walked up to Casey's room and peered through the window again. I noticed Heath turn rigid and clench his fists and it wasn't long before he pushed past Brax and me, storming out of the hospital. I stared at Brax, unsure of who to comfort. Brax who was the closest to Casey, or Heath who wasn't thinking rationally through his temper? Brax gave me a head nod to go after Heath and Brax soon followed behind.

NORMAL POV

Heath reached the front door of the Braxton house first and slammed his fist onto his front door of his house and ran his hands through his hair. Bianca heard the loud bang on the door and quickly opened it to find Heath standing there distressed.

"Heath what's wrong? Did something happen at the hospital with Casey?" She asked concerned and encouraged her husband inside.

Heath looked at Bianca and she could see fear written all over his face.

"Heath?" She encouraged and rubbed his shoulder. "Is Casey okay?" Bianca pushed.

Heath sighed. "Apparently the kid done this because he wanted to kill himself."

Bianca gasped. "Heath, I'm sorry..."

"I don't want to lose my brother Bee." Heath replied sadly.

Bianca leaned in and kissed Heath. "Case is tough Heath, you know that and you boys have gone through worse than this. Just don't give up on him. He'll need you when he's ready." Bianca comforted in a quiet tone.

Heath sighed again and wandered over to the bed and laid down, Bianca followed and sat behind Heath and gently rubbed his shoulders as he sat thinking and processing everything that had just been thrown at him.