Chapter 12 – Heath's memory

NORMAL POV

"Heath! Heath! Are you okay?" Kyle shouted as he followed Heath back home.

Heath stormed through his front door and slammed it shut, only for Kyle to burst it open again.

"Heath what's going on?' Bianca asked.

"Heath will you stop for a minute!" Kyle shouted.

Heath turned to stare at Kyle. "What do you want me to say? No I'm not okay Kyle. My baby brother is lying on a hospital bed in a coma until who knows when and he's been cutting himself up like a bloody Christmas ham! That kid is so bloody stupid and selfish!" Heath ranted.

"How can you say that Heath? You don't know what Casey was feeling just because he can't cope with everything going on and he does this, it does not make him selfish!" Kyle yelled.

"Whose side are you on? The kid still should have talked to us, not gotten himself drunk and gone surfing, let alone cutting up his own flesh!" Heath yelled.

"Heath calm down." Bianca spoke.

"Heath I understand you're angry but we have to keep it together for Casey's sake." Kyle lectured.

"Geez Kyle just shut up will ya? Casey isn't even related to you!" Heath snapped.

"I can't believe you just said that! Casey is still as much my brother as he is yours even if we aren't related!" Kyle shouted back and turned to storm out.

Heath huffed and Bianca gave him an unimpressed look.

"Kyle! Geez come on ya girl, don't be so sensitive. I shouldn't have said that."

Kyle just ignored Heath and walked into the shared house. Bianca rested her head on Heath's back.

"Bianca don't." Heath shrugged Bianca off.

"Heath please, I know you're upset about Casey, but Kyle's right you have to keep it together for Casey." Heath kissed Bianca.

"I just...He's my baby brother...How could something like this happen to him, he doesn't deserve it." Heath replied sadly.

"I know hon." Heath sat down on the couch with Bianca by his side and he fell back into thought of when Casey was a toddler.

Flashback:

Brax had just picked up Heath from school and had his 3 year old brother in his arms.

"Can we go to the park Brax?" Heath asked.

"Par! Par!" Casey squealed. Brax smiled. "Sure mate."

Heath ran to the monkey bars and hung upside down. "Hey Casey watch!" Heath laughed.

Casey covered his eyes. "Hee stop! Bax make Hee stop!" Casey squealed.

"Be careful there mate! I ain't fixing ya if ya bust ya head!" Brax yelled out.

"Relax..." Heath righted himself. "You want a turn Case?" Heath asked and ran to grab Casey from his brother's arms.

"No!" Casey clung onto Brax. Heath laughed and rubbed his baby brother's back.

"I wouldn't do that to ya Case. You want a turn on the swing?" Casey stared at Heath.

"Swin" Casey nodded.

"Can I take him Brax?" Heath asked.

"Alright, but you be careful and don't let him out of your sight." Brax told his younger brother as Heath took Casey in his arms.

Just as Heath propped Casey onto the swing two boys who were clearly a few years older than Heath and stood taller than him approached.

"Scram loser, this is our territory." Heath stared at the boys as they surrounded him. "Are you deaf kid? I said scram."

One of the boys shoved Heath backwards. "Hee!" Casey screamed and wobbled on the swing.

The two boys started shoving at Heath. "Leave us alone! We were here first!" Heath yelled and shoved them back.

"That so kid?" One of the boys shoved Heath hard causing him to fall backwards and knock the swing Casey was on.

Casey fell off onto the ground with a thud. Heath stood up and shoved the boy who pushed him but stopped when he heard the deafening cries of his baby brother and turned to see Casey crying on the ground and his leg and hands bleeding.

"Casey!" Heath ran over to his baby brother and gathered him in his arms.

"Ha ha the stupid baby fell off the swing." One of the boys laughed.

"Hey! Leave my brother alone, you jerk!" Heath snapped. "Shh, it's alright Case. Ya big brother's here." Heath soothed.

"Hurse Hee. Want Bax." Casey cried.

"I know it hurts Case. Come on we'll go back to Brax now." Heath's eyes started to water at the thought of Casey getting hurt and his bruised lip as he raced Casey back to his brother.

Brax stood up and ran to gather Casey in his arms.

"Heath what happened? I told you to keep an eye on him." Brax pulled Heath's chin up and saw the bruised lip.

"Did you get into a fight around Casey?" Brax demanded as he examined Casey's grazed legs and hands.

"Brax I'm sorry." Heath started to cry. "There were these older kids and they were picking on Case and me and Case got knocked off the swing and..." Heath sobbed harder. "I'm sorry, I hurt him." Heath cried.

"No Heath, it's alright, it was an accident." Brax pulled Heath in close to hug him. Heath and Casey continued to sob as they cuddled into their oldest brother.

End flashback.

Heath remembered how hurt Casey had been, how sensitive he had always been. He couldn't fathom how Casey could now turn to cutting up his own body. Heath took a sip of his beer that Bianca had handed to him.

"Talk to me Heath. What's on your mind?" She asked. Heath looked at Bianca.

"Why would Case even cut himself like that? I mean I don't understand it, he's such a sensitive kid..."

"Heath I've seen kids at the school go through that and it doesn't matter how sensitive they are, it's just a way for them to cope with their emotions." Bianca explained.

"But the kid should know his family is always there for him." Heath replied.

"Maybe he doesn't. Heath you have to understand Casey has just found out his family isn't who he thought they were. That's a pretty tough thing to consider and like you said Casey is sensitive, this is a big thing for him." Bianca tried to explain.

"But this doesn't change the way Brax, Kyle or I think of him! Why can't he just see that?"

Bianca sighed and rested her head on Heath's chest, rubbing his chest gently. Heath gave her a hug.

"It was awful Bee. Not just seeing Case in the hospital bed with tubes and wires all over him, but the cuts on his arms, they were so raw and some looked pretty deep..."

"The main thing is that Casey has Kyle, Brax and your support for when he does wake up." Bianca said softly. Heath gave a weak smile and kissed Bianca on the head.