Chapter 20 – Retelling the past

NORMAL POV

Flashback

"Casey I'd come inside if I were you. You know you're not allowed to be playing outside on your own. You'll be in big trouble if Mum or Brax catch you out there." Heath warned, in a slightly teasing tone.

Heath often got smug when Casey got in trouble, as being the youngest he had everyone wrapped around his finger, he was the golden boy.

Five year old Casey continued to play with his truck in the dirt.

"But I don't wanna go inside." He whined.

Heath shrugged. "Suit yourself...Hey is that Brax coming now?" Heath teased.

Casey panicked he did not want Brax to be mad at him for not doing as he was told.

Casey dropped the truck he was playing with and ran as fast as he could towards the back door, leaving Heath laughing at Casey's reaction to his joke, but in the end it was no joke.

Nearing the door Casey tripped and fell forward hitting his mouth against the bottom of the doorway and biting his lip.

Casey let out a scream and burst into tears. Heath stared wide-eyed in shock at Casey's accident and immediately raced to his brother's aid, helping him stand up. Heath gasped at the blood flowing out of Casey's mouth.

"Oww." Casey sobbed.

"Geez. It's okay Case. Brax! Brax hurry up and get down here!" Heath yelled.

Brax had been in the bedroom sorting out some laundry and hearing Heath's yell, he bolted out of the room and into the kitchen. "Heath?"

"Case is hurt."

Brax saw Casey crying and his mouth bleeding and ran up to him, assessing the damage.

"What happened?" He asked worried as he lifted Casey up and sat him on the kitchen bench and rushed to get a cloth to clean his mouth.

Brax pressed the wet cloth against Casey's mouth to try and wipe the blood away, but Casey whined and kept pulling away.

"Casey stay still, I need to clean you up. What happened?" Brax demanded again, looking over to Heath.

"Casey was playing outside with his truck..." Brax turned back to Casey.

"I wasn't Brax, I wasn't." Casey protested trying to avoid getting in trouble.

Brax turned back to Heath.

"He was outside and I told him to come inside otherwise he'd get in trouble and he didn't want to so I teased him, saying you were coming...He ran inside but tripped and hit his mouth on the door frame." Brax scowled, grabbing the cloth again and dabbing Casey's mouth.

"Casey what have I told you about running? Not to mention going outside by yourself." Brax warned.

Casey sobbed. "Sorry Brax. Please don't be mad." Casey whispered.

"How can I not be mad? With both of you acting stupidly one of you has now gotten hurt." Brax admonished.

"Brax I shouldn't have teased him... I'm sorry Case." Heath said.

"Never mind, we'll deal with all that later, right now we need to get a better look at you Case. Open your mouth."

Casey shook his head, he didn't want Brax prying in his mouth it hurt. "Casey." Brax warned.

Casey obediently opened his mouth and Brax stuck the cloth in wiping around the inside and noticed Casey had cut the inside of his lip from his tooth and one of his top teeth had been chipped.

Cheryl had finished in the shower and had come out to see the chaos in the kitchen.

"What's going on? Darryl?" She walked over to Casey. "My baby, what happened?" Cheryl asked.

"Casey fell and hit his mouth on the door frame." Brax replied.

"How'd he manage that?" Cheryl accused.

"He was outside." Brax replied.

"Why weren't either of you two watching him?" She accused Brax and Heath.

"Mum just leave it, it wasn't like that." Brax replied. Cheryl saw Casey look away.

"Casey did you go outside by yourself?" She yelled. Casey started to sniff again.

"You know you are not allowed to do that! Now look at ya!" Cheryl yelled.

"Mum please! Casey's bit his lip and chipped his tooth pretty bad."

Cheryl sighed. "Fine. He'll have to go to the dentist." Cheryl walked out of the room to make a call for an appointment for Casey.

"Brax what's a dencest?" Casey asked.

"Dentist. A dentist will have a look at your tooth and fix it for you." Brax smiled and lifted his brother off the counter.

"Okay I've got an appointment for you at 4 o'clock." Cheryl announced.

"But I don't want to go." Casey whined.

"Ya going Casey. This is what happens when ya don't do as you're told." Cheryl stated.

Cheryl, Brax, Heath, and Casey sat in the dentist's office waiting for Casey to be seen. Casey was pouting and struggling in his chair, he did not want someone looking in his mouth, and the smell in the office was scary.

"Casey Braxton?" The dentist called.

"Come on Case, it's your turn now." Brax encouraged but Casey shot out of the chair and hid under another chair, refusing to come out.

"Casey what are you doing?" Brax asked.

"Don't wanna see no dencest!" Casey screamed.

"Casey you stop this behavior and come out from there, you are wasting valuable time!" Cheryl ordered.

"No!" Casey screamed.

"Casey if you don't come out I will take away your favorite toy when we get home." Cheryl warned.

"Don't care!" Casey pouted.

Brax leaned down to look at Casey. "How's about I take you out to get some ice-cream after this, huh?" Brax spoke softly in the hopes of encouraging his brother out.

Casey shook his head. "Nah ah. No ice-cream."

Brax sighed and roughly pulled the chair away, despite Casey latching on. Cheryl pulled Casey away and held him tightly, carrying him towards the dentist's room. Casey screamed and screamed, kicking his legs. Heath had now blocked his ears from the screaming.

"Arg, give it a rest Casey!" Cheryl yelled and put Casey in the chair. "Now you behave yourself." She said sternly.

Casey immediately jumped off the chair and ran to Brax. "Brax I don't wanna." Casey whined.

"Case you have to." Brax comforted.

"But it's scary." Casey whined.

"It's not that bad Case, the dentist gets to look in your mouth and put some special cream in to make your tooth brand new." Brax comforted.

Casey wiped his eyes, blinking at his brother. "You do it?" Casey requested in an innocent tone.

Brax sighed and looked at the dentist.

"If I show you it's okay will you do it for me?" Brax asked gently. Casey shrugged.

Brax sat in the chair while Casey watched him get his mouth checked.

"See nothing to worry about." Brax said, but Casey was still hesitant.

"Can you sit with me?" Casey whispered.

"I don't know Case."

"Please Brax..." Casey begged.

"Can you do that?" Brax asked the dentist.

"I just need the kid to sit still." The dentist replied.

Brax then sat back in the chair, picking up Casey and sitting him on his lap, wrapping his arms around him.

"Open wide Casey." The dentist ordered.

Brax smiled at Casey to let him know it was okay and Casey did as he was told, allowing the dentist to fill in his tooth.

End flashback.

"What a struggle it was the day you had your first dental check up, hey. I honestly thought Mum was going to leave you there, she was getting so angry. You screamed the house down in the clinic that day and Heath was complaining all night how you made him deaf."

Brax smiled at the memory and squeezed Casey's hand. "I've watched you grow up every second of your life Case. I miss ya. We all miss ya. If you can hear this please come back to us mate."

Kyle walked back into the room, holding a sandwich and drink.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah just talking to Casey." Brax replied casually.

Kyle stayed silent and sat back down in a chair near the door.

"I got this from some corner store down the road. It's a chicken and salad sandwich, you want some?"

Kyle split the sandwich and held a slice out. Brax raised his eyebrows and Kyle stood up, handing half of the sandwich to Brax.

"Thanks mate." Brax replied, taking a bite out of the sandwich.

Brax spent the night talking to Casey about the past, the restaurant, the weather, and surfing, practically anything he could think of to ramble to his baby brother. Kyle just sat and watched, feeling sorry at how hurt Brax must be feeling.

Kyle eventually fell asleep in the chair and Brax feel asleep against Casey's bed in the early hours of the morning.

Heath barged through the door at 9:30 the next morning, seeing both his brothers asleep. He gave them both a shove. "Oi, we ain't here to be sleeping beauties. Who's keepin' a watch on Case?"

Kyle rubbed his eyes and stretched and Brax groaned.

"Easy for you to say, you've been at home in a nice bed." Kyle groaned.

"Doesn't mean I wasn't worrying." Heath replied.

Heath stood beside Casey's bed and held his hand. "Any change?"

Brax shook his head. "I spent most of the night talking to him."

"Well no wonder then. The kid don't wanna wake up to hearing your voice babbling to him." Heath smiled, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

The three brothers turned when they heard the door open and Nate walked in. "Morning. How was your night?" He asked.

"You really ought-ta get more comfy chairs. My back is killing me." Kyle moaned as he stretched again.

"Sorry, lack of funding. How's our patient doing?" Nate wandered over to Casey and started observing his reflexes.

Nate wasn't the only person who noticed Casey shift his hand. Brax alerted to the moment straight away and grabbed his brother's hand, squeezing tight. That was a good sign.