Brian was asleep on the couch. The TV flickered, the news playing out the latest devastation from across the globe, the blueish glow lighting up his features as his eyes shifted beneath his eyelids as he dreamed.
Suddenly the drone of the news anchor was overridden by the piercing cry of the phone. Brian jolted awake, eyes opening and sitting up, grabbing at the dark for the receiver on the end table. He felt dizzy as he pulled it to his ear with one hand, the other flipping the light switch on. "Mmhhh'lo?" he muttered into it, running a hand across his face, glancing at the clock on the wall, squinting at it, unable to believe the time.
He heard the words being spoken othe other end of the line, but they didn't really sink in.
Not really.
When he'd hung up, he went upstairs, numb, and pushed Baylee's bedroom door opened. "You gotta get up, dude," he said into the darkness. He saw Baylee's form moving on the bed and a groan. "You gotta get up, we gotta go." Brian turned on Baylee's bedroom light.
Baylee sat up, eyes bleary, hair on end. "Go?" he mumbled, "Where we going?"
"The hospital."
Brian turned and disappeared from the room before Baylee could ask any further questions, moving down the hallway, arms stretched out to let his fingers run along the walls until he reached his own bedroom. He pulled the jeans he'd worn all day out of the laundry hamper, yanked them on over his boxers and stood in front of the closet staring stupidly at his shirts.
Baylee appeared in the bedroom door, in pajamas and bare feet. "Why are we going there?" he asked.
Brian shook his head, "Go get dressed."
"Is it Mommy?" Baylee asked.
"GO get dressed, Baylee!" Brian yelled.
Baylee's face paled, but he turned and ran back to his bedroom. Brian grabbed a random t-shirt, his hands starting to shake as the words echoed in his head. It had been a doctor. There had been an accident. There was going to be a surgery. He needed to sign for a surgery. She was there, laying in a hospital bed, needing surgery that he wasn't there to sign for. His pulled the shirt over his head and kicked on sandals. Baylee was waiting in the hall, dressed and holding a book.
Brian drove to the hospital, Baylee sat silent in the backseat, staring out the window.
When they reached the hospital, Baylee followed Brian at a trot as they made their way through the mazes of corridors and wings and beige and pink colors, past scrubbed doctors and doctors in white coats and nurses with white sneakers and pony tails until they reached their destination.
Kevin Richardson was alseep, too, when his phone rang. He stared at the caller ID before answering. "Brian? What's the big idea calling me at thr--" he stopped mid-word. "Brian? Brian... Brian, calm down, cuz..." He sat up in bed, the blankets falling away from him. Kristen pulled hers a little tighter, humming sleepily as she rolled into the empty space Kevin had just vacated. She squinted up at him. "Brian, breathe. Brian, you gotta calm down and tell me what happened. Tell me what's the matter."
As Brian spoke, Kevin felt his hands go clammy, his skin get a little cold. Instinctively, he moved so that he could grab onto Kristen's hand. She squeezed his knuckles sleepily.
"Brian, breathe."
Kristen's eyes opened slowly as consciousness returned to her and she realized Kevin sounded scared. She blinked up at his dark form, then slowly sat up. His hand gripped hers tighter. She moved closer. He was shaking. She wrapped her arms around him.
"God damn, Brian," he muttered.
When he hung up, tears were threatening his eyes. He looked down at Kristen. "I have to go to Atlanta," he whispered.
Kristen looked up. "What happened?"
"Leighanne's..." he paused. "Leighanne's dead."
Kristen pulled away, her face was an expression of complete shock. "What?"
"She was in an accident tonight," Kevin said, "I don't know the details, Brian was... in pieces. I have to get to Atlanta." He stood up and moved to the dresser and started fumbling.
Kristen got up and dug out the suitcase from the closet. She put it on the bed and started getting hanging shirts and pants from the closet. A suit. He'd need a suit. "You should call for a flight," she said.
Kevin nodded. "And Nick."
"I'm sure Brian will call Nick."
"Nick will want to come," Kevin replied, "I need a flight for me and Nick."
Kristen nodded, "Go. I'll pack."
Kevin rushed down the stairs, dialing Nick's cell phone as he went. "Hey this is Nick, leave me some lovin'!" came the voice mail outgoing message. "Bullshit," Kevin snapped, "You're gonna answer, Carter." He hung up and redialed the number.
It took three more tries, but finally the phone picked up and the sound of a house beat reverbrated through the phone. "Kev?!" Nick's voice was loud, he was shouting over the music, "Hello?!"
"Nick?"
"KEV?"
"Nick I can hear you, relax," Kevin replied, "Listen, I'm going to Atlanta, to Brian's did you --"
"To Brian's? What? Why?"
"He just called me, has he called you yet?"
"Called me? Why would Brian be calling me at three in the A.M., dawg?"
"Because he just fou--"
"Hold up, dude, Brian's calling me."
And just like that, Kevin was on hold. He growled and rubbed his neck, pacing the length of the Richardson's kitchen. After a long period of time, Nick returned to the line. The noise in the background had died. Now, Kevin could hear the sound of the streets of Los Angeles - car horns honking, an ambulance in the distance, people laughing, talking. "I'm going with you," Nick said.
"That's what I wanted to know. I'll book the flight. I'll call you with details."
"I gotta get home."
"Take a cab, there's enough shit going on without you driving."
"I know."
"You shouldn't be drinking."
"I know."
"I won't bitch," Kevin said. "I'll call you in a few minutes." He hung up.
"This feels weird," Nick whispered, downing half a cup of black coffee in a single mouthful. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and put the cup on his little airplane tray. He took a deep breath. "Shit this feels really weird, Kev." He stared at Kevin.
"I know," Kev replied.
"I mean you -" Nick said, "Being here."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you haven't." Nick shrugged. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Shit this is so weird."
Kevin sighed.
"She's definitely..." Nick paused. "Dead? He actually said she was dead?"
Kevin whispered, "A nurse told me. Brian couldn't say the words."
Nick shook his head and ducked down so his chest was against his lap, his hands wrapped around his ankles. "Damn," he muttered, "Damn."
Kevin glanced at the window.
"She was like a mom, you know?" Nick looked sideways up at Kevin. "The closest I had anyways, kind of." He paused. "She was like the only woman I never hit on."
"You never hit on Kris," Kevin pointed out.
"Not in front of you," Nick muttered. He looked down at his feet. "Shit."
Kevin sighed again.
Brian was sitting on the front steps of the house when they got there. The door was open behind him, and he just sat there, staring out at the grass, his face pale and eyes unfocused. Nick hung behind Kevin as he paid the cabbie, and took his suitcase from the trunk. Nick pulled his duffle bag up on his shoudler. "Thanks," Kev muttered to the cabbie, and he pulled away.
Nick followed Kevin, keeping a step or two behind, until they reached the step. Kevin reached out a hand as he lowered to his knee and placed it on Brian's shoulder. "Bri," he said, his voice unsteady.
Brian's eyes looked up into Kevin's and Nick could see the red lines of veins and the pool of water that blurred the crystal blue color of his irises. His cheeks were sunken, his frame looked tiny, and Nick shuffled his feet to distract him from the utter pain that seemed to be tattooed across Brian's entire existence.
"Nick, why don't you go find Baylee?" Kevin asked, looking over his shoulder.
Nick swallowed. Baylee. Right. The kid that just lost his mother. Nick nodded and moved past Brian on the steps. Brian reached out and grabbed Nick's hand as he passed. He looked up as Nick looked down, their eyes meeting in the middle. Brian's mouth moved, his lower lip quivering, but he couldn't get the words out. His mouth just flopped wordlessly. Nick nodded.
"It's okay, Bri," he whispered, "I get it. There's nothing to say."
Brian nodded. Kevin sat down on the step beside his cousin, and Brian turned away, releasing his grip on Nick.
