“Can I help you?” a nurse asked.
“Yes, I’m District Attorney Kellie Stone, I have a court order to cease any and all life sustaining apparatuses to Charles Winningham aka Derek Winchester” she said handing the court order to the nurse.
“Only family members are allowed to consent to stopping life support” the nurse said.
“I know, I have the signed consent form from his son Darren authorizing it” Kellie said showing her the form.
“Let me call Dr. Benson” she said picking up a phone.
“Can I help you?” Dr. Benson asked.
“District Attorney Kellie Stone” Kellie said introducing herself.
“They have a consent form authorizing terminating Mr. Winningham’s life support” the nurse said to Dr. Benson.
“Winchester…his name is Derek Winchester, Charles Winningham is an alias” Kellie said to them handing them papers.
Dr. Benson looked over the papers “This is legit?” she asked.
“Absolutely” Kellie said to her.
“So you won’t mind if I called Darren Winchester just to make sure?” Dr. Benson asked.
“Not at all” Kellie said to her.
Bradley wandered into Derek’s room, he crept closer to the bed “Well…look at you” he said “All this time I thought you were rotting in hell but you were actually just rotting away in this bed huh?” he asked leaning against the bed. “I can’t actually think of a better punishment for a guy like you…trapped in your own body for years” Bradley said “Kinda like how you kept me locked up in a room for days, sliced my arm open, ripped my shirt off me, soaked it in my blood and sent it to my parents” Bradley said angrily. “Or how you tried to force my best friend against me, doped me up and threw me in a grave!” he said ranting “Or maybe when you tried to strangle me, held a knife to my throat and almost slashed it” he said getting angrier and angrier “Or how about when you tried to blow me up and you tried to make my best friend kill me, stabbing you with an ice pick was the least of what you deserved!” Bradley said “Enjoy hell, I’m sure you’ll make plenty of friends down there” he said as he turned to leave when he felt a grip on his wrist.
A low evil laughter filled the room as he slowly turned his head “What took you so long?” Derek asked sinisterly.
“Bradley!” Neilson yelled, scaring him “What are you doing?” he asked.
“He’s alive…he…” he said turning around and seeing Derek lying there still hooked up to the machines.
“Are you okay?” Neilson asked.
“Yeah” Bradley said rubbing his eyes “Haven’t slept in a while” he said “What’s going on? Are we unplugging him or what?” he asked.
“Yeah doctor’s on the phone with Darren right now” Neilson said.
The door then opened “This won’t take long at all” the doctor said coming inside with the nurse behind her, they each turned off the machines, the nurse then removed the tube from his mouth, his chest falling. The final machine then flatlined before the nurse finally turned it off.
“Rest in hell you psycho son of a bitch” Neilson said as they wheeled him out of the room Bradley’s phone then rang.
“Yeah?” he asked answering “You got to be kidding me” he said “We’re on our way” he said hanging up.
“What?” Neilson asked.
They walked into the holding cells, Damien was strung up by a bedsheet, his body hanging limply from the ceiling.
“Brought him his breakfast and found him like that” one of the guards said.
“Took the easy way out huh?” Bradley asked.
“Typical” Neilson said as they pulled him down and put him on a stretcher.
“Hang on” Bradley said putting his fingers to his neck.
“Anything?” Neilson asked.
“No pulse” Bradley said “Check him again when you get him to the morgue and get every available officer you have sitting on that morgue, no one gets in but medical examiner and no one leaves with a body, got it?” Bradley said.
“Yes sir” the guard said to him.
“Just another day at the office huh?” Neilson asked as they went back upstairs to the squad room.
“I’m ready to retire” Bradley said following him.
Kyle walked into the station “Hey” he said approaching Bradley and Neilson’s desks “What’s up? Why’d you need to see me?” he asked.
“You want to tell him?” Neilson asked.
“Tell me what? Come on I got to get back to the hospital to see Dean” he said to them.
“Well Kyle…brace yourself, Damien’s dead” Bradley said.
“For good this time” Neilson added.
“What? How?” Kyle asked.
“Hung himself in his cell” Bradley said to him.
“You got to be kidding me” Kyle said.
“Nope” Bradley said “Want a tissue?” he asked.
“...I think I’ll be okay” Kyle said to him.
“Just making sure” Bradley said “There’s something else” he said “Crazy papa Winchester, he wasn’t exactly dead all this time either” Bradley said to him.
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Damien had him on life support all these years” Neilson said to him.
“Seriously?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah he had him in some rehab hospital, your mom made a deal with Darren that she would drop all charges in exchange for permission to the pull the plug on him” Bradley said to him “He was gone within seconds.”
“Wow uh…I don’t even know what to say” Kyle said.
“Yay?” Neilson asked “So how is Dean?” he asked.
“Getting better…Damien did a number on him but…not as bad as he thought” Kyle said.
“Tell him we’re thinking about him” Bradley said when Neilson’s phone rang.
“Carter” he said answering “Uh okay, sure…thanks for letting me know…bye” he said hanging up.
“Who was that?” Bradley asked.
“The medical examiner, she said Darren’s having Damien cremated” Neilson said “For real this time” he said.
“Good to know” Bradley said.
“Hey…can anyone watch a cremation?” Kyle asked.
They looked at each other confused “I guess…” Bradley said.
“Why?” Neilson asked.
“Do all of you really need to be here?” the mortician asked.
A resounding “Hell yes” filled the room as all of the boys stood there behind Darren “Alright then” he said pushing a button.
“Hang on, before you bake them…open it up for me” Bradley said approaching the casket.
The mortician looked to Darren for permission “It’s okay” he said.
“Alright” he said confused, he pulled the lid open and Bradley laid eyes on Damien’s corpse.
“Okay, and that one?” he asked as he opened the lid to the other casket seeing Derek’s corpse inside “Alright, thanks” he said.
“No problem…I think” the mortician said confused.
“Here we go” he said loading Damien’s casket into the cremation chamber, it slowly slid inside and the door closed. “Mr. Winchester, your brother Damien, and your father Derek” the mortician said handing Darren their ashes.
“Thank you” he said “Well…that’s it, they’re gone…for good” he said to them.
“Thanks for letting us be here, I know it was probably awkward” Kyle said.
“Not at all, I understand” Darren said.
“Take care of yourself okay” Kyle asked.
“Same to you” Darren said to him.
“Anyone else hungry for barbecue?” Adam asked as they left the room.
“He was alive this whole time?” Vicki asked, Sydney rubbed Bradley’s shoulders as he sat at the kitchen table with his parents.
“Technically yeah” Bradley said to her.
“And why did you want to watch them be cremated?” Brian asked.
“Had to be sure right?” Bradley asked.
“Well these few weeks have been nothing but madness, I’m just glad it’s over” Vicki said.
“Here here” Bradley said raising his drink.
“Alright we’re going to head out is Mady ready?” Brian asked.
“Mady! You ready sweetie?” Sydney yelled upstairs,
Mady came downstairs with her backpack “Ready” she said.
“Alright you have fun at grandma and grandpa’s tonight” Sydney said kissing her head.
“I will, goodnight mommy” she said.
“Night sweetie” Sydney said.
“Night daddy” Mady said.
“Goodnight sweetheart” Bradley said hugging and kissing her.
“Come on honey we’re going to stop by the hospital quick and say hi to Uncle Dean” Vicki said.
“Oh tell him we said hi” Sydney said.
“We will, bye sweetheart” Vicki said hugging her.
“Bye” Sydney said to her.
“Bye sweetie” Vicki said to Bradley.
“Bye mom” he said hugging her “See ya padre” he said to Brian.
“Really? We’re back to that again?” Brian asked irritated.
“I’m feeling nostalgic” Bradley said to him.
“Bye we’ll see you tomorrow” Sydney said shutting the door behind them.
“Ah, finally” he said pulling Sydney close.
“Alone at last” she said as they stood in an embrace.
“Are we alone?” he asked.
“We are actually” she said "So how about we go upstairs and I treat you to the best massage you've ever had in your life?" she asked.
“That sounds like the best idea I've ever heard” he said as they kissed “What do you say we have everyone over this Saturday?” he asked as they still stood close together.
“What you mean like an old fashioned cookout kind of thing?” Sydney asked.
“I was thinking more along the lines of a barbecue” he said.
“Oh my god” she said laughing.
“What? What’d I do?” he asked as they went upstairs.
“Barbecue? Really?” she asked amused.
“What too soon?” he asked following behind her as she shook her head “What?” he asked once more “I’m still getting that massage right?” he asked following her down the hallway.
Kyle reached into an old box, pulling something out wrapped in old newspaper, he threw the paper aside looking down at the plaque in his hands “Hilridge High School Most Valuable Player 2009” was etched into the gold plating. He stood up and then hung it on the wall of his home office , he then stood back and took a look at it.
Zoey came in behind him “You finally hung it up” she said coming to his side, putting her arms around him.
“Yeah…it’s time to finally be proud of this thing” she said.
She then reached into the box and hung something up next to it “I think this should go right here” she said hanging up a picture of Kyle with Coach Reinhart.
“I think you’re right” he said wrapping his arm around her and kissing her forehead, they then left the room together.
Kids filled the school hallways, Rachel laughed as she and Joey stood by the lockers, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, Kyle’s son Ethan regaling them with a story. Adam’s son Christian’s arms were wrapped securely around Gabriela’s waist as he held her close, Ethan’s sister Ella laughed along with them as he told their story.
Another student walked past them deliberately bumping into Ethan “Dude” he said as the kid smiled slyly and kept walking.
“Wow, talk about rude” Gaby said.
“What was that about?” Rachel asked.
“Who was that kid?” Ella asked.
“Must be new or something” Joey said as the bell rang.
“See you guys later”
“Bye” they all said going their separate ways.
Ethan walked into a classroom and saw the kid who bumped into him sitting on the teacher’s desk.
“Sorry about that” he said insincerely, Ethan looked at him confused before taking his seat.
“Okay everyone, quiet down we have a new student joining us today” she said as the kid stood next to her. “Everyone, this is Chad Winningham Jr.” she said introducing him.
“Call me CJ” he said smiling before turning in Ethan’s direction, smiling wickedly at him, Ethan looked at him terrified, a chill running up his spine.
