HOME AND AWAY

memory

Another sunny late afternoon found the Braxton's in the garden with a BBQ and drinks a-plenty. The last few months had been hard on the eldest, Darryl or Brax as he preferred to be called, but as time moved on the grief he felt in the wake of his girlfriend Charlie's death seemed to ease. Brax had thrown himself more into his family as he ensured that Casey continued to study in the hope that he would become the first Braxton to finish school and with HSCs, whilst he helped Heath prepare for the arrival of his baby boy Rocco.

As he continued to man the BBQ with a beer in hand, he smiled at his brothers as he remembered how far the three of them had come and how much they were turning their life around now. Brax was certainly not expecting a police car to pull up outside their house just moments later. Looking suspiciously at his brothers, who both shrugged, Brax put down his beer and watched as a police officer let herself into their garden and approached him.

"At ease boys, I'm not here to arrest you." She smiled seeing the looks exchanged between the three brothers. "I'm here on another matter."
easier that his brothers weren't in trouble; that was all he needed right now.

"I'm here about your sister."

"Sister?" Casey questioned, looking between the officer, Brax and Heath with confusion. Since when did they have a sister?

"What's happened? Is she ok?" Heath stood up from his deck chair suddenly, concerned as he stood next to Brax. "Where is she?" This caused yet more confusion for poor Casey.

"Chill out Heath, she's ok. She's in the car..." The officer didn't get chance to explain before Heath rushed over to the car. Instead, the officer turned to Brax "I'm afraid your uncle was found hanged this morning. As she is still a minor, we took her to your mothers this morning but with the door being slammed in our faces we thought it better to bring her here."

"Thanks." Brax grimaced as he walked with the officer towards Heath and the car.

Heath was crouched down with the back door open trying to talk to his sister. "Summer, it's Heath." But there was no eye contact from the girl, who was shaking in the backseat.

"Come on kiddo, you're staying with us now." Brax said, also crouching down to Summer's level. "You'll be safe here with us." Heath shot Brax a confused look as he stood up and backed away slightly.

"Heath" Casey hissed, who was now stood at the fence watching everything unfold. "What's going on? Who's that."
"Casey just leave it a minute yeah?" Brax spat causing Summer to shy away slightly.

"No Brax, what's going on?" Casey forced the issue before Heath stepped in.
"Look Case, lets sort the food out. I'm sure Summer hasn't eaten all day, kid looks like she's just skin and bones." Summer looked at the middle brother as he grinned at her and she smiled nervously back, she was pretty hungry. Brax opened his arms lifting summer up and taking her to the yard.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Brax asked, unsure of what to do in this situation, he hadn't really seen her much over the last 11 years; was it really appropriate for him to jump into the big brother role straight away?

Brax didn't have to consider the answer for very long as all of a sudden he found his little sister in his arms as she sobbed into his shirt nearly knocking him off balance. "Shhh" He comforted as he rubbed her back in a soothing manner.

"Hey, how are my favourite boys?" Called a pregnant Bianca who appeared at the gate with arms full of BBQ supplies. "Who's that?" Bianca asks as Heath hurries to greet her with a peck on the cheek and to take the bags she's carrying.

"Apparently that's our sister." Casey says bitterly, more like a spoilt child than anything else.

"I never knew you had a sister." Bianca asked Heath, shocked by the revelation.

"It's a long story babe. We'll explain once she's a bit more settled." Heath said nodding towards where Brax was still supporting a distraught Summer. Bianca nodded and began to set out the table with food as Heath plated up the mountains of meat they'd cooked.

"How can you be so calm?" Casey asked Bianca, "Don't you want answers?!"

"Casey, you know as well as I do that your brothers will tell us in their own time and when they feel it is most appropriate. Your sister looks pretty fragile right now, the last thing she needs is you spitting out your dummy because you don't know everything." Bianca said softly but still sternly, leaving Casey speechless and regretting his previous actions.

"Hey Summer, do you want some food?" Bianca turned and asked the youngest Braxton as if she had always known her. Summer looked uneasily at Brax before nodding and walking towards the feast in front of her.

Brax stood beside Heath as they watched Summer interact nervously with Bianca, whilst she helped herself to food. "Where's Richard?" Heath asked his oldest brother quietly.

"Dead. Suicide" Brax replied in more of a whisper than anything else.

"Poor kid." Heath nodded, "But she's safe now."
"Who's Richard?" Casey asked and Brax was thankful that that was the question Casey chose to ask.

"He was mums brother, dad didn't really know him or where he lived so it was the perfect place to leave Summer." Brax explained. "It was only meant to be until we got dad to leave but then mum hit the grog and she started to shout the odds and blame the fact that she'd had a girl for dads anger and abuse. Heath and I decided that it was best that she didn't come back and live with us."

"Ok, but how come I've never heard you talk about her?" Casey asked again but this time Heath answered.

"Because it was just better that way, mum flew off the handle any time Summer was mentioned."

"And now she's living with us?" Casey asked and both Brax and Heath nodded. "I'm sorry" Casey said looking at his younger sister.

"Well, I suppose there's only one thing left to say." Heath smiled walking towards summer, "Welcome to the mad house little sis" Summer smiled and sat back comfortably as her brothers laughed.

"I've missed you guys" She continued, "It was so lonely at Richard's, he was never there and I lived for the days when you guys visited."

"We've missed you too pup." Heath cooed getting up to hug Summer, he still called her pup after all this time and she smiled as he did so, feeling like she belonged once again.
....................................
"Hey, I've got to check in on Angelo's. Are you two going to be ok here?" Brax asked suddenly remembering that he had a delivery due.

"Yeah of course." Summer answered and Brax smiled before leaving, perhaps she wasn't as fragile as he first thought.

"So little sis, what would you like to do?" Heath asked putting his bowl in the sink, "Do you want any breakfast?" Heath asked as he looked in the fridge and picked up the now empty milk bottle. "Maybe not, I could treat you to a diner fry up? Maybe I'll get one too..." He pondered

"But you've just eaten!" Summer laughed looking at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm a growing boy!" Heath laughed puffing out his chest.

"Ok ok, let me go and get dressed." Summer left the room laughing.

Upon reaching her room, she examined the bag that had been packed for her and sighed. She rummaged through the bag that had clearly been thrown together in about 3 seconds and hoped she would be allowed back soon to get more clothes. She found a pair of denim shorts and a black vest top with the Avenged Sevenfold logo on it, running a quick brush through her hair and applying some make-up she was ready to face the world; well as ready as she was ever going to be.

Heath smiled as she walked back into the living room and handed her the flip-flops she had been looking for. "Good to see that you're not a girly girl" Heath smirked, "I don't know how I'd cope if you were into all this pink stuff!"

"Yuck" Summer stuck her tongue out in agreement with her older brother. "So where's this breakfast you've promised me?"

"Follow me pup" Heath chirped as he lead the way.
"Oh" Was the only response that Summer could muster, she was suddenly hit with the wave of emotion that she had been putting off all morning.