Brothers

Chapter 1 - Dad's Crash

Our mother had died when I was about 5, so all Ryan and I had left was our Dad. I really felt like I barely had anyone because Ryan was always out somewhere with his friends and Dad had to work from 6am sharp to 10pm.

Being alone had forced me to learn to take care of myself, so that was good. It was 12 in the afternoon when I threw a cup of Mac N' Cheese into the microwave. I didn't have a job, being only 15 years old, so I didn't have a phone to entertain myself so I had to invent my own ways. I had a Mancala board that I played with, and I had made up a way to play alone. The Mac N' Cheese in the microwave beeped and I added cheese, butter, and milk. After it was stirred I sat at the kitchen table and played one-man Mancala while I ate it.

Instead of actually playing, I moved marbles on my side, and then on the other person's side, and figured out how make the game end in a certain way. I'd memorized how to win on both sides.

In the middle of my game the home phone rang so I paused what I was doing and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Ryan CunningHam home?" A woman with a high pitch was on the other end.

"Um, no he isn't here."

"Oh, then who is this?" She sounded confused. I figured it was probably one of Ryan's friends or something.

"Nick, his brother."

"Nick..." She said, as if she were thinking. "You're 15 right?"

"Um, yes."

"I suggest you get Ryan home, and tell him to call me back."

"Wait," I said before she hung up. "What do you want from him?"

She took a sigh. "Honey, your father's been in a car crash and is in the hospital now. We need you down here."

My heart stopped. I dropped the phone with a thud without even hanging up. I began to freak out, I had no idea where Ryan was and there was no way I could get to the hospital. I couldn't drive, and there wasn't even a car to drive if I could. Going by foot would take maybe a day which was way to long.

I stepped out into the front yard and glanced around my street. I wasn't sure what to do. I settled my eyes on the house slightly up the street and on the opposite side of our house. It was a sweet old lady who had been the only person on the street to welcome us to the neighbourhood when we moved in 6 years ago and ever since she had been a companion of our family.

I bolted across the street and was nearly shaking when I got to her door.

"Why hello Nick!" The smell of cookies flooded my nose.

"I need you to drive me to the hospital." Instead of being normal, I cut straight to the point.

"Oh my gosh, what's happened?"

I hugged my arms around me. "I just got a call that my dad was in a car crash and I need to go."

She nodded and went back in to grab her car keys. "Meet me in the garage." The garage began to open with an old creaking and Ms. Betty was getting into the front seat and motioned for me to get in with her. I did so, on the passenger side and sat stiffly as she turned on the car.

"Thanks."

"Oh no problem, you need help I'm here!" She smiled. "Where's your brother?"

I shrugged. "He went out somewhere a while ago."

"You'd better give him a call when you get to the hospital. It's the one closest, right?"

"Yep." I hadn't thought of calling Ryan back at home. Unlike me, he could afford a phone. It wouldn't have done much good though, we still didn't have a car.

After a long drive Betty dropped me off at the hospital entrance. "You send him my best wishes dear!" She yelled from the window.

"I will, thank you!" I waved as she drove off. I rushed into the hospital when she was gone.

"Hey kid, what do you need?" A man at the front desk asked me.

"I got a call that my dad was in the hospital." I probably looked pretty crazy.

"Oh yes, Mr. CunningHam?" I nodded. "Room 118 down that hall." He pointed and I hurried to the door that had the fancy numbers "118" hung onto it. I knocked. There was no answer so I opened the door.

I gasped and wished I hadn't. My father was a bloody mess and looked very deformed. One of his legs was bent the wrong way, his right hand looked mangled, and he had pieces of plastic and metal from the car in him like splinters.

After I realised I didn't want to see that I back out of the room and searched for a phone. Towards the front I found a big, old looking phone that was bright blue and dialed Ryan's number.

"Hey, who's this?" He answered.

"Ryan?" I said with a shaky voice.

"Nick? Is that you? Where are you?"

"Ryan I'm in the hospital, you gotta get up here somehow."

"Hospital? How!? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything dude! Please get down here!"

"Up, down, which is it?" He joked.

"This isn't funny please come!" I was on the edge of tears.

"OK, OK, I'll come. I'll get Kate to drive me." Kate was his current girlfriend. The line went silent and I put the phone back.