The Karma Study

Chapter 24 - Bereavement

Max

I rush over to Drake and I try to assess the situation as best as I can. Taking a quick glance around the room I notice a few things. The room is empty, meaning the rest of the team had to of survived and have proceeded with he plan. The walls and ground are busted from the explosion which must have been some sort of pipe bomb but I can't be sure. Most of the smoke has left the area but my vision is still lightly impaired.

I don't allow myself to take a moment before I go to help Drake, only, there isn't much I can do to help him.

Looking over his body, he is missing his left arm. The left side of his face is charred but still recognizable.

"Drake," I snap my fingers in his face trying to keep his attention. "What do you mean Teddy is your half brother?"

With a bloody cough he tries to move, it's just now that I realize his missing limb isn't his biggest concern.

The explosion must have blown him back into some exposed rebar. It has entered through his back and about nine inches is sticking out of his chest. "Drake," I say calmly. "Don't move, stay still."

Drake coughs again, and this time it's followed by a mouth full of blood which he spits on the ground next to my shoe. "I'm going to die here, aren't I?" He asks slowly.

"No." I say, with a stern tone, but I can't help it when it falters as I continue to watch the damage to his body.

"Don't," Drake wheezes, "Don't lie to me while I'm dying." He tries to swallow but fails, "Now tell me, am I dying here tonight?"

"Yes." I cut the leg of his pants off and I start to pack the wound to slo down the bleeding as best I can but the color is already draining from his face. "Keep talking to me, you aren't alone."

"I found out a few years ago," He wheezes, and I assume we are back on the topic of his relation to Teddy. "I originally was going to try and reconnect with him and possibly get some money from him when I found out his status, until..." He coughs up more blood and this time, it' thicker and clumping. "Until I realized how fucking terrifying he is." This time we both let out a weak laugh, but his slows faster than mine and I see the tears begin to prickle in his eyes.

Drake continues, "That's when I decided to work for you all. I trained and tried my hardest, and that's when Zoe saw something in me." A stray tear finds its way in the corner of his eye and slowly, it slides down his cheek; making a clean path through the dust and sir sticking to his skin.

"I know I fucked up," He chokes on a sob that's trying to break through, "It's my fault she got out of the house and it's my fault he got to her." He wheezes again, and I know it's coming a lot faster than I originally expected.

"Drake," I start. "It is not your fault. You helped us locate her, you brought us back to her. You did that. You did a great job." His bottom lip starts to quiver and suddenly I feel wetness on my cheeks. I look up to spot a leak, only to realize the water is actually tears of my own now making their way down my cheeks.

"I didn't have a family growing up." He sighs, his breaths even slower. "Don't let her blame herself for this when she's all better."

I bite down on my bottom lip trying to stop my own from quivering, trying to stay strong for the both of us.

"You were a pain in my ass for such a long time, you know that?" I ask him, and this makes him smile.

It's this moment that I realize that the Karma brotherhood doesn't stop at Brandon, Dean, Teddy and I. Sure, our connection can never be replicated or copied, but we have built our very own family. The Karma band of misfits. We are shaped a little funny, we have cracks, and breaks, and a few visible flaws as well as some hidden. But we are a family all the same.

"Drake," I start to say, tapping him on the cheek to keep his eyes open. "Come on, don't leave me now." His eyes flutter open and fall and then flutter open again, this time followed by a deep breath. "Fuck man, don't be a pan in my ass right now too, wake up so you can tell Teddy yourself. Give him th chance to meet you correctly. Let him show you how he truly can love his family. Open your eyes," I press on the rebar as a last ditch effort to keep him awake just a little longer.

His eyes fly open for a moment and he hisses through his teeth. "There you are," I laugh as his eyes meet mine. All I want to do is thank him for everything he did for us. "Stay awake for me, don't be a dick."

"What are brothers for?" Is the last thing he says as a shaky final breath passes his lips and I see his body finally relax. It's as if I can actually see whatever soul he had in there leave his body, and for just a moment, the world feels even colder than it was before.

I try to force his eye lids to shut, but when they don't, I tear another piece of his jeans off and I cover his eyes.

Taking his hand in mine I give him some final words he can take with him to the other side, "To the ones before, and to the one's after. Take these words with you when you return. For what comes around, comes around. To destiny, and to Karma."