Moments In Between ( Book 2)

Chapter 16: Slip Away

The heart monitor came back to life. However, Mark did not. He did not wake up. He did not twitch his fingers or his eyes like he usually did when he slept. He did not roll onto his side and complain about all the lights in his face. His heart was beating no doubt, but my brother was frozen. Mind, body, and most likely soul. Why was life so cruel to him?

It has been three days, and not only is he still in a coma, but now his heart is failing. He needs a transplant, and he's been put on a waiting list that is as long as the earth itself. Can't the guy catch a break?

This is all thanks to the bastard who attacked him. That monster did a real number on him. Six fractured ribs. Broken left leg and arm. Head trauma—sprained neck. Had the bastard not stopped, I might have a vegetable for a brother or none at all. They left him for dead. If I ever catch that punk, I swear he will not live to reach a hospital.

"Jared?" Mom rests her hand on my shoulder. "Come on, sweetie, you gotta get some rest."

"No, I'm not leaving."

"Jared..."

"Mom, please."

She hugs me. "Nothing will happen to him if you leave, okay... You need to rest."

"Look at him, ma, he almost died. I should have been there with him..."

"Jared, stop, don't you beat yourself up over this, this wasn't your fault, honey."

"I thought I lost him... I thought..."

She places her finger over my lips and pulls me into her arms. "He's still here, baby. He's still here."

He is still here. Fighting for his life instead of having me kick his but in League of Legends at home. He is still here, trapped in a world he does not know he is in. I do not want him here with broken bones and wires stuck to him. I hate this so damn much.

"He's gonna pull through this, you know, he can't leave us unless he beats all of your high scores."

Did I mention how much I love this woman? She always knows what to say. How to help through really tough situations. I may not know who targeted Mark, but I will never let it happen again. If I have to handcuff him to my side to keep him safe, I will. I smile at Mom.

"Go home, baby."

My mom, Jordan, Mark, Jason, Jayda, Shane, Janaé, and Javed. I will do anything for them. It is my job to keep them protected. When anyone crosses the line and hurts any of them, I will not let them get away with it.

******

"How's Mark doing?"

I let out a long sigh. "He's hanging on."

Shane massages my shoulders. "How are you doing?"

"Feels like I'm responsible."

"Jared, you didn't do this to him."

"I know, but it feels like it was my fault, and I'm not just saying it is."

She wraps her arms around me. "I know how protective you are, babe, but you can't be everywhere at once. You had no idea something like this would ever happen, so don't beat yourself up, please."

She sounds just like mom. I know I did not cause it, but I cannot doubt the feeling that it is my fault. I felt like I should have been the one there, not Mark. They might not understand this and think it is just guilt talking, but my gut is telling me otherwise. I have saved Mark from fights before. Those were just jealous boyfriends and ex-boyfriends of the girls he dated. If he got a black eye, I knew it was his fault. This is different. There is a big mystery around his attack, and I think I am more involved than I know.