CAPTIVITY

19. Without Hope

(Jonathan POV)

I give my younger brother a hard shove back as he tries to console me and he slams into the wall.

 "You're lying!" 

I accuse him but he shakes his head.

 "I wish I was Jonathan," he says and tries to stand up again but I refuse to help him. 

"Peter...you're my brother...MY BROTHER. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and a strange look washes over my brother's dark gray eyes. His jet black hair hovering over his eyes as he lunges at me. Shoving me backward.

 "OH FUCK YOU! How dare you!" He screams back at me as I hit the opposite wall and he slaps me straight across the face. 

"You know EXACTLY why I couldn't tell you. Do you think I like this!? Huh! This job that's been forced upon me! Well, I will tell you, I DID NOT become a doctor to become the KEEPER of the family secrets. But SOMEHOW I ALWAYS GET BLAMED!" He yells, and I realize what I've done. 

"Peter...I'm sorry, I didn't," He interrupts me and continues. 

"No really, go right ahead! Everyone blame Peter for their broken lives. Use me as a scapegoat instead of looking at the real source of the problem which is yourself." He says.

 His face was turning bright red with anger and I had never seen him blow up like this before. He backs away from me and leans against the opposite wall as we face each other.

 Nurses walk between us but he slowly regains his composure and looks down the hall. 

"Fuck, Jonathan...I've known for six months now. There's nothing we can do," He says with not a shred of hope in his voice.

 I shake my head and look down at my shoes. Small flecks of blood had set in stains that would last forever.

 "There has to be something," I argue weakly. 

I didn't have to look up to know he was shaking his head in sympathy. 

"No. Jonathan. There is nothing I can do other than treat the symptoms and take away his pain."