The Cons Of Being Me {TEAM CRAFTED} (ON HOLD)

chapter 8

Tyler sat on a rather uncomfortable wooden stool by the side of Adam's bed in the Nurse's office.

It had only been about 20 minutes since his brother had passed out, but for some reason it felt just as long as the years he had been missing.

Tyler still remembered the accident like it had only happened yesterday. How could you not; when every time you fell asleep all you could see was your mother and younger siblings mangled bodies being shoved into sterile white body-bags while you sat in the back of an ambulance with a shock blanket draped over your shoulders and your head wrapped in a tight bandage.

Pain.

That was the only way to explain what Tyler felt at that moment. His head felt like it had exploded, unable to move without sending spikes of otherworldly pain throughout his skull. All the while, his left shoulder as though it had been pierced by thousands of knives.

He could only hear the ringing in his ears as he forced his eyes to open. To stare out into that unforgiving world.

Everything was red. Everything was covered in a sticky substance he quickly recognized to be blood, much to his own horror. He moved his head, which caused massive amounts of pain and nausea to engulf him. He groaned, but still forced himself to look around. He struggled not to let the tears fall down his face, though that act became harder with every minute that passed.

After a few minutes, the ringing in his ears began to quiet to a dull white noise, and he could hear a voice.

"Interstate... bus driver... dead... my family." At first, Tyler had no idea who it was who was speaking. Was it a doctor? Maybe someone had called an ambulance. However, after the voice sounded for a few more moments, he finally began to pull himself together enough to recognize it.

Adam! Tyler's head shot up, instant regret washing over him as he tried to move his head to glance around for his brother, which only caused more nauseating pain to practically suffocate him as he lost consciousness once more.

"Tyler?"

Tyler looked up suddenly to see Jason, a little startled by the other boy's sudden appearance. Instead of the normal, bouncing boy that normally bounded around the school, Jason was quiet, a solemn glint in his eyes as he tried to avoid both looking at Adam and looking Tyler in the eyes.

Finally, Jason brought himself to look at Adam. He sat in the opposite chair on the other side of the bed, seemingly forgetting about Tyler as he watched Adam—or as he knew him—Sky.

"Adam." Their mother gave Tyler's brother a stern look and Adam crossed his arms with a "hmf".

"My name isn't Adam. It's Sky." Tyler snorted and Alesa clapped.

"Sky!" She exclaimed excitedly and their mother sighed.

"Come on Adam, you need to do your homework before you can play." A deep chuckle sounded from behind Adam's mother after she finished speaking.

"Let the boy have some fun." Tyler and Adam's father gently wrapped his arms around Mrs. Dahlberg's shoulders, the women leaning back into his slightly as she watched her children. Their father wasn't wearing the familiar camouflage this time, rather he was wearing some worn jeans and a grey and black shirt, moderately longer hair pulled back in a ponytail.

After a few moments, their mother sighed again, before moving her husbands arms aside and straightening. "Alright Sky, lets get your homework done." 

Tyler felt his eyes start to water as memories he hadn't thought of in years resurfaced, and a single tear ran down his cheek. He quickly wiped his eyes as Jason spoke again.

"So... Sk—" Jason hesitated, looking as though he was going to correct himself. "—I mean Adam... he's your brother?" Tyler looked back at Jason to see him offering the plaid wearing boy a half-smile. Tyler looked away from Jason after a moment, gaze shifting back to Adam.

Tyler's twin brother looked so peaceful while he lay there unconscious. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning as had become his natural expression. He looked relaxed, something that Tyler assumed wasn't common for him. Despite this, one could plainly the dark bags under his eyes from sleepless nights, as well as a light scar running through his left eyebrow which Tyler assumed was from the crash oh-so-many years ago.

"Yeah..." His voice was quiet and his response short. Dismissive, if it would be taken in the way it was meant.

Jason took the hint and stood slowly, looking mildly hesitant.

"O-Oh." He trailed off. Jason was a wild one, that was for sure, but in these kinds of situations he was lost. What was he supposed to do, to say? It was clear with every long, drawn out pause that he was struggling to figure out what to say or do. "Well," he finally began, Tyler not even bothering to look up at him, "when your brother wakes up, tell him I stopped in to make sure he was okay, and that the others are really worried too." Tyler nodded slowly, though he was clearly distracted as he watched his brother's chest rise and fall slowly. Jason gave him a curt nod before turning to go. "Bye." He said his farewells quickly and walked out of the Nurses' office as fleetly as he could.

Tyler couldn't help but to suddenly feel a little fatigued as he watched Jason flee. He didn't want to sleep though, he wanted to be here when his brother woke up. He had so many questions. Why had Adam run? Why had he never came back?

Still, there was a tiny voice in the back of his head that resisted. A little nap won't hurt anybody. Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked over to one of the nurse's other little cots. Carefully, he took off his shoes in order to be at least somewhat respectful, before he lay down, watching the ceiling for a bit before he finally let his eyes close and his conscious go.