Room 413

Reunited

"Matthew!"

"Alexis!"

I rush through the lobby into Matthew's arms and give him a bone crushing hug and start to cry. Matthew is my big brother and he's been in the army and I haven't been able to see him in 4 years.

"I missed you so much! How have you been?!"

"Ehhhhh. War is war. But I'm home now!"

"Yeah! Yay! How did you know I was here?"

"Mom told me...a lot has happened at home since you've left apparently."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I...don't think this is the appropriate place to discuss it."

"Matthew. You know I have to know now that you said something. Let's just go to my room."

At this point, the nurse chimes in.

"It's past visiting hours!"

But it's too late, I'm already dragging Matthew towards my room.

"Alexis! It's past visiting hours!"

"Oh fuck you!"

I drag Matthew the rest of the way to my room and slam the door and lock it.

"Okay! What happened?"

Matthew makes his way towards the door and tries but fails to casually unlock it.

"Why'd you just unlock the door?"

"Things haven't been good Alexis."

"What happened? Why'd you unlock the door? What's going on Matthew? You came home a year earlier from the war too."

"Uh yeah...."

"Matthew tell me what happened now."

"It's uncle Rob."

My uncle....I haven't seen him since I was 3. As soon as his name is mentioned, a thousand memories come flooding back through my brain. He used to live with us, but he was sent away and got a restraining order from my whole family put on him because he raped my mom and beat the snot out of my dad when he tried to defend her. My body starts to treble with fear and Matthew comes over and hugs me and sits down on the bed.

"He's back Alexis."

"But....the restraining order...."

"It ran out. He came back for mom."

Matthew starts shaking and I feel the tears forming in the corners of my eyes.

"What did he do? What did that creep do to her Matthew?"

I feel Matthew's body go limp and I hear sobbing and I look up and he's crying.

"Matthew...."

He shakes his head and I start to cry.

"Did he rape her again?"

Matthew starts uncontrollably crying and I look him in the eyes and they look so cold and dark.

"Y....y...e..ah."

I stand up and lean against the wall and sink down to the floor.

"Is that all that happened Matthew?"

After two minutes of silence, I look up and he shakes his head no. I jump up from the floor and go back to the bed and lay beside him.

"What else happened?"

"He fucking killed them both! It's all my fuckin fault!"

"Killed who? It's not your fault!"

"Mom and Dad."