Zac sat in his wheelchair, staring out the window, his arms resting on his legs. He saw Jessica chasing Mackenzie and felt a stab of pain in his heart. He looked away, disgusted at himself as fresh tears began to well up in his eyes.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked aloud.
He wheeled himself away from the window and closed his eyes for a second and in his mind he saw headlights again.
"Why can't I remember more about that night?"
* * *
Taylor stood nervously at Zac's door. He shook his head and walked straight into the room, not bothering to walk. He was going to talk to his brother and work everything out.
"Zac, we need to talk."
"I said later, Taylor." Zac gave him a withering look.
"No. Now. Look, I know that you must hate me after all that has happened…"
"Yeah, you're right."
"Zac, can you try and talk to me please?" Taylor asked.
"Why should I?" Zac replied sulkily.
"Because you owe it to me."
"I don't owe you a thing! If anything, you owe me! God, you're so fucking selfish, I mean, this is all about you, right? How having a cripple for a younger brother is hurting your life. How you can't perform live now. How your music career is on hold while I'm in this stupid thing!" Zac yelled.
"Zac, please, this isn't about me, this is about all of us!" Taylor said, raising his voice slightly.
Zac stared at his brother. "Can you go now?"
"No, I can't. Zac, we have to work things out!"
"There is nothing to work out! Just leave me alone!" Zac screamed.
"No! Zac, listen to me, I'm sorry about what happened that night, I really am, but if we don't talk about it then we're never going to be ok again!" Taylor shouted suddenly, losing control of the emotions he'd been carrying inside for the last month.
"There is nothing to talk about!" Zac cried in reply.
"No, don't give me that shit! Mom and Dad told us what the doctors said! They say that you should be walking and you're only making yourself sick! It's all in your head!"
Zac looked around and picked up the first object he found, his pillow, and threw it at Taylor.
"Screw you." Was all he said.
Diana and Walker burst into the room and stared at their two sons, who were facing each other, fierce looks in their eyes.
"Taylor, Zachary, what is going on here?" Walker asked sharply.
Taylor brushed his hair out of his eyes, but remained silent.
"Why don't you tell him, Taylor? Tell him how you think that I'm faking this," Zac said snidely.
"Taylor!" Diana exclaimed.
"Mom, I never said that. I didn't mean… I just told him what you said the doctors said. I didn't mean for it…" Taylor trailed off feebly.
"Taylor can you wait for us in the den? Get Ike too," Walker asked.
As Taylor nodded and left the room, Walker turned to his younger son.
"Zac, come on, I think we all need to talk about this."
"So it's true?" Zac asked in disbelief.
"Come on, we'll explain," Diana said.
"You think I'm faking this!" Zac replied angrily.
Walker didn't answer, instead pushed Zac's wheelchair down the hallway and into the den, where Taylor and Isaac were already sitting. Diana closed the door behind them and sat on the arm of one of the couches.
"Zac, this is a very difficult thing… you were never meant to hear what Taylor told you. We didn't think it would be the best…"
Zac stared blankly at his father, and stopped listening to him. He saw, in his mind, the night it happened. He could see the headlights, he could see Mackenzie crying next to him, saw his own arms reaching out to hold Mackenzie down, and then… darkness.
"Zac? Answer me baby," Diana said, shaking her son slightly. Zac's eyes finally focused on her and he blinked, coming out of his daydream and seeing Isaac and Taylor peering at him.
"Are you alright?" Walker asked.
"I'm fine," he said quickly.
"I was just saying how we have to work through this as a family."
"Dad… what happened that night? I can't remember it," Zac asked suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Walker replied.
"All I can see is headlights."
"Do you think you should go and see Dr Kelly again?"
Dr Kelly was the psychologist who had helped Zac through the first few weeks after his accident. She hadn't really helped much, mainly because Diana and Walker were so reluctant about letting him be hypnotised and sent back to that night, but Zac liked her.
"Yes, I don't know. Maybe."
"I'll make an appointment for tomorrow," Diana said, her tears glistening in her eyes. She rose from her seat and left the room.
"Zac, when you're done, have a shower, yeah? I've put a chair in there for you. Excuse me guys, I'm going to go help your mother." Walker followed after Diana worriedly.
Isaac took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling the tension between the three brothers in the room.
"Guys, what happened to us? We used to be best friends," he said.
Zac looked at him in confusion, as though he were speaking a different language.
"Does everyone think I'm faking it?" Zac asked.
"No, that's not what I meant, Zac," Taylor replied.
"Because I don't think I want to live in a house with people who think that."
"Zac, man, don't do this. Taylor didn't mean what he said…" Isaac cut in.
"Don't do what? Don't be this way? Well tough, you know, you helped me become like this, so don't tell me how I should be." Zac wheeled out of the room, trying the best he could to slam the door.
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