CHAPTER THREE - HALF HERE, HALF NOT
It seemed a long time before B’s mind finally navigated the dark maze of unconscious dreams to lead him back to reality. He felt the strange world of bizarre images and scenarios drifting away in a cloud of blackness, which was slowly being cast away to the horizon by a gentle breeze.
The warm darkness that now shrouded him in soft comforts gradually began to be speckled with patches of light as his eyes began to flutter, plaguing him with bright light and new surroundings. He felt his limbs slowly twitching as he moved to make himself more comfortable. He wasn’t ready to awaken yet. The dreams had been frightening, but this new feeling of semi awakeness was comforting.
He heard sounds of feet coming closer and then there was a faint voice full of concern. “B?”
The voice entered the darkness softly and B turned his head to the source, but still his eyes did not open. Every time he tried to open them, the light stung and dazzled him to make him feel sick and disorientated. He understood the world he was in now. He controlled it and his thoughts wandered in their own private region.
His head felt heavy and light at the same time and his chest ached and was strangely cold making it hard to breathe properly. The light tried to filter through his lashes and onto his eyes, but he forcefully closed them against any invasion. The stinging was far too intense for B to contemplate opening his eyes nay time soon.
He tried to reply to the voice that had spoken and to give it a name in words but only a strange whimper issued from his lips.
He clumsily raised his heavy arms and stretched a hand out wildly until warm, soothing fingers clasped them both. He smiled and held the hand as tightly as his weak body would allow him. The other hands rubbed his own while a soft voice whispered soothing words to him.
B shifted slightly so that he could cuddle closer to his comforter and he felt one of the hands move to gently press against his face and brush his fringe back.
He tried to speak, but again the only sound was an unintelligible mumble.
“Shush, go back to sleep,” the voice whispered while they continued to stroke his hair and rub his hand.
B allowed himself to relax, but kept his hand locked with the other’s. He leaned his head to the side, not afraid to slip back into a world of dreams now that he knew someone was with him.
* * * * * * *
Brian soothingly brushed B’s hair, just as he had done to Sammy when he was younger and couldn’t sleep, and slowly he felt B slipping back into slumber, his hand still tightly wound about Brian’s. He quietly leant forward and placed a soft kiss on the boy’s head. If he was awake, he doubted if he would have the chance to do that with the way things were between them but while he was asleep, they couldn’t argue and Brian could just pretend that everything was fine between them.
He leaned his head against B’s hand and sighed, praying to God that the boy would wake up properly soon. Nick and the other doctors had warned him that B was exhausted and that it would be a while before he was awake and back to his usual self. No matter how many times they all insisted that he would be okay, it didn’t stop Brian from worrying.
He thought back to what Darren had told him about the Gerai base. Only a few moments ago the older man had left to talk things over with Kevin and to prepare rooms for all the newcomers. All of the village members had been brought here and they would all stay for several days before moving out to another village to live their lives again.
However for Brian and his family, that wasn’t going to happen. B was in danger and the Gerai would follow wherever he went. They would have to stay here. This place had protected B for most of his life and now it would have to serve that purpose again.
“Why are they after you?” he whispered softly. He tilted his head and could just see the red scar from the bottom of B’s shirt. What awful secrets had the Gerai hidden within him?
The soft hands that were suddenly placed upon his shoulders only startled him slightly before he realised who it was. He turned and smiled at his oldest son as he pulled up a chair to sit down beside B.
“Did I miss anything?” Sammy asked, yawning after his brief rest.
Brian smiled at him and showed him B’s hand in his own. “He sort of half woke up for a few moments but he fell asleep again.”
Sammy sighed. “I wish he would wake up. I couldn’t sleep with worry., even though they say he’s going to be fine. Only an hour ago another person died apparently because the lung damage was too great.”
Brian hung his head slightly, his eyes focusing on b determinedly. “He’s young and he’s strong.”
That was a lie. Once B had been strong but over the years the constant fear and threat of the Gerai had worn that strength away. This incident would only pull him down even more.
“What are we going to do?” Sammy whispered. “I know the Gerai were after him. They always are. They’ll never let him be.”
“Darren and the others have found another Gerai base. It’s only small but he thinks they’re the ones who attacked the village.” He paused for a moment. “We don’t know if they were after B… it could have just been a random attack.”
Who was he kidding? Of course they were after his son.
“They were looking for something,” Sammy replied sadly. “They were being careful not to shoot any young males.” He gave a cynical laugh. “At least they want him alive this time and are not just trying to assassinate him all the time.”
“We’re going to have to stay at the base for a while,” Brian said. “It won’t be safe to move to another village.”
“B will hate that.”
“I know.”
B would no doubt blame him for it as well. He had been ecstatic when they finally moved away from the base and everyday had been spent lying out in the open sunshine and staring up at the cloudy sky. For the first time he’d had friends his own age to talk to and could just be an ordinary teenager instead of a sacred object which needed protecting. Now his friends would move away and b would remain stuck underground again.
“Sammy, I don’t want to tell him about the Gerai being after him again. I don’t want him to worry about it. He thought he was safe and he’s happy that way,” Brian said, not wanting to shatter all of the happiness that B had. “He’ll hate staying here but he’ll hate it even more if he thinks everything was caused by him.”
“I’m not sure we should keep it from him,” Sammy replied. “He’s smart and he might figure it out.”
“Maybe, but he might not. I don’t want him to worry about the Gerai. He’s scared to death of them after everything that happened before…”
That hellish time in the Gerai base was years ago to Brian, but only a few months to B. Even now Brian still shuddered to think what could have happened. He remembered being aware that there was another Brian in this time while he was in the mine and he had been terrified that something would go wrong and that Sammy and B would not be saved. His heart could still beta in relief now when he remembered waking up to see B greeting him in the mine with Sammy.
“Maybe you’re right. Okay, we’ll keep it quiet. We’re staying here so that you and me can help Darren sort this out and find out where the Gerai are coming from. B won’t know that it’s because of him, all right?” Sammy said. “But if he asks too many questions, we give him answers.”
“Okay,” Brian agreed.
Sammy nodded and then glanced back at Brian. “What do they know about this base then?”
“Very little. It’s a research place apparently.”
Sammy froze slightly. “You mean one of those similar to what B was in as a child? With the experiments?”
Brian was silent for a moment. If the Gerai had have captured B in the village, he could be a lab rat by now. “I don’t know,” he confessed. “Sammy, we can’t let them take him. Not again.”
“It would kill him. Once was enough… I wonder if that’s part of the reason they want him. He was very important to them because of some of the substances in his bloodstream.”
“We can only guess until Darren finds out. There aren’t many Gerai and I’m hoping that this will clear up soon. Then we can be normal again.”
“Normal?” Sammy laughed. “Nothing in our life is ever normal or easy.”
‘And don’t I know it?’ Brian thought to himself miserably.
Sammy leaned over B and slowly tucked the blanket about him, checking that his little brother was completely covered in the blue warmth. He smiled at his and Brian’s clasped hands. “I told you he doesn’t hate you.”
Brian looked down at his hand and squeezed B’s. “I hope not. Do you think he’s forgiven me for all the arguments recently?”
“I used to argue with him all the time when he was a little younger but he always forgave me. He jusst needs time to get used to you.”
“Like you did?”
Sammy smiled weakly. “It was weird at first. You’d only just left this time and then we find you again, but you’re much older. I knew you wouldn’t be the same, but B didn’t. He’d only just met his father and gotten used to you and now he has a whole new, older you to understand. You know how confused he gets. He hated you when the other you arrived here!”
“I guess… I just want us to be a family.”
“We will be. B’s a teenager and he’s trying to find his own way in the world. He argues with a lot of people.”
“But not you,” Brian whispered. Through it all, B and Sammy were best friends.
“It’s different. We’ve been through a lot.”
“I could have been there. I survived the attack that almost killed you but I was still separated from you both. It’s so unfair.”
“You have a chance now though. Not many people get second chances.”
Brian kissed B’s hand again, thinking of the tiny child he had never known. It had been left to Sammy to raise him while Brian had been trapped working for the Gerai. Maybe he should have tried harder to escape… maybe he could have saved his beautiful girlfriend and maybe things could have worked out…
But even if he had escaped, the chances of actually surviving and keeping his family in tact during the Gerai war would have been difficult.
Sammy suddenly caught sight of someone behind Brian and he smiled at the newcomer. Bruian turned and saw Hoied and Nick heading towards them.
“Hey guys,” Brian greeted.
“Hey, I’m back on doctor duty,” Nick said. “I just checked all the other patients in the second centre and now I’m checking up on our beautiful BB. He sleeping okay?” Nick had pulled a small emtal disc from his medical bag and had affixed it to B’s arm while he passed a smaller scanning device over him, nodding in satisfaction at the readings.
“A little restless and he woke up for a few seconds,” Brian said, remembering the murmurs of B.
Nick nodded. “Good. There’s nothing wrong with him and the drugs I put him on did a tremendous amount to help his breathing. Like I said before though, he will be very tired for a few days. He might find it difficult to wake up for several more hours.”
“Thanks for everything, Nick,” Sammy said gently as Nick plucked the disc from B’s head.
“Anything for my Godson,” Nick said smiling as he placed a gentle hand against B’s face. “I have to check up on the other patients here now, then I have to go to Darren and Kevin for a meeting. Brian, you’re wanted there as well.”
“Me?”
Nick nodded. “Darren wants to talk to us about something. I think it’s about B. I’ll come and get you when I’m ready to go.”
“Okay.” Brian looked at B’s pale hand, sad that he would have to leave him after the boy had willingly reached out for him. It wasn’t often B did that now.
“I just came to see how you all were,” Howie said as Nick left to check the next patient. “and to see if this one was any better.” he gently rubbed B’s arm.
Brian smiled at him. All of his friends loved B. He was touched by the way they had taken care of him and Sammy while Brian wasn’t around. They had made sure that his girlfriend coped with two children and a sick family after Brian was believed to be dead. Darren and the others had been the ones to rescue B and Sammy from the Gerai when they were first kidnapped as children. He owed so much to them.
“He’s still sleepy I think,” Sammy chuckled. “Typical B, always lazing about while we’re worrying.” He smiled tenderly at his beloved little brother and Brian knew that he was still anxious as Brian for B to wake again.
“I’ll tell my daughter. She asked if she could come and visit but I said to leave it till he was better,” Howie said. “I was lucky, she wasn’t hurt in the slightest during the attack.” He looked at Brian. “I would be worried sick if she was in B’s place.”
Being a single parent himself, Howie could understand what Brian was going through. The only difference was that his daughter Tessa was not ruthlessly hunted by the Gerai like B was. She had a life where as B could never be free.
“He’s going to be okay,” Brian said. ‘And then hopefully things will be different between us,’ he thought. He would never shout at B again. They’d had an argument just before the attack and Brian would be tearing himself to pieces if that had turned out to be the last time he saw B alive.
“Everyone will be relieved. They kinda have a soft spot for this little rogue.” Howie grinned slightly.
“There were never many kids in the base,” Sammy explained. “There was AJ’s daughter and us. Tessa used to live in a nearby village but she and Howie moved here after her mother died. B was kinda spoilt by everyone when he was little. It was a novelty for people to have kids around.”
“I’m just glad you were taken care of,” Brian said softly.
“Hey Brian.” Nick suddenly chose the moment to finish his rounds. “We better get to this meeting with Darren and Kevin. It shouldn’t take long.”
Brian nodded. “Okay.” He glanced up at Sammy and held out his and B’s clasped hands. “Can you look after B and stay with him?”
“Of course I will.” Sammy took Brian’s seat and Brian reluctantly released B’s hand to Sammy. Somehow he felt as if he were abandoning B. He had been the one the boy had wanted, Brian was certain that one of the mumbled words had been ‘dad’, so he should stay with him.
“I’ll be back soon,” he whispered as he kissed B on the head and wiped away the messy fringe, which never seemed to sit tidily upon B’s forehead. “I promise.”
He slowly followed Nick across the medical centre, leaving his son under the caring eyes of Sammy and Howie. He would trust them with his son’s life and he had no reason to feel nervous about leaving B, but he just wanted to be there when B woke up so that he could say sorry for the argument they’d had.
‘I’m sorry I’m not the Brian you wanted as a father.’