They Walk

Chapter Seventy Seven

When we are revealed to the room, I see my brother before he even notices me, but when our eyes meet we share the same cat ate the canary grin. The world slow down to me then, but finally in a good way, and it’s like I can feel every fiber of my skin as Goosebumps break out along my entire body. I’m not exactly sure who moves first him or me, but somehow we are in the middle of the room hugging one another and laughing like hyenas. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see my twin brother in my entire life, not even the time so long ago when we left Austin’s house in the first place, can compare to this feeling.

“Jesus Maggie, I was so worried about you.” He whispers into my hair.

I nod my head against him and just can’t find the right words to say, so I just hold him closer to me and think I never want to lose him again. Over his shoulder, I can see the other people watching us all with their own happy expressions. I notice who they are then, and if it’s at all possible, I get even more alighted. I see Kelli, the amazingly beautiful nurse who is married to Randy, and think to myself that her brown hair seems longer, but maybe it’s only because it’s the first time I saw it down.

Then I find Maria, the petite blonde shy girl that has been my brother’s girlfriend for as long as I’ve known her, and that’s a very long time. She looks more reserved now, than the last time I saw her, but it makes her stronger somehow. And then I see Lauren, the sweet looking brunet that I believe is Brady’s girlfriend. She looks happy enough I suppose, but she doesn’t really know any of us that well, so it’s normal that she isn’t jumping up and down screaming I guess.

I can feel Gabe behind me and when he places a hand at the small of my back, I know he wants his turn to greet Dan. But hey, color me slightly spoiled, because this is my brother here. Who by the way, I hold even tighter to me and I can feel tears sliding down my cheeks. Dan chuckles and tries to pull away a little.

“Easy there little sister, you’re going to break me. When did you get so strong?”

Stepping away from him, I snort out a laugh and rub the tears from my eyes.

“Who you calling little, we’re the same age you goof. And I have always been this strong, where have you been.”

He shakes his head at me, and is about to say something in reference to us not being the same age, since he was born a whole two minutes before me. But then he and Gabe share a look, one that is uncomfortable to watch. It’s like seeing all the events of the past weeks playing over their faces and how much they owe one another. I remember Gabe vowing to Dan to watch out for me and I guess in a way he definitely kept it.

They reach out at the same time and clasp each other’s hand in a tight grip and instantly smirks the same knowing look too. Men. They can be so weird around one another sometimes. But I can’t hide the fact that it makes my heart feel light seeing them reunited, they’ve been friends for a long time and I love them both so much.

Coming up behind Dan now, are our parents, and I can’t help feeling guilty that I sort of stole their thunder and with my mom being hurt for goodness sakes. So I got a little excited, just take it up with my lawyer, if I had one that is, never-mind. My dad places a hand on Dan’s shoulder at about the same time he and Gabe let go of each other, and now they are the ones to share an intense look. I can see how relieved they both are to know that the other is safe and more importantly I notice how proud my dad is of him and so am I.

They crash into one another then, and that’s when the unthinkable happens.

Because see, my mom was still leaning into my dad when Dan ran to him, he coincidently also ran into her. Being just shot recently and still bleeding pretty well, it doesn’t surprise me when she cries out in pain from being jostled like that.

Dad and Dan both jump apart quickly, my dad looking guilty and Dan looking confused. But then he sees the blood and I can practically feel the horror pass through him as he wonders what happened to her.

“MOM, what happened to you?” He cries.

Before anyone can even explain, or my mom can even have the chance to embrace her son no matter the state she is in, Randy pulls out his gun and aims it at my mother. To say that the entire room went into chaos then is really a BIG understatement. Everyone that was seated immediately jumps to their feet, and all of us already on our feet kind of flock around either my mom or Randy, depending on whose side we’re on. And yes, there is always a side in this type of situation.

Though, my group is bigger, since Randy just has Brady as backup, so HA.

“Tell me now, was she bitten or not?” Randy says through gritted teeth, while steadily aiming his handgun directly at my mother still.

Instead of doing the logical thing and saying no, she was not bitten only shot by an actor look-a-like, my dad does the opposite thing. He steps out in front of my mom, not even knowing or caring if she can stand on her own two feet, and draws his own handgun. I don’t even have the heart to tell him he doesn’t have any bullets, not that it’s the point I guess, since Randy doesn’t know that.

Gabe leaves my side when I gasp, and he runs to get in the middle of Randy and my father, not that it does any good, they are too busy glaring at one another and grandstanding to notice Gabe. Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see my mom is unsteady on her feet and looks like she is about to fall over. I’m about to go to her when Dan beats me to it, and he catches her to him.

I can almost feel the tension in the room now, and I know it’s a matter of time before Randy or my dad makes the first move. Knowing they will never cave since they are too proud of men to do it, I can’t take it anymore. My body seizes with anger and adrenaline at the same time, that it leaves me gasping for a breath I can’t find.

Out of nowhere there is a sharp throbbing pain behind my right eye and I have to close my eyes from bright flash of light that no one else see’s. It only last for a moment, and when I open my eyes again nothing the room has changed and I’m only left feeling dizzy and off balance. Not letting it stop me on my quest, I charge over to Randy and my father while yelling the whole two yards it takes me to reach them.

“Dammit, she wasn’t bit! She got shot for Christ Sake!”

All eyes turn to me in shock, and they give a look that makes me believe that I’ve grown another head.

But let’s admit it I really wouldn’t be all that surprised at this point, if I had. They all then turn to watch how my mother is limply hanging onto Dan and how she has bled through my dad shirt and is dripping onto the floor. My dad lowers his gun first, but the weird looks return back to me, and I wonder what their problem was. Shouldn’t they all rush to the wounded woman and offer help, and not ogle her stubborn daughter?

These people, so strange sometimes, honestly.

Gabe is facing me now and the way he walk over to me so slowly while giving me his best worried face, I admit I’m getting worried myself. There isn’t an ax murderer behind me is there? I’m seriously considering glancing behind myself to check, when Gabe finally reaches me and snags my arms in his hands. He holds onto me so tight, it hurts, and I’m getting a little irritated now, what’s with the manhandling?

His grip softens though as he pulls me close abruptly, but his eyes narrow into me. “Maggie, what happened to you?”

His voice is so quiet and full of despair, I have a blank moment where I don’t know what he is talking about. I’ve been standing here this whole time when they all acted like idiots. But he lets go of my right arm and raises his hand to cup my cheek.

His face knots up in worry.

“You’re really scaring me, what wrong with me?” I beg for him to explain.

He doesn’t though, instead my brother does. “Dude, your right eye is red in the white area.”

Gasping, I pull away from Gabe and lightly touch my eye.

When it doesn’t feel any different, I really think they have all lost their minds.

That’s when my mom cries out again and seizes in Dan’s arms, and my dad rushes to them and takes her from him and lifts her in his arms like she weighs nothing at all. At this point Kelli is beside Randy now, and she places her hands on his arms and helps him to lower the gun that isn’t even pointed at my mom anymore. Once he submits and looks alarmed, she walks over to my mom in my dad’s arms, and eyes the blood soaked shirt of her shoulder.

“We need to get her into a bed so that I can take a look at her wound.” She turns and heads for a hallway I didn’t notice before, and says over her shoulder, “Maggie you better come with us to sit down, you’ve popped a blood vessel in your eye.”

My dad carrying my mom follows her into the hallway and they make a fast turn into a doorway I can’t see into. Dan is right on their heels and as Gabe guides me to go with them and all the while I can’t stop thinking about the doctor Becky I met back at the Collisee. I remember her telling me to take it easy and to avoid stress and any further head trauma, well so much for that little bit of help.

Turns out I’m a magnet for stress and trauma.