Page 230 of There's No Us Without You
Jayden stares at me, eyes wide, bottom lip trembling. “I... I’m so sorry.”
I scramble forward on all fours and grip Tyler’s shirt, yanking him into my lap. “Call 000,” I scream. “Anyone... just... fucking call.”
Tyler gazes up at me with bloodshot eyes, his chin trembling. Blood leaks from the side of his mouth and drips onto the grass below him. “This is the first decent thing I’ve done with my life,” he says, his chest wheezing with each sharp inhale.
“Try not to talk.” I grip the hand resting on his stomach while my own shake violently. “We’re going to get you some help, okay?”
Eyes unfocused, he blinks at me. “Do you remember that time—I was about ten and the old man found out I stole a six-pack from the fridge?” He coughs, blood spilling from his mouth and onto his chin.
I nod, as I cradle his trembling body. “He belted you so hard that day.” I shake my head, remembering the incident.
“I didn’t mind.” Tyler splutters again—a gurgling sound coming from his throat—before continuing. “I went back and saw him this week.” Another cough, followed by more wheezing. “I’ve hated him for so long for what he did to us. But... seeing him made me realise... he’s just a broken old man. I didn’t want to be like him, Will. Bitter and broken. That’s...” More spluttering, and more . . . blood. “That’s not us, bro. We’re better than that.”
Tears roll down the side of his face, mixing with the blood and sending watery red droplets onto my legs. “I sat in my old room for a while just thinking, and I found this...” Hand shaking, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out an old bronze army figurine. He holds it up to my face. “You were so into these little figurines. The old guy next door happily traded me for the beer, but I never got the chance to give it to you.”
The figurine is dropped into my awaiting hand, while Tyler coughs a few more times, more blood spilling onto his chin and pooling on the ground beneath him.
Where the fuck is the ambulance?
Each breath rattles in his chest, becoming noisier and more desperate as his lungs search for oxygen. “I thought I lost it,” he wheezes, his chest rising and falling quickly. “Just like I lost you.”
I shake my head, my own tears soaking my cheeks. “You never lost me, Ty.” I rock back and forth. “Just stay with me and we can go see Dad together. Say goodbye together.”
He gives me a weak smile. “I already said goodbye, bro.”
“Tyler?” Eden appears beside me and kneels to grab my brother’s hand, bringing it to her chest. Tears stream down her soft cheeks.
I clench my jaw, unable to do much of anything else. She shouldn’t have threatened Gabby . . .
Sniffing, I turn away from her.
“Hey, Edie girl,” Tyler croaks out, his eyes softening as another tear slips down the side of his face. “Look after this one, okay?” He nods to me, making Eden sob louder. “I love you all so much. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you more often.”
His gaze finds mine again. “I love you, Will. I know I’ve never told you that, but thanks . . . for—” The small smile fades from his face, the life in his eyes slipping from this world.
Then the wheezing stops.
The colour drains from Tyler’s face.
No.
No!
I yank him to my chest, shaking him. “Tyler, wake up. Come on, bro. The ambulance is almost here.” The distant sound of the sirens gives me some sort of hope that Tyler will open his eyes again so I can tell him everything I need to. I shake him again, this time with a little more effort. “Ty? Tyler? Fuck... Don’t leave me! I need you. I love you.”
All I get in return is silence.
No beating heart.
No small inhale of breath.
Just pure agonising silence.
Everything else around us fades into nothing as I grip my brother and cradle him to my chest, rocking him back and forth the way I did when we were kids. The way a big brother should.
The sobs wracking my body don’t feel like my own—it’s like someone else is crying them for me.
“Come on, Ty,” I whisper against his cooling cheek. “Please wake up. I need you, brother.” More tears fall onto Tyler’s cheek, and I tighten my grip.
