A brother's love

My parents are dead. Have been for 5 years now. And now my older brother, the only other person in this world whom I love, is gone. Gone because of some stupid government thing where every guy inbetween the age of 21 and 30 has to sign up for a war drill and go fight the uprising in, whatever the place is called. Since my brother is 27, he fits right into that category. And me, a girl who just hit 23, gets to go to her waitress job and pretend she loves everyone she serves.

I'm known as 'the girl who never smiles.' You wanna know why? Cos I got this job just after my parents died after plummeting of a cliff face in their car. And everyone could see how broken I was inside. After a year I managed to do my job well, but all the other girls continue to always whisper behind my back. This is why I don't have any friends. My brother is the only person in this world who loves me, and cares for me, and makes me feel safe. I could just say hi to some random person on the crowded street as I walk home from work, but the girls at my job have made me lose all hope in other girls being nice to me.

As I plod into my brother's and my small house, I just can't help feeling empty. What's the point in living without my brother? My brother is going to be the first who dies, because he can't even kill a mouse. But I'll wait. Wait for that phone call to tell me whether he's dead or alive. Wait for the phone call to tell me if my life goes on or is ending. Its been 3 months since he was called away. I'm getting desperate for that phone call to put me out of my misery. Soldiers will start returning soon, because I heard on the news a couple weeks ago that they won the battle. They haven't told us casualties or anything yet tho. Just going to have to wait and find out. Unable to cook, I pull out a massive slice of cheesecake from the fridge and collapse into the old brown couch and flick for something mind numbing on tv.

I almost scream in fright when my mobile starts ringing. I look at the caller ID and it's unknown. I catch my breath. This is it. This is what I've been waiting for. I answer. "Hello, this is Annie speaking." A stern yet elderly man's voice replies. "Hello Annie, this is chief Patterson. Is your brother Liam Richards?" My breath quickens. "Yes. That's him." "Your brother is alive, however, he has just been placed in a critical care unit at the hospital in town." I don't know whether to scream for joy or cry in despair. "Can I see him?" "Yes. No promises he will be awake tho. My best regards, Annie." And with that, he hangs up.

Liam is alive. Liam is alive! My brother is alive! Throwing on my black sneakers and ignoring the fact that I'm still wearing my work uniform, I grab my bag and bolt out the door. Its not hard to find a taxi, in this crowded place. I jump in, almost yell at him to go to the hospital, and I'm off to see my brother.

"I'm Annie. I'm here to see my brother Liam Richards?" The nurse at the reception desk looks up from her computer and nods. "Yes. You can see him, but first you need to sign here," handing me a document, "and you can't go in his room but you can see him through the screen." I hurriedly sign, and run to the room the nurse directed me to. And then I see him.

I press my hands against the screen in the wall dividing me from him. He's got a heart monitor steadily beeping away, and what looks like a thousand tubes sticking out of his arms and legs. A nurse comes out of his room. "What happened to him?" She looks up at me, down at the chart she's holding, and back up at me. "He was caught on the edge of an explosion. He has burns on his chest and legs, and several of his ribs were broken, as well as a bad concussion to his head." With that, she walks off and I turn back to his still figure lying on that white bed. He can pull through this. He can do it. Right? Tears start to form in my eyes. I stand there watching him for at least an hour when I notice something. He's moving. His eyes are opening. His eyes are opening!! "Nurse!" I scream down the hall, and I run into his room.

I dive into the chair next to his bed side and grab his hand. Tears are pouring down my face at this point. "Liam? Liam, can you hear me?" His bruised face turns towards me and his mouth curves into a small smile. "Annie." He breathes the word, but I laugh and start crying harder when he says it. "Yes! Yes it's me." He nods slightly, the smile never fading from his face. Two nurses rush in, and one grabs my arm and tries to make me leave. I shake him off, and before they drag me out to the waiting room, I kiss his cheek and whisper. "Don't you dare die on me now, bro." His eyes flicker open and he whispers back. "Wouldn't dream of it, sis."

I am almost in a daze, as a nurse leads me out of my brother's room and into the waiting room. I sit down willingly, and I can't stop smiling. My brother is home. He's going to live. We can go through life together again. I'm not going to be alone. That makes me start to cry again. I'm not gonna be alone. After however long, the same nurse who brought me out here comes in to talk to me. "Miss Richards?" he asks. I look up. "Your brother is alive and well, Miss Richards. He's going to be just fine."