New Names

19

It's short but passionate. I don't know what to feel. Happy that she kissed me, but it doesn't overpower anything else. I'm still full of fear and sadness and hatred because of what happened to Jordan. Maybe, under different circumstances, it would be better. She leans back and smiles sweetly.

"Go and help your brother."

I don't think she wants me to leave though, judging from the death grip she has on my arm. I pull away and head out the back. Camren and I speed off towards the hospital, as I fill them in and call Adam afterward.

"Adam you and mom and dad need to go to the hospital right now. Something happened with Jordan." I say. Adam doesn't even question it.

"I'm on my way." 

The next hour is a blur. We drive to the hospital as fast as possible, park, and find his room. When we get there, he has more visitors than expected. Everyone is there, by his bedside. There's also a nurse there. 

"What happened," I say, bursting through the door. The nurse turns to me.

"Wallace?" She asks. I nod.

"His neighbor called 911 after hearing crashes in their house. We found Jordan in severe condition and unconscious. There were traces of his blood on his father's hands. We inspected the house and found the terrible conditions he was living in and arrested your parents."

"They aren't my parents," I say. "They kicked me out a few months ago, and signed the abandonment papers."

The nurse nods.

"Well, because Jordan isn't old enough to live on his own, he'll be put in the foster system until he finds a suitable home."

"Can't I keep him with me?" I ask. The nurse shakes her head.

"Sadly, because you aren't of age, you can't legally adopt him."

"Please," I beg. "Jordan's been in the foster system most of his life."

"I'm sorry sir, but unless someone is willing to adopt him, he'll be forced to."

As soon as she says this, Adam and our parents walk in.

"What's going on?" Mom says, looking straight to Jordan. The nurse looks at them, then to me.

"Are these your relatives?" She asks.

"My foster parents, yes."

I look over at them.

"You need to adopt him."

"What?" Dad says.

"He'll be taken away again if you don't. You need to adopt him. Please, I'll do anything."

Mom walks over.

"Wallace we can't support him, we don't have enough money."

"I'll sleep in my car, or at the shelter! I can't lose him."

I look over at Jordan. Mom sighs and gives me a kiss on the forehead before turning and walking back to dad.

"And you're sure you can stay there?" They ask. I nod.

"Okay, we'll do it," Dad says, turning to the nurse. I smile.

"I'll get the information ready." She says. I walk over to them and hug them both tight.

"Thank you," I whisper. Mom strokes my hair.

"What's family for?"

I let them go and walk to my brother's bedside. I study him, my eyes scrolling every bruise and cut. His chest is hidden, but I can tell from his arms and face that it's just as bad. One of his eyes is swollen, his lip is cracked, there's a bandage on his forehead. I don't see the extent of his wounds, but I see enough for a blind, red, throbbing fury to rise out of my body. 

The next time I see that fucking man I'm killing him with my bare hands.

After a few hours, the others leave. It's almost midnight. It's only Adam and Max here with me. Max goes to get food. I'm outside, sitting next to the door on a chair. Adam's watching Jordan. I'm exhausted out of my mind but determined to stay awake. I watch as Max comes down the hallway with a tray. He sits next to me and offers a pudding. I shake my head and lean forward.

"Why are you still here, Max," I say, my voice hoarse. He sighs and puts the tray to the side.

"I need to tell you something."

I look over at him. Max takes a deep breath.

"When I was eleven, my mother would beat me as a punishment for anything. Even if I was just late for dinner. She drank and smoke, but that was the time when my father left, so it got excessive. I would go to school with bruises and cuts, scars and black eyes. No one questioned it."

Max' eyes start to water. For comfort, I take his hand. He seems affected by this and squeezes it before continuing.

"One day, I came home with a note from the teacher, saying I had failed a test. I didn't want to go home but I didn't have anywhere else to go, and I knew if I was late I would be beaten anyways, along with the punishment for the test."

A tear falls on my hand, and Max draws in a shaky breath. He finishes the story while sobbing.

"She was drunker than usual. I didn't recognize her... She snapped when I gave her the note. Threw me into the wall, broke a lamp over my head. She beat me until I was nothing but a bloody, bruised, shivering lump of flesh on the ground. After that, she took a knife and..." 

He trails off. I know he can't say it. Slowly, he raises his hand to the collar of his shirt and pulls it down, revealing his collarbone. There's a long, nasty scar there, along with a bent collarbone.

"She broke it and carved a line in it so everyone could see. It didn't set right, but the scar was too tender for the doctors to rebreak the bone, so that's how it stayed."

I take him by the neck and pull him into a hug. I let him cry on my shoulder.

"No one was there for me... I'm not letting Jordan share that experience."

He pulls back, then leans forward a little, adjusting himself. Suddenly the door opens behind us. We look over at Adam. He looks terrified.

"Come on," He says.

Max and I scramble to the door.

"Jordan?"