Chapter 10
"Kane!" Jarryd called out as he saw his friend standing at the edge of the lake, staring into the never-ending abyss of water. Kane momentarily snapped back into reality and turned to see Jarryd running at him full speed.
"Stop!" He called out just before the boy came crashing into him, resulting with both of the boys in the water, soaked from head to toe.
As both the boys fell deeper into the water, Kane looked to the surface, watching the light fade away slowly, weighed down by Jarryd?s limp body, unconscious from the shock of crashing into the cold water. Suddenly though his ears were half-numb Kane heard the splash of Kaileb following the two of them into the deep, raging sweeps of the ice-cold lake. Kaileb grabbed the two boys by their waists and dragged them out of the water.
They lay there on the solid concrete edge of the lake, both coughing their lungs until the pain in their chests interminably numbed out. The cold however, did not go away, leaving the boys shivering in their sodden clothes. Not too long after Nicole and Tracy followed Kaileb, both pale with shock as they saw each of their boy?s drenched from the lake water.
They lay there on the solid concrete edge of the lake, both coughing their lungs until the pain in their chests interminably numbed out. The cold however, did not go away, leaving the boys shivering in their sodden clothes. Not too long after Nicole and Tracy followed Kaileb, both pale with shock as they saw each of their boy’s drenched from the lake water.
“Oh my baby!” each cried as they reached their children.
“This could have been avoided.” Kaileb stated as he walked away from the two ladies and their sons.
“How dare you?!” Tracy screeched as he walked away, “Everything was fine until you came along.”
Kaileb stopped in his tracks, whipped around and glared directly at Tracy as he spoke, “Everything was anything but fine! You had two teenage boys, cousins at that, making out with each other behind both of your backs! Twenty three times!” He yelled across the distance, “Twenty three bloody times, they made out before they were told. Can you imagine what they are feeling right now? I hope you can, because I sure as hell can’t even begin to comprehend what is going through these two boys’ minds!”
Tracy and Nicole both stood where they were, Tracy’s frown dropped alongside Nicole’s jaw. Rage begun to surface on Tracy’s face as she shouted across, “Fuck you Kaileb! This didn’t have to happen!”
“Yes, Tracy, it did. You know what didn’t have to happen? Your affair with your sister’s husband! That didn’t have to happen. If you two hadn’t have been as estranged as you were, these boys could have known their relation since childhood, in turn, not leaving them in the dark until now and avoiding the incestuous behavior, and before you go on to take your anger out on them just know it was your actions which led to it!” he said, “I’m done, I can’t believe this has happened, what would Jacob say to the two of you? He’s probably turning in his grave, and your mother? How would she feel about this?”
Again, the two ladies stood in silence, staring with their jaws at their knees. In total awe at what Kaileb had said. He turned away finally after a few moments and walked off to find his car. Kane and Jacob, both unconscious and unaware of what had just gone down, lay there in silence while their mothers nurtured them like sick puppies.
“We have to get them to hospital.” Nicole said, “I don’t want to fight with you over this. If there is anything we have common ground over, it should be our children Tracy. I don’t like you and I will never forgive you for what happened, but right now my son’s life is more important than any feud between the two of us.”
“But-” Tracy started,
“But nothing Tracy, they need to get to a doctor now!” Nicole interrupted her sister, picking her son up and throwing him over her shoulder. “I am taking Jarryd to hospital, it’s up to you what you do with Kane, but if you ask me, it’s the least you can do for him after all this. I know for a fact, neither Jarryd nor I would forgive you for leaving him like this.” She finished.
“Of course.” Tracy said coldly, picking her son up over her shoulder like her sister had done with Jarryd.
The two women walked to their cars and placed their sons in the back seat of each vehicle. Tracy followed as Nicole took Jarryd to the hospital and carried him into A&E. The two women were rushed straight through the emergency sign in and through to a room where the boys could be seen, the doctor arrived shortly after them and spoke in a soft, gentle but critical tone.
“What happened to them?” Dr. Tourelle asked the two ladies.
“Well-” Tracy started, but before she could continue she was interrupted by Nicole.
“There’s no well about it, they fell into a lake and almost drowned, they would have if it wasn’t for our family friend Kaileb. They ran away after there was a conflict in the family, and he chased them out to try and get them to come home.”
“Care to share details?” The doctor asked.
“Not particularly.” Nicole said bluntly.
“It’s going to come out one way or another, the boys will most likely tell someone.” Dr. Tourelle stated.
“I highly doubt that.” Tracy said.
“Listen, ladies. If there is some form of abuse happening here, we need to know, if you two are responsible, the two boys will talk and then we will have a criminal case on our hands.” Dr. Tourelle said in a very snarky tone.
“Excuse me?! Abuse? There is no abuse involved in this situation doctor what-ever-your-name-is.” Tracy exclaimed.
“Doctor Tourelle.” Dr. Tourelle said dryly, “There’s a nametag. And I am not accusing anybody of anything, all I am saying is if there was anything, it would eventually come out. I am only looking out for the welfare of your two boys.”
“Well perhaps run your tests first, and then come at us with your snarky remarks, for heavens sake! I find this rather impertinent.” Tracy said, her neck snapping around to Nicole as her sister opened her mouth to speak but closed it again.
“Do you have anything to add ma’am?” The doctor asked, directing her question at Nicole.
“Actually, I do.” Nicole started, looking over her shoulder at Tracy. “My sister is right, your attitude is incredibly offensive and I would like to know where I may fill out a complaint form.”
“Straight to the information desk at the A&E waiting room, just ask for one there and you can fill it out.”
“Thank you.” Nicole nodded as she left the room, Tracy’s eyes followed her, watching intimately before the door slammed shut behind her sister.
Behind the doctor and Tracy, there was a muffled groan, and the sound of bed sheets moving. It was Jarryd waking up from his temp comatose state; he raised his head, looked about and realized where he was. He looked to his side to see a bed identical to his and realized that the other lump in the sheets was Kane.
“Is he awake?” Jarryd asked, surprising both the doctor and Tracy.
“What?” Tracy asked as she turned to see him looking over at Kane, “Not yet, no. But we are hoping he does soon, he’s alive and seems to be breathing on his own, but we will have to wait until he wakes up to see if there is any brain damage.” She said. The doctor exchanged a glare with Tracy as she walked over to take Jarryd’s hand and spoke.
“I’m so sorry Jarryd, I didn’t mean for you guys to find out this way. It’s not fair and I should have said something sooner.”
“Yes, you should have. I don’t want to talk to you, where’s my mum?” he asked.
“She’s in the waiting room getting some forms for us.”
“What kind of forms?” he asked.
“It’s not important, what is important is that you are okay. Okay?”
“Whatever, like you care.” He replied coldly, looking over to check on Kane.
"Jarryd-" She started.
"No, don't Jarryd me. I don't want to hear it! You're all as bad as each other. I don't care what caused you two to fight the way you did, I know but I don't want to know. What I do know for sure is that you have lied to both of us for the past eighteen years of our lives. That is what isn't fair, so before you start chirping on that us being upset or angry with the two of you isn't fair and that you didn't have a choice, stop and think. You did have a choice. You chose to keep this from us. You chose to lie, and your choice ended up with one man dead, two almost dead and a so-called 'friend' walking out of your lives. So don't give me any crap about it not being fair or that you think you care about how we are or how we feel. I fell in love with somebody, and now I have to find out by a stranger that the person I fell in love with, is actually. My cousin!" He said, pulling a somewhat disgusted look as he though about the last two words. The two of them sat in silence, Tracy felt her eyes drawn to her feet like magnets.
Nicole came through shortly and eyed Jarryd sitting on the bed.