This choice: "He's at home. We thought it best if I broke the news to you alone." • Go Back...Chapter #6"He's at home. We thought it best if I ... by: Wassel   "He's at home," he told you. Thinking it best if he broke this news to you alone. Adding, "I know all this must be a huge shock for you as it is."
"Just a little bit, yeah..." you nodded. This being an understatement.
"But I want you to know, he is still your brother underneath, no matter what he looks like now, or who we're supposed to pretend he is around others. He's gonna need us now more than ever. So you're gonna have to be strong."
Reigning in your tears as best you could, aware that your dad was right, you responded with, "I... I'll try." So much had occurred since you'd been out of it, so much that you had yet to discover or even understand. But the main thing was that David was apparently safe and doing okay (even if it was in your mother's body), and you were going to have to be there for him now. No matter what differences or petty squabbles the two of you had had in the past, or how much this whole thing seemed more like a bad dream than actual real life. You were his big brother. You loved him. It was time to show him that.
Going over a few more details then, about David, and your mother (as well as Tabitha and Randall etc.), you watched as twenty or so minutes later Dr. Kerry returned, informing you all that he had to run a few tests, but that your dad was welcome to come back after.
Saying goodbye to him then after giving each other another hug, Dr. Kerry did his final check up, assuring you that everything looked fine and that you should be out by tomorrow - much to your delight. Though you had obviously been unconscious during pretty much your entire stay, your body really did feel like needed to be up and moving about again. Your legs and arms feeling a lot like dead weights. Thankfully, once the drugs began to wear off an hour or two later, two nurses assisted you out of bed and you were given a little exercise to get your limbs working again.
During all this however, your thoughts still remained on David and what he had now become. How was his life going to be now? He was a girl. And not just any girl. Your own mother... His own mother. He had always been semi popular amongst his own crowd as far as you were aware (more so than you even), having recently gotten into that whole Emo thing with his friends. This now was about as far a jump as you could get. Although your dad had said he was doing okay, considering, you just hoped this was true and he wasn't just telling your what you wanted to hear. All you knew was that once you got out of hospital and actually had to face him for the first time - as your mother - well, you just hoped it was something you would actually be able to handle. After all, hearing that your brother was now your mom and actually seeing that he was now your mom were two different things entirely!
That night you found yourself unable to sleep - your head too busy swimming with thoughts of David and your mother. About how he was, all the things you used to do together when you were little, and how much he had started to annoy you now. Just like you, he took after your dad more than he did your mom, having somewhat of a slim, skinny build with shaggy light brown hair (which he'd recently died black). Also like you, while he wasn't exactly what you'd call a stud or anything, he was a decent looking guy, having in the last month, gotten his first proper girlfriend. Presumably she would now be under the impression that he was dead, as would all of his other weird friends. His life was now gone, replaced instead with that of your mom's. With that of a middle aged housewife and mother. A mother that you still couldn't quite believe was gone.
The following day you were awoken to slightly more encouraging news however. The Doctors informing you that you'd been given the all clear and that you would be able to go home. Thank Christ for that, you thought, as your parents arrived to pick you up. Unfortunately having the rather unpleasant task of signing all the various pieces of paperwork that prevented you from revealing David's secret first.
"It's for the best, son." your father again assured you as you signed it, feeling slightly guilty and more than a little treacherous as you did - as if you were signing away the last vestiges of your little brother's life.
After that was all taken care of, and after being reminded about various checkups both you and your brother would need to come back for, you said your goodbyes to both Dr. Kerry and Saunders and you were on your way. Back inside a car for the first time since the accident (which considering the outcome of your previous journey didn't really seem like that big of a deal).
Pretty much all of the journey home was spent finding out about how things had been going on with David in your absence. How he'd been coping with life as a mother and a housewife, seeing as, even though the school holidays were now over and class had begun the week before, he couldn't really go back to school now. He was now a 42 year old woman, and 42 year old women didn't go to school. Instead he'd apparently been carrying out your mother's duties in her absence. Doing the cooking, cleaning, and all the rest of the housework she used to do. Finding this, more than anything, almost impossible to get your head around. Housework and your little brother definitely not mixing. Or at least they hadn't done. Your father filling you in on how he'd actually picked up a few things in the last few months from your mother. Something to do with still having about 95% of her brain. Her subconscious seemingly having seeped its way into his. Making actually pretending to be her a hell of a lot easier than it should be.
As for your little sister, she was now back at school and had seemingly come to accept, just as your father had, David both looking and having to act like your mom. Having had a whole month to get used to the fact. Unlike you. You'd only had one day so far, and according to your father, it took the both of them quite some time to get there too, so you figured in someways, this at least held out some hope that you'd get used to it too. As impossible as that seemed right now.
Arriving at your house, not twenty minutes later, your father assisted you in getting out (still being rather stiff when you sat for prolonged periods of time), and you were soon greeted by your little sister, who raced out the front door to greet you. Throwing her arms around you as she did.
"It's good to see you too, Tabs" you smiled, as your father told her to give you some space. Having never before received such a warm welcome from your little sister. Mind you, you'd never been in a coma before.
While she told you how glad she was to have you back, as well as frantically tried to fill you in on everything you'd missed this last month, your father grabbing your things out of the trunk and you headed inside. Aware that there was one person absent from this scene. David. Having not come out to greet you.
"Oh, he's upstairs," Tabitha told you. "I think he was a little worried about how you were going to react when you saw him. Said he should probably give you a little space for a while."
"You've got to remember, Tim," your father added, dumping your stuff in the living room floor. "This is going to be just as awkward for him as it is for you."
You didn't doubt this. In fact being rather glad that he'd given you a little bit of breathing space. Feeling butterflies in your stomach ever since you'd pulled up in the drive. Somewhat dreading this reunion now, as well as how exactly you were going to react. Would you see David in there, or simply your mother? Would he even be the same little brother you knew?
Only one way to find out I guess, you decided. Looking towards the stairs.
Your father asking then, "Do you want me to come up with you?"
"No. It's cool," you told him. Needing to do this yourself. Pretty sure that it was going to be strange and awkward enough as it was without your dad being there too, making it even more so.
"Alright. Well we'll give you some space for a while," he replied. Ushering your little sister into the kitchen then. Giving you a few last parting words before he went. "Remember, he's still the same person underneath. He's still just David." And with that he was gone.
Alone now. In more familiar surroundings, you took a deep breath and repeated this inside your head. He's still just David. He's still just David. Mentally preparing yourself for what was to come. Making your way slowly up the stairs then, and looking first towards your little brother's room, then to your parents. Unsure where exactly you would find him. Settling finally on his room and gently knocking on the door.
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