Title:
Big Heroes and
Little sisters
Author
(s): Debbie Keese
debbieketx1@wmconnect.com
Category:
ATF
Pairing:
All the M7 guys make an appearance.
Archive:
yes
Author's
note (optional):
This is an alternative universe of the ATF Universe where Buck has a
little sister that he and Chris and Sarah raised till Sarah and Adam were
killed. This universe is closed to
the general public. Also this is
the first part of a series leading up to a romance that will eventually be
finished. I just can't say when.
Disclaimer:
I don't own the guys that honor belongs to Mirsch, Trilogy
entertainment, and MGM. I have just brought them out to play and will return
them more or less unscathed.
Buck sat in the silence of his condo. JD had moved in but was out with Casey for a rare night off from her part time job and college studies. He noticed how quiet the condo was when, for the first time in seven years there was no, undeniably not his type, blaring music drowning out his Jimmy Buffett. No TV or any of the other typical sounds that usually emanated when his sister was around.
When the phone rang, he grabbed it. "You have jeep problems? I knew I shouldn't have let you buy that hunk of junk."
"I'm fine. Just called to check on you and how you are doing with the empty nest syndrome."
"I'm fine and you're a brat."
"Yeah well you should have sold me to the gypsies when you had the chance."
"Worst business decision I ever made." He could hear the laughing in the background. He knew who was there. "So what are you and Marcie up to?" He couldn't believe those two had been best friends since 1st grade.
"Oh you know our usual drunken debauchery on a Saturday night."
"You two get one beer and I'm throwing whichever clerk sells it to you into jail."
"It was a joke. Gee you'd think working with Vin and Ezra and even JD you would get a sense of humor."
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah."
"So call Lisa. I'm sure shed love to hear from you."
"How do you know about Lisa?"
"I have my sources."
"I forgot something at the condo. Can I come bye tomorrow?"
"Sure anytime, you don't have to ask. I don't think I have any clothes left you'd want?'
"Got to go but I'll be by before you go to the ranch."
"JD's not replacing you with anybody."
"I know." Buck wondered if she really did know she hadn't been replaced. JD was the little brother he had never had. He wouldn't have missed out on being Brie's big brother for anything but a little brother was different.
She hung up the phone and her best friend looked at her. She just shrugged. They talked about their plans for the night and agreed to go to the party at John Wilson's for which they were amazed they had been invited. Their reputations as nondrinkers were legendary. Of course, if you had any of the Magnificent Seven Team looking over your shoulder you would be a teetotaler too until you were of age. The party was good and, at the end, the girls were not drunk. Fear of Buck having a lot to do with their ability to avoid peer pressure to drink. Though this one night they had both violated their own rules and both had a couple of beers not enough to get them drunk just enough to impair their driving abilities.
They were in Marcie's viper and headed toward the dorm room.
"Hey lets go to Chris's he said we could come out there whenever we wanted
Marcie agreed that it was good idea. Marcie, like Brie, was a good kid but she also had the same flaw that would prove fatal to her -- the love of speed. She had an outrageous insurance rate. They were flying down the highway not even noticing the falling rain or the dangerous curves. That was when they flew threw the red light laughing and slammed into railing.
Buck growled when he answered the phone. He was also worried that something would happen now that his sister wasn't under his roof. He knew she was a good kid, but still she was just a kid. He was up immediately when the Denver police department told him about the wreck. He said he would meet them at Denver Memorial and then immediately woke JD and told him to call Chris.
Buck rushed to the hospital, thinking the whole way about where the wreck had occurred. They had a wreck on the way to Chris' but why were they going to Chris' at three in the morning?
At the hospital, they told him Marcie had been killed instantly and that his sister was in surgery.
He paced furious and was no help to the police when they got there. Chris was the first to arrive, he had broken the land speed record from his house.''
"How is she?"
"Marcie's dead even though she was wearing the seatbelt. They both know better than that. I have told them 10 million times don't speed and not to drink. What in the hell were those girls thinking."
Buck knew he couldn't lose his sister. She was his last link to his mother.
"We're not going to lose her." Chris considered Brianna to be as much his as Buck's; she had lived with him and Sarah after their mother had died right up until after Adam and Sarah had died.
He remembers the night that Buck had gotten home from Vegas with his sister.
Sarah brought up the subject again
after she had thoroughly cleaned Buck's apartment. Chris had even helped.
"He can't raise a little girl by
himself."
"That's a lot work you're taking
on."
"Lots of women have two children.
I'll just basically have four." They stopped when they heard the door open.
Buck looked around his apartment it was different. It was clean. He had his
little sister in his arms and looked like he hadn't slept in the week he had
been gone.
"Stud, you look like you're about
to drop."
"She's not sleeping too good
right now. I just need to get to the couch." He made his way over.
"That idiot neighbor of Ma's told
her that Ma had gone to sleep."
Sarah reached out and stroked the
little girl's head.
"Now every time she goes to sleep
she thinks she's not going to wake up. I think little bit has slept for fifteen
minutes in the last three days."
Sarah offered to put her in the spare
bed they had picked up for her. "No if she's not with me she senses it and
starts screaming for me, just let us rest here." He leaned his head back
with the five year old still curled in his shoulder. Sarah and Chris watched
them. An sure enough within
five minutes the little girl was awake
but assured by her brother being there felt better till she realized he was
asleep. She immediately pried open his eyes to make sure he wasn't sleeping like
their mother.
"Brie, darlin, Ole Buck told you.
Your Mama isn't asleep." Brianna wanted to
understand but she couldn't figure it
out why Buck kept saying she wasn't asleep and Mrs. Wilson had said Mama was
sleeping. She just started to cry again. "Sssh I got ya. Ole Buck's got you
baby."
"I not a baby. I a big girl. Mama
said I was her big girl." Buck nodded and then the little girl noticed
Chris and Sarah. "I know you." She pointed at Chris. "Your Crits.
Buck quickly suggested that he try to
get her to bed. Sarah was watching Chris.
"She's small for five."
"Yeah she was a preemie."
In the spare bedroom, Buck was getting
his sister into her sleeper. He was trying to explain about their mother but,
unfortunately, the little girl believed her brother could do anything. even
bring back her mama.
"But why not Mama told me that
... " she suddenly started crying and launched herself at her brother. He
held her. "Mama never going to wake up."
Buck shook his head no. "Buts her
loved us lots."
Buck nodded and looked up to see
Sarah. He knew Sarah had taught kindergarten and hoped she could help him.
"How about you let me talk to
her." Sarah looked at the scared little girl.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a
friend of your brothers." She knew Buck and Chris had talked about her a
lot. "Can we talk while your brother rests?"
"He not go to sleep." Sarah
assured her that he wouldn't go to sleep like their mother. She explained death
wasn't sleeping and she stayed and talked and answered all the little girl's
questions. In the living room, Buck was about to drop. "What am I going to
do with a little girl?"
"You don't want her?"
"I want her. I just don't know if
I'm the best for her, but I can't give her up."
"Sarah thinks she should live
with us?"
Buck looked at his partner, best
friend and brother.
"She knows you love your sister.
She just thinks your sister could use a
more normal family. And you could stay
in the old bunkhouse."
The people who had previously owned
the ranch had converted the bunkhouse into a guesthouse.
"You normal? I don't think so
Stud. You'd scare the kid to death with a glare in five seconds or spoil her
completely rotten."
Sarah came in then and helped to
explain the reasoning.
Buck was brought back to reality as the doctor came in. He and Chris were there immediately, listening intently as the doctor told him his sister was in ICU with several broken ribs, a severe concussion and bruising to her spinal column which was causing swelling, Her kidneys also had been bruised. He went on to tell them that they wouldn't know the results of the bruised and
swollen spinal column until she woke up.
"Where are Marcie's parents?"
"Europe for the season." Buck did his imitation of Marcie's parents. He was always amazed at what a great kid she was even though she had suffered tons of neglect by her parents. He then thought of telling his sister somebody else she had loved had died.
"Oh God, Chris I cant do this to her again." Buck sat down and put his head in his hands. "She's only eighteen how do I tell her somebody else that she loved is gone." Chris looked at him and understood. She had been twelve when Adam and Sarah had died. Chris was immediately transported to the morning they left.
"How come Breezy gets to go to
the airport with you?" Adam didn't think it was fair and Chris and Sarah
explained once again her class was taking a trip to DC for the week.
They could hear Buck lecturing her
about talking to anyone and not to get into trouble and to be careful.
"How come her class gets to go
for a week away from home and mine can't?"
They explained she was older and
bigger.
Brianna came running through the
kitchen with Sarah yelling 'don't run in the house' and Buck chasing her calling
her a brat.
She looked at her husband.
"I think I have three children
sometimes."
"Two and a 1/2. Breezy knows how
to act like a grown up sometime."
"So do I, Daddy."
"Yeah but your still our little
guy."
Buck and Brianna came in and Sarah
lectured them about running in the house.
"Don't worry I'm bringing you
something great back from DC."
"I want to go."
Buck thought it was a great idea.
Brianna glared at her brother.
"So is Michael what's his name
going to be there?"
"Yes."
"Maybe you shouldn't go." He
didn't want his sister around some walking hormone with tennis shoes. Brianna
threw her 'help me-he's starting' look at Sarah and Chris. Chris wanted to agree
with Buck on this but one look from Sarah stopped him.
Buck lectured her all the way to the
airport about strangers and anything else he could think.
"Chris, stop him please."
"Sorry Breezy."
"Little Bit, are you
listening?"
"You can't call me that in
public. Chris don't let him call me that in public
please." He said he'd tell him
and told Buck not to do it. Buck stated he would try. Brianna leaned back and
wondered why Sarah couldn't have dropped her off. At the airport, she was glad
to hear their plane called before hers.
"You sure you want to do
this?"
"I'm sure, go to Mexico."
Buck glared at all the boys mingling and Chris drug him off.
The next day when they arrived at
home, they received the news. Buck called and Brianna was sent home immediately
he had so many emotions running through his head when she stepped off the plane.
Happiness that she was still alive and not dead like Adam and Sarah, then guilt
for being happy. Fear of losing her. He grabbed her the minute she stepped off
the plane and didn't want to let go ever. The teacher had told her. She was
crying before he even hugged her.
"We're going to be okay little
bit." She didn't mind it this time. For some reason it made her feel safe
that he called her that. "Lets get your stuff and go home okay."
"I don't want to go to the
ranch."
"No baby we're going to the
condo?" Buck had kept his condo so that he could take his many dates
somewhere away from prying little eyes and nosy questions. She nodded and they
got her luggage each lost in their own grief. Sarah had been her mother, sister
and friend. Adam had been the little brother she would never have and she
relished in the role of protector and tormentor. She finally could bring herself
to speak.
"How's Chris?"
"Chris is hurting now." Brie
nodded she wondered why they weren't going to be with Chris.
She remembered that people had been
all over the place when their mother died.
At the hospital Buck suddenly glared at his best friend he remembered how bad Brianna had hurt and wanted to see, Chris and he wouldn't see her till the funeral. He was angry about the speeding and he couldn't yell at the girls for being stupid but there was somebody he could take all his feelings out on.
"You bastard, you sit here like you love her."
"I do love her."
"Then why did you push her away? She was a little girl who lost half the family she had. She loved them and you cared just about yourself."
Chris nodded he couldn't argue that the first three years after the death he had been in his own little hell and hadn't cared about anything. But Buck had always been there.
"She needed you."
"Buck, I couldn't face her."
"She was a little girl she shouldn't have been the grown up. Your just a selfish bastard."
Buck wanted to beat the hell out of someone and Chris was handy. He was about to lose it.
This had been the longest night of his life and Brianna was still unconscious in ICU. Josiah was the first of the team to enter.
"Brother you don't want to do this?"
"Oh hell yeah, I do."
"It's not going to make your sister better." Buck needed somebody to take this out on and he had truly been angry for the way Chris had treated his sister. The ignoring her even when she went to the ranch. He also didn't know about the reason they had reconnected. Only three people knew Marcie, Chris and Brianna. Josiah moved Buck away. Chris was lost in his own memories.
Chris heard the phone ring…and knew
it was Buck, even though he had seen him a few nights ago. They had talked and
it felt good. Buck was considering coming with him to the ATF. He had seen
Brianna around town, and few times when she had come by the ranch to check on
the horses when he was missing. He couldn't believe what a beautiful young lady
she had turned into. She had always been with Marcie. Buck had said they were
even closer now,
more like sisters.
He reached over and growled into the
phone.
"Mr. Larabee." Chris tried
to figure out who the voice was and he was trying to think through his hangover.
"It's Marcie. Remember me? Brie's
friend."
He sat up immediately he knew that
Buck was out of town.
"Brie's going to be mad that I
called you but somebody has to help her." She kept rambling and Chris
finally got her to calm down and got the story from her. Her parents were gone
again and they had invited some friends over and started playing quarters and
Brie was really sick and crying.
Chris asked if she still lived in the
same place. She told him she did and to hurry. Brie needed him really bad. Chris
pulled up at the place. The house was huge he remembered how Marcie and Brie
were always at the ranch preferring it to this place. He found Marcie, the other
kids had disappeared. He noticed the mess.
"Must have been some party."
"Buck's going to kill us when he
finds out."
"What about your parents."
"Nah they won't care. Brie's in
the tree house. She's mad about you coming over."
He nodded and headed out the back.
Brie threw her boot at him. "Stay
away. I don't want you here."
"Brie, I cant. I love you."
"No, you don't. don't come up
here."
Chris didn't listen and climbed up.
"Go away."
"I cant."
"Why not? You've done it for the
last three years. Even when I came by the ranch."
Chris nodded. He had only seen her
when he absolutely had to. He reached for her to stop the tears.
She backed away. "don't. I don't
want you here."
"Breezy."
"don't call me that. I'm not your
Breezy. You don't care about me so why are you here?"
"I do care. I was hurting so bad
I couldn't see or think straight. That bomb was supposed to kill me not
them." She looked at him.
"God if you hadn't had that field
trip we could have lost you too."
"You wouldn't have cared."
"That would have killed me and
Buck both. We wouldn't have been able to
have gone on."
Brianna wanted to believe Chris.
"I didn't stay away from you
because I hated you. I could never hate you.
I had to stay away to keep you
safe."
"No, you didn't."
"I couldn't protect Adam and
Sarah." At the mention of their names, she started crying harder and he got
close enough to put his arms around her.
"I know baby I know."
"I miss them so much."
Chris started rocking her. "Why
did you have to push us away."
"Because I was a selfish
bastard."
She looked at him.
"I was so wrong and I have missed
you so much." They talked for about an hour. While Marcie kept pacing
downstairs trying to figure out how much trouble, they were going to be in.
Eventually he got her to agree to come
down and the three of them went into the kitchen and he started getting them
sobered up. Eventually they were more sober but not much more.
"You two want to explain what
happened here tonight?" They looked at each other. It may have been three
years but they both knew that tone and remembered it. They both tried to explain
it. He listened and understood they had been unsupervised and both were in big
trouble. They had taken big risks and so much could have gone wrong.
"Both of you go get your stuff
and get in my truck."
They both knew that come tomorrow when
he was sure they were completely sober he was going to shoot them.
The next morning when Brianna woke up.
She was shocked to see herself in her old bedroom and looked over at Marcie who
was also awake.
"We are at Chris's. Oh God my
head. I'm going to die. I am never going to drink again."
"Yeah you scared the hell out of
me and he was the only one I could think of to call."
"Yeah thanks, I think." Both
girls got dressed and made their way to the kitchen where Chris was scrambling
eggs and frying bacon. Both girls were immediately nauseous and ran to the
bathroom. Chris knew hangovers were hell and he wasn't going to play fair with
them. They both could have been seriously injured. When they returned to the
kitchen they couldn't believe how obnoxious the eggs and bacon and milk smelt.
He simply sat the plates in front of the girls.
The girls just looked at the plates
not even wanting food, much less this.
Chris looked at the girls.
"Eat."
The girls did that and when they were
finished, they just wanted to get out of there before he could start lecturing.
He did lecture and the girls knew they
were going to die either from the sound level of his voice.
Then he delivered the cruelest blow
with hangovers-their first and, they swore, their last -- they were going to
help him clean out the barn.
Chris brought himself back to reality. He looked over at Buck and knew he needed to get through to Buck. Nathan had been conferring with the doctor. Ezra walked in next. He went over to Buck. Josiah was trying to get him to calm down.
"He shouldn't be here."
"Buck you don't mean that."
"He hurt her so bad when he turned away."
"Perhaps he was trying to protect her. From the darkness that enveloped him."
"It hurt her so bad to lose the three of them."
"She forgave him."
"Yeah the weekend that I went to Aspen. She and Marcie ended up staying at Chris' nobody ever told me why that happened. I'm not sure I want to know." The doctor nurse came out and told him that he could enter the ICU now. Buck went and was shocked. She always looked young to him but, lying there, she looked even younger. He wondered how it was possible. He just sat there and stared at her trying to figure out how he was going to tell her that she'd lost somebody else she loved.
In the waiting room, Nathan was telling Chris what he had learned. Chris was distracted and only heard the part about the spinal cord.
"She's paralyzed?"
"They won't know more till she wakes up."
"God, Breezy, may never walk again." Chris stepped into ATF leader mode. This was the only way he could cope with what had happened. "I want to know everything about that party who supplied the booze." The toxicology report on Marcie, and the one they had run on Brie had shown low-level amounts of alcohol in their blood. He started issuing orders to the rest. Vin watched him.
"Chris you sure you want us to leave?"
"Yeah I want to know who is responsible for under age kids drinking and I want to know yesterday." The rest left reluctantly. Chris sat back and waited. He was going in there and if Buck tried to stop him well, Buck was his oldest friend but Brianna - well that was a different story altogether.
In the ICU Buck was alternating between ordering her to wake up, and pleading with God for her to wake up. Sometime the next day she did.
"Buck? What happened?"
"Little Bit, there was a car wreck."
"Where's Marcie, and don't call me that, I'm to old to be a little bit." She started looking around for her friend.
Buck tried not to react he didn't want her getting upset. He simply said Marcie wasn't there. Brie was tired and wanted to go back to sleep but she knew her brother was upset.
"Don't be mad at Chris not his fault."
"What?" Buck was confused. "What about Chris."
"He loves me. It's just hard for him to let people close to him."
The doctor walked in. He told Brianna they wanted to check her
legs. They did the tests and she didn't feel anything.
"I thought you were going to test my legs."
"You didn't feel it."
"Nope."
Buck felt sick to his stomach. His baby sister was paralyzed. The doctor told her rest he needed to speak to her brother.
In the hall, he told Buck that Brianna was paralyzed and that he would set up a physical therapy schedule to begin as soon as she was able. The doctor walked off and Chris walked over.
"Why are you here?"
"For Breezy."
"She doesn't need you now. Chris, leave." Buck was angry and he needed to take it out on someone.
"I'm not going anywhere." Brianna could hear them and tried to move. She had to stop them.
When she couldn't move her legs, she got scared and yelled for both of them. Both men came running.
"Brie, you got stay in bed."
"Why can't I move my legs?"
"You hurt your back."
"Why are you and Chris fighting?"
"We aren't fighting." Buck didn't add yet and they would be if Chris didn't leave. Brianna knew something was up. She wanted both Buck and Chris there.
"Everything is okay."
"Chris, don't leave."
Buck caught his breath he hadn't expected that.
"Stay okay."
"I'm not going anywhere Breezy." She rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe they were calling her Breezy or Little bit right now.
She looked at them. "What's going on? Buck you look like you want to beat him up. Chris you look like you are willing to let him do that. I want to know what is going on and so help me the first person that calls me Little Bit or Breezy is getting knocked out. What is going on?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah right! You want to try something believable now?" They both didn't want her to know about the guilt and anger.
"I want to know where Marcie is." She noticed both men caught their
breath. "Where is Marcie what happened to her?"
Buck and Chris both knew they couldn't keep putting it off but upon hearing her anguished cries demanding to know what had happened, the battle-ax of a nurse arrived with a sedative. When Brianna was out Buck looked at the nurse.
"The doctor simply felt it would be wiser if she didn't hear about her friend till she was stronger."
"Still, keeping her drugged isn't going to get her better."
The nurse explained it was only until she was moved out of ICU in a few days when she was stronger. Buck looked at Chris who was watching her.
"Why are you still here?"
"I told you why."
"So now you love her but just until you lose somebody else." Buck knew he was being cruel but this was his sister. "I don't want her hurt anymore than she already has been by you."
"I know I hurt her. She forgave me."
"She's too forgiving."
"I thought you had as well."
Buck thought he had too. "What changed it?"
"All I know is she's been hurt to much and you're part of the reason."
After three days she was moved to a regular room. There had been no change in her legs and she had consistently asked for Marcie and each time the answer was vague. They knew they had to tell her eventually when the time was right. And, though it went against every fiber of his body, Buck let Chris know that since his sister loved Chris, Buck would allow him to stay with her.
"It's been four days and nobody will tell me anything about Marcie. Where is she? Is she okay?"
"Little Bit, Marcie..." God he couldn't do this. How could he tell her that her best friend the one who had raided his closets with her was dead? He looked at Chris who was feeling the same thing.
"Marcie is."
Brianna cut him off before he could finish.
"That's not true. She's 18 and she's not dead. She's not dead."
Buck tried to tell her it was true.
"No its not! Quit saying that. I would know if she was dead. She's like a sister. I would know she's not dead." She begins to get hysterical and Buck called for a nurse. The nurse came in as Chris was trying to get her calmed down. Brianna was too upset to even think about calming down, however.
When the nurse came back with the needle Brianna really got upset. She hated needles and she was afraid of them.
"No....Buck please…." Buck was next to her and he and Chris switched places without communication. "Buck please, no, I don't wanna shot."
She was crying hysterically focusing on the needle. "Please just tell me you were wrong about Marcie."
"I cant, Darlin. It's going to be okay it'll help you feel better." He got the sleeve of the gown up. "It's going to help you Little Bit."
"Please Buck, I'll be good."
The nurse gave her the shot and within minutes she was asleep.
Buck laid her down on the bed to sleep. Chris looked at him. Neither one of them had left her they were always with her.
Chris and Buck continued to stare at each other. Vin watched them and noticed that Brie was asleep and both men still looked ready to kill each other.
"Why don't you two go settle this and I'll stay with her."
Buck didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with his sister. Vin looked at him and took a deep breath. "You two need to work this out. She knows something is up and its hurting her. Now get out of here and go talk."
They went to the parking garage figuring there would be fewer people to see them argue.
"You need to leave."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Your not needed here."
"I thought we had gotten past this."
"What? You think I'm going to let you let her down again?"
"Brie understood."
"She was 12 year old girl who worshipped the ground you walked in and you just turned your back on her."
Chris was tired. He hadn't slept since the accident and he knew Buck hadn't either.
"You hurt her. Then over one weekend you just go back to being good ole Chris. You abandoned her once, you don't get a second chance to do that now." Buck didn't care that he was being irrational. Somebody was going to pay for what his sister was enduring and Chris was the nearest target.
Chris was just as angry with Buck and was tired of the attacks.
Buck swung first, taking the last week's anger and frustration out on Chris. Chris was more than willing to take his frustration out on Buck. They were doing an excellent job of beating the hell out of each other when the guys arrived. Josiah and Nathan broke up the fight.
"What is going on?"
"He's going to pay for hurting Brie."
"I think he's paid in more ways than this Buck."
"Not enough."
Nathan said they needed to get cleaned up. Chris just glared at the men for
stopping the fight. Ezra asked about Brianna.
"She knows about Marcie and she's been sedated."
Buck glared at Chris and wanted to throw another punch.
In her hospital room Brianna started coming around and was surprised to see Vin instead of Chris or Buck.
"Where are they?"
"They went to get some air."
Brianna looked at him. She knew something bad was going on.
"Marcie is dead. She's my best friend and 18 how can she be dead."
"Sometimes it happens." Before he could finish the litany of charges Marcie would be facing if she was alive Buck came into the room.
"She doesn't need to hear all that."
"Buck."
"Get out, my sister doesn't need to hear anything about what happened. Get out Junior just get out."
When he left, Brianna looked at her brother convinced he was losing his mind.
"You need something little bit?"
"I just wondered when you lost your mind."
"I haven't,"
She just sighed.
"You need to get some rest."
"I don't want to rest. I want to know about Marcie. Did she suffer? Did she say anything why couldn't they save her? I know she was wearing her seatbelt." Buck told her no and tried to reassure her but then came the next question. "When's the funeral."
"There wasn't one."
"What?"
"Her parents had cremated and put in the family tomb."
"They did when?"
"While you were in ICU, all you've done is sleep for the last few days."
Brianna couldn't believe they had done it. "You didn't stop them." She was ticked at Marcie's parents but Buck was handy. "Why didn't you stop them? Why couldn't you stop them? She thought of us as family not them."
Buck held her and he knew what she was saying was true. "Marcie would hate that. She was scared of fire. How could they do that when she was scared of fire?"
Buck didn't have the answers so he just held her and let her cry.
Brie then brought up his face "What happened?"
"I ran into something?"
Brianna knew instinctively what it was. "You ran into Chris's fists didn't' you?" Buck looked at his sister and shrugged.
"I don't know why you're mad at him?"
Buck wasn't going to have this conversation his sister had a blind spot when it came to Chris.
"Buck, we worked it out." She then saw Chris. "Let me guess you ran
into his fists." She looked at both men and sighed. "So when do I get out of here?"
"You have to stay for a while for physical therapy."
"Why cant I just come back for it?"
"They want you to stay." She nodded and the nurse brought in the food.
"Look here's your lunch."
"I'm not hungry." She was angry and wasn't sure about who or why. "I just want to sleep. And I want you to get some too."
Both men said they weren't going anywhere.
"All right then you can stay but the first cross word from either has me calling security to toss you out of here."
Both men sat across from each other on each side of the bed. Angry at life and at each other. They had both somehow managed to fall asleep in the chairs when she noticed the other five staring from the door and groaned. Buck and Chris were both awake in heartbeat. Both asking if she was in pain.
"No, I just wish everybody would go home and leave me alone." She wanted to grieve and she wasn't going
to do it around her family. She thought you were supposed to grieve alone since they had always tried to protect her
from the pain of losing the ones you love. Buck looked at his sister and shook his head no. Chris did the same thing.
They weren't going to leave her alone and in pain.