Dating My Brother's Best Friend

by Kate Swain

  “So, of course I want to be involved!” he said firmly. He sounded a little annoyed.

  “Mark,” I said tiredly, “you’re not a one-woman man. I know that about you. I don’t have any expectations beyond an occasional visit sometimes…”

  “Damn it, Maddy!” he said. I could see how pained he was. “Of course, I want to be involved.” He sounded desperate.

  I shook my head. “Mark, you’re not the sort of man who I see as a role model or reliable parent. What if you had our baby and one night at a bar you wanted to bring home a woman that you just met? How do you think I’d feel if you did that, when our baby was in the house with some stranger?”

  “Maddy Barnes,” he said, and his voice was stiff with anger. “Don’t you ever say that about me again. I will be a responsible, loving parent.”

  I stood up. Inside, I felt a satisfied that I had made him angry. I had thought he would be angry, thought he would decide not to be involved. And now he was showing himself, letting down the façade of being tender and gentle-hearted.

  “Fine,” I said. “I won’t say that about you. I won’t say anything about you. I’ll just take off and get out of your life…”

  I walked past the big, wide windows in the front of the living room and as I approached the front door, something shattered and I fell as something hard hit me on the side of the head.

  I might have screamed; I don’t know. Dazed and confused, I heard the sound of Mark, yelling out my name. The world went dark for a moment. I blinked, my head thumping like it was broken.

  “Maddy,” Mark said.

  I felt his hand on my shoulder, gently shaking me. I could not focus my eyes. “Mark?” I whispered. I tried to roll over.

  “No, Maddy, don’t move,” he said softly. “The window broke. There’s glass everywhere. You’ll cut yourself.”

  I tried to get up, but he lifted a hand. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “Just stay there. You got hit by glass and I think a brick, which was on the floor near Maddy. I’m going to call an ambulance. Just stay,” he added, lifting a hand as he got out his phone. He dialed 911 and we waited until we heard the sound of a siren, coming up the road. Mark sat beside me and held my hand as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.

  24

  Mark

  I sat beside Maddy, holding her hand. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I looked around. A car took off in the street, a second or two after the window was smashed. I tried to see the license plate, but I didn't have the chance to catch it.

  Now, I held Maddy’s hand and sat in the dark, trying to think clearly.

  “Mark,” Maddy whispered. I looked down at her, my hand stroking her head. Then, as I felt something sticky, I stiffened, shocked.

  “Maddy. You’re bleeding.”

  “Mark…” she murmured, as I stood up and ran to the kitchen, trying to avoid the shards of broken glass. It was all over the living room and some of the smaller splinters skidded as far as the kitchen floor. I grabbed a towel off the counter and ran back to her.

  There was blood in her hair. I should have noticed it sooner, I thought, cursing myself. A piece of glass had cut her head, just on the inner side of the hairline. I pressed the towel to her head, feeling blood soak it.

  “Maddy,” I murmured. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  She twisted around to look up at me. She was still lying down, but she struggled to sit. “Mark,” she said gently. “You didn’t do it.”

  “I know,” I said. I felt my pain turn to rage. “I wish I knew who…”

  “Shh,” Maddy said, laying a hand on my arm, gently restraining my anger. “It doesn’t matter who did it. I’m okay. You’re okay. Whoever meant to cause trouble has gone. That’s what matters.”

  “Yeah,” I said, but I didn’t mean that. I saw blood on her hair and I wanted to kill whoever did this.

  The doorbell rang. “That’ll be the paramedics,” I said and jumped up.

  “Mark, be careful of the glass,” Maddy murmured. I made it to the main door without getting cut. I unlocked door and invited them in.

  “Mr. Brand?” the paramedic said. He was a bit older than me, with a graying beard and gentle eyes.

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “Please come in. My girlfriend’s bleeding.”

  “Okay. Listen? Get the kit. And the stretcher. It looks like we’ll need it,” the medic said. It was only as he reached Maddy that I registered what I’d said.

  My girlfriend.

  I felt a flutter of joy in my chest at the thought of her as my girlfriend.

  “Maddy?” I said, bending down as the medical team reached her, picking their way through the glass. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said warmly as the older guy dabbed at the cut in her head and the young man brought the stretcher in.

  “This needs stitches,” he said to Maddy gently. “If it’s okay, I think you should go to the hospital now.”

  “Okay,” Maddy nodded. I turned and looked at the guys.

  “I’m coming too.”

  “You should call the police, Mr. Brand,” the ambulance guy said gently. “You can’t leave the place like this.” He nodded at the open window. I swallowed hard.

  “I’ll do that now,” I said. “But I want to go with Maddy to the hospital.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” the medic said thoughtfully. “I’ll use wound glue and see if it stops the bleeding. Then you can call the police and get organized and drive to the doctor later. If her blood pressure is normal and the bleeding stops, we’ll go,” he added, grinning at Maddy, who nodded.

  “Yes.”

  They checked her blood-pressure, which seemed to be normal. He did what he’d suggested, bandaging the cut and stopping the bleeding, and then they left. I called the police.

  “They’re coming in about ten minutes,” I said to Maddy. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she said softly. We had managed to get her to the sofa. I went to the kitchen to get a broom.

  “Let me,” she said, but I shook my head.

  “You stay there. You were hit pretty hard. You might have a concussion or something. As soon as the police are here, we’re going to the doctor.”

  “Yes, Mark,” she said. I could hear a slight teasing note and I smiled. She beamed. My world was full of light.

  As I tidied the place, I wondered about what the heck just happened. Somebody had clearly thrown a brick through the window. It had hit Maddy. I wondered if they were opportunists. Or someone who had meant her or me harm.

  “Nonsense,” I thought, shaking my head at myself. “Who would wish Maddy or me harm?”

  Nobody, as far as I knew. I swept the glass into a dust-pan and threw it out. I made tea for Maddy and took it to her.

  “Thank you,” she murmured as I passed it to her.

  “No worries.” I sat down next to her, taking her hand in one of mine.

  “Mark, what do you think happened?” she asked softly. I shook my head.

  “I don’t know exactly.”

  The police arrived while we were talking. I gave a statement to one of them, while the other inspected the yard. Maddy stayed where she was, on the couch.

  “So,” I said, finishing the statement to the officer. “I have no idea who it might have been.”

  “Mark?” Maddy called me. I was about to say something back, but I realized her voice had an urgent tone that I couldn’t ignore. I went to the living room. She was stiff and her eyes were big. She pointed at her phone, fearful.

  “What is it?” I asked gently. I came to sit beside her. She was cold.

  “Mark,” she said, and her voice was remote, like she was down a street a hundred miles from here. “Mark, the security firm just called. Remember, the alarms we had put in at the studio? They called to tell me someone was in there. There was a burglary.”

  “No!” I stared at her. I felt my blood drain to my feet. This was too strange! First, somebody threw a brick through the window at
the exact moment Maddy walked by it and then the studio was broken into? All of this seemed to be connected.

  “Come on,” I said, squeezing her hand. “Let’s tell the police.”

  The police agreed to drive with us to the studio. One of the officers stayed in the house, doing last-minute investigative work and making sure the attackers didn’t come back. The other officer drove us by the station to pick up a new partner and then the four of us headed directly to the studio. His colleague, whom he’d retrieved from the station, spoke to the security person.

  “…yes. At about seven this evening? Yeah. We’re on our way.”

  When we arrived at the studio, the car from the alarm-company was already there. Two guys greeted us. I led Maddy into the studio. She held my hand.

  “Mark…” she whispered.

  It was horrible. Somebody had broken a window in the back, using a shovel or something to knock the glass out so they could climb into the building. Shards of glass were everywhere. They had not taken anything, as far as I could see, but one of the curtains had been partly pulled off the rail. There were a few other random acts of vandalism. And, as we walked around, checking everything, Maddy shouted.

  “No!”

  I ran to join her. Somebody had written on the mirror on the wall: SLUT. It was written in pink lipstick in large oversize letters.

  I stared at Maddy. Maddy looked at me. She covered her face with her hands.

  I held her in my arms, rocking her gently back and forth. The police officers and security-company guards ignored us. I was grateful.

  “Shh,” I whispered into her hair. “Shh. It’s okay.”

  But she was crying bitterly and I held her close and my own shock and pain flared into rage. I wanted to take whoever had done this and beat their head against the floor, making them scream and feel the kind of pain Maddy experienced seeing that word in her studio.

  “Maddy, shh,” I said gently, whispering into her hair. “It’s okay. Whoever wrote that, they don’t know you. They can’t.”

  “But… but…” she stammered, holding onto me.

  I led her to the seats at the side of the room, and passed her a tissue.

  “It’s okay,” I said gently reassuring her.

  She sniffed, and looked at me, eyes wet and round. “But… but they wrote it there, knowing I would see it. They must have meant it for me.”

  I shook my head. “Not necessarily,” I said gently.

  “But why not?” she asked, blinking.

  “Maybe,” I said, “they wrote it there for me.”

  25

  Maddy

  I looked into two blue eyes. Mark grinned up at me, all earnest and sorrowful despite the happy expression. I put my hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

  “Mark, you silly man,” I said softly. “You’re so sweet.”

  He grinned. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe,” I giggled. I was amazed that, despite all the horror and the pain and shock, he could make me laugh.

  He smiled. His hand reached for mine and I held his fingers. They were cold, but they gripped mine and I felt strength rush from his body to mine. I shut my eyes, letting myself feel the terror of being attacked and threatened by someone I did not know.

  “Shh,” he said gently, his hand on mine. “Maddy, you’re shivering. You shouldn’t be here.”

  “S… someone has to stay,” I managed.

  “No,” he said gently. “Listen, I’m calling Matt. He can help fix this place up. I’ll finish making a statement to the police and then we can get this place sorted out.”

  “Thanks,” I whispered. I felt like all my strength had vanished. All I could do was sit here on the chair and try and think. Who had done this? Someone must hate me.

  I watched him as he walked over to the police. Then I shut my eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by it all. It felt so surreal. Now that I was a little more relaxed, my body was starting to feel things. My head hurt. My vision was blurry. The cut stung badly. I still needed to get it checked out.

  While I was sitting there, my phone rang. It was Becca.

  “Hi?” I said, my mind slowly drifting up from the well of confusion and shock in which I floated. “What’s up?”

  “Hell, Maddy,” she said instantly. “What’s happening? You sound terrible.”

  “Thanks,” I said, my voice sounding strange even to my own ears. “I’m at the studio. Someone broke in.”

  “What?” Becca said surprised. “I’m coming over right now. Have you called Adam?” she asked.

  I shook my head. Oddly, I hadn’t thought of it. I knew my brother would be worried. I hadn’t thought to call anybody. It was all too big to think about. “No,” I said.

  “Damn it!” Becca swore. “You should have.”

  “I’ll call,” I said gently.

  “Yes. And I’m coming over right now. Did you call the police?” She sounded worried now.

  “They’re here,” I said. Once again, I was so touched by her friendship, but at the same time I worried about her too. It wasn’t good for her to get so worked up about things. At her last doctor’s visit, her doctor warned her not to do things that put too much strain on her heart. “It’s okay,” I added wearily. “I’m fine.”

  “Nonsense,” she said briskly. “You stay right where you are. I’m coming. I bet you haven’t even had dinner yet.”

  “No,” I said softly.

  “Well, I thought so. And don’t you dare move… I’m coming.”

  She ended the call. I stayed where I was, my mind was reeling. Everything in my brain was happening so slowly. My thoughts marched through my brain like a solemn procession. I couldn’t move or think or speak. I looked around my studio, the floor in the back of the studio was littered with glass, two policemen standing talking to Mark. They were in front of the mirror, covering the word from view.

  “Maddy?” I watched as Mark wove his way through the studio, stepping around the glass. “It’s okay. Matt is on his way. We can go as soon as he gets here. You need to go to the hospital.” He looked concerned.

  “I should call Adam,” I said distantly. “He doesn’t know.” He must be wondering where the heck I am. I wished I’d thought of calling him earlier. Everything has just happened so fast.

  “I can call him,” Mark said.

  “It’s okay. Let me.”

  I called Adam and told him about the break in. “What?” he said.

  “Don’t worry…” I tried to say.

  “I’m coming. Stay where you are.”

  “Adam…” I began. I wasn’t sure if I wanted that.

  “No buts. I’m on my way.”

  He ended the call and I stood there with a new worry about what Adam would do when he found me with Mark. He had said more than once that he was against us being together.

  Probably better that Adam learns that Mark and I are together sooner rather than later, I thought. It would be a good opportunity to finally tell him how I felt, and that I wasn’t going to let him dictate my choice anymore.

  “Maddy? Matt’s here.” I heard a voice behind me.

  Mark walked over, his twin brother behind him. They faced me, both worried.

  “Maddy. I’m so sorry,” Matt said gently. “This is all so terrible.” He reached out a hand to take mine. His face was similar to Mark’s, but for me there was no likeness: the pale eyes and slimmer face of Matt held tenderness, but Mark’s face was strong and had a gentle look with sadness and anger simmering under it.

  “We should clean up,” Mark said to his brother. “Did you bring the plywood and tools?”

  “Yeah.” Matt nodded, gesturing towards the door where the materials and tools were. “I’ll start by boarding the window up.”

  “Great, thanks Matt,” Mark said.

  I watched as the two of them went over to the back of the studio, leaving me alone. The police said their good byes and left. I felt isolated and scared. I smiled at Mark, who grinned at me over his shoulde
r, but he was so far away. I wanted to have him close, where I could hold him. It felt so threatening here in the studio now, my space suddenly no longer welcoming and safe as it had been before.

  The door burst open. “Maddy!” Becca ran to me, wrapping me in a perfume-scented hug. She gripped me tightly, then looked shocked as she saw the damage on my head. “Maddy! You’re cut.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said still in a bit of a daze. I hadn’t looked in the mirror to see my head. Truth be told, I had no wish to look in these mirrors after what someone had written on them.

  “It is very definitely something,” Becca said firmly. She dug in her pocket for a tissue. “And I am taking you to the doctor right now.”

  “Becca, it’s fine,” I protested. I couldn’t leave now. Matt was busy nailing the board into the wall. Adam was about to arrive, and besides, I did not want to leave Mark.

  I looked around to see where he was. He came over to join us. As he did so, Adam came into the studio and made his way over to me.

  “Maddy,” Becca said, her back to Mark. “You can’t stick around in this condition. You’re hurt. You’re in shock, too, and that’s not good for you.”

  Mark joined the conversation. “I agree, Becca. All of this can’t be good for the baby.”

  Adam arrived and looked at Mark.

  “What baby?” Adam asked.

  I looked at Mark, who looked at me. He was standing next to me. I turned to Adam and said, “Our baby.”

  26

  Mark

  I held Adam’s gaze. He looked from me to Maddy. I saw his eyes widen and then, as they looked at me, filled with seething anger. I saw his hand make a fist and I wanted to step back, but I stood in place.

  “What?” he asked. His voice was tight with anger.

  “It’s our baby,” I said, as calmly as I could. Inside, I was not happy. This was the happiest moment in my life, and he thought he had a right to disapprove of me? I wanted to hit him, but I refocused on all that really mattered: was Maddy. “Her baby and mine.”