by ID Johnson
Clearing his throat, Aaron said, “There’s a reason I’m so much faster than everyone else, but we’re not going to go into that right now. I’ll explain it to you in due time.” We both nodded; it wasn’t like we could argue with him. “That’s basically the entire facility. Do either of you have any questions?”
Without hesitation, Brandon said, “Yeah, when do I get to meet Sam?” His hands were on his hips, and once again, I was slightly reminded of his father. I pushed the thought aside.
Aaron and Cadence exchanged a nervous glance. “Don’t you think you should wait until you Transform for that?” Cadence asked.
I didn’t give Brandon a chance to answer. If he was meeting Sam, so was I. And I wasn’t waiting a year. “I want to meet him, too.”
Cadence’s head was shaking before I finished talking. “No way. That’s way too dangerous.”
“What?” I had lost it again. I was shrieking. Like a crazy person. “He was in an airplane crash. He’s basically a pile of mush. What could he possibly do to me?” She was not my mother, and it infuriated me that she insisted on treating me like a child.
My sister’s resolve was unwavering. She was giving me her sternest look. “You don’t know him, Cass. You don’t have any idea what kind of evil we’re talking about here.”
“It’s not fair that Brandon gets to meet him and I don’t. I knew his dad a lot better than he did--he never even met him!” I exclaimed. The words were out of my mouth before I could catch them, and I realized my sister and Aaron were both staring at me with their mouths open and their eyes wide as saucers. I am a despicable person. Slowly, I turned to look at Brandon, whose face had paled, and I felt like the worst being on the planet. There wasn’t much I could say except for the obvious. In my most sincere voice, I said, “I’m so sorry. That was unbelievably rude.”
Brandon looked at me for a long time, as if he was trying to make sure I meant my apology. Eventually, he said, “It’s okay. You’re right. I never got a chance to meet him. I’m glad you did though. You can tell me stories about him.” He looked at my sister and Aaron who had recovered from the shock of my verbal diarrhea. “All three of you can. I just wanted to see Sam before I Transform, to say that I faced him as a man; that’s all. He’s a big part of my motivation to be here, after all. It might make it a little easier if the Transformation gets painful, like you were saying, Cadence.”
Cadence exhaled loudly and turned to look at Aaron. I could tell they were having an internal conversation because of the way their eyes were moving back and forth. I tried not to stare and looked at the floor instead. I was sure my second outburst of the day would cost me any opportunity to see Sam. There was no way she’d reward my behavior by letting me go in there.
A minute or so later, Cadence finally said, “Fine. But you have to follow our directions completely. You have to stay back away from him. Got it?”
“Got it,” Brandon agreed.
And then I realized she was looking at me, too, waiting for me to agree. All I could do was nod. She was actually letting me do this after what I’d just said?
“All right, let’s go before Jamie calls us to let us know he’s ready.” She took off, headed for the exit, her hand back on her stomach again, and I caught Aaron’s eyes before he walked around me to catch up to her. “I still think this is a bad idea….” Cadence muttered, and I realized, once again, it wasn’t my sister who had decided I could do this. It was her fiancé.
We stepped outside and the October wind cut through my jacket. I wrapped my arms around myself, wishing I had a coat. I noticed it didn’t seem to bother my sister or Aaron, though, and Cadence still had her hand on her stomach. I could tell they were having a pretty intense conversation about something and wondered what it might be. I’d never know.
“Little chilly out here,” Brandon said, drawing my attention away from the pair in front of me.
“Yeah,” I agreed. I glanced up at him and tried to smile. “Listen, about what I said back there….”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Brandon said, cutting me off. “No big deal.”
“But it is….”
“Listen, Cass, you’re clearly very passionate about what they’re doing here. I can’t blame you for wishing it was your turn now. Your sister doesn’t quite seem to get that.” I was glad he could see it, too, that it wasn’t just me. “I’m glad you’re here, though.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s nice not to be the only one sort of on the outside.”
For once, I actually appreciated not being part of the team, or at least I appreciated the fact that I had an opportunity to help someone for a change. I smiled at him and increased my speed a little bit. Even though I was more nervous about seeing Sam than I cared to mention, I was also freezing.
We stepped into an intersection, and I noticed Cadence looking around at the tops of the buildings, like she was trying to spot a Vampire, and it made me nervous. Whatever she was sensing, I thought it was probably legitimate, and it had me a little uneasy. Another reason I’d be happy to get inside.
We stopped at a building that looked to be about four stories tall, situated behind the building that Jamie’s office was in, catty-cornered to the apartment buildings. Aaron pulled the door open and we all stepped in. Cadence waited for him to catch up to us and then led the way down the hall to another door, which she opened. There was a flight of stairs that went down into the basement. The smell of mildew and wet cement hit my lungs, and I was glad Brandon was behind me as we descended into darkness.
I could tell Cadence and Aaron were still talking to each other through the IAC because they were way ahead of us, like they weren’t paying too close attention. I was taking my time on the slick stairs, though, and Brandon waited for me. When we reached the bottom, we went around a corner and down a narrow hallway a short distance.
There were a pair of high security doors. We passed the first one and Aaron stopped in front of the second one. I imagined Laura was behind door number one. Part of me wanted to see her, too, to let her know how unhappy I was that she’d shot my sister, but Cadence was alive, and I was sure she’d already gotten her revenge.
In a quiet voice, Aaron reminded us about Sam’s condition. “He’s in pretty bad shape, but he’s still a cantankerous old fart, so stay back. And, Brandon, whatever you plan to say to him, don’t expect any sort of polite response.” He looked at us both for a long moment, as if making sure we grasped what he was saying.
“I understand,” Brandon replied with a sharp nod. Brandon looked at me, and even though he would never mention it, I was sure he was just as scared and nervous as I was. I managed a smile and grabbed his arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. That seemed to make him feel slightly better, and he turned back to Aaron who pushed a few buttons on the control panel, and the door unlocked.
The cell was small, with only a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling to light it. There were no windows, no natural light of any kind. A cacophony of whirrs and beeping noises greeted us as we stepped forward toward a gurney in the corner of the room, which took up much of the space. Same was hooked up to all sorts of machines, his head propped up on a pillow. He looked like an old, beaten down skeleton. He was so still, I wouldn’t have doubted he was dead. His face was misshapen, swollen and bruised, and a big chunk of his hair was matted to the side of his head in dried blood. A glance at the sheet thrown over him, and I could easily see his legs were twisted beneath it, like they had been shattered and never reset. One of his arms looked completely useless where it hung by his side.
Whatever he had once been, he was certainly nothing to fear now.
I felt Cadence wrap her arms around me about the same time that Brandon stepped forward so that he was standing next to Sam’s bed. I could see from where I was standing just fine, and I wanted to give Brandon time to do what he needed to do, though my soul longed to push me forward, to accost him, to berate him, at the very least to demand a reason why. I did none of those things as I waited for someone
to speak.
It seemed like five minutes passed before Sam finally said something, without opening his eyes. His voice was a low growl, raspy, like he hadn’t had any water for days. I could see he had an IV, and it seemed as if he must be on some pain medication or else he’d probably be screaming from the amount of damage he still had to his crumpled body. His question was demanding, despite his condition. “Whatcha staring at boy?” Once again, the loathing crept up inside of me like nothing I’d ever felt before.
It seemed to take Brandon a moment to compose himself before he asked, “You the Cowboy Sam who shot Elliott?” His voice was strong with only a hint of a waver when he spoke his dad’s name.
Slowly, Sam opened his eyes and looked at Brandon for a second. I thought I saw a slight flicker of recognition before he closed his eyes again and said, “That’s me. What’s left of me, anyhow.”
When Brandon spoke again, I could hear the rage in his voice that I felt deep inside my bones. My sister’s arms were still holding on to me, giving me strength, and I echoed the sentiment when Brandon demanded to know, “How could you do that? How could you turn a gun on one of your own? How could you pull the trigger knowing you were killing one of your own teammates?”
I couldn’t tell if the sound Sam made was a sigh or a groan of pain. He opened his eyes again and moved his head and shoulders as if he were attempting to sit up. He must’ve realized he couldn’t do that, so he stopped moving and looked squarely into Brandon’s face. “The need for revenge will make you do all sorts of things, boy.”
Exactly what he was talking about, I wasn’t sure, but the statement was profound, and I think it took Brandon and I both a moment to weigh it before Brandon continued, seeking clarification. “Revenge? For what? Elliott never did anything to you.”
“No, that’s true.” The fact that he’d admit it made me both furious and perplexed at the same time. “But she did.” At first, I thought he was pointing at me, but then I realized, he was pointing past me. At my sister. “And he got in the way. That’s all. Pure and simple.”
Slowly, Brandon turned and looked at Cadence, a questioning expression on his face. It wasn’t judgmental necessarily, but he obviously wanted an explanation. My sister cleared her throat and said, “All I did was take out a Vampire that needed to be destroyed.” Her voice was calm and self-assured.
Sam didn’t seem to care for that answer. “And with him, you destroyed my only chance at getting revenge for the death of my family member that Henry slaughtered in cold blood.” His voice was louder now than it had been since we’d walked in. Turning back to Brandon, the broken man continued. “You see, boy, revenge is a funny thing. It’ll make you do all kinds of stupid things. I let my anger at Cadence cloud my judgment, and I took it out on Elliott because he was in the way. Now, I’m laying here, praying to die, knowing I can’t, knowing God wouldn’t let me even if it were possible.”
Brandon asked the other question I’d been longing for an answer to since the day I found out Elliott was gone. “Does that mean you’re sorry you killed Elliott?”
But I already knew the answer. Taking a step forward, I said, “No, it means he’s sorry Cadence didn’t kill him, that’s all.” I stared at the old man, no longer in the protective cocoon of my sister’s arms, realizing he wasn’t sorry for any of it.
Perhaps I was expecting some sort of profound or deep answer. Instead, he practically looked right through me. “Don’t matter. Even if I was sorry, they’d never believe me. I’ll just lay here in agony for the next several years ‘til my body finally puts itself back together. Then… who knows? These walls may be my home for the rest of my life.” His response was all about himself with no mind for what he’d done to our friend. I had heard enough. I was ready to go. I shook my head in disgust and stepped back over to my sister, who took my arm in hers.
“Was it worth it?” Brandon asked, gritting his teeth. Apparently, he was still hoping for some sort of cathartic response that would make this all better. He didn’t realize yet that Sam couldn’t provide closure for us. No one could.
Sam didn’t bother to answer the question. Closing his eyes, he said, “Sorry ‘bout your dad, boy. I know what it’s like to lose your family. Happened to me twice. Hope you can get Giovani. Punk deserves to die.” At least he’d said the word sorry, even if he wasn’t sorry about what he’d done. He was sorry, it seemed, that Brandon, an innocent person, was suffering because of it.
Surprised, Brandon asked, “How did you know Elliot was my dad?” I was shocked to hear him ask; anyone who had ever met both of them would have to know the answer to that question. But then, Brandon had never met his dad.
I was stunned to see a smile crack across the old man’s face. “Cause you look just like ‘im.” His eyes were still shut as he turned his head toward the wall, and we all realized this conversation was over.
I could tell Brandon was frustrated. He stared at Sam for a moment, and then shaking his head, he walked back over to us. We all left the room, and Aaron made sure the door was locked behind us.
Brandon’s pain was different than the rest of us. We all had recollections of Elliott, could hear the echo of his infectious laughter in our minds, could see his smile when we pulled it from a memory. Brandon had none of those things. What he was missing was a foundational element that had never been there to begin with. What it would be like to find out you had missed knowing such a wonderful person who was supposed to be one of the most important people in your life, I would never know, but I felt a connection to Brandon in that moment unlike I’d ever felt with a person before.
My sister had her arms around him almost as soon as the door was closed, and I was envious of her, once again, wishing I could be the one to comfort him. But I knew their relationship was different than the one I was starting to form with Brandon, and even though it was Cadence who was holding him, his eyes were on me.
Chapter 12
The walk back over to Jamie’s office was mostly silent. I knew that he had alerted my sister and Aaron that he was ready for Brandon to come back. My sister never took her arm from around Brandon’s shoulders the whole time we were walking, so I didn’t get a chance to ask him again if he was nervous, though I got the impression he was, at least a little bit. I was sure he was still thinking about Sam, too, though. I knew I would be for a long time.
We’d just crossed onto the sidewalk that led to Jamie’s office building when I realized my phone was vibrating. I pulled it out and saw that Lucy was calling, but with everything going on, I tucked it back into my pocket and tried to stay focused on what was going on around me. I’d call her back later, after Brandon was all done with his Transformation procedure.
Something else must’ve been going on, too, because Aaron and Cadence kept doing that thing they do when they are having a conversation, looking at each other like they’re talking but not moving their lips. My sister tends to gesture a lot with her eyes. I wondered what they were talking about but knew they wouldn’t tell me until they were good and ready to. Whatever it was had them in a somber mood.
“Wow, you guys all look super excited to be here.” Jamie was waiting for us just down the hall from his office in what looked like a small operating room. Everything looked sterile and white, and there was a hospital bed with one of those trays full of tools across the room. I saw needles and vials and still wished it were me that was about to be passed out on that bed.
Jamie finished setting up whatever he was doing and crossed over to us with a smile in Brandon’s direction. A look at my new friend’s face told me Brandon was more nervous than I had initially thought. He tossed his jacket on a chair and attempted to be nonchalant. “Oh, I can hardly wait. Lots of pain and an indefinite amount of time unconscious. Who wouldn’t want that?” He was joking, but Brandon was eyeing the bed suspiciously. I wished I could reassure him somehow, but Cadence was still between us.
The doctor’s voice sounded calm and reassuring. “Well, I thought this wou
ld be the safest place to do it, but I don’t foresee any problems.”
As Brandon took a deep breath and stepped toward the bed, I was reminded that my sister had actually had some problems, and I folded my arms against my chest, wondering what I might do if something bad began to happen to Brandon right in front of me. I had to trust Jamie to take care of it.
“May as well get it over with it.” Brandon climbed on the bed and sat with his legs dangling off the side, his feet almost touching the ground. He looked at me and smiled, and I thought it was sort of odd that he seemed to be trying to calm me down, but maybe my face showed him I needed it. I took some deep breaths.
“I know the procedure has been explained to you, but do you have any questions?” Jamie asked.
Brandon seemed to consider the question for a moment before he began to shake his head. I wondered who had explained it to him—my sister or Aaron. His understanding could be vastly different depending upon which of them filled him in. “I don’t think so. You’re gonna stick me, and a few minutes later you’re gonna stick me again, and then I’m gonna take a nap. Right?”
Jamie chuckled a bit and picked up a clipboard off the end of the bed. “Basically, yes. If you don’t have any questions, then, will you go ahead and sign this consent? It just says I’m not doing anything to you that you didn’t agree to, but feel free to read it if you’d like.”
Brandon took the clipboard and looked it over as my sister stepped forward. “You didn’t make me sign anything like that,” she pointed out to Jamie.
“This is different,” the doctor explained. Brandon signed the bottom of the form, and I doubted he’d actually read the whole thing, but I couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like he was going to change his mind now. “Your parents had already given us permission and knew precisely where you are. I don’t want Ms. Keen showing up in a few hours threatening to sue me.”