Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 09:12:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Thomas Gaige <togaige@yahoo.com>
Subject: My Step-Brother Jacob - Chapter 19

DISCLAIMER: The following story is FICTIONAL.  It contains descriptions of
sexual activities between teenage boys.  If you are not over 18 years of
age, or if you find this type of story offensive, or viewing this material
is illegal where you are, then please DO NOT READ IT!  If you choose to
read it, then - I hope you enjoy it!

			   My Step-Brother Jacob

				Chapter 19

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Jacob and I stood rooted to the floor, staring at the policemen.  The one
who had caught Elizabeth, eased her into a chair that was a few feet behind
her.  He tapped her lightly on the cheek.  "Mrs. Wilder!" he said.
Elizabeth started to come around.  The other officer looked at me and
Jacob.  Shakily, I asked, "I-is he dead?"  "No.  But his injuries are
pretty bad.  He's on his way to the hospital right now," the officer who
was looking at us said.  Elizabeth had come around.  Tears were running
down her cheeks.  "We have to get to the hospital!" she said.  "You can't
drive maam," the first policeman said, looking at her.  "My stepson can,"
she said looking at me.  I nodded.  The cop looked at me, apparently trying
to appraise my ability to drive, given the situation.  Finally, he told me
which hospital Dad was being taken to, and asked if there was anything else
they could do.  I told him we'd be OK.  They asked Elizabeth if she was OK,
and she stood up and said she was.  They expressed their sympathy again,
then left.  "We have to get to the hospital right away!" Elizabeth said,
picking up her coat, and starting to put it on.  Jacob and I grabbed our
jackets, and we left.  "We'll take my car, It's behind your's," Elizabeth
said, handing me her keys.

We arrived at the hospital 10 minutes later.  I pulled up to the door of
the Emergency Room, next to an ambulance, and let Elizabeth and Jacob out.
I parked in the attached parking garage, and ran into the hospital.
Elizabeth and Jacob weren't there.  I told the nurse at the desk who I was
and she took me to a room.

Some nurses, interns, and the Ambulance personnel were just lifting Dad off
the gurney and onto a bed.  He was on a back-board.  His head was wrapped
in bloody bandages.  One arm looked twisted, and there was a splint on his
right leg.  He was covered in blood.  There was a tube sticking out of his
mouth.  As soon as they had him on the bed, a nurse attached a respirator
from the wall to the tube, and it started to breathe in and out for Dad,
who apparently was unable to breathe on his own.  Jacob stood just inside
the doorway, a look of horror on his face, tears running down his face.
Elizabeth was sobbing hysterically.  As I arrived, she turned away suddenly
and vomited into a garbage can.  The nurse who had brought me to Dad's
room, went over to help her.  A doctor who was examining Dad looked at me
and asked me who I was.  I said I was his son.  "Good!  Does he have any
allergies that you know of?" he asked.  "None that I'm aware of," I said.

Just then an alarm that was hooked up to pads stuck to Dad's chest began to
sound a loud, steady beep.  "Code Blue!" a Nurse yelled into an intercom,
as she pushed a button on the wall.  An alarm in the ceiling went off.  Two
more nurses, a crash cart clattering along between them ran in.  The nurse
who'd brought me into the room steered Elizabeth toward the door and pushed
her through it, saying "you'll have to wait out here for a few minutes."
Then she grabbed Jacob and pulled him out the door.

I stood rooted to the floor, as she tried to pull me away.  I watched as
the doctor took the electric paddles off the cart, a nurse squirted goop on
them, while another nurse ripped Dad's shirts open wider.  The doctor
rubbed the paddles together and yelled "Clear!"  He held the paddles to the
sides of my father's torso.  I jerked involuntarily, as with a "click" and
"zap" Dad's body jerked up off the bed and remained stiff in the air for a
second, before the machine shut off, and he flopped back down onto the bed.
A nurse started doing chest compressions.  The incessant, steady beep of
the heart monitor droned on shrilly.  My vision became blurred as tears
filled my eyes.  "Clear!" I heard the doctor yell again.  Again there was a
"click" and "zap" and through my blurred vision, I saw Dad's body jerk up
off the bed again, then flop back down again.  Two nurses were pulling on
my arms now.  I resisted, and watched as four more times they tried to
revive Dad, as the heart monitor continued its death scream.  Suddenly the
monitor stopped, and I heard the doctor say "Time of death, 6:12 PM."
Finally, I let the nurses lead me from the room.

They lead me to the nurse's station.  Elizabeth was sitting there in a
chair, vomiting again, this time into a bedpan.  Jacob stood next to her,
sobbing, his hand resting on her shoulder.  Looking left, I saw the
ambulance bay doors, with the ambulance still backed up to them.  I turned
and ran across the ER, through the doors, and out of the building.
Outside, I turned to the left and ran a few yards from the door.  There I
stopped, leaned against the building and sank to the ground crying
hysterically.  I was still sobbing when the ambulance driver came out the
doors.  He came over and squatted down next to me, his back against the
building too.  He put an arm over my shoulders.  "You're his son aren't
you?" he asked.  Snuffling and wiping at my eyes, I looked at him and shook
my head.  "I'm very sorry," he said.  Then he said, "He had this in his
hand when we picked him up."  He took something out of his pocket and
handed it to me.  It was a picture of me, that he'd taken when I was about
13.  I started to sob hysterically again.  The driver rubbed my shoulder
and pulled me toward him, giving me a hug.  I turned toward him and leaned
on him crying.  He sat, and held me until my crying finally subsided.  Once
I'd calmed down a little, he said, "I know this is awful for you, but your
Mum and brother are inside, and they probably are going to need you now."
I looked at him miserably for a few seconds.  Then he stood up and held his
hand out to help me up.  I took it and let him pull me up off the ground.
I put the picture in my pocket, wiped my eyes and nose on my sleeves, and
followed him back into the ER.

Elizabeth and Jacob were gone from the nurse's station.  The nurse nodded
toward Dad's room.  The ambulance driver put his hand on my shoulder and
lead me to the door of Dad's room.  The door was closed.  He squeezed my
shoulder.  I looked at him and he smiled grimly.  "I know how hard this is
going to be, but they need you now!"  I sniffed a couple times and said "I
know.  Thanks!"  Then I reached for the door handle.  The driver turned and
walked slowly away.

I opened the door.  It was quiet in the room now.  The lights had been
dimmed.  Dad lay on the bed.  The respirator and monitors had all been
removed.  His eyes were closed, and he looked as if he were sleeping,
except for the bandages on his head.  I noticed they were fresh ones.
Elizabeth stood next to the bed holding one of Dad's hands.  Jacob was next
to her, looking down at him as well.  Both were sobbing.  I clenched my
jaw, and walked over behind them, the door to the room shutting quietly
behind me.  Standing between, right behind them, I put a hand on each of
their shoulders.  Both turned toward me, and collapsed against my shoulders
and chest crying.  I wrapped my arms around them and held them, as I felt
my own tears beginning to flow again.  The three of us cried in each
other's arms, as I looked down upon my father, who like Mike, had died
because of me.

After a few minutes, Elizabeth straightened up and said, "I want to go home
now."  She turned to look at my father one last time, then bent down and
kissed him on the cheek.  "Good-Bye my love, I'll always love you!"  Then
she moved toward the door.  Jacob looked down at Dad, and through his tears
said quietly "Bye Dad - I love you."  Then he joined Elizabeth, and they
walked out the door.  I stood staring down at my father a minute.  Tears
flowing down my face, I hoarsely whispered "I'm sorry Dad, I'm so s-sorry!
I never meant to hurt you!"  Then I turned and walked swiftly out of the
room.  Elizabeth and Jacob were at the nurse's station.  Elizabeth was
telling them which Mortuary they should call.  They said they would call
them, and said again how sorry they were.  Elizabeth thanked them and then
put an arm around each of us and moved us all in the direction of the door.

Still crying, we walked to the car and got in.  I drove us home, although I
don't remember the drive.  As we were parking in the driveway, Elizabeth
said finally, "and this was to be such a happy evening!"  "Why?" Jacob
asked, "what're you talking about Mum?"  "I had good news," she said.
"What news?" Jacob asked, as we both looked at her.  "I found out today
that I'm pregnant," she said, looking at us, as tears began to run down her
cheeks again.

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The next chapter in this series will be published shortly.