Beyond the end

Guardian Angels

"If you want you can enter," Andrea told him, touching him on one shoulder and waking him up from the thoughts that didn't make him breathe. Brandon raised his head and followed her.
Brenda appeared behind a glass. A few threads attached to the machinery.
"she is breathing on her own," Andrea whispered, "it's a good sign."
"Okay," he said with a very weak smile.
"You can only stay for a few minutes, okay?"
"Okay" they touched each other's hand which was a silent thank you didn't even need.
Brandon approached helpless his sister and took her hand.
"Hei" he said "Bren, you made us take a nice scare" he stroked her hair and looked at her skin still porcelain as a little girl " mom and dad are coming, I had to call them" he sighed and sat down he gazed her, he was angry "if you come back to us Bren, I promise they won't hurt us again. I promise you" the voice had choked and it's not known if Brandon was more desperate for him or his sister.
Andrea had turned back on "You have to go."
"I'm out here, I'm waiting for Jim and Cindy here I'm not moving ok?" He whispered in Brenda's ear
Andrea had a very sad face. Heartbroken for Brandon, for Brenda, for the scene just before. She felt no compassion for Dylan and Kelly. The story had been repeated without any mercy. She didn't want to take any side but in the end it was evident that she had taken it.
"Why don't you go home, I'm here with her."
"No," Brandon replied, "I'm waiting for My parents. Steve went to pick up them."
"Okay," she smiled at him.
"Brandon, there's one thing I didn't say and that I'll have to tell Brenda when she wakes up"
"What?" He asked scared.
"During the surgery we had to take a tuba off. "
Brandon's gaze was lost.
"It will be very difficult for Brenda to get pregnant or finish pregnancies, and when we tell her, it will be terrible for her."
Brandon's hands had swelled into fists. He was unarmed. Andrea handed him a cup of coffee.
"Brandon is a real miracle that she is alive. You have to be grateful for this," she clarified to him in no uncertain terms.
"Yes, I understand that."
"Do you want to talk a little about what happened?"
Brandon looked at her with a shattered face and a heart that no longer held up.
"No," he said, "what else is there to add. I lost everything. I lost everything and from the people I loved the most. And Brenda too. How..how do you get out of such a thing?" He asked "how do you do it?"
"I don't know," Andrea told him, "I really don't know, but I'm here. And have no doubts about that."
Brandon finished the coffee and stared at Brenda from behind the glass.
"I really don't know what to do."
"You are human Bran."
"I was serious before Andrea. I don't want them to know anything about us. I don't want to see them here. Neither him nor her. You have to promise me you won't let them in. They are not entitled to anything."
"Bran.."
"Promise it."
Andrea looked at Brenda and then said "I promise you".
When Jim and Cindy arrived they remained dignified in pain. They spoke to Dr. Ferguson and relied on Andrea. They Knew everything, all the physical damage Brenda had had.
The moral damage instead was told by Brandon. That incident had had a reason. And the cause was always the same.
Cindy shook her daughter's hand and stroked her hair. She wanted to stay for the night but Brandon offered. In the end, all three remained. On the border beyond an antechamber where they could in fact do nothing. But they needed to stay there. Together.
Andrea changed and greeted them with sweetness.
"I'll be here tomorrow morning at seven, if something happen they'll call me, but her parameters are slowly improving, she'll wake up" her look was sad anyway. She would have liked to stay but Hannah had been alone at home since the afternoon. SHe had made a couple of reassurance calls and certainly couldn't call Kelly or Donna to go check her.
She got into the garages and walked up to his car. The thought of Brandon, Cindy and Jim waiting for something that could have come after hours and hours broke her heart.
She heard footsteps behind her own rushing the frequency.
"Andrea" Dylan was behind him.
"Oh my God, you scared me."
"Sorry," he said in a broken voice. It was evident that he was going to cry. She spread her arms and welcomed him with her. At that time he was just a boy.
They sat in Andrea's car.
"Nothing happened Andrea," he pleaded.
"Sorry Dylan, I don't think I want to talk about this."
"How is she doing?"
"Don't ask me. I can't tell you."
"Did Brandon forbade you?"
"Brandon is a broken person right now. Hurt . I think you can understand that."
Dylan leaned against the backrest.
"Dylan if there was an imminent danger I would tell you. She may recover slowly. But she will recover."
"I want to see her."
"I can't do that."
"But of course, loyalty to Brandon," he got angry.
"It's a joke that you talk about loyalty. They found you in bed together, isn't that what happened?"
"Yes but.."
"Is that what happened?"
"Yes"
"End of story" closed Andrea.
"No.. no" he shook his head.
"Anyway, even if I want, I can't let you in. Jim and Cindy are with him. It's all three in front of the entrance."
"Oh," he said.
Andrea looked at him a little. He had the blatant features of those who had no hope.
"You didn't even medicate these cuts on your lip."
"I don't care."
"Kelly where is she?"
"I think she's back home. There's Sammy."
"Maybe you should go to your son too."
"Andrea" he sighed.
"There's nothing for you here."
When Steve opened the door Brandon was a rag.
The eyes were swollen. An alienated air.
"I came to take a shower."
"You could call me I would have picked you up."
"It doesn't matter," he replied, "I took a taxi."
Steve didn't know how to move, he watched him ready to support him in case he fell, but as usual Brandon seemed unbreakable.
"how is she?"
"Always the same but the doctors say she will wake up at times. So if Andrea calls you, come and call me right away," he said.
"You'll need a new phone and a new car too."
"'I need a new heart," he concluded under Steve's broken gaze.
"Maybe I'll get you a new phone, let's start with that."
"Yes, thank you. Maybe even get me a new number. I don't want the old one."
He stared at him. He knew exactly where Brandon was going.
"Okay," he told him.
Brandon slipped into the shower. He tried to wash away the bad thoughts that had slowly made the callus in his own hands.
He made a couple of calls to the office. He told his collaborators that he had had a small car accident and that he would work a couple of days from home. The work couldn't wait any longer. A great excuse for bruises in the face.
Then he leaned on the bed with his eyes closed.
"Do you want to eat something?" Steve asked him.
"Yes, thank you."
"I'll take care of it," he told him.
Steve went to the kitchen. He made some eggs and some toast. Maybe Brandon wanted to talk. To make him a guardian of his pain.
When he came back to call Brandon he found him asleep and exhausted. He didn't wake him up. If there were any news, Andrea would have called him.
He closed the door watching his friend broken by the events.
When they rang the doorbell he cursed whoever he was.
"Kelly" whispered in surprise when he opened the door for her.
She had a pale face. The scared air. The eyes marked by a sleepless night.
"Hi Steve, sorry to bother but is Brandon there?"
"Oh Kel" he replied that he felt a strange feeling of anger for his friend and tenderness for her, a tenderness for which he was really powerless "yes there but he is sleeping. He was exhausted. He's been with Brenda until now."
"Oh," she said, "of course. I can't get in touch with him."
"Kel. I don't think Brandon wants to talk to you now please tra to understand."
She was in tears.
"Steve.."
"I don't want to know Kel. Really. We know each other from primary schools. You know I'm your friend. But what happened..."
"Nothing happened"
"You were in bed together Kel. We saw you"
"I know but ..."
"Kel, when he will feel ready he will come. But now there's Brenda in that situation, you two. Try to understand. Whatever you say now hw is not lucid to understand."
"If only he gave me a chance to explain"
Steve took it to himself "I'm sure he will but you have to give him time. Brenda must be fine. You know him more than anyone else. You know how he is."
"I made a stupid mistake Steve. Just a stupid mistake."
Steve hugged her because for him she was always little Kelly, fragile and full of mistakes, but he had always loved her. And that would always have been . But now Brandon was also in the middle and he knew that situation would break everything.
"I'm going out too," he told her, "Clare leaves tomorrow. Do you want to come with me to say goodbye to her?"
Kelly nodded with her head. He had no strength. Steve put an arm around her shoulder, to hold her but felt that she was slipping between her fingers.
"Let's go," he said, "come on."
Later they met at the Peach Pit. Clare was surprised to see Kelly along with Steve but a single glance between her and Steve was enough to figure out when Kelly was at.
A small farewell party was improvised. One of those without joy. Without Brandon. Without Brenda. Without Dylan.
For a moment Clare thought about staying. She understood the terrible moment everyone was in.
It was hard even to talk to Kelly. What could they ever tell her? What were the right words? Did you deserve it? What did you do?
Donna and David had no desire to talk about it. They focused on Ethan. They talked about more and less. About Clare's future projects.
All without desire. The bad conclusion of a magnificent summer.
Kel left almost immediately. SHe couldn't do it.
The two friends hugged each other tightly. They promised to call each other and maybe they wouldn't.
Many things were promised like the soldiers who stay at the front and those who come home.
Even Andrea came to greet her. After all, they had been a bit complicit that summer. Honest players. More honest than others. With nothing to expect. I entrust a passing of a witness to you but I could even go back and get him back to me.
The hardest part was greeting Steve.
It was no longer like on the beach years ago. He in an evening dress, she in tears.
But it was the same triangle him or her life on the other side of the world. And Clare chose the other side of the world again.
"I'm sorry to leave at such a time."
"Yeah," Steve replied, "it's a real mess."
"What do you think?"
"I don't really know. I believe what I see. And then, Sammy's words."
"Yeah."
Steve looked down "will we see each other again?"
"Maybe who knows," Clare said, barely holding back her tears, "maybe I could go back to living here."
"Maybe," he said without any hope.
"But Steve," she added, "never and for no reason you'll have to think that I didn't love you."
He raised her chin and kissed her. And so Clare came out of his life again. Forever or maybe for a parenthesis. For a good star to whom Steve turned a prayer as he raised his hand to greet her.