Be Kind to this Duck

Chapter Five- Erik

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The sound of the MRI machine that was scanning Erik's brain. He sat, trying to tune out the noise by thinking of why this scan was needed.

Erik was the first born to his family in New Orleans. When he was six years old, his parents called him to the family room to deliver some news. 

"Erik," they looked at each other with nervous faces, "You are going to be a big brother!" 

The baby was born only months later, a healthy baby boy. For Erik, it was love at fist sight. He was determined that this boy, Rodney, was going to grow up with the best big brother ever. He would be loved and cared for throughout his life.

Just a year ago this dream was cut short. Rodney was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain tumor. Not much was known about it, including if it could be hereditary. 

Rodney's death was a shock to Erik. It shook him like an earthquake. He couldn't believe that just like that, a life was taken. Gone. Never to be again.

His parents tried again, with a new baby. Perhaps this was what sent Erik over the edge. He wasn't ready to fully accept that Rodney's life had been ended. He might never had been ready.

A few months ago, the baby girl was born. She lived two hours. Isabelle, as she was called, was later diagnosed with the same type of tumor as Rodney. It had progressed much faster, the doctors had told them, this was an unusual case.

So, there he laid in the center of the large MRI machine, listening to Adele through the cheap earbuds he was provided.

After the scan, Erik returned home with his parents, who had never seemed rattled by the deaths. Erik was completely broken.

For these reasons, he was never the best of kids, but after Rodney, Erik changed. He was mean. He was a bully. He got into lots of trouble at school. Still, his parents never seemed concerned. Never once did they try to console him, other than a gentle hug at the funeral. They never asked him why the mood change, or to control his behavior. 

Erik felt alone.