Push - Chapter Nine (part two)
Here we go... let's hope LJ is nice this time...
Jason hated hospitals more than anything else in the world. Well, except for the giant furry mascots he always saw at sporting events. Those things freaked him out with their massive heads and the way they never talked. But beyond those were hospitals; they made him nervous. Hospitals were the reminder of bad things and sad times. Bad things and sad times; that sounded like a lame song title or something.
Jason shook the thought from his head quickly as he pulled off the highway and began following the blue signs marked for his intended destination. He pressed Brown’s number into his cell phone and waited for an answer. “Hey, Uncle Brown, it’s me. I’m off the highway now.”
“Just in time. We’re finishing up with the paperwork.”
As he hung up the phone and tossed it to the passenger seat, Jason also turned up the radio. One of his favorite oldies songs had just started. Oldies songs were fun. It made him laugh thinking of how many of those ‘oldies’ were only a few years older than himself. Singing along kept him steady as the hospital came into view. He let out a sigh. It was okay; he didn’t have to go inside this one. He only had to pick up Brown and Nate, and could do so while staying in the car.
“And now,” the DJ was saying as he pulled into the pickup lane. “Here’s a classic from Demi Dra-“
Jason pressed the channel dial then leaned back against the seat. He let out a quick sigh as he waited. Nate and Brown came into view right as he was pulling out his phone again. Jason considered jumping out of the car but changed his mind. The faster they could leave the better.
“Hey, fro bro,” he said as Nate was helped into the front seat. Brown climbed into the back as he talked on his cell phone. Jason could swear the man was going to get a tumor or something from using it so often. Maybe for Christmas he should get Brown one of those headset things.
Nate just smiled and nodded his head. It wasn’t a genuine smile, but rather more of a grimace. Jason reached into the back seat and handed over a zip up hoodie which Nate put on immediately. Nate had asked him to bring it since he was still dressed in his t-shirt and sleeping pants. Jason watched as his baby brother struggled getting the sleeve over his bandaged hand first.
“How ya feeling?” he asked. Nate pulled on the other sleeve and shrugged. Jason waited for him to strap on his seatbelt before starting to drive. “Hungry?”
Nate shook his head.
“So back to camp I take it?” Jason tried again. Through the rearview mirror he could see Brown nodding his head. Nate just rested his forehead against the window. He wasn’t going to get anything out of him tonight. Despite that, or maybe because of it, he tried yet another question. “So, what happened?”
Nate shot a glance his way. At least that was something. Jason had learned that if he didn’t keep going with it, his brother would just shut down. Nate and Shane both did that, a reaction so foreign to Jason’s mentality. Jason liked talking. He was a hugger. The light ahead of them turned red which gave him the opportunity to face his brother. “Nate, what happened?”
“I- panicked,” Nate finally gave him a real response. He grabbed the strings of his hoodie and fidgeted with them. “I heard people coming.”
Jason knew that already. It wasn’t what he was asking, something he knew Nate comprehended based on the way he was behaving. “Nate, what really happened?”
“I told you.”
“No, that’s not it.” Nate bit his lip. Jason could almost hear his younger brother’s mind reeling from the statement. They both knew the drill all too well. “Talk to me.”
“Are we almost there yet?”
Sneaky move, little brother. Jason took another turn. But not sneaky enough. “Hate to tell you, but I’m not letting it go until you talk.” More silence followed from the passenger seat prompting Jason to add, “Can’t hear your head shaking.”
“
What do you want me to say? I freaked, as usual. Nothing more to it than that.” Jason heard a slight thump against the opposite window. His brother’s muttered words were more muffled than usual, most likely from his face being against the glass. Well, this approach wasn’t working.
You sound so much like Shane right now. If he hadn’t known the reaction the statement would get, Jason may have said it out loud. It was true though. Nate was indeed pulling a Shane.
His heart sank as they continued making their way down the road. He had been wrong before; this was what he hated more than anything. He was the oldest brother. The oldest brother took care of things. The oldest brother cleaned up and protected. It was part of the job, just like beating up bullies or throwing shingles off the roof when the younger brother threw you against the wall and made you get stitches in your head. Cleaning up was what he had been doing for years. Yet there was no fix for this mess. It was like taking the genie from the bottle, or however that saying went. He forgot now.
The sign for camp came into view. Jason turned into the yard and made the journey back to the cabin his brothers had been staying in the last few days. He hadn’t expected to be making this journey so soon.
“That’s odd,” Brown stated as Jason put the car into park. “They should have been back by now. They left before we did.”
“Who?” Jason asked.
“Shane and Jake.”
“Jake went with you?” Jason hadn’t been told that part. He remembered the name from the conversations he’d had with Shane on the phone. “Jake, as in the girl from the kitchen Jake?”
“Yes. They were taking my car back here.”
Jason nearly laughed. Oh, to be a fly in that car. Based on the words Shane had chosen for the girl he could only imagine. If Jason remembered right, they were along the lines of ‘snobby’, ‘frumpy’ or ‘spunky’. Something like that anyway.
Jason climbed out of the car and shut the door. He heard another door shut behind him, signaling that Brown had gotten out as well. A phone rang again, prompting Brown to groan. Before answering he let out an exasperated, “Just one moment of peace is that too much - Hello?”
Only once he had gone around the back of the vehicle did Jason notice it. He pulled the sunglasses off his face and sighed. Grabbing the passenger door handle he jerked on it. Nate looked up at him. “Last stop, Camp Rock. Everybody out.”
Nate’s eyes glanced around before he shook his head. Jason’s eyebrows furrowed. Then he understood. Holding out his hand, he asked, “Key?”
Nate reached into his pocket and produced the small silver object. As he took it, Jason knew he should have made Nate do this himself. Yet it was easier this way. He bounded up the stairs and unlocked the door. “Alright!”
From his position in the doorway Jason watched as Nate slowly climbed out of the car and ran into the cabin in what seemed to only be three bounding strides. The kid was quick. Jason shut the door behind him. Nate approached the left side bunk and grabbed a suitcase from the floor.
“What are you doing?” Jason asked him. Nate glanced up again briefly before he started tossing various clothing into the suitcase. He’d seen this before too many times. It always ended this way.
Jason watched a moment as his brother folded jeans and shirts and placed them into the bag.
Insanity. The word pressed into his brain. Insanity is the act of repeating an action and expecting the different results. Jason wondered where he had heard that phrase before. It didn’t really matter. Whoever had first said it had forgotten a part, though. Insanity was being an oldest sibling. The oldest took care of things. Cleaned messes. Put things in order. Watched out and protected. It was more than a job; it was his life. And even if he didn’t like, the fact remained that this was the hand he had been dealt.
Right then, Jason knew exactly what he needed to do.
#
“We’re lost.”
“No shit.”
“Pull over.”
“What?”
“Oh, you heard me,” Jake groaned. Men. A small gas station came into view; she pointed towards it and said, “There. Pull over there, at that station.”
Shane hesitated a moment before pulling into a spot at the front. Jake opened the door and swung her legs out. Wait a minute. She leaned back over the seat and reached towards the keys in the ignition.
“What are you-?” He began as she continued fumbling around for them.
“Not taking any chances,” she responded before climbing out of the vehicle. As she closed the door, Jake took notice of Shane’s face. For a moment she thought he might actually follow her inside, yet it didn’t happen. Stepping inside she found a line at the counter, with what almost seemed a small crowd there. Jake looked back out towards the car, then began making her way towards the line. Her eyes fell on the rack of magazines as she passed the aisle which gave her an idea.
Taking a side step, Jake began making her way through the various aisles. She grabbed a Hot Tunes for Mitchie, since that was her favorite and she would be missing it this month due to being at camp. She let her eyes wander back to the front counter; still a few people in line. She had some time. Jake walked to where the snacks were located and grabbed a couple of bags. Various bags of Combos caught her eye; Jake peered at the labels, searching out some Nacho flavored ones. There they were. Grabbing a bag, Jake headed back up front in time for the last person to leave.
“That all for you, miss?” the cashier asked her as he began ringing up her purchases.
“Yes, sir,” Jake replied. She reached into her bag for her wallet.
“Six twenty-one.”
Jake handed over a ten. She glanced outside again as the register was opened. Shane was now standing outside the veichle. She scoffed slightly at the sight.
“Here you go, miss.”
Jake held out her hand for the change the cashier gave her. As she put it into her bag, she looked at him. “Also, could you please tell me how to get to Fort Hill road? My friend and I are trying to get back to camp…”
“Oh, that music camp place, sure. I know that.” The cashier handed over her bag of purchases. Jake listened closely as he explained where to go, and then thanked him. Taking the bag in hand she headed back out to the car where Shane was still waiting.
“We missed our turn,” she informed him. “You should have gone right instead of left on Perch Drive.”
“Took you long enough,” he replied, letting his eyes fall on the extra bag in her hand. Jake considered chucking the keys at his head. Not worth it; she walked over and dropped them into his hand instead.
“There was a line, so I picked up some stuff. No harm done.” Shane didn’t move. Jake reached into the bag and pulled out some of her purchases, which she held towards him. He looked down towards it a moment, but still said nothing. Jake pushed it towards him. “For you. Figured you might be hungry since you… well, we missed lunch.”
Shane looked down at the bag of cookies and bottle of lemonade in her hand, then back at her. He jiggled the keys a moment so he could open the door. Jake followed suit, heading over to her own side.
“Thanks.”
The words made her stop, her hand on the handle. She blinked. Under her breath she let out a, “Huh.”
“What?”
You’re still breathing, Jake said in her head. She just might have uttered it out loud, except that she knew he meant it. “You’re welcome.”
“Well, then, let’s go.” Shane climbed into the driver’s seat as Jake did the same on the passenger’s side. Shane turned the ignition bringing the car back to life. Neither said a word as they returned to camp.
.
Jason hated hospitals more than anything else in the world. Well, except for the giant furry mascots he always saw at sporting events. Those things freaked him out with their massive heads and the way they never talked. But beyond those were hospitals; they made him nervous. Hospitals were the reminder of bad things and sad times. Bad things and sad times; that sounded like a lame song title or something.
Jason shook the thought from his head quickly as he pulled off the highway and began following the blue signs marked for his intended destination. He pressed Brown’s number into his cell phone and waited for an answer. “Hey, Uncle Brown, it’s me. I’m off the highway now.”
“Just in time. We’re finishing up with the paperwork.”
As he hung up the phone and tossed it to the passenger seat, Jason also turned up the radio. One of his favorite oldies songs had just started. Oldies songs were fun. It made him laugh thinking of how many of those ‘oldies’ were only a few years older than himself. Singing along kept him steady as the hospital came into view. He let out a sigh. It was okay; he didn’t have to go inside this one. He only had to pick up Brown and Nate, and could do so while staying in the car.
“And now,” the DJ was saying as he pulled into the pickup lane. “Here’s a classic from Demi Dra-“
Jason pressed the channel dial then leaned back against the seat. He let out a quick sigh as he waited. Nate and Brown came into view right as he was pulling out his phone again. Jason considered jumping out of the car but changed his mind. The faster they could leave the better.
“Hey, fro bro,” he said as Nate was helped into the front seat. Brown climbed into the back as he talked on his cell phone. Jason could swear the man was going to get a tumor or something from using it so often. Maybe for Christmas he should get Brown one of those headset things.
Nate just smiled and nodded his head. It wasn’t a genuine smile, but rather more of a grimace. Jason reached into the back seat and handed over a zip up hoodie which Nate put on immediately. Nate had asked him to bring it since he was still dressed in his t-shirt and sleeping pants. Jason watched as his baby brother struggled getting the sleeve over his bandaged hand first.
“How ya feeling?” he asked. Nate pulled on the other sleeve and shrugged. Jason waited for him to strap on his seatbelt before starting to drive. “Hungry?”
Nate shook his head.
“So back to camp I take it?” Jason tried again. Through the rearview mirror he could see Brown nodding his head. Nate just rested his forehead against the window. He wasn’t going to get anything out of him tonight. Despite that, or maybe because of it, he tried yet another question. “So, what happened?”
Nate shot a glance his way. At least that was something. Jason had learned that if he didn’t keep going with it, his brother would just shut down. Nate and Shane both did that, a reaction so foreign to Jason’s mentality. Jason liked talking. He was a hugger. The light ahead of them turned red which gave him the opportunity to face his brother. “Nate, what happened?”
“I- panicked,” Nate finally gave him a real response. He grabbed the strings of his hoodie and fidgeted with them. “I heard people coming.”
Jason knew that already. It wasn’t what he was asking, something he knew Nate comprehended based on the way he was behaving. “Nate, what really happened?”
“I told you.”
“No, that’s not it.” Nate bit his lip. Jason could almost hear his younger brother’s mind reeling from the statement. They both knew the drill all too well. “Talk to me.”
“Are we almost there yet?”
Sneaky move, little brother. Jason took another turn. But not sneaky enough. “Hate to tell you, but I’m not letting it go until you talk.” More silence followed from the passenger seat prompting Jason to add, “Can’t hear your head shaking.”
“
What do you want me to say? I freaked, as usual. Nothing more to it than that.” Jason heard a slight thump against the opposite window. His brother’s muttered words were more muffled than usual, most likely from his face being against the glass. Well, this approach wasn’t working.
You sound so much like Shane right now. If he hadn’t known the reaction the statement would get, Jason may have said it out loud. It was true though. Nate was indeed pulling a Shane.
His heart sank as they continued making their way down the road. He had been wrong before; this was what he hated more than anything. He was the oldest brother. The oldest brother took care of things. The oldest brother cleaned up and protected. It was part of the job, just like beating up bullies or throwing shingles off the roof when the younger brother threw you against the wall and made you get stitches in your head. Cleaning up was what he had been doing for years. Yet there was no fix for this mess. It was like taking the genie from the bottle, or however that saying went. He forgot now.
The sign for camp came into view. Jason turned into the yard and made the journey back to the cabin his brothers had been staying in the last few days. He hadn’t expected to be making this journey so soon.
“That’s odd,” Brown stated as Jason put the car into park. “They should have been back by now. They left before we did.”
“Who?” Jason asked.
“Shane and Jake.”
“Jake went with you?” Jason hadn’t been told that part. He remembered the name from the conversations he’d had with Shane on the phone. “Jake, as in the girl from the kitchen Jake?”
“Yes. They were taking my car back here.”
Jason nearly laughed. Oh, to be a fly in that car. Based on the words Shane had chosen for the girl he could only imagine. If Jason remembered right, they were along the lines of ‘snobby’, ‘frumpy’ or ‘spunky’. Something like that anyway.
Jason climbed out of the car and shut the door. He heard another door shut behind him, signaling that Brown had gotten out as well. A phone rang again, prompting Brown to groan. Before answering he let out an exasperated, “Just one moment of peace is that too much - Hello?”
Only once he had gone around the back of the vehicle did Jason notice it. He pulled the sunglasses off his face and sighed. Grabbing the passenger door handle he jerked on it. Nate looked up at him. “Last stop, Camp Rock. Everybody out.”
Nate’s eyes glanced around before he shook his head. Jason’s eyebrows furrowed. Then he understood. Holding out his hand, he asked, “Key?”
Nate reached into his pocket and produced the small silver object. As he took it, Jason knew he should have made Nate do this himself. Yet it was easier this way. He bounded up the stairs and unlocked the door. “Alright!”
From his position in the doorway Jason watched as Nate slowly climbed out of the car and ran into the cabin in what seemed to only be three bounding strides. The kid was quick. Jason shut the door behind him. Nate approached the left side bunk and grabbed a suitcase from the floor.
“What are you doing?” Jason asked him. Nate glanced up again briefly before he started tossing various clothing into the suitcase. He’d seen this before too many times. It always ended this way.
Jason watched a moment as his brother folded jeans and shirts and placed them into the bag.
Insanity. The word pressed into his brain. Insanity is the act of repeating an action and expecting the different results. Jason wondered where he had heard that phrase before. It didn’t really matter. Whoever had first said it had forgotten a part, though. Insanity was being an oldest sibling. The oldest took care of things. Cleaned messes. Put things in order. Watched out and protected. It was more than a job; it was his life. And even if he didn’t like, the fact remained that this was the hand he had been dealt.
Right then, Jason knew exactly what he needed to do.
#
“We’re lost.”
“No shit.”
“Pull over.”
“What?”
“Oh, you heard me,” Jake groaned. Men. A small gas station came into view; she pointed towards it and said, “There. Pull over there, at that station.”
Shane hesitated a moment before pulling into a spot at the front. Jake opened the door and swung her legs out. Wait a minute. She leaned back over the seat and reached towards the keys in the ignition.
“What are you-?” He began as she continued fumbling around for them.
“Not taking any chances,” she responded before climbing out of the vehicle. As she closed the door, Jake took notice of Shane’s face. For a moment she thought he might actually follow her inside, yet it didn’t happen. Stepping inside she found a line at the counter, with what almost seemed a small crowd there. Jake looked back out towards the car, then began making her way towards the line. Her eyes fell on the rack of magazines as she passed the aisle which gave her an idea.
Taking a side step, Jake began making her way through the various aisles. She grabbed a Hot Tunes for Mitchie, since that was her favorite and she would be missing it this month due to being at camp. She let her eyes wander back to the front counter; still a few people in line. She had some time. Jake walked to where the snacks were located and grabbed a couple of bags. Various bags of Combos caught her eye; Jake peered at the labels, searching out some Nacho flavored ones. There they were. Grabbing a bag, Jake headed back up front in time for the last person to leave.
“That all for you, miss?” the cashier asked her as he began ringing up her purchases.
“Yes, sir,” Jake replied. She reached into her bag for her wallet.
“Six twenty-one.”
Jake handed over a ten. She glanced outside again as the register was opened. Shane was now standing outside the veichle. She scoffed slightly at the sight.
“Here you go, miss.”
Jake held out her hand for the change the cashier gave her. As she put it into her bag, she looked at him. “Also, could you please tell me how to get to Fort Hill road? My friend and I are trying to get back to camp…”
“Oh, that music camp place, sure. I know that.” The cashier handed over her bag of purchases. Jake listened closely as he explained where to go, and then thanked him. Taking the bag in hand she headed back out to the car where Shane was still waiting.
“We missed our turn,” she informed him. “You should have gone right instead of left on Perch Drive.”
“Took you long enough,” he replied, letting his eyes fall on the extra bag in her hand. Jake considered chucking the keys at his head. Not worth it; she walked over and dropped them into his hand instead.
“There was a line, so I picked up some stuff. No harm done.” Shane didn’t move. Jake reached into the bag and pulled out some of her purchases, which she held towards him. He looked down towards it a moment, but still said nothing. Jake pushed it towards him. “For you. Figured you might be hungry since you… well, we missed lunch.”
Shane looked down at the bag of cookies and bottle of lemonade in her hand, then back at her. He jiggled the keys a moment so he could open the door. Jake followed suit, heading over to her own side.
“Thanks.”
The words made her stop, her hand on the handle. She blinked. Under her breath she let out a, “Huh.”
“What?”
You’re still breathing, Jake said in her head. She just might have uttered it out loud, except that she knew he meant it. “You’re welcome.”
“Well, then, let’s go.” Shane climbed into the driver’s seat as Jake did the same on the passenger’s side. Shane turned the ignition bringing the car back to life. Neither said a word as they returned to camp.
.