Chapter 27

AN: This story is now going to be completed with the help of my friend Ash. Thanks a ton Ash : - ) Now on with the story!! 

Howie's arms shot out to catch Kevin as he began to collapse to the ground. He was barely able to hold Kevin up as his own body was filled with shock and horror, but he, himself, couldn't find his voice to cry out. Now Kevin was crying openly, screaming out in the direction of the stretcher. Howie felt panic invade his body as his friend started to go ballistic. " Kev! Stop! There's nothing you can do! " 

Howie fell towards the hard ground as gently as possible, the weight of Kevin’s heavier body becoming too much for him. 

“Kev, I know it isn’t much right now, but Bri is in a better place now. No pain, no suffering, no fear.” 

Howie didn’t expect a response from his eldest friend so he just held onto the quivering body, proving support in the only way he could without words. As he took a look around at the people that surrounded him, many emotions were displayed in the peoples’ faces: sadness, pity, confusion, and even fear. If only those few emotions could sum up what Howie was feeling inside, it would be much simpler. Without any reason, Howie glanced over at the damaged door of the home and gasped.  

Two officers were now standing in the doorway, carefully holding a person up by his arms. The man standing in the doorway looked ready to collapse if he didn't have the support of the officers holding him up. His eyes were glazed over as he stared into nothingness and his skin was extremely pale. 

Howie couldn't believe his eyes. He was beginning to think that his eyes were deceiving him. He had been so convinced by blind evidence of the identity of the man on the stretcher, but now that was proving to be false. " K-Kev! " Howie gasped, trying to summon up his voice to speak again, but he was overwhelmed with shock and Kevin didn't look up at him. He only continued to cry into his hands. 

Howie froze as the officer began leading the man over to a team of awaiting paramedics. Several times, the man that they were holding up, nearly collapsed to the ground, drained of all strength, but they finally got him to an ambulance. Howie completely lost it and in a burst of energy, yanked Kevin up from the ground and pointed him in the direction of the ambulance. " LOOK!!! " 

Deep in his head, Kevin heard Howie’s voice yelling at him, but he chose to ignore it for there was no need for happiness. Burying his head deeper into his hands, Kevin’s sobs grew louder as each thought returned to his cousin; the cousin he would never seen alive again. 

“Kevin! LOOK!” Howie tried again, but after again receiving no response his frustration took over his common sense and he grabbed Kevin’s shoulder forcefully.  

“What’s the hell is your problem, Howie?” Kevin questioned in a broken and tear-filled voice. “Let me grieve in peace for Christ’s sake!” 

“Kev, listen to me! Brian is right over there in that ambulance.” Howie sighed deeply as Kevin’s look of sadness turned to confusion and finally anger. 

“Why you little…” Kevin began to say before being cut of by Howie. 

“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you just humor me and take a look for yourself?”  

Kevin almost looked ready to lash out at Howie with anger. He couldn't believe Howie was toying with him like this. He had seen his cousin dead on the stretcher, he had. Why was Howie trying to make him believe otherwise? But the pleading look in Howie's dark eyes caused something to spark in the back of Kevin's mind and his head immediately shot in the direction of the second ambulance. 

At first he couldn't see anything as paramedics swarmed around the back, but as one moved aside for something, he caught the smallest glimpse of a face he recognized and he nearly felt himself have a heart attack. His eyes had to be decieving him now. There was no possible way that was his cousin in the ambulance. Brian was dead, he had saw them wheeling him out on the stretcher. 

Before he could question the impossible though, he had jumped forward in a full out sprint, moving a lightening speed towards the ambulance. Howie was only feet behind him as Kevin rushed over to the ambulance, ignoring the calls from the officers to stay back. " Brian! " Kevin yelled as he neared his cousin. " BRIAN!!! " 

Kevin was so happy to see his cousin alive, he barely noticed when he spoke to Brian that Brian looked right through him. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Kevin questioned in a panic as Brian continued to stare through him. “Bri? Come on answer me!” he pleaded, hoping for a response. 

By this time, Howie had managed to get through the crowd of officers and spectators and skidded to a halt at Kevin’s side. He immediately noticed something was wrong with his band mate but decided against saying anything just in case Kevin didn’t know. No use in frightening him more than he was already.  

“We need to get him to the hospital, sir.” A female paramedic spoke up as her partners loaded the stretcher into the ambulance and closed the door.  

Kevin stared at the closed doors for a few seconds as the events of the last few moments circulated through his mind. As the ambulance began to pull out, Kevin snapped out of his trance and began to yell, causing Howie to shrink back in fear. 

" Wait! You can't! I need to go with him! Stop! " Kevin screamed after the ambulance as he tried to follow on foot, but a near by officer held him back. " Let me go! My cousin needs me damnit! LET ME GO!!! " 

" Mr. Richardson! " Officer Daniels called as he quickly ran over, seizing Kevin's shoulder. " Mr. Richardnson, please calm down! " 

" They're taking him away! " Kevin yelled in Officer Daniels' face. 

" They're taking him to the hospital Mr. Richardson, " Officer Daniels replied calmly. " If you please calm down, I will escort you and your friend back over to my car and I will take you to the hospital. But I need you to calm down first. " 

" C'mon Kev, we need to get to the hospital. Bri needs us to be there for him, " Howie added, pleading with his older bandmate to calm down. 

“Ok” Kevin replied in defeat. He allowed Officer Daniels and Howie to escort him to the squad car nearby. Moments later, a path had been cleared for the squad car to leave and Kevin sat back in his seat clenching his teeth together as hard as he possibly could, hoping everything would work out and the nightmare would end soon.