| Chapter 52 Everyone was still staring out the windows when Gideon and Jade appeared with Brian. Tracy turned around, "Brian." Everyone turned seeing Brian unconscious in Gideon's arms, a cape covering his body. They moved to get closer to him, but Gideon backed up, "Don't touch him." Kevin looked at him confused, "Why, what's wrong with him?" Gideon and Jade glanced at one another, "We need to take care of him first," Jade said. Tracy joined them as they carried Brian into his and Lyn's bedroom, shutting the door on the rest in the room. A.J. looked at Kevin, "What the hell is that about?" Kevin shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jade ran a warm bath while Gideon unwrapped the cape from around Brian. Tracy gasped when she saw his scars, "They didn't!" "They did," Jade said, turning off the water. Tracy shook her head, imagining the pain Brian must have gone through. Gideon held Brian as Jade pulled his shorts off, then he gently sat him down in the tub. Tracy helped them wash the blood and grime from his body. They washed his hair and shaved him. The entire time, none of them spoke. They focused on their job at the moment. Each time one of them ran a wash cloth over one of the new scars, they would stop for a moment and look at it before continuing on. When they finished, Tracy reached over and let the water out of the tub. Gideon scooped Brian up in his arms and held him as Jade dried him off. Tracy went into the bedroom and rummaged through the dresser, finding a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to dress him in. After they got him dressed, Gideon placed him in the bed. Jade pulled the blanket over him, coving him up to his shoulders. "How do we explain this to them?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "We just have to tell them the truth," Tracy said. "I'm not sure they can handle it," Gideon said, "It's gonna be hard for them to understand what he did, and what that grants him now." "I think they'll understand. They've accepted everything else, why not this?" Tracy said. Gideon sighed, "I guess you're right. Let them in." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ted let himself in, walking into the living room, "Man that was a weird storm, did you guys see ...?" He stopped, noticing that everyone was staring at Lyn's bedroom door. "Um, did I miss something?" he asked. Lyn walked over to him, "They brought Brian back but they won't let us see him." "Was he hurt?" Ted asked. "We couldn't tell, they had him wrapped in a blanket or something," Gary answered. Just then the door opened and Tracy stepped out. "Come in and find a place to sit, we need to talk to you," she instructed. Everyone filed into the room, finding various places to sit. Lyn wanted to go sit next to Brian but Tracy took her hand, "Not yet honey." Lyn looked at her sister, confused, but obeyed and sat in the floor next to the windows with the others. Everyone got settled and looked up. Tracy and Jade where sitting on each side of Brian, while Gideon walked around and sat on the end of the bed, looking at them. "Gideon, what's all this about?" Kevin asked. "We need to explain what happened," he started, "Then we will let you see him." "OK so what happened?" A.J. asked. Gideon took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he spoke. "Brian was tortured during his time with the demons. They beat him, and poisoned him. They used whips on him, and almost killed him," he said. He looked at the horror on everyone's faces, then continued, "That's not all. When their army marched they tried to use him as a diversion, it almost worked." "What did they do?" Howie asked. "They crucified him," Gideon said. "They what!?!" Kevin yelled. Gideon held his hands up, "Calm down and listen." Kristin put her hand on her husbands knee, watching as he tried to calm himself. "They nailed him to the cross before they left their realm. Then they carried the cross to ours. We didn't see it at first, but then they parted and erected it right in front of us. They tried to use Brian's pain, and the image of him on the cross to distract us," Gideon explained. "But how did he survive?" Kira asked, tears falling down her face. "He had help," Jade said. "The demons gave him to Evi for a time. We can't say exactly what happened, but she helped him, and in turn Brian helped her," Gideon said. "How?" Lyn asked. "He talked to her about God. He got through to her when no else could," Jade said. "The entire time he was on the cross, he was concerned about her. He had no worry for himself at all," Gideon said, "Which leads us to what he's done." "What he's done?" Gary asked. Gideon nodded, "Without realizing it, he sacrificed himself for another soul. He was willing die, so she could live. That hasn't been done in that way since Christ himself died so long ago." "Is he in trouble then?" A.J. asked. Gideon laughed, "No, on the contrary he has received great favor from us. He will be able to talk to us when he wants, and will see us when no one else can. Because of this, he will always be connected to our realm. It's hard to explain, but you may notice a few odd behaviors from now on. Just ignore them. He'll not be able to separate our realm from yours, so he may walk around something you can't see, things like that." "But he's still gonna be the same Brian right?" Leighanne asked. Gideon smiled, "Yes, but with a broader since of what's going on around him." "Can we see him now?" Lyn asked. Gideon nodded, "It will be hard for to you to see at first, but we need to do this while he's still asleep so he's not so self conscious about them." "Them?" Sarah asked. "The wounds Brain received will never go away. They are scars that he will live with for the rest of his life," Jade answered. "Are they bad?" A.J. asked. "Depends on what you call bad," Tracy said. "He has seven marks on his back where he was whipped," Gideon said, "One scar on each wrist where the spikes were ran through. One scar in the middle of each foot where they crossed his feet and nailed them, and a scar on his side, where he was speared while he hung on the cross." "Each scar matches the ones that Jesus had after his death," Jade added. Everyone was in shock, not sure if they wanted to look or not. Tracy and Jade stood up and pulled the blanket back. Slowly everyone got up and gathered around the bed. The scars on Brian's wrists and feet where very noticeable. The new flesh was still red and had a smoother texture than the skin around it. "Will they fade over time?" Howie asked. "No, they will remain as they are now," Gideon answered. Lyn took hold of Brian's hand, lifting it up and carefully touching the scar, tears welling up in her eyes. Gideon moved to the head of the bed and gently pulled Brian to a sitting position while Jade lifted his shirt up. "Jesus!" A.J. said, seeing Brian's back. The seven marks criss crossed his back, stretching from side to side. Kevin timidly reached out and touched one, "God," he whispered, pulling his hand back. Jade put his shirt down and Gideon lowered him back down to the bed. Then he lifted his shirt to reveal the scar on his side. It was just under his rib cage and had to be at least four inches long. "How did he live through this?" Leighanne asked, in complete shock. "Brian has a strong spirit," Tracy said. "When his body stops fighting, his spirit takes over," Jade added. "No one else could have done this," Gideon noted. "So what happens now?" Kira asked. "He sleeps," Jade said. "His body needs to rest from the trauma it's gone through," Tracy said. "Like he had to after he came back in the hospital?" Lyn asked. "Yes, only this time we aren't making him sleep. He will wake up when he's ready," Gideon said. "Can I do something to help?" Ted asked. The three looked at him. "Take care of him while he sleeps," Jade said. Ted nodded, "I can do that, in fact, it's becoming my speciality." They all chuckled through their tears. "What about Nick and Tara?" Kevin asked, "Where are they?" "They where taken to the city. They too need to rest. The light you saw was them, and it took all they had to do that. It will be some time before they are well enough to return," Gideon said. "But they're both gonna be OK, right?" Lyn asked. He nodded, "Yes, they will." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, we must go back," Gideon said "Tracy will be here if any of you need her," Jade said, standing up. "And we'll bring Nick and Tara back when they are rested," Gideon added. "Thank you," Kevin said. Gideon nodded, then he and Jade vanished from the room. Ted headed for the bedroom door, going to retrieve the IV machine he hadn't bothered to pick up from the last time he'd brought it over. Everyone milled around, trying to let what they'd been told sink in. They where all still in shock over the whole thing, but knew eventually it would wear off. Lyn sat next to Brian, holding his hand. She was so happy to have him back, and grateful he was in one piece. She didn't care about his scars. She loved him, and no matter what he looked like, she would continue to love him until the day she died. Kevin walked around, placing his hand on her shoulder, looking down at his cousin sleeping peacefully. "He never ceases to amaze me," he said. Lyn smiled, "No he doesn't." "So I guess we wait now?" Kevin asked. "I guess so," Lyn replied, "I hope not for long." "Me too," Kevin said. Chapter 53 |