Rating: PG
Feedback: Yes. [email protected]
Disclaimer: Don�t own them!
Summary: The guys are all brothers and alone. Chris is 18, JC is 9, Joey is 8, Lance is 6 and Justin is 4.
~*~
Justin crept into Lance�s bedroom and could hear his brother struggling to breath. He walked over to the bed and saw Lance taking in deep breaths.
�Lance?�
Lance turned to his brother with wide eyes. �Hi. What are you doing?�
�I heard you crying.�
�I�m okay, Justin. I�m okay.� Suddenly Lance took in a sharp breath and stopped moving.
�Lance? Lance! Cwis! Cwis!� Justin yelled.
Chris ran upstairs and turned on the light, gasping at the sight.
�Lance!� He ran over and gathered his brother into his arms. �Lance? Lance?� He checked his pulse. It was very weak. �Justin, go downstairs and get me the phone, okay? You know where it is?�
Justin nodded and ran downstairs as fast as his little legs could carry while Chris gave his brother the Heimlich maneuver Justin ran back up with JC and Joey following.
Chris took the phone. �I need an ambulance.� He said after dialing 9-1-1. �My brother�s not breathing. Yes, I gave him CPR. He�s 6 years old. No, our mother�s dead and our father is gone.� Chris gave the address and kept on cradling Lance�s body in his arms.
Soon, the ambulance arrived and Joey let them in, holding a scared Justin. The paramedics ran upstairs and took Lance. Chris took his brothers next door and went in the ambulance with Lance, stroking his hand along the way.
At the hospital, Chris waited for the doctor to come out and let him know what was going on. The neighbors had agreed to watch the boys until Chris and Lance got home.
Chris put his head in his hands and let out a quiet sob.
�Mr. Kirkpatrick?� Chris looked up and stood up at the doctor�s words. �Are you the boy�s father?�
�No, I�m his older brother. Is he going to be okay?�
The doctor sighed. �He has Leukemia.�
Chris just stared at him. �No.�
�It�s at the beginning stages but we need to get a blood transplant. Do you have any other family?�
�Um�just our 3 other brothers and our father.�
�Would it be all right if we tested them?�
�Yes�yes, of course. Justin�s only 4, he�s a bit scared of needles and so is JC but I�m sure they�d do it.�
�Tomorrow?�
�Sure. Can I see him?�
�You may.�
Chris walked into the room and just stared at his baby brother, his pale face and closed green eyes that could melt anyone when they walked into the room. Chris sat down on the chair next to him and held his tiny hand. It seemed so small�smaller than Justin�s hand.
�You�ll be okay, little guy, you�ll be okay.�
~*~
�I�m doing this for Lance, right?� JC asked Chris, as he tried not to stare at the needle that would be piercing his skin.
�Right. Don�t worry, Joey went first and he�s fine. All he has is a band aid and he got a sucker.�
JC smiled slightly and sighed. �Okay, Chris, I�m ready.�
Chris smiled and kissed his head. Chris held his hand tightly and JC didn�t look at the lady. He felt a slight pinch and flinched a bit.
�JC hurt!� Justin yelled.
�No, he�s okay, see Justin?�
Justin nodded, even though he didn�t get it.
JC opened his eyes and felt a small pull from his skin. He got a band-aid.
�Can I get a red one?�
The woman chuckled. �Yes, you may.�
JC took his sucker and sat down next to Joey happy that it was over.
Chris sighed and got Justin. �Justin, if it makes you feel better, I�ll get mine done with you?�
�Promise.�
�Promise, with all my heart.�
Justin smiled and got into Chris�s lap. He watched as the lady put the needle in his skin and looked up. Chris didn�t even flinch. Justin smiled as Chris took a lollypop.
�Me next! Me next!�
Chris chuckled and the woman took Justin�s blood and Justin only flinched a tiny bit.
�Okay, what color would you like, Justin?�
�Um�blue!�
Chris smiled and gave Justin the blue sucker.
~*~
Chris saw the doctor approaching and sighed as he held a sleeping Justin in his arms. The doctor came up and looked grim.
�You�re all negative. Your only hope is his father.�
Chris sighed.
~*~
Chris walked up to the door after dropping his brothers off at school and Justin to the neighbors. He knocked and waited.
The door opened and he came out. �What are you doing here?�
�He has Leukemia.�
His father was quiet.
�All of us aren�t Lance�s blood type, you�re our only hope. Please?�
�Can I see him?�
�No. Not if you�re going to leave us again.�
�I�ll do it.�
Chris didn�t say anything he just went down to his car and drove off to go see Lance. ~*~
�Chris�I hate to say this but�negative.�
�WHAT?! How can that be? He�s his father! He HAS to be a match!� Chris didn�t want to believe this and having the man standing right next to him made matters worse.
�Well, the test confirmed. Lance has a different blood type.�
Chris looked at his father. �What are you not telling me? What was my mom supposed to tell me before she died that she never got to do!� Chris was getting hysterical. He just lost his mom, he couldn�t lose his brother.
�Chris, I�m not Lance�s father.�
Chris backed away. �You mean�mom had an affair?�
�Yes. After Justin was born, your mother told me that Lance wasn�t my son.�
�So you left�just because Lance wasn�t your son, you left! He�s 2 years older than Justin and you waited till he was born to leave! How could you? Why wasn�t I told?� Chris walked away from them and into Lance�s room.
�We�ll find your daddy, little one. We�ll find him and you�ll get better.� Chris put his head on Lance�s chest and listened to his heartbeat.
~*~
�Chris?�
Chris looked at JC and smiled. �What is it?�
�Is Lance still my brother? Even though we have different daddies?�
Chris hugged JC. �Yes, he is, JC. He still belongs to us.�
�We need to find his daddy, Chris! I don�t want my brother to die!�
Chris took in a shaky breath. �He won�t buddy�he won�t.�
~*~
Chris walked into his mom�s bedroom and sighed. He went over to the closet and pulled out the box labeled *BIRTH CERTIFICATES*. He took it and went to the kitchen. He set the box down and looked in the living room. Justin was on the couch asleep while JC watched TV and Joey was coloring. He sighed and opened the box. He took out the first one. It was his and it named his father as �Alan Kirkpatrick.� He folded it up carefully and put it down. He picked up the next one. Joey�s and it labeled �Alan Kirkpatrick� as his father. He got JC�s and it was the same father. He found Justin�s and saw the same name. When he got to Lance�s, he saw that it said �Alan Kirkpatrick.� Chris sighed and looked inside the box and saw a picture. He picked it up and examined it. It was his mother and a man at the beach. He turned it around and saw the date August 2 �96. It was the month Lance was conceived and the weekend his mom had gone on a trip. She came home pregnant but passed it off as her husband�s child. Chris was going to rip the picture up when he realized he needed it to find the man who was probably Lance�s father. On closer inspection, he saw the same bright green eyes Lance had. This man was Lance�s father.
Too bad the name wasn�t written down. He pulled out another item and saw it as a picture of just the man. He turned it around and saw the name �James Bass.� So that�s where Lance�s first name came from. Chris felt a few tears drop down his eyes.
�Chris?�
Chris looked over at JC.
�You want a JC hug?�
Chris smiled. �I�d love a JC hug, come here.� Chris wrapped his arms around his brother and hugged him tightly. He made a silent promise to himself and to JC, Joey and Justin that he would find Lance�s father and save Lance�s life.