Chapter 18: Natalie

 

Stone had come and grabbed me at some point because when I fell asleep I didn't remember the couch.

“Ah the slumbering man awakes.” I looked around and saw Angelina sitting in the arm chair watching TV. I rolled over remembering why I got drunk.

“So how does it feel? Still remember?” She said in what I guessed was a teasing voice.

“Remember what?” Came my stuffed reply.

“Ah I see you are at step one, denial.” I was getting sick of her right about now.

“Leave me alone.” She threw a pillow at me.

“No can do little bro. Your brother is questioning how you got drunk. Personally I know how, it was right next to her picture. Right Samuel Johnson?” I sighed.

“So what?” She was getting agitated.

“So what? You are seventeen and you got completely wasted last night, all because you won't swallow your pride and go home. How do you plan on getting your father if your wasted?” She had a point.

“I'll figure it out.” She threw another pillow at me. I jumped up but immediately regretted it as my head started spinning. She gave a laugh.

“Hangover not fun?” I got up and walked out side noticing that I was only in my boxers. I grabbed my swim trunks and changed before I fell into the pool. It was freezing and sobered me up quickly. I still had a huge headache but at least I was looking straight. I began to swim slowly trying to loosen up. I got out and dried off before I walked into the house. I sat back down after I took some aspirin to get rid of my headache. Once my headache lightened up I started to draw out a plan on how to kill my father, but I drew up a blank. How do you kill your old man? I sighed and leaned back before I heard a scream. I jumped up and saw Angelina grabbing her stomach in pain.

“Angie whats wrong?” I rushed to her side and helped her stand before she said through gritted teeth.

“Get me to the hospital.” I grabbed my keys and called Stone to meet me at the hospital. I drove as fast as I could and when we arrived they rushed her right into a room. Stone came running down the hall way.

“Where is she? Is she ok?” We heard some one scream ' Stone I am going to kill you' My brother looked absolutely pale.

“Third door, better get in there.” I sat in the corner as my other brothers came in and waited, I held a magazine in front of my face so I wasn't known. It took five hours but Stone walked out holding a baby girl and the look of elated joy came across his face. My brothers stood around him but he walked over to me.

“Ethan, would you like to hold Natalie?” I panicked but my cover was blown. I held the baby in my arms and you could see the tufts of red hair. She was going to look like her daddy. My brothers gasped when they saw my face. I looked them all in the eye.

“Ethan would you be her godfather?” Stone asked me, I gave a silent nod as my assent.

“You were dead.” I handed Nat, back.

“Well then your seeing my ghost.” Chris looked at me.

“Dan I believe that is our dear brother.”

“Still got the wit.” Dan finished I looked to the twins, it was good seeing them. I heard heavy foot falls and knew who was walking down the hall. Around the corner came my burly black haired father. His face lit up at my presence.

“Ethan.” Came his clipped reply.

“A*****e.” I said. Chris and George looked shocked and Tim looked indifferent. Something was going on with him.

“Now is that how you greet your father?” He asked.

“Yes, it is. Especially when said father leaves his son out to die.” I said.

“Aren't past that yet? Obviously no harm done since your still standing here.” He looked to my brothers and saw his granddaughter before he left. I slumped into a chair. Had I expected him to kill me now? I left in need of a drink.

I walked down the road to the bar again. It was there I saw a red headed woman. She reminded me of Gin. I drowned another shot hoping that it would keep the name from my mind. I stood and walked over to the red head and sat next to her. She looked like she was in her early twenties.

We both stumbled trough the front door, lips locked. I led her into the living room, she was half naked before I looked into her blue eyes. I stopped kissing her, she wasn't Gin. I sat back and calmed my breathing.

“Get out.” I said. She looked at me and was shocked.

“Get the hell out!” I screamed, she stood collected her shirt and slapped me hard across the face. I laid my head in my hands and tears poured out of my face. I grabbed my cell phone.

“Hello?” I sighed at the voice.

“I'm such a mess.” I said a bit hysterically, on the verge of tears. God how I missed her.

“Ethan? Do you know what time it is? Why haven't you called in two weeks? You know how worried I have been of you brother?” The tears fell silently.

“I've been drunk. Am at this moment. Stone is out, I brought some chick home but she wasn't her. I couldn't do it, why am I so messed up?” I heard her sigh.

“Ethan, sober up. Fight dad and come home. Gin misses you and you miss her, Your so messed up because you love her. You let her in and now your without her.” I shook my head and wiped the tears off of my face.

“I am the strong one, why am I so weak?” I questioned more to myself then her.

“With every great strength, lies a weakness.” I heard her get up and walk over to another room, I heard the door close.

“Talk to her.” I couldn't not now, I hadn't slept properly in a week. I heard her wake up and remembered back when I would wake up next to her.

“Ethan?”

“Hey babe.” I said. I heard her sit up.

“Come home. Please.” I knew she was fully awake now.

“I can't, I promised my self I would kill him... Even if it means I die.” I said. I could tell she was holding the tears in as her strangled voice came.

“You need to come home.” I wiped the tears off my face again.

“I can't my love.” I pulled the phone away and with shaking hands I closed it, ending my connection with her. I let my sobs wrack my frame and that is how Stone found me. He took pity on me seeing my phone in my hand. He handed me some pills which I greedily took. But I regret that.

He was standing over me, the knife held high. His eyes were the color of blood and so was the moon. I looked next to me and she was dead, in a dark pool of her own blood. She looked to me pale and life less. 'I did this for you' Before she melted away and I tried to grab her but in the end I was covered in blood. I looked to him hoping he would pity me, but he drove the knife into me.

I woke with a jolt, fell off the couch and hit my head on the glass table shattering it. I just held my head as I rocked back and forth in a pool of glass, I had a deep gash on the side of my face right above my eye. My brother came running out to me in his boxers. He tried to reach me.

“Stay away.” I shouted. Everything near me died. I had to die.

“Ethan, lets get you to the hospital. I won't let you die.” I felt lightheaded as I passed out to the darkness.