Taking Chances (Taking Chances 1)

Bree, Konrad and Jeremy's friend rushed in together, Bree was crying just as hard as me. Konrad's face was ashen and blank. This was too much for what we'd seen just over three months ago.

Jeremy's friend, Kevin, stood next to Jeremy and half whispered, “I get he was knocked out and all, but these people need to calm the eff down.”

Konrad lunged at him but Jeremy jumped in between them. “I got this.” He said calmly to Konrad and turned on his friend to push him toward the door, “Not cool man.” I heard him say before they got outside.

Konrad sat on the couch and pulled Breanna onto his lap, she curled into him and soaked his shirt with her tears, his other arm went around me. None of us could say anything, the only sound was our sobs. My eyes seemed to not be able to leave his left arm that was holding Bree to his body. The thick pink scars from trying to get to Chase seemed to stand out even more now. Taunting me with alternating flashes of Chase dead on the ground and Brandon laying unresponsive. A few minutes later, Jeremy pulled me from Konrad and wrapped his arms around me, he was still in High School, but he was just as tall as his brother, though slightly lankier, and was able to hold me just as easily as Brandon.

“It's okay sis, it'll be okay.” He softly crooned. “He's going to be fine.”

An administrative nurse came up to us with a clipboard and paperwork to fill out for Brandon, and with the help of Jeremy, we got it completely filled out. When I sat back down on the couch, Kevin walked up, he'd been sitting in some chairs against another wall, and looked at us sheepishly.

“I'm really sorry. I didn't know about…” He looked around for a second, biting his lip.

“It's fine.” I said hoarsely.

Scarecrow came running in and came right over to us, “Is he okay? Did he wake up?”

Bree and I started crying again at those questions. He’s not waking up! I remembered Konrad's hysterical screaming from that night and my pleas for Chase to wake up when the EMT pulled me away from him.

Jeremy talked to him for a minute, and went back to trying to calm me down. Konrad wasn't having much more luck with Bree, but then again he looked like he was in shock. Scarecrow held a wad of cash in front of me and I looked up with disgust. I sucked in a deep breath to let him know what I thought about him and his money but Jeremy hugged me close, grabbed the money and shoved it in my purse while telling Scarecrow he needed to leave. He was a good brother for stopping me from saying something stupid.

“Sis, look at me.” he ordered and I reluctantly looked up, “He's going to be fine. I know what this means for all of you, but he will be fine.”

“Mr. Taylor?”

Jeremy and I jumped off the couch and rushed over to the Doctor.

“Are you family of Mr. Taylor?”

“I'm his brother, this is his fiancée.” Jeremy answered, keeping a tight grip on my upper arm in case I fainted, which I definitely felt like I was about to do.

“He's awake, and you can see him. Only one person at a time, but I have some questions before you go back there. Can you tell me how this happened?”

Jeremy replayed what happened after the fight had ended for the Doctor who nodded and looked at his watch.

“We should have the X-ray back in a few minutes, if there's anything suspicious I'll be running more tests, but you may go in and see him now if you'd like.”

After making sure I was going to stay vertical, Jeremy let go and walked back to the group.

“Miss? Do you need a wheelchair?” The Doctor asked looking at my swollen stomach and pale face.

“I'm fine, just please take me to see him.”

We walked down two halls and into a room. Brandon sighed in relief and reached an arm toward me. “Come here sweetheart.”

I grabbed his hand with both of mine, no longer caring about the tears still falling down my cheeks. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, just feel like I got my ass beat.” He huffed a laugh.

“This isn't funny. You weren't waking up Brandon!”

“I know.” He pulled my arm closer to his body, “Come here.” He kissed me twice and held my face in his hands. “I'm sorry, he was dirty, I wasn't expecting that. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again though. That's the first time I've had someone do that.”

I pulled away abruptly, “Again? No! Brandon, you can't fight again. Do you know what it was like seeing you like that? Unresponsive on the ground? I can't lose you too.” I sobbed and fell into the chair next to the bed.

Brandon tried to get off the bed, but the IV was keeping him there. “You won't lose me sweetheart, I promise. I'll be more careful.”

My entire body was shaking hard, I was trying to take calming breaths but it wasn't an easy thing to do. I thought watching Chase die on the ground was the worst thing I would ever experience in my life. I was wrong. Seeing Brandon like that, and thinking I was going to lose him too, that was the worst moment of my life by far.

There was a knock on the door, “Mr. Taylor?”

I looked up to see the Doctor walking in. I wish he had more emotion, his face looked like he could easily be delivering good news or bad news.

“It looks like you're going to be okay, you have a major concussion and we're going to have to keep you for a while to make sure nothing happens. But there isn't too much swelling, so that's a good thing. I do need to stress something though. You fight often, is that correct?”

Brandon nodded.

“I can't tell you what to do, but it would be wise for you to consider retiring from your fighting. Hits like the one you received tonight, can easily cause much more severe damage. Permanent damage. You were extremely lucky tonight, but since you suffered from a hit like the one tonight, even a minor one can cause damage if received the wrong way.” He looked over a couple papers, and stayed looking at them as he spoke again, “We'll monitor you for the next four hours, and if you seem to be recovering fine, you can go home. Any questions?”

Brandon looked at me, and spoke softly. “No. Thank you Doctor.” After he shut the door Brandon continued to watch me silently cry and hold my stomach for a few minutes, “Harper –”

I shook my head and moved farther from his reaching hand.

“Hey guys,” Jeremy said as he walked in, “sis, you mind if I talk to him for a bit?”

I didn't say anything, I just stood up and walked out. Brandon called my name twice but I kept walking. When I got back to Konrad, Breanna and Kevin, I relayed what the Doctor said, and how Brandon planned to keep fighting. Konrad went to the bathroom and Bree held me while we waited for Jeremy to come back. Thankfully guys don't talk long, and he was walking back into the room in no time.

“He wants to talk to you.”

I nodded and walked back down the halls, the door was cracked and I heard Brandon's rich voice filling the room.

“I’m sure it looked bad, but I really am fine.”

“You don't get it man. You weren't there that night with Chase.” I realized it was Konrad and stepped closer.

“I know that, but this is the first time something like this has happened, and it wasn't even during the fight. I make really good money, more than enough to support her and our family. I can't just stop because of one hit.”

“You won't be supporting them if you take another hit like that and it paralyzes you.”

“I won't.” Brandon groaned.

“Look you can do whatever you want. Despite what Harper says tonight, she loves you enough that she would never actually stop you from doing something you wanted to do. But your girl wasn't the only one who thought you were gone. It was like a complete flash back of that night for all of us. People normally wake up from smelling salts, you didn't. You didn't even move.”

“I didn't know they used them.”

“Well they did, three different times. She has every right to be terrified that she's going to lose you like she lost Chase. Only this time, I don't know if she would be able to move on. I understand that you didn't see her side of things after you broke up, but we did. Everyone knew she was still madly in love with you, even Chase knew it but he never brought it up. We all knew he would never hold her heart the way you did. But you did see her the morning before he died, and you saw what that, and his death did to her.”

“It was like she wasn't even there anymore.” Brandon whispered.

“Exactly. I had to watch two police officers hold her down and she still escaped them to get to Chase. I watched her scream for him to wake up even though she knew he wouldn't. But tonight? Random guys standing near us even helped in trying to keep her away from the ring. She got away from four grown men tonight. Four! And she's about to have a baby. The fear in her eyes and voice, was like nothing I've ever seen before. It was as if her reason for existing was lying motionless on the floor. Losing you would kill her, I have no doubt about that. So do what you want, but consider her and your baby before you go out there again.”

“I do consider them, I'm doing this to support them!”

“You can find another way to support them. Do you want her to always be worried that you won't come home one night from this?”

“No.” Brandon took a few deep breaths in and out, “Seeing her like that tonight, I felt like someone stabbed me and kept turning the knife. I hate that I put her through that.”

“Yet you still told her you weren't going to stop fighting?” Konrad challenged, “If you love her like you say you do, you'll take care of yourself so you can take care of them.”

“I love her more than my own life.” Brandon growled.

Konrad sighed, “I know you do man, I shouldn’t have said that. You both mean a lot to me, I love you like family. I don't want to see either of you hurt.” He took a couple steps toward the door and stopped. “Listen, she messed up with you once, and she's paying for it. She'll pay for it every day for the rest of her life. But she would never do anything again to hurt you. Think about that.” Konrad stepped through the door and shut it behind him, he jerked back when he saw me. “Hey Kid.”