“Come on man, don't do this to me. The bets are only going to be this high if you're the opponent. I need you.”
Brandon looked at me and took a deep breath in and out of his nose, “Fine. But you keep an eye on her, if anything happens to her, my next fight will be against you. Got it?”
“HELL YEAH! I knew my boy wouldn’t let me down. See you in a bit.” He hung up before Brandon could say anything else.
“I'm sorry sweetheart, but I have to take you. If you don't want me to go tonight, just tell me and I'll call him back.”
“Well I don't, I never want you to go. But I know this means a lot to you.”
He brushed his knuckles along my jaw, “Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you too. Call your guys, I'll call Konrad and Jeremy.”
By the time I was up on the platform with Crow; Breanna, Konrad, Jeremy and one of his friends were arriving and making their way towards us. They were surprised to see me at such a big fight, but after explaining our date and how he wouldn't have made it back they understood and the boys made a loose circle around Bree and I. I had accidentally been elbowed in the stomach pretty hard not too long ago, and that had been the last big fight Brandon took me to, ever since then I get boxed in whenever I'm allowed to come.
Scarecrow was jumping up and down and couldn't stop laughing and smiling. He finally leaned in and told me if Brandon won, he would be bringing home at least forty-five hundred. I blanched, that could only mean the guy he was fighting was really good. The most Brandon had ever made was three thousand. He introduced them, and the fight began along with my uncontrollable shaking. Bree held my hand, she knew how much I hated this. The fight seemed to go on forever, both fighters equally getting in good punches and kicks. Brandon finally got him on the ground and almost choked him out before the other guy, who went by the name “Demon”, tapped out.
I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and Bree and I laughed shakily and hugged. Scarecrow hugged us hard and started out to the ring. I looked back at my fiancé who was riling up the crowd on the opposite side of the basement we were in. I saw Demon push someone away that had been yelling at him and charge toward Brandon, just as Brandon turned back around, Demon punched him so hard Brandon's body went stiff and fell to the ground. Demon sat on top of him and began punching him again and again until Scarecrow and some other guys pulled him off. Scarecrow rushed back over to Brandon but he wasn't getting up and he wasn't moving. I was screaming and trying to run to him, but there were multiple pairs of hands holding me where I stood. I kept getting flashes of Chase's limp body on the stretcher, his lifeless hand in mine. Bree's hand was gripping my arm so hard, I had no doubt she was seeing the same thing. A few guys helped Scarecrow pick up his body to carry him out of the room, and I broke away from whoever was holding me to get to Brandon. He was breathing, but he wasn't opening his eyes or responding to anything.
It probably wasn't the brightest idea, but there was a hospital less than a mile away so the guys carried him up the stairs and put him in the back of his Jeep. Jeremy jumped in with me so he could drive after tossing his keys to his friend. Konrad said he'd follow us there. Jeremy jumped out and ran into the E.R., when he came out he was followed closely by nurses with a stretcher. They took Brandon back to an exam room but made us stay in the waiting room. I collapsed into Jeremy's side and bawled my eyes out. I'd seen Brandon knock guys unconscious, but after a minute or smelling salts, they always woke up. Brandon didn't. There was no way this was happening.
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.