Chapter 4: Jonathan's POV

Crap.  What am I going to do?  Jonathan was stuck.  He just finished another shift at the hospital.  It’s been a week since hearing about the death of the twins’ parents, and he still didn’t know what was going to happen to them.  All he knew was that he had to fight to keep them in this hospital.  He checked his watch: 7:00 a.m.  Great.  Another 20 hours gone.  I guess it just goes with the job, but still…Jonathan knew that he was getting on in years, granted he wasn’t even 30 yet, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep up the constant hours of work for much longer.  Maybe, I should ask for some time off soon…but what would I do? 

Jonathan grabbed his jacket, and was almost out of the front door, when he heard his phone start to ring.  He pulled his Galaxy S4 out of his pocket and checked to see who was calling him at this hour.  When he saw the name flashing on his screen, he quickly answered, “Bailey…what are you doing calling at this hour?”

“Sorry, I just assumed that you would be awake at this time.  So what’s up?”

“Working, nothing different from when you called last week.  How’s school?”

“New York University is so cool!  I love school!  It’s going great, and I totally love all my classes!  Have I mentioned that I love this school?”

“You may have forgotten to mention it.  Why are you calling?  You only ever call me monthly, and if you call in between you need money.  So how much do you need and for what?”

“Actually big brother.  I don’t need any money this time.  I’m actually coming home for the weekend.  I’m coming in on Friday morning, and I was just wondering if you would pick me up from the bus station.”

That caught Jonathan by surprise.  “You’re coming home for the weekend?  Is Thomas coming with you?” he asked his younger sister. 

“I asked him, he said that he has too much homework piled up, so he can’t make it down.  But he is definitely coming home in two weeks to visit.  So can you pick me up?”

“Of course, you know that I can.  Just email me the details and I’ll pick you up.”

“Thanks!  You’re the best big bro in the world, did you know that? 

“Yes.  I do know that.  You don’t need to point out the obvious.”

“Okay!  I gotta go to class, but I’ll see you in a couple of days!”  The line went dead.

Jonathan placed his phone back into his pocket.  He would never admit it to anybody, but he was very excited to see his little sister, even with the problem of the twins hanging in the air.  He practically raised his younger siblings since they were born when he was a 15 year old back home in Germany.  He allowed himself a small smile as he walked back to his apartment. 

A couple of days passed, and Jonathan found himself waiting in his car at Union Station waiting for the bus from New York to show up.  Bailey had written in an email that her bus should show up around 8:00 a.m. shortly after his shift ended, which worked out perfectly for him. 

He found himself humming along to the song on the rock station that was set to his car radio.  Whenever people asked him what his favorite genre of music was, he challenged them to guess.  Everybody always guessed classical music.  They were always shocked to learn that while he doesn’t really hate it, classical just wasn’t his thing.  The song “Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence started to play, and Jonathan found himself getting excited.  This has been his favorite song that has played on the station by far.  Amy Lee sang the lyrics for the song so powerfully, that he couldn’t help but get lost in the song.

Just as the song was finishing up, Jonathan noticed a bus coming up.  As the passengers came out one by one, he finally saw a young 18 year-old girl, with a giant hot pink backpack, walk off the bus.  The young doctor immediately got out of his car, and when Bailey spotted him, she quickly ran and gave her older brother a hug.  “Bailey!  Look at you!  You’ve changed so much.”

“Don’t joke around…I’ve only been at school for like a month and a half.”

“First of all…just shut up and enjoy the compliment.  Second of all…you had long hair when you left for school, now you have a pixie cut.”  She punched her brother in the arm, and then they climbed into Jonathan’s car and drove to his apartment. 

“So, do you have anything planned for me this weekend, bro?” Bailey asked, as they walked through the door of Jonathan’s apartment.

Jonathan looked at his younger sister like she was crazy.  “No…you sort of sprung this whole trip on me a few days ago.  Besides I have something at work that I need to resolve.” 

Bailey looked disappointed.  She went to sweep her hair over her shoulder, completely forgetting that she had chopped it all off.  “But…” she began to argue.

“No, Bailey…I don’t have anything planned.  I did, however, talk my boss into giving me a weekend of peace.  So if you want to do something, then just tell me,” Jonathan answered.  Although as the words came spilling out of his mouth, a twinge of guilt was beginning to knot in his stomach.  Nikki and Levi and their future were still swimming around in his mind, and he felt both guilty because he still hadn’t come up with a way to save them, and because he wasn’t able to provide his little sister with the undivided attention that she obviously wanted. 

However, at Jonathan’s comment, the young college student’s face immediately lit up.  “Yes!  Ok, so listen to this.  The real reason that I wanted to come home, not that I don’t love you or anything, but my roommate has a friend that goes to school around here, and she set me up on a blind date with him.  I’m supposed to meet him at this nightclub somewhere around here.  And I thought since I was going to hook up with someone tonight, maybe you would like to…you know…”

Jonathan saw where this was going.  “Bailey…you know that I don’t like nightclubs.  It’s a waste of time and money.”

“But, Jon!  You’re 30, and you’ve never been with anyone.  I thought that maybe back in college you would’ve hooked up with Alex, but that never panned out.  I mean, seriously…” She continued to complain until her big brother could no longer take it.  Jonathan finally had to draw the line when she resorted to pouting.  Her lips quivered and her giant, sea-green eyes were staring straight into his blue eyes.     

“Fine!  Just stop complaining!”  He hated how she knew exactly how to get a reaction out of him.  “Which club are you supposed to be meeting at tonight?” 

“Hang on, let me have my roommate text me the details.”  She quickly grabbed her phone out of her pocket, and ran off into the guest bedroom with her giant backpack. 

Jonathan sighed.  He dragged his weary body to the couch, and he flopped down.  God, I’m so tired.  He checked his watch.  It was almost 11 in the morning.  Assuming that he wouldn’t have to go until at least 10 or 11 later that night, he estimated that, if Bailey would let him, he could at least get a few hours of sleep.  He closed his eyes, allowing them to rest for a second.  He heard his sister starting to talk to him, but sleep began to tug at him, pulling him further into unconsciousness.

Darkness surrounds Jonathan.  He can’t see anything.  Can’t hear anything.  Surrounded by nothing.  Just blackness all around.  Slowly choking the life out of him.

Suddenly, a flicker of light appears far ahead.  Jonathan tries to move toward the light, but his legs feel as if they are made out of lead.  He wills himself to walk, but he could only manage one step every few minutes.  After what feels like a few hours, the doctor has made it closer to the light. 

Something’s wrong, he thinks to himself.  The light isn’t warm.  It doesn’t comfort him, as a light in the middle of the suffocating darkness should.  As the light grows larger, he sees that it transforms into the outline of a door. 

No…no…no…a horrifying thought suddenly occurs.  Not this nightmare again. 

He knew that he shouldn’t, but his curiosity always gets the better of him.  He had to open the door, in hopes that the horror would take a different turn this time.

It didn’t. 

The doorknob was hot to the touch.  Shortly, after placing his hand on the metal handle, Jonathan flinched and pulled back quickly.  He tried again, this time, quickly turning the handle, only slightly burning his palm in the process.  The door swung open, and a blazing inferno welcomed him into its room. 

Familiar tables set ablaze by the fire, slowly being reduced to ashes before Jonathan’s eyes.  The once lovely white curtains slowly disappearing into the flames.  The Persian rug no longer in its usual place, having left this world long ago.  By the window, he sees two armchairs facing outside; they are the only objects in the room that are not on fire in the room.  He approaches the chairs, slowly and cautiously.

He finally reaches the chairs, and no matter how many times he has this nightmare, Jonathan is never prepared for what he sees. 

Two corpses.  A man and a woman. 

The woman is propped in the chair.  A large gash deforming what was once a graceful neck.  Her blood, still in the process of drying, stains her white tee shirt and jeans, forcing them to change colors in the process.  Her eyes, now glazed over, were still wide open with shock.

The man was lying at her feet with a large knife crudely shoved into his back.  His black long-sleeve shirt denying that any trace of blood is flowing out of his wound at that moment.  His right arm reached out, as if he was trying to write something out.

Jonathan cranes his neck in hopes of catching what the man had scribbled with his blood.  All he manages to see is J-O-N scribbled out.  My name?  Why do they look so familiar?  Who are these people?    

Suddenly he heard something.  “-than!”

A voice?

“-athan!”

Why did it sound so familiar to him?

“Jonathan! Wake up!”

The young doctor slowly opened his eyes to reveal the form of his younger sister in front of him.  He looked down and noticed that he had been covered with his fleece blanket. 

“Bailey?”

Bailey’s eyes flashed concern for a split second before asking, “Was it that dream again?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  He didn’t want to worry her before her date.  He checked the time on his watch.  8:00 p.m.  “About what time were you planning on dragging me with you to this club?”  Avoidance.  Obviously the healthier choice.

“About 10.  Jona-” she started, when he felt his phone begin to vibrate in his pocket. 

He held his index finger up.  “Hold that thought,” and he stood up.  As he walked to his room, so he could take the call in private, he looked down to look at the caller id.  An unknown number?  Jonathan didn’t normally make it a habit to answer unknown numbers, but something compelled him to drag the green answer button across the screen. 

He closed his bedroom door behind him and said, “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Dr. Jonathan Becker, head pediatrician of Children’s Hospital of Washington D.C.?” asked a female voice on the other line. 

“Speaking.  May I ask who this is?”

“Oh…that’s right.  My name is Lilian Riddle.  I got your number from your supervisor at the hospital.  I believe that you have been the primary physician for my nephew and niece for the past four years…you know, Nikki and Levi Walker?”

“Yes, I know them quite well…” Jonathan didn’t know what to say next.  Luckily for him, this “Lilian” decided to continue.

“Then you might know that about a week ago, my sister and my brother-in-law suffered from a fatal accident, and the future of my niece and nephew are in question.”

“Yes.  I’m well aware, in fact, if it’s possible, I would like to speak to you about that.”

“Please, let me speak first.  My sister had expressed to me that if anything happened to her and her husband, that she wanted me to be the ones to look after them.  We live in Northern Virginia, roughly 30 minutes to an hour away, you know, depending on traffic.  And my husband has expressed that it would be much easier for us, if we moved them to a hospital that was closer to home.”

Jonathan felt the cold sweat starting to form on the back of his neck.  He didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“However, I believe that would be a horrible idea.”

He was speechless, too stunned to say a word.

“Dr. Becker, are you still there?”

“Yes…I’m sorry.  I’m still here.  Not that I don’t mind, I mean, I love Nikki and Levi as if they were my own kids, but do you mind explaining why it would be horrible to move them closer to home?”  Why am I asking?  Isn’t this basically what I wanted?

“Well, you see…you have been their primary doctor for the past four year.  You know them inside and out better than probably their late parents.  We went to visit them at the hospital the day after their parents regretfully left this world, and while they were too sad to really say anything, when we brought up the idea of moving them to another hospital, they spoke with so much passion about wanting to stay.  They obviously trust you.  Please, if it’s not too much of an inconvenience, do you mind if they continue their treatment at your hospital, and they stay in your care?”

Jonathan could feel the tears beginning to build up, but he quickly pinched himself in order to keep calm.  “Of course we don’t mind.  Like I said, we have been taking care of them for the past four years.  We would love for them to stay with us at the hospital.”

“Thank you Dr. Becker. Have a good night.  We will be visiting the twins tomorrow, I hope that we will get a chance to meet you.”

“Not at all.  Please have a good night.  I hope that we see each other as well.”  He quickly hung up the phone and took a deep breath.  They won’t be taken away…I’m so glad.

Suddenly, he hears a soft knock from behind him.  “Jonathan.  Are you gonna get ready soon?”

Shit.  That’s right.  I’m supposed to go to the club with Bailey tonight.  Jonathan quickly grabbed a nice, blue button-up shirt and pair of black pants from his closet and opened the door.  “Yeah…yeah…let me just get a quick shower in.”

A little after ten o’clock, Jonathan and Bailey were making their way down the streets of Washington D.C., choosing to walk, instead of taking a car only about 10 blocks from Jonathan’s apartment. 

            His younger sister had on a simple pair of thigh high, black shorts and a ribbed-back black tank top.  Her feet adorned the most beautiful pair of four inch black, strappy stiletto heals.  Bailey was so giddy, that the young doctor could’ve sword that his younger sister would have skipped on her way to her blind date…if it weren’t for her fear of looking stupid in front of complete strangers.

            After a few blocks, they began to hear the loud, catchy club music ripping through the silence of the night, while right lights blasted its way through the darkness.  And Jonathan hated everything about it. 

Why am I so soft when it comes to Bailey?  There was no reason to ask a question like that…because Jonathan already knew the answer.  He could still remember like it was yesterday. 

He was only 15 years old at the time, which means Thomas was 5 and Bailey was 3 years old.  His parents trusted him to babysit them while they had to go to work, since he had a snow day and therefore didn’t have to leave for school.  His teachers had this weird idea, that even it was a snow day, their students should still have to complete some form of schoolwork.  Each of Jonathan’s teachers had sent their own individual emails explaining what they had to complete and by what time they had to email the assignment back.

His younger brother, with his usual messy sandy blonde hair, suddenly came bursting into his room. “Hey big brother…when are mommy and daddy coming home?”  

            “They’ll be back when they’re done with work,” Jonathan answered, slightly annoyed, since this was literally the 20^th time that Thomas had asked the same question.

            “But I’m bored!  I wanna go outside and play in the snow!” he complained even louder than before.

            “Well too bad Thomas.  Mom and Dad said we could go out once they get home.  And that won’t happen until at least 4:00 if they get here on time.  Why don’t you just watch T.V. like every other kid on this planet?  I only have until 2:00 to finish these assignments.”

            Thomas pouted at the response, and he quietly left the room.  Jonathan heard the T.V. in the living room start to play the theme song from Spongebob Squarepants.  He sighed and went back to focusing on his assignment for his Pre-AP English 9 class.  They were studying the Jane Schaffer method of writing.  His assignment wasn’t hard, which is why he picked to finish it last.  He had 5 paragraphs that his teacher had emailed them, and he had to identify the topic and closing sentences with the color black, the concrete detail with red, and the commentary with green, and then he had to explain on the side, why he identified them as such.

            He was almost finished with the last paragraph, when he suddenly heard yelling from the living room.

            “Give it back to me!” he heard Thomas screaming at the top of his lungs.

            “Mine!” he heard from Bailey.

            Jonathan groaned loudly, and he stood from his seat to check out what the commotion was all about.  He just managed to walk through his door, when he heard a loud crash.  He felt his panic begin to rise, and he rushed his way through the hallway and down the stairs to the living room. 

            Earsplitting crying and frantic “sorrys” were the only identifiable sounds coming out of the small living room.  Jonathan rounded the corner to see his baby sister sitting on the floor, her small hands clutching her forehead.  There was a small trickle of blood slowly making its way down her face.  Her eyes tightly shut, tears streaming down her cheeks, and nose completely stuffed.  Thomas was hovering above her, also crying, and apologizing over and over again. 

            “What happened?” Jonathan asked his little brother, anxiety completely taking over as he ran to his sister’s side.  He picked her up and walked her over to a nearby bathroom.  Thomas followed his siblings into the small, cramped bathroom.  Jonathan grabbed the first aid kit that was hidden under the sink, and quickly pulled out bandages and antiseptic.  He looked down to his younger brother.  “Explain,” he demanded, coldly. 

            “Sh-she…I d-didn’t…I m-mean…” was all little Thomas could muster through his crying.  He proceeded to cry even harder. 

            “Thomas, just go to your room.  I’m going to talk with you later,” Jonathan said, after he couldn’t stand the crying any longer.  Thomas quickly scurried out of the bathroom and ran up the stairs to his bedroom.  Jonathan quickly turned his attention back to his baby sister, who was still crying her head off. 

            Jonathan tried to soothe his baby sister by talking as calmly as he could, “Hey, hey, sweetie.  There’s no need to cry…why don’t you let big brother see?  I’ll try to make it feel better.”

            Bailey’s crying immediately downgraded to a small sniffle as she slowly removed her hands from her forehead.  Jonathan was relived to see that it was nothing more than a small cut; he was afraid that it was a large gash, and he was going to have to take her to the hospital in the snowstorm.  He quickly applied antiseptic to the small cut and put a pink, Hello Kitty Band-Aid over the small wound.  “See, didn’t I tell you that I would make it feel better?”  He placed a small kiss on her forehead, and let her run out of the bathroom, laughing. 

“Hello?!  Big Brother, is anyone in there?”

            Bailey’s voice brought Jonathan out of his reverie.  He saw his younger sister’s hand waving repeatedly in front of his face in order to get his attention.  “Huh?  Oh yeah…sorry Bee.”  He looked up and noticed that the music was considerably louder, and the lights much brighter than they were a few blocks back.  “Is this the place?”

            Bailey nodded enthusiastically.  Jonathan had to admit that the building looked very nice from the outside.  The words, The Lounge, sit proudly on top of the building in bright pink neon lights, blaring the name of the club for all to see.  The front of the building was made completely of windows, so people passing by could see the clubbers dancing along with the rhythm of the music.  Jonathan could already see a few people grinding against each other.  Seriously?  This early in the night? 

            “Come on, Jon!” Bailey yelled while pulling his arm, so he was basically being dragged by a girl nearly half his size.

            As soon as they walked past the bouncer, only one thought came to Jonathan.

            Let’s get this night started.