[FIN] My Brother's Keeper

[Tori Honoo]

She laughed weakly, then paused, wondering why she had displayed such emotion; there wasn't anything to laugh about now.

"You know... I said the same thing," she admitted timidly, thinking of Luke.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch raised his brows at that, then turned his head away to lean back against his chair and close his eyes with a huff. "Hmph. Don't make promises you can't keep."

... Like he was one to talk.

"But if you really did say that, you better follow through. He'll need someone like you when he does wake up."  

[Tori Honoo]

She shook her head, knowing the situation was out of her hands now. The entire situation was in the hands of the doctors. Asch's last statement, though, did catch her attention and she turned to him.

"What do you mean...?"  

[BlackPidgeot]

At her question, Asch opened his eyes to look out the windows with a distant expression. "It's nothing..." he said quietly.

And just then, the door opened to the waiting room and in stepped a man with red hair and green eyes. Although this gentlemen appeared to be quite a bit older than the twins, he looked a lot like them, and instantly his gaze fell on Asch.

"Luke..."

Asch's attention snapped towards his father and he rose from his seat.  

[Tori Honoo]

Though she didn't intent to press him further for an explanation, she continued to look at the boy beside her, her attention pulled away only when another man addressed him and he rose from his seat.

Turning her gaze to the older man, her brows furrowed, she held back in her seat, curious about the man's way of greeting. Another relative, perhaps?

His father, it had to be. The situation became even more grave as she realized how short a time it had been between the loss of the mother of the family and now...

No. Luke would be okay.  

[BlackPidgeot]

As father and son faced each other, there was just a hint of tension. After all, the last time they had spoken, they had not parted on the best of terms. However, they exchanged what little information they knew about Luke's state. After that, there was a long awkward silence. Broken only when Lord Fabre stepped forward and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Luke... back at the manor, I had acted rashly. I should not have forced such things on you, especially so soon after your mother's death. No matter what happens, or what you decide to do with your life, you are still my son. I'm glad to see that you have grown into such a fine young man, and I'm proud of you."

Asch blinked in astonishment at these words, his eyes misting slightly before he closed them.

A nurse then came into the room as well. "Are you Luke's family? We're ready to let you see him."  

[Tori Honoo]

As the two stood before each other in silence, Dove turned away politely, not wanting to intrude on family discussions; they needed one another now, and it wasn't her place to include herself, no matter how badly she longed for someone to stand by her while she waited for things to settle.

Though she attempted to tune the father-son discussion out of her mind, she couldn't help but overhear the words exchanged, her curiosity flaring dimly for a moment; did his father not know...?

She sunk in on herself, knowing how rude it was to even think such things. Asch didn't seem to be a bad person overall...

When the nurse announced it time for the family to visit, she looked up expectantly, then turned away again in disappointment. Likely, she wouldn't be able to see him at all...at least, not until he had woken up.  

[BlackPidgeot]

At the nurse's beckoning, both Asch and his father went in to see Luke. Upon seeing him, they were informed of the nature of his condition and the fact that he would need a heart transplant within a few days if he was to survive. And without one he wouldn't last more than a week.

Their father was obviously distraught over this. After having lost his wife and now facing the very real possibility of losing one of his sons so soon after, it was difficult.

Asch felt numb at the news, and he merely stared vacantly at his brother's near lifeless form. Fists clenched at his sides as certain thoughts swam through his head. There wasn't much time. Donor hearts were hard to come by, especially on such short notice. The odds of finding a match were very slim.

While his father sat at Luke's bedside, Asch eventually excused himself. "I have things I need to do," he said in a tone that sounded oddly cold just before bursting through the doors that lead back into the waiting room.

There Asch paused, putting his hands in his hair, his face contorted in anguish as he tried to pull himself together.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove sat in the waiting room silently, lost again in her own thoughts. How would his family react to seeing him?

Her question was soon answered as Asch threw himself through the doorway again, this time in obvious distress. Quickly rising to her feet, she carefully made her way over to him, speaking softly in hopes of calming him down. "Asch, it's--"  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Leave me alone!" Asch snapped as Dove came over. Not wanting her to touch him or console him or anything. He just wanted to be left alone, to deal with things himself as he always had.

Brushing her off, the young man quickly walked towards the door and left just as abruptly as he had come.

After all... he had things to do.  

[Tori Honoo]

She blanched at his outburst, drawing her hands up as if to defend herself, then stepped back away from him, her eyes wide and full of concern. Though she said nothing else, her heart raced as she racked her brains for anything to say to him, anything to help at all...

...until he left completely, the door slamming on his way out.

The girl stood in shocked silence, unexplainable tears escaping the corners of her eyes as her weak-willed emotional stitches came undone.