Six
1649 Words
Five years ago
Lincoln
I've never been a believer my whole life. I've never believed in miracles, but right now with my brother fighting for his life and Cassidy slowly dying in my arms, I think a miracle would be a great thing to happen.
I can't save them both.
I don't know what the f**k she was thinking, but it was stupid and I hate that I'm the one left to clean this mess. Clean my brother's mess as I always do.
She is jerking in my arms as form comes out of her mouth. Her whole lower part of her body is filled with blood stain. She was aborting the baby.
Lionel is lying there his hand on the wound on his stomach and he is bleeding from his mouth.
I place Cassidy on the couch and run to where he is.
"Lionel." I take the throw blanket beside him and place it on the wound applying pressure.
"Save her." He says in struggled breath. He closes his eyes in pain before he opens them again.
"Hey...hey, stay with me man." He coughs out blood in pain.
"Just apply pressure, help is coming." I called an ambulance the moment everything got messy, it's been more than five minutes and they aren't here yet.
"Lincoln save her."
"I can't brother, she's dying." He grabs my arm forcefully and presses it harder.
"Please." I shake my head as I feel the tears in my eyes form. I can't believe he still wants me to save her when she shot him.
I nod reluctantly.
"Thank you." He whispers and I watch as his eyes slowly close and his body stiffens.
I run to where Cassidy is and carry her all the way to the car. Just when I'm almost driving out of there, I see Teddy's car roll in at a very high speed.
I guess this is the miracle I was hoping for.
We both get out of our cars.
"Where can I help?"
"Lionel, he's in there." He nods and rushes into the house.
I drive off to the nearest hospital.
***
Cassidy
When I open my eyes, he is the first person I see, and he looks like a mess. I still can't believe I did that to him.
His body is filled with bandages on the wounds and he has a sling on his arm, my best bet, Sankey must have broken it.
And I don't know how I'm still alive.
From the white walls surrounding me, I just have to conclude, he got me to the hospital fast enough.
My body feels like it's been through a very rough and bumpy tide.
"Lincoln." I call him as I struggle to get up, my head feels like it's splitting into two.
"You're awake? Good." I can feel the coldness in his voice.
"What happened?"
"Are you seriously going to act like you don't remember anything?"
I know I remember everything, but what I really want him to tell me is how I'm still alive.
Things weren't supposed to go this way. I was supposed to die, we both were supposed to die, so that we could be together again. In a better universe. With no pain and heartbreak.
He shouldn't have helped me.
"Why did you save me?"
He chuckles angrily and gets up from his seat to walk towards my bed.
"I don't know Cass, maybe because that was my last brother's wish." The moment he says that, I feel my heart break into pieces.
I killed him.
I know at the time it felt like the right thing to do, but now that he is dead and I'm not. I think I just made the worst mistake.
"He's dead?"
"What do you think?"
"I didn't mean to kill him, I was mad and angry. I felt betrayed." The pool of tears roll down my cheeks.
"Yea, I get it, look, I don't have much time, your brother already called the cops on me, please Cassidy, whatever it is that's running through your mind right now, and I know it's stupid, please don't do it."
I sniffle and wipe off my tears with the back of my hand.
"My brother wanted you to live, please stay alive, if not for you, then for that kid you're carrying." When he says that, my eyes move to my tummy and it's still there. The baby bump. It didn't die.
"I took the pills."
"Well, yea, but trust me that kid doesn't want to die, so do it a favor and give birth to it, at least for my brother."
He walks to the side of my bed and takes my hand in his. My eyes move to his bloodshot eyes. He is not doing so well.
"My brother, he made a mistake Cass, and I wanted to take the blame for him because unlike me, he is one of the good guys and he loves you so much, now, I don't even know if he will make it out of that ICU, and I won't wait to see that, but if he ever makes it out alive, you have to make sure you make things right."
I hate the tone he is using on me. He sounds like he is going to die, and I know he is not one of my favorite people, but it still hurts.
He tucks my hair behind my ear before he gives me a kiss on the forehead. I close my eyes as the tears keep falling.
When I open them again, he is gone.
What I didn't know is that, that was the last time I was seeing any of the twins.
***
Present day
Until now.
Five years down the line and he is here.
I'm just staring at him and he seems to be doing the same too. Just that as expected he's more of looking at me seductively. I guess some things just never change.
I clear my throat awkwardly.
"What are you doing here?" I finally find my voice.
"I asked him to come with me." Phoina replies instead. I turn to look at her angrily.
"I meant what is he doing out of jail, last I remember, he was arrested."
After the last encounter with Lincoln in that hospital, last I heard was that the cops got to him. Not just him, but his entire family.
Minus Lionel, who was dead.
My dad got all his guys on The Five radar and let's just say, it was messy. He said he was done with gangs ruling his town, so he destroyed The Five and cleared them out.
He cleared out the gang that scared everyone to their pants.
Just like that.
The Five had been turned into a folk story that parents tell children to scare them off. They were no more.
And now, he is here.
Alive and free.
"I served my term, then I got a lawyer who got us out, it's a long story, I'm sure you don't want to listen to it out here in the cold." I scoff and turn to look at Phoina.
"Oh, so you two are friends now?"
"More than that actually." Lincoln answers and I c**k an eyebrow at Phoina.
"Shut up Lincoln."
"You know what? Whatever you two are doing is so none of my business, what do you want?"
"Came to check up on you, it's been a while."
As I said before, we rarely talk with Phoina. I cut ties with everyone I knew from Pineville. At times she would call. I would pick up the call when I was in the mood, but mostly I ignored her calls.
Seems like she is not the type to give up.
"How did you find me?"
"Your brother, he sent me." I crease my brows.
Why would my brother sent her?
"I don't understand."
"It's cold Cass, can you at least let us in?" Lincoln says and I nod as I head back to pick up the bags.
I hand them to him and open the back seat door to pick up Kimberly.
She is still asleep, so I carry her into the house, Lincoln and Phoina are behind me.
I lay her on the sofa and take the bags from Lincoln's arms, and it's when I notice he is just staring at Kimberly.
"Why are you looking at her like that?" I ask him in a more serious tone.
"Is she..."
"Lincoln stop!" Phoina blurts out.
"How old is she?"
"Four years old, and no, she's not who you think." I know what he is aiming at.
"Lincoln I thought we already discussed this." Phoina says as she slumps on the grey couch.
"I know but I still have my doubts."
"Doubts about my dead kid?" I know that's what he wants to hear.
He nods.
"I'm sorry."
I can't help but chuckle.
I grab the bags and walk upstairs.
"Kimberly is my brother's daughter, my son died at birth, I'm sure that's what Phoina already told you." I walk upstairs to my guest bedroom and make sure I lock the door behind me before I walk to the bed and sit on it.
I take off my shoes and coil myself at the far end of the bed. I take a moment to let everything sink in, and I hate it when I feel the tears well up.
This is the kind of past that I have been running away from.
It's finally catching up with me, and I hate it.
I walk to the closet and unlock it and I can't help but smile when I see the tiny clothes on the hanger. I move my fingers over them as the tears finally give up and fall.
They look so beautiful.
I never got to disposing them off.
My son's clothes.
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- Writer
