Resurrection – Chapter One

“Tyler!” he called out as loudly as he was able to in his current state. “Tyler!” He could see him on another one of the gurneys a couple feet away. It wasn’t a great look, but from what he could see, Tyler wasn’t moving. And he could see that there was blood everywhere. Some of it was coming from him he knew, but there was blood coming from Tyler as well. A lot of blood. He didn’t really remember much about the events that led them here. Just that he was in pain and Tyler was lying lifeless on a gurney a few feet away while there were doctors and nurses rushing to both their sides to start helping each one of them.

A bright light flashed in his eyes, causing him to hiss in pain as he squeezed his eyes shut to escape the intrusion. There was a woman speaking to him, but he couldn’t quite focus on what was being said. All he cared about right now was Tyler. “Is he okay?” he asked, trying to push himself onto his elbows. Unfortunately, he was too weak and he immediately fell back down, groaning in pain when his back hit the sheets once more.

The voice was getting louder and more stern, causing him to focus more on what was being said. “What is your name?” the woman asked him, eyes scanning over his body. “Do you know where you are? Do you know what happened?”

It took everything he had in him to listen and actually hear what was being said to him. “Skylar,” he answered finally. “My-My name is Skylar Briggs. And I’m in a hospital, I think.” What happened? Well, that was the problem. He wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. “I don’t know,” he answered after a moment, giving his head a small shake. “I can’t remember.” He didn’t care about this right now and he wasn’t sure why this doctor, or nurse, or whatever she was did. “Please, that’s my brother. Is he okay?”

Sympathy flashed over the woman’s features before she could compose herself once more. “I’ll let you know everything as soon as I do,” she finally responded. “Until then, I need to focus on you.” Skylar tried to fight, but there was no use – he was weak and there were more people in scrubs coming over to hold him down on the bed he had just been transferred to.

Suddenly, flashes of the events of earlier that night started popping up in Skylar’s mind. They’d been out at the lake drinking. But Tyler made him promise not to be out late, so they’d left early. But what happened after that?! He couldn’t remember and it was frustrating him. Ignoring everything around him, Skylar focused, trying with everything he had in him to remember how he’d ended up here.

**~~**

“Oh come on, Ty, you never want to have any fun!” Skylar pouted as he pulled on his leather jacket. He checked his hair in the mirror, running his fingers through the spiked locks and tossing the longer hair in the front to the side until he was satisfied. “Trust me, this is going to be great! And don’t worry, I promise I will have you back in bed before it’s too late so that you are fresh and ready for that test tomorrow.”

Frowning, Tyler turned toward his twin, locking ice blue orbs. “I have fun,” he assured his brother with a shake of his head. “Maybe not the kind of fun you have, but it’s still fun. I don’t like going out with desperate women and getting trashed like your friends, okay?” Sure, his version of fun was more like sitting in the dorm and reading his anatomy and medical text books, but it was still fun for him. “Why don’t you just stay here with me for a change?”

A small chuckle escaped Skylar when Tyler suggested that they stay in tonight. “Are you kidding me? Dude, if I have to keep looking at those damn judicial texts for another second, I’m going to rip my hair out. And I have great hair.” Another pout came to his lips as he gripped Tyler’s biceps. “Please come with me? The night won’t be the same without my partner in crime. Please?”

Although it was against his better judgment, Tyler agreed. He hated it when Skylar pulled out the partner in crime line. Ever since they were little, all they had to do was say they needed their partner in crime, and the other would come running. “Fine,” he groaned, turning towards his closet so he could grab a pair of jeans and a hoodie. “But you have to promise that we’re not going to be out too late. I have that test in the morning that’s worth like a quarter of my grade and I can’t fail it.”

Skylar couldn’t help but smile at Tyler’s answer. “I promise I will! Pinky promise, I’ll have you home before it gets too late!” Quickly, Skylar grabbed his car keys, shoving them into his front pocket before he tossed a charming smile at his brother. “You know I wouldn’t jeopardize your future as a surgeon. I’m going to need you when angry defendants punch me in the face and break my nose!”

Rolling his eyes, Tyler griped, “You’re not going to get punched in the face. And you know I’m not majoring in plastics. I want to major in either neurosurgery or cardiovascular surgery. I actually want to make a difference. Not worry about trying to live up to the hype of what people define as perfect on any given day.”

He could see Skylar glaring at the hoodie as he pulled it on. He knew Skylar hated it when he wore his hoodies, but he just felt a lot better in them. And he wasn’t Skylar. Sure, he had a nice body, but that didn’t mean he wanted to show it off to the world. He didn’t work out with Skylar 5 days a week to look good for other people. He did it because he wanted to be healthy. And it was a nice way for them to catch up and spend time together while they were both trying to navigate their college schedules.

When they were finished, they both sat on their separate beds, waiting for their cue to leave. “So, Jessie should be here in about ten minutes, and then we can go,” Skylar explained, grabbing his wallet so he didn’t forget it. “And don’t freak out, but they invited Becky to come out with us.” He could see the argument forming before it even happened, quickly quieting his brother. “I know you said that you weren’t interested in jumping into the dating world until this semester is over, but I think it would be good for you to get out there! It’s not like she’s unattractive! And she obviously wants to take things to the next level with you, Ty. Just give it a try. Don’t ignore her all night like you did last time. Please? For me? Pretty please, Tyler?!”

Another frown came to Tyler’s lips when Skylar gave his speech about Becky. Tyler wasn’t interested in a relationship at all – especially not with Becky. She was basically the polar opposite of him – cheerleader, less than average student, and she had no ambition – no drive. Tyler was attracted to a woman with goals. Someone with a future ahead of them, and that was just not Becky. “Sky, you know that I’m not interested in her,” he complained, rolling his eyes. “I’m not going to lead someone on. I mean, I’ll talk to her, but that’s it. There’s not going to be a future for us. And you know I don’t have time to entertain Jessie’s friends. I have to focus if I want to transfer to an Ivy league, Sky.”

Before Skylar could respond, there was a knock on the door, pulling the brothers’ attention there. A wide smile then came to Skylar’s lips as he opened the door to reveal his girlfriend. “Hi babe,” he greeted, wrapping his arms around Jessie’s waist and pulling her into a brief kiss. “You’re early.”

“I wanted to make sure I got here in time to convince Tyler to go in case you couldn’t,” Jessie teased, smiling at Tyler. “Hey, Tyler. I see he managed to get you to say yes, though. It’ll be fun to come out and just goof off for a night, huh?” She knew Tyler didn’t really party much, but she was trying to involve his more. After all, he was her boyfriend’s twin brother, so she wanted to have a good friendship with him as well.

Tyler returned Jessie’s smile. “Hey, he did indeed manage to get me to come out with you guys.” Tucking his cell phone into his back pocket, Tyler continued, “He’s very persuasive. Though he did promise that we wouldn’t be out too late. I have a pretty big test in the morning.” He knew Jessie wouldn’t have a problem with that. She been dating his brother for six months almost, and Skylar had her wrapped around his little finger.

It wasn’t long before the three were arriving at the park, Skylar parking close enough to the lake so they wouldn’t have to haul the alcohol he’d brought too far. By the time they got there, Henry and the rest of the crew were already sitting on their lounging chairs enjoying beers he’d had in his trunk. They all greeted one another before settling in for the drinking festivities they’d had planned.

Due to the fact that Tyler hardly ever consumed alcohol, it didn’t take long before he was drunk. He’d been nursing his wine coolers as best as he could, not wanting to force Skylar to leave too early, but he was done now. There was no way he was going to consume another drink. All he wanted now was water – or Gatorade. Either would work for him at this point. It was a trick Skylar had taught him when they turned 21 – drink even just a swig of Gatorade before bed after a night out, and there would be no hangover. Tyler lived by the rule. To this day, he’d never experienced a hangover.

His movements were slow, wobbly, as he made his way over to the chair Skylar was sitting in. He and Becky had wandered off while they’d been talking, so his chair next to Skylar had been abandoned. “Sky,” he mumbled when he reached his brother, nearly toppling over onto Skylar’s lap. “I’ve had too much. Can we leave now?”

Although Skylar was just slightly buzzed, he could tell that Tyler must have downed his two wine coolers and he was down for the count. Glancing at his phone, Skylar realized that it was well after 2AM. “Yeah, we can go,” he assured his brother. “Jessie, we gotta go. Tyler’s drunk. And it’s late. He has that exam.”

Without argument, Jessie gathered up the chairs they’d brought and helped pack them into the car. Skylar was in charge of getting his brother into the car, making sure that he didn’t hit Tyler’s head on the door frame when he folded his brother’s body into the seat. In his buzzed state, he didn’t remember to bother with the seat belt.

Once Jessie was in the car, they started off towards Skylar and Tyler’s dorm. After a few moments, Skylar allowed his eyes to tick to the rear view mirror to check on Tyler, a small smile coming to his lips when he noticed that Tyler had fallen asleep. “He’s sleeping,” he informed Jessie, turning to glance at his girlfriend. “Tonight was fun. I’m glad he came out with us. I think it’ll do him good, getting out there in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I love him to death, but he’s kind of a hermit. The only people he really talks to are me and Eric.”

“Hey, he talks to me, too,” Jessie interjected, a little offended that she wasn’t on the list. “We’ll get him out there. He was talking to Becky a lot tonight. I’ll ask her tomorrow about it – see how it went.” A smile came to her lips as her attention fully landed on Skylar. “Did I tell you how sexy you look tonight?” she asked, eyes roaming over the tight black Henley he was wearing, all the way down to his loose fitting jeans.

Skylar smiled at the compliment. “You know what, I don’t think you did,” he recalled, eyes locking with Jessie’s. “I appreciate it. Thank you.” He knew that while she was being sincere, she was also looking to score. When they drank, she got really handsy. Not that Skylar minded, but tonight there was no chance of anything happening. Tyler was in the car – even if he was passed out in the back seat. “But you’re not getting any tonight. Tyler’s here.”

Although that hadn’t been her main focus, Jessie had to admit that she was a little disappointed that he shot her down. “Fine,” she mumbled, turning her attention back to her phone. “I still love you. Even if you are withholding sex.”

Scoffing, Skylar playfully shook his head. “I am not withholding sex!” he argued. “I just don’t want Tyler to wake up and catch us in the act. I could imagine that may scar him for a very long time.” Again, he shook his head, almost pouting. “I can’t believe you would think I’d withhold sex. You know I enjoy it just as much as you do.”

For a split second, Skylar took his eyes off the road to smile at Jessie. That was all it took. “Skylar, watch out!” Jessie yelled, hands shooting out in front of her to prepare for the impact. Squealing tires ripped through the night, metal screamed against metal, and the world shook beneath him. Skylar’s stomach lurched as the impact slammed him against the steering wheel, his ears ringing and vision flickering.

He forced the car door open, stumbling out into the middle of the road to take a better look at the damage. Pain radiated through his entire body, but he wasn’t focused on that. Jessie was laying limp on the dashboard with a large gash on her forehead, her airbag having popped once it deployed. He recognized the other vehicle, tears springing to his eyes. Henry – the car belonged to Henry. Vaguely, he saw that Henry was on the phone already, assuming he was calling for help. Becky had been catapulted from the car, and was lying face down on the road about five feet away.

Adrenaline slammed through him as Skylar skidded around to the driver’s side, fumbling with the door handle. His hands shook violently, chest heaving, and the taste of blood and dust filled his mouth. Tyler slumped against the floorboard, unmoving. “Tyler,” he gasped, trying to lift his brother so he was sitting in the seat once more. He could see blood on Tyler’s face, his hands cupping his brother’s cheeks. “Tyler,” he urged once more, his hands shaking as he touched his brother’s shoulders, desperate for even the slightest twitch. But there was nothing. Violently, Skylar shook his brother, inwardly pleading for those ice blue eyes to snap open. “Wake up, Tyler! Tyler Anthony Briggs, open your eyes right now!”

There was still no movement from his brother, but Skylar refused to let go. His fingers pressed against Tyler’s chest, and a shiver ran through him—the air felt unnaturally cold, almost as if the world itself were holding its breath.

“Let me go! Tyler!” he screamed, kicking and thrashing as paramedics wrapped their arms around him. One of them finally wrestled him into the truck, checking him over while Skylar’s heart pounded in terror.

**~~**

The present started rushing back into focus, Skylar’s eyes locking on the doctor who was checking him over. “Th-There was a car accident,” he explained, answering the nurse’s question from earlier. “Is everyone okay?” He tried to push away the nurses who were cleaning him up, realizing that his left arm was in a splint. The adrenaline must have been rushing through his veins earlier – he hadn’t noticed he’d been hurt. “Are my friends okay?!” he asked again, gripping the sleeve of the doctor’s lab coat.

Gently, the doctor removed Skylar’s hand from his coat. “Right now, I’m focused on taking care of you,” he answered. “When I know something about your friends, I will let you know. But for now, I need you to stay calm, and let me examine you.”

Although he wanted to know everything he could right now, Skylar obliged. Sighing, he relaxed into the mattress, looking around the trauma room. He could see some of his friends on beds around him, Skylar trying with everything he had to listen in on what the doctors and nurses were saying. If no one was going to tell him anything, he was going to find out for himself.

From what he could gather, Henry had walked away with a few minor injuries. Jessie had a concussion and a couple broken ribs, but otherwise she was fine. Becky had been pronounced dead on arrival. Dustin and Brian had been taken to surgery in an attempt to stop some internal bleeding. Unfortunately, Skylar didn’t hear anyone talking about Tyler – no one had any information on his brother!

Suddenly, one of the machines from a bed close by started beeping loudly, doctors and nurses all rushing towards the sound. “He’s crashing!” one of the nurses yelled as they all jumped into action. Skylar craned his neck to see what was happening, fear twisting low in his belly when he realized that Tyler was the man they were all crowding around.

Without thinking, Skylar tried to get off the bed, groaning with frustration when some nurses came over and tried to stop him. “No, you don’t understand!” he yelled, fighting against them as best as he could in his injured state. “That’s my brother! I have to make sure he’s okay!” The scene raged on around him, Skylar continuing to fight against the hands on him. He needed to get to his brother. “Let me go!” he screamed, kicking out at the closest nurse to him.

There was a sharp pinch against his arm then, Skylar gasping in surprise as he stared down at the source of pain. “No,” he breathed, realizing that the nurse must have injected him with a sedative. His whole body started to relax, Skylar feeling panic rise up inside him. “Please…Tyler?”

He tried so hard to stay awake, but the pull of sleep was too strong. The last thing he saw was the flat line on Tyler’s monitor. The loud, monotone beep screamed in his ears, a sound that would haunt him forever. No…no, please…Tyler… His vision blurred, the world slipping away as darkness dragged him under.