My Brother's Keeper Read online

  "Fine! You just sleep on the floor with no clothes on. We'll see how comfy you'll be."

  She got up and walked out of his room, slamming the door behind her. Stumbling into her room, she undressed and climbed into her bed. As her head hit the pillow, she thought of the evening she'd just had. Besides the kitchen, it had been a pretty good night. She hoped Simon would get the message that she was done taking his shit. Finally, sleep took her, for the first time in ages; she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  Chapter 7

  "Wake up! Wake up I said!" his mother called, but it sounded like she was far away. Bobby jumped awake when she flung cold water in his face. He jumped back and shook his head. He'd slept all night on the couch.

  "What the hell mom?"

  "Where is your brother?"

  "What?"

  "Simon. Your worthless little brother. Where is he?"

  It took Bobby a minute to shake the cobwebs out of his head. He had been so exhausted, he barely remembered falling asleep.

  "He's in bed, or he was."

  "Yeah. He's not in bed. Look at the kitchen."

  "What about it?"

  "Just look."

  He got up and walked into the kitchen where he saw the mess. The whole place was covered in whipped cream, flour, and no telling what else was all over the walls and floor.

  "What happened?"

  "Simon happened. He came in here last night thinking he was going to bake himself some cookies. I come home to this and him playing in it."

  Oh no.

  "Mom? What did you do? Where is he?"

  "I didn't do anything! I gave him a bath and put him to bed. Then, I get up this morning, and he's not in his room, he's not anywhere."

  Shit. He highly doubted she just gave him a bath and put him to bed. How did he sleep through all that? No doubt, he screamed bloody murder. Guilt started to overtake his thoughts for not being awake. He could have stepped in like he always does and kept his mom off Simon. No telling what she would do to him if left to her own.

  "I'll look for him."

  "You're damn right you will. Then, you're gonna clean this shit up. You will, by yourself. So don't even worry about school today. You can clean the rest of the house too. When I get home, this place better be spotless, you understand me?"

  "Mom. I really wish you'd learn to calm down. You know how much Simon loves you. He's just a sick little boy. He's scared shitless most of the time because you're always screaming at him."

  "Well if he'd listen for once, then I wouldn't have to do any of that. Plus, you just baby him. Maybe you should try being his mom. You practically breastfeed him as it is. The truth is, you need to worry more about yourself. I saw your last report card. You had almost all F's and one D. Great job genius!"

  He was too tired to listen to this. He turned and headed out the back door.

  "Where are you going?"

  "To look for Simon."

  He went in the backyard and had a good idea where he might be. They had an old gazebo out back. It was kind of rotted and no one ever used it, but his mom never bothered to have it torn down. The gazebo sat about three or four feet off the ground. Simon likes to hide under there when he's scared. Bobby walked out and knelt next to the steps and looked underneath and there was Simon. He was clear on the opposite side sitting up with his knees against his chest and holding onto Mr. Tickles while staring at the ground.

  "Hey buddy," Bobby said. "It's kind of lonely out here isn't it?"

  Simon didn't look up, but tried to scoot further away and pressed his face into his knees.

  "I'm sorry; tell me what happened last night. I was really tired and never heard you come back downstairs."

  "I tried to wake you. I shook you and everything, and you didn't move!" Simon said.

  "I know buddy. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. Want to tell me what happened?"

  "Mommy hurt me. She gave me a bath in cold water and scrubbed me real hard. Then she held me underwater so I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to die!" He started crying as he spoke. Bobby noticed he was wearing his green ranger pajamas, and they were layered with dirt and flour.

  "Mom's going to work pretty soon. You want to help me clean up? Maybe we can make some cookies for real later."

  Simon just shook his head. The idea of what their mom had done to Simon last night made him sick to his stomach. He'd never been violent toward their mom, but he was getting closer and closer to it each time she hurt Simon. She'd never been overtly abusive. Mostly just verbally berating him and occasionally jerking him around by his arms or a slap in the face. Now it sounds like she was crossing that line. Bobby feared she'd kill him if he wasn't careful. Why couldn't she just kill herself like their dad did?

  "I want to run away," Simon said. "I want to run away and go join the Power Rangers. The Green Ranger will come and save us."

  "Simon, there is no Green Ranger, that's just a TV show."

  "Yes, there is! He's real and he'll come save me one day!" Simon screamed.

  "Ok. Ok. Maybe we can find him. I'd like to run away too, but it's just not that easy. We're a couple of kids."

  "Why does mommy hate me?" Simon asked. "I just wanted to make some cookies. I'd have given her some. I didn't mean to make a mess. She was so mad at me. She's always mad at me. She hates me."

  "No, she doesn't," Bobby lied. "She's just…she's still sad over dad dying. I guess we remind her of dad, and it makes it hard for her. So she acts mean."

  "I want the Green Ranger to come and kick her in the face!"

  Bobby laughed at the image.

  "I do too buddy. That'd be cool to watch. Mom should be going to work soon. When she leaves, you want to come out and help me?"

  Simon quietly nodded as he crawled over to Bobby. He gave Bobby a hug as he pulled him out from under the gazebo and carried him back to the house. As they reached the house, they heard a car pulling out of the driveway. Their mom was leaving without even checking to see if he'd found Simon. Chances are, she probably didn't care.

  Once they got in the house, he sat Simon down as he got together cleaning supplies, and they went to work in the kitchen. More like Bobby worked in the kitchen while Simon danced around with a spray bottle giggling while randomly spraying things. Bobby was just glad to see Simon happy after whatever happened last night.

  Bobby loved his mom, but he also hated her. He really hated that she made him hate her. It was as if she wanted them to hate her. Simon walked over to Bobby and gave him a hug as he mopped the floor.

  "Bobby," Simon said.

  "Yeah buddy."

  "I love you."

  "I love you too buddy."

  "Will you protect me from mom? Until the Green Ranger gets here?"

  "I sure will Simon. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you last night."

  "It's ok. Mom gets super scary. I thought she turned into a monster."

  "I'm sure she did."

  "I'll protect you too, Bobby. I've been practicing my Karate. I won't let mom hurt you."

  "Aww, thanks, buddy. That's nice." However, Bobby wasn't worried about himself. It made him sad to hear his little brother ask for protection from their mother, but that is what it was going to come down too. They day would come when Bobby feared he'd have to kill their mother.

  Chapter 8

  Nadine shuffled around filling her table's orders as fast as she could. At her age, she was one of the older servers in the place and couldn't keep up like she used to. Her back and knees were hurting more and more lately. Most of the time it wasn't bad, but lunch and dinner were the worst. That was about four hours of the day that made the rest complete hell. She somehow managed, though.

  Today she was surprised to see Rev. Summers sitting alone in a booth. He looked up and smiled.

  "Well hello, Nadine. It's been awhile," he said.

  "Reverend Summers! Wow, so nice to see you. I'm sorry. I haven't been to church in forever."

  "I know, it's ok. That's not why I came by
; I mean, it is, but I wanted to check on you, see how you and the boys were. I know things have been tough for you."

  "Can I come by in a few minutes? My break starts then."

  "Sure. That'd be great."

  She went and finished up her duties before her lunch break. She sat down across from Rev. Summers. She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with him. They'd attended his church for years when her husband was alive. After he had died, the reverend came around quite a bit, and others from the church helped out. That act of kindness was needed, and it made things manageable. However, after a couple weeks, they all went back to their daily lives and Nadine was still a single mother with two boys, one of which was slowly killing her.

  "So how have you been? You look exhausted," he asked.

  "I've been fine. It's been tough getting a night's sleep. Simon doesn't sleep well. He always wakes up in the middle of the night with some fit or something."

  "Can't the doctor give him something to sleep?"

  "I've tried, and they did for a little while but in a child that young it's a short term option they said. They don't want to overmedicate him. I just don't know how much more I can take. Last night he trashed the kitchen in the middle of the night. He throws fits that just never stop. I really, really don't know what to do."

  "It's ok," he said patting her hand. "A special needs child is hard enough for two parents, let alone one. Has he gotten worse?"

  "It feels like it. His outbursts are more frequent, and they last longer than they ever had before. The only person he will ever calm down for is his brother, Bobby."

  "Bobby? Really? Doesn't he always get in trouble for fighting? I never saw him as the nurturing kind."

  "Only with his brother. I swear the way he looks at me, I think he'd rather stab me than talk to me. He doesn't have any friends in school, but he takes Simon everywhere and does everything with him."

  "Well that's good, I suppose. You say he's gotten worse? Describe his fits to me."

  She went through and described his screaming and how sometimes he didn't even sound human. His shrieks would pitch inhumanly high and his voice never seemed to give out or even crack.

  "You know, I didn't want to bring this up before, but after not seeing you guys in a while. I don't want to intrude, but I'd like to see Simon. Maybe I can help."

  She sat up and cocked her head to the side.

  "Help? How?"

  "I've worked with kids with autism too, and while there are some real cases, I've found in extreme cases like yours, it's often something else."

  "What else would it be?"

  "From what you're describing, I think Simon might suffer from a form of demonic oppression."

  "What?" Was he joking? He had to be joking. "You're saying Bobby is possessed? You want to do an exorcism?"

  "No. No. Nothing like that, I'm sorry I should have clarified. Demonic oppression. It's especially common for small children; their minds are more susceptible than those of adults or even adolescence."

  "But the doctors said…"

  "I'm not saying he doesn't have autism. He probably does, I'm saying the demon is making it worse, much worse. Your boy is going through a lot of torment and suffering as a result."

  "I feel like I'm the one being tormented."

  "You all are. Demons specialize in those things. Destroying lives and tearing families apart. It's what Satan wants."

  "So what can you do?"

  "I can come over, observe him, and pray with him. I'll lay my hand on his head and pray over him. It can be pretty rigorous, might take several hours, but it's well worth it. The results are amazing. The Lord takes mercy on children. None are more innocent than a little child. I can only imagine what kind of torment poor little Simon is dealing with."

  "Reverend. I haven't been the best mom. I've lost my patience with Simon several times. The last few times I've even scared myself. I've even gotten a bit rough with him."

  "Rough? Like how? Hitting him?"

  She hesitated at hearing the word out loud. It sounded so much more violent when she heard it.

  "Yeah, a little. He just he gets so out of control and even aggressive at times. I sometimes think I'm the one losing my mind."

  "That's normal to feel that way. Plus, it's what Satan wants, it's how he tears families apart. Let me give it a try, I'm sure you'll see a difference."

  "I think I'd like that. At this point, I'm willing to try anything. Can you come by tonight?"

  "Sure, I can be by around seven."

  "That would be great. Thank you. I need to get back to work."

  "Oh, sure. That's totally fine. I'll you and the boys this evening."

  She got up and clocked back in and went back to her tables. The rest of her shift was going by quickly which was both good and bad. She often volunteered for extra shifts so that she could be away from Simon more often. Many nights she dreaded her shift ending, knowing he was all she had to go home to. Another evening of screaming, fits, and tantrums. Sure, he had his moments when he could be incredibly sweet; until something didn't go his way, and then it was nothing but chaos. As her shift wound down, she figured this was a long shot. She'd never been super religious, but Reverend Summers was always a nice man. He seemed confident he could help. Maybe there was some hope for her after all.

  Chapter 9

  Simon went down for a nap after they got the kitchen cleaned up. He was so exhausted he conked out on the couch shortly after. All he'd really done was run around playing, but it was enough to tire him out. Bobby finished cleaning and made a sandwich for lunch before their mom came home. He wasn't sure what time she'd be back but wanted to get as much done as he could.

  Bobby was tired of being caught in the middle of things, but he'd accepted it. It seemed whenever there was an issue with Simon, Bobby had to get in the middle to keep his mom from overreacting and he was always the one tending to Simon. His mom did when she had to, but that was becoming less and less frequent.

  Bobby sat in the kitchen eating his sandwich when Simon began screaming. He was shrieking as if he were being murdered. Bobby ran in, and Simon was on the couch screaming.

  "Simon, what's wrong?" Bobby asked, but Simon just kept screaming. "Simon! What's the matter?" He held Simons' shoulders and raised his voice so Simon could hear him.

  "Mr. Tickles! He's gone! I woke up, and he's gone! Gone! Mr. Tickles is gone!" he cried. Bobby looked around and glanced under the couch where Mr. Tickles foot was sticking out. Bobby picked it up and handed the toy to Simon. Simon hugged the toy tight and leaned against Bobby, hugging him also.

  "You saved Mr. Tickles!"

  "Nah. He just fell off the couch," Bobby said. Simon was often disoriented for a bit after waking up. Early morning fits weren't unusual with him until his head cleared.

  "Bobby?"

  "What buddy?"

  "Is mommy gonna murder me?"

  This question caught Bobby off guard.

  "What?"

  "I'm afraid mommy is going to murder me. She said she was gonna murder you so you can't protect me. Please don't die, Bobby." Simon said as he hugged Bobby tight. He could feel Simon trembling as he held him. Whatever she did to him last night, she scared the shit out of him. Simon was terrified.

  The front door opened and slammed closed, startling them both. They looked up to see their mom in the doorway with two police officers.

  "Now what have you done Bobby? These officers are here to see you."

  "Me?" Bobby said.

  "You broke a boy's nose yesterday." The officer said.

  "What?"

  "His parents are pressing charges, so you have to come with us, son."

  "They were attacking Simon. There were four of them! I just got them off him. Look at his face! They could have killed him!"

  "That's not what him and his friends say. They all said you jumped them and beat them and knocked Simon down because he got in the way."

  "Bullshit!"

  "Bobby?" Simon sai
d.

  "You can't arrest me. I was helping my brother!"

  "Bobby? Don't go away, Bobby!"

  One of the officers walked over and took out his handcuffs.

  "I'm sorry son. Put your hands behind your back. You'll go see the judge tomorrow, but we have to take you in overnight."

  Bobby turned and put his hands behind his back. As soon as he did so, Simon screamed.

  "No! No! Bobby! Don't take Bobby away! Don't take him away!" Simon screamed as he ran to Bobby and began hugging his legs. One of the officers tried to pull Simon away. Simon leaned back and bit the officer's hand.

  "Ah shit! The kid bit me!"

  Nadine stood off to the side just watching the whole thing, but did nothing to make it go any smoother. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but she was enjoying watching everyone suffer but her. Maybe if Simon hurt the officers, they'd take him away too.

  "Ma'am! Will you get this little one, please?"

  "No! No! Leave Bobby alone! You can't take him!" Simon screamed as the officer he bit picked him up and held him under his arm around the waist like he was a bag of groceries. Simon kicked and screamed, with high-pitched shrieks that made the officers visibly cringe with each scream.

  "Simon! It's ok!" Bobby yelled over Simon's screams. "Simon! I'll be back in a few days ok? You'll be ok."

  "No! Mommy's gonna kill me! Mommy's gonna kill me!" Simon screamed.

  The officers exchanged looks before looking at Nadine, who shrugged.

  "He's autistic. He always says monsters are coming to kill him. He's always making things up."

  The officer walked over and handed Simon to her, but he got even more violent when she tried to take him. He kicked at her, swung and punched her as she sat him on the ground and hugged him, pressing his arms against his sides. It was less a hug as much as it was a restraint. Simon screamed and struggled against her. She had to strain to keep him still. The officers walked Bobby outside and closed the door. She relaxed just enough that Simon made one more effort for freedom and got loose from her grip. He ran out the door and to the police again, hugging Bobby's leg one more time.