Broken Road (11 page)

“I know, Misty, I know.” Brandon said and Riley wasn’t sure he was going to be able to breathe again.
 
He realized suddenly that he had overheard a private conversation he was never meant to have heard.
 

“He doesn’t deserve this, Brandon.” Misty was saying and Riley’s whole world began to fall apart.
 

“I know. I’m sorry too.
 
But what can we do?”

“I don’t know.” She cried.

“Do you want to walk away from this?”

“I can’t think straight right now.”
 

“I don’t, Misty.
 
I know what I want.” Brandon said and Misty started to cry again.
 
Riley didn’t know what to do. He had no control over his arms or his legs.
 
His brain was overcome with a blinding pain and for a moment he thought he might be caught by one of the episodes he had come here to escape.
 

“This is going to kill him.” Misty cried.

“We have a choice to make. Either way, I’ll stand by what you want to do.
 
You know how I feel about it.
 
But I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

“He’s so sick, Brandon.
 
He’s struggling so hard.
 
I can’t just leave him and run away with you.”

“I’m not running.
 
I never said anything about running.
 
If we make the decision to be together, Misty, it has to be an honest one.
 
I plan on staying here, living here, raising my family here. I don’t want anything else, I don’t want to go anywhere else.
 
Besides, my dad’s counting on me to help run the farm.”

“He’ll hate us, Brandon.
 
Everyone will for doing this to him.
 
We won’t be able to stay here in Bess.”

“Dad’s place is half way between Bess and Broken Bow.
 
If you think it would be easier we’ll live in Broken Bow instead.” Brandon said quietly.
 
Riley felt waves of nausea hit him with every passing moment.
 
He reached out a hand to steady himself and found he was close to one of the trees.
 
He leaned heavily against the trunk.

“I don’t know, Brandon.
 
I need some time to think, okay?” Misty pleaded and Brandon was quiet for a moment.
 
Then Riley saw him lean over toward Misty.
 
Was he. . .was he
kissing
her?
 
Riley could hardly stand it any longer.
 
Anger was beginning to replace the despair that had first overwhelmed him. His fists were balled up and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
 

“You know how I feel, Misty.
 
We’ll get through it together and we’ll do right by Riley.
 
He deserves the truth you’re right. I think it should be sooner than later.
 
Before it’s too late to do anything about it.”

“I know you’re right.” Misty said and Riley felt like he was about to explode.
 
He wanted to go over to the cab, yank open the door, drag Brandon’s sorry ass out and kick the shit out of him.
 
It was
his
fault, he was sure of it.
   
Misty loved Riley, had always loved him.
 
Since they were children he had known that someday he and Misty would end up together.
 
It was a natural consequence of their relationship.
 
They fit together perfectly.
 
She loved him and he loved her.
 
He had made her a promise and sealed it with a ring days before he deployed. Brandon knew that.
 
He had seen the ring.
 
How could this have happened?
 
When did it happen?
 
How could he have been so blind not to notice?
 
Notice
what
, he thought?
 
He hadn’t been looking for something to notice.
 
Hadn’t expected it.
 
He had never imagined that the two people he loved the most in the world, trusted the most, after his grandfather could have done this.
 
It was worse than anything that had happened to him.
 
Worse than the war even.
 
The war had taken his mind.
 
But Brandon and Misty had taken his heart and killed any hope he had that life could ever be the same again. Now, no matter what happened, he was certain it could never be the same again.
 
Never.
 
He closed his eyes, willing the tears that lay ready to spill over back from where they came.
 
When he opened them, Brandon had turned on the ignition and was starting to pull away.
 
They had no idea he was there. For a moment Riley was determined to run over to them and make good on the visions he saw in his own mind, fulfilling his rage, making Brandon hurt as much as he was hurting right at that moment.
 
Instead, as he watched them drive away, Riley let himself slide down to the ground. He closed his eyes. It had been almost six weeks since he stepped off the plane to a hero’s welcome, months since he found himself face to face with the photojournalist on the road to hell in Iraq and over a year since he had placed a promise ring on the finger of the girl he thought he would love forever before deploying to the Middle East.
 
It seemed like two lifetimes ago.
 
And yet a thousand lifetimes wouldn’t be enough to make the pain any less, the betrayal any worse or the truth anymore real. He shivered. The wind had suddenly turned cold. It began whipping against the thin cotton fabric of his sweatshirt so he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep the chill out. He rubbed his hands over his arms to keep warm, but there didn’t seem to be a way to keep from feeling the icy panic that was starting to permeate his whole body. It meant that the nightmare wasn’t far behind. The darkness was coming and for once he wouldn’t fight it. Let it come. Let it take him. It didn’t matter anymore.
He
didn’t matter anymore. He pounded his fists into the ground and let out a scream. Then, Riley Favreau covered his face and cried.

He woke up in the park, slumped against the tree where he’d fallen down. It was dark and the stars were still out. He was sure some time had passed but didn’t know exactly how much. He heaved himself up and though he was unsteady on his feet, he managed to stumble his way back through town and down the road back to the farmhouse. He never went to sleep that night. Instead, he went out to the barn, climbed up the old ladder to the little hayloft that used to be his playhouse as a child and lay on the wooden boards covered with straw and dirt. His head was pounding and he couldn’t get his mind to calm down, so he decided to put himself to work. But what he had seen and heard the night before occupied every inch of his mind. He wanted to go over to the Cole place and drag Brandon out of his bed, take his old hunting rifle, stick it in his mouth and pull the trigger. He had to stop himself from thinking that way, he thought. But all he felt was the anger, the rage and the despair. He was almost done with the morning chores when Old Jimmy Charles, an older man and family friend who worked for his grandfather taking care of the farm, came out of the house carrying his thermos of coffee. Old Jimmy seemed surprised to see him.

"You're up early today. Are you sure you shouldn’t be resting like the doctor said?”

"Had things to do."

"I'm glad for the help.”
 

"I promise I'll be more help around here from now on."

"You're help enough." Old Jimmy said sternly.

"I was thinking about feeding the cows next."

"Let me get the keys and I'll drive you out to the ridge."

"Ok."

“Riley, is there something wrong?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You look like you didn't go to sleep.”

“I slept.”

"I was up about 2 this morning.
 
You know those new pills the doc gave me have me going all night.
 
I didn't hear you. You weren’t out walking around town again were you?”

Riley didn't say anything. Old Jimmy gave him a nod and took a sip of his coffee.
 

"We got some fences to mend over on the south hill so I asked Jack to send Brandon over.
 
Should be here soon."

"No!" Riley almost screamed it.

"What do you mean
no
?"

"I mean I can handle it.
 
We don't need his help."

"It's gonna be a load of work, Riley."

"I can do it."

"I know you want to help.
 
I appreciate it.
 
But we need to have those fences back up before dark."

"Don't you think I can do it?" Riley asked defensively.

"I ain't saying that.
 
I'm saying it's too much work for one young buck and an old mule."

"I said I can do it.
 
I don't need any help."

"Something happen between you two boys?"

“Jimmy I said I'd do it!"

"Since when do you talk to Old Jimmy that way?"

"I'm sorry. I guess I’m tired."

"I can tell. Son, you know what the doc told you about getting your rest. You need to listen to him.”

"Please, just give me a chance to do this one thing for my grandpa. Call Jack and tell him Brandon doesn't need to come over."

Old Jimmy looked at Riley and sighed.
   

"Fine.
 
I'll call." Old Jimmy turned to go back into the house just as a silver Ford truck pulled up into the drive.
 
Brandon Cole got out and was walking toward them.
 
Riley saw Jimmy raise an eyebrow and sigh.

"I'm going to get more coffee." The old man said and made his way back into the house leaving the two friends alone.

"Hey." Brandon called.
 
Riley ignored the greeting and went back to loading bags of feed in the bed of the truck.

"I came to help fix the fences."

"I don't need your help."

"Well, Jimmy called over and said you did."

"No. He called because he thought he was going to be doing it alone. He's not. I'm helping him so now we don't need you."

Brandon Cole stood quietly as Riley kept loading bags.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sound pissed."

"Do I?” Riley tried to keep the venom out of his voice. It wasn’t working.

“Yeah. What's got you upset?"

"Don't you know?"

"No. Should I?"
 

Riley glared at him.

"What's your problem?"

"What's my problem?"

"That's what I asked."
 

Riley dropped the bag of feed he had in his arms.

"
You're
my problem." He said and came at Brandon pushing him hard.

"Get your hands off me!" Brandon yelled.

"You gonna make me?" Riley said pushing him again.
 

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

"I swear to God you don't want to know the answer to that question." Riley hissed his face only inches away. “Come on, Brandon. You always thought you could kick my ass. Why don’t you do it? Do it!”

That's when Brandon charged him and they both fell to the ground punching at each other. Old Jimmy was on his way back out of the house when he saw them scuffling.
 

"Stop it! Stop it! He yelled dropping his cup and spilling the steaming contents on himself as he went to pull them off each other. He tried to pull at their arms and shirts but there was no getting between them. It was obvious that Riley had every intention of hurting Brandon and by the looks of it he was succeeding. Brandon was on the ground trying to protect himself from the violent punches that Riley was inflicting on him from above. Old Jimmy tried to separate them as Riley, sitting astride Brandon Cole, beat him within an inch of his life.
 

“You son of a bitch!” Riley was screaming, “I’m going to kill you!
 
I’m going to fucking kill you!”
 
It was at that moment that a truck pulled up and Jack Cole jumped out without bothering to turn off the engine or shut the door. He ran full force at Riley knocking him off his son. As Riley fell backwards, his head hit the gravel with a smack and it seemed as though a switch flipped inside. He looked up at Jack Cole,who stood over him panting from the exertion of tackling him, with utter confusion. His hands were still balled up in fists and he trembled at the sight of his own bloodied knuckles. He looked from the Jack Cole to his fists. He lay there in shock unable to move or say anything.

“What the hell are you doing, son?” Jack Cole yelled at Riley. Riley was starting to shake. Jack Cole turned his attention to Brandon lying lifeless on the ground, his face almost unrecognizable from the beating.
 
Old Jimmy was already kneeling over him.

“I think he’s just been knocked out, Jack. Best call the Rescue though.”
 
Jack bent down to see if Brandon was still breathing.

“Brandon?
 
Son, talk to me!” Brandon gave a small moan in response. Jack took the cell phone out of his pants pocket and dialed.

“Hey, Janice.
 
It’s Jack Cole, I need the fire and rescue boys out at EJ’s place. No, I’m fine. It’s Brandon.
 
He’s been hurt. Yeah, he was out helping with fences. Look, could you just get them out here quick as you can?
 
He’s bleeding pretty bad, I can talk to them when they get here. Is Joe coming with them? Ok. Just hurry. Thanks.” He ended the call and turned his attention back to Brandon.

“Jimmy, why don’t you see if you can get Riley back inside the house. Joe’s going to be coming out with the unit.”