As Brian sat at his desk going over the copy for the latest ad campaigns for Bran Cereal, his partner Gardner Vance walked in with Cynthia trailing him. “Brian.” Gardner began. “I just got a call from the police.” “Christ.” Brian swore. “What the hell do they say I did this time?” “Um, Detective Horvath -.” “Carl?” Brian said puzzled. “What the hell did he want?” “He said that there has been an accident.” Gardner continued. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Brian, but your mother and your sister were killed.” Brian stared at Vance as if the other man had sprouted horns. “They were hit by a truck, from what Detective Horvath told me.” “Fuck me.” Brian said. “Your mother apparently died on impact.” Gardner said staring at his hands. “Your sister died on the way to the hospital. Your nephews, however, were rushed to the hospital.” Gardner looked to Cynthia who shrugged. “The younger one, um, Daniel, is in critical condition. He may not make it either.” Brian ran his hand through his hair. “The older boy, John, he’s in stable condition. Guess he only got a bit of a bop on the head and a broken arm.” Brian stood, but all the strength seemed to leave him and he sat back down. “Gardner, I have to -.” “Go.” -- Brian sped through the streets of Pittsburgh as if on autopilot. Despite the problems he had always had with his mother and sister, they were still his family. And now they were gone. He realized that he was gripping the steering wheel way too tight and took a deep breath letting his grip loosen. He pulled in to the ER parking lot and shut off the engine to the Jeep. Unbidden memories came into his mind of another trip to this damned hospital. He could see the bat and hear the thud it made against Justin’s head. He remembered the sound of sirens and Justin lying on cold cement. He shook his head to clear it then got out of the Jeep and hurried inside. The ER was oddly quiet when Brian pushed through the door. There were one or two others sitting in the chairs near the entrance, but that was all. It was nothing like the chaos that it had been when . . . no, he admonished himself. Can’t go there right now. “Excuse me.” Brian said to the nurse behind the counter. “My nephews were brought here. They were in an accident.” “Names.” The nurse asked in a bored yet dismissive voice that forced Brian to hold his tongue. This wasn’t the time. “John and Daniel Burke.” Brian said tightly. “Let me check.” The woman said turning to the computer terminal to her left. “Okay, yes, they’re both here.” She ran her finger along the screen. “John is in exam room 2. He’ll be moved to another room as soon as one comes available.” She looked up at Brian and then back to the screen. “Daniel has been taken to emergency surgery.” “How bad are his injuries?” “You’ll have to speak to his doctor about that.” “And where would his doctor be?” “The ER attending should be around here somewhere.” “Well, could you find him for me?” “Sir, the attending is very busy. If you’ll take a seat -.” “No, I won’t take a seat.” Brian said losing his patience. “You will tell me where to find my nephews’ doctor and what their conditions are right fucking now!” “Sir, as I have said -.” Brian turned away from the desk and walked through the double doors next to the counter. He looked around for anyone who might be a doctor. “Sir?” The nurse walked in front of him. “You can’t be back here, sir.” A gray haired man in white lab coat walked past then and Brian grabbed his arm. “Are you a doctor?” “Sir?” The nurse was still trying to get Brian back through the double doors. “Take your hands off of me right now.” Brian said with such force that the nurse dropped her hands from his arm and stepped back. The man in the lab coat stepped between them. “Can I help you?” “As I was saying to Nurse Cratchet, here,” Brian began, “I am looking for my nephews. They were in an accident and brought here. She said one of them is in surgery and the other is somewhere called exam 2. Now, I want to see my nephews and I want to see them right now.” “Calm down, sir.” The man said. “I’m Dr. Ryan. I’m the ER attending. I’m sure I can find out about your nephews.” He motioned for Brian to walk back out the double doors. Brian acquiesced and allowed Dr. Ryan to push him back out into the ER lobby. Ryan looked through several charts in a rack before selecting two and walking out to where Brian stood. “These are your nephews’ charts. Why don’t you sit down a minute while I review them?” Brian shook his head and sat down in a chair in front of the counter. After what seemed like several hours, the man looked up from the charts with a grave look on his face. “Let’s go in here.” He said motioning to a room a few feet away. Brian was lead into a room that was probably a lounge. There was a coffee machine and a row of lockers. The table was littered with magazines and medical journals. “I suppose you already know about your mother and your sister?” The doctor asked. Brian nodded. “I’m very sorry for your loss.” Brian nodded again. “As for your nephews, John has a mild concussion and a broken left arm. Other than that, he is in pretty good shape. He’s just down the hall. I’ll take you to see him as soon as we are done here.” Brian closed his eyes and nodded again. “Daniel is another story. He was on the passenger side behind your mother. While the impact was directed mostly toward the front part of the car, Daniel was thrown forward against his seat restraint. That’s good. It’s what’s supposed to happen.” Dr. Ryan knitted his brow. “However, the seat belt seems to have released on impact driving Daniel into the back of the front seat. He has massive internal injuries and had to be taken to emergency surgery as soon as he arrived here by helicopter.” Brian frowned. “I don’t want to be a harbinger of doom, Mr. Kinney, but Daniel’s injuries are quite extensive, if he makes it through surgery, the next 24 hours will be crucial.” Brian pressed his lips together. “What about the boys’ father?” “He and my sister are divorced.” Brian explained. “I don’t know how to get in touch with him.” “Would his phone number be with your sister’s possessions?” “Maybe.” Brian said shaking his head. “I just don’t know.” “I’ll make sure you get your sister’s and mother’s things so you can check.” Dr. Ryan said reassuringly. “Yeah, thanks.” “Now, if you’re ready, I’ll take you to see John.” Brian nodded and followed the man from the lounge. -- As Brian followed Dr. Ryan down the hall, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and pressed the speed dial. The phone rang several times before anyone answered. “Come to the hospital.” Brian said without identifying himself. “I need you here.” He then hung up not waiting for a response. End chapter one.