Chapter Three

David was again looking out the car window, his pants had been rolled up to his ankles and his sleeves rolled up to his wrists. He looked like a kid playing dress up in his clothes. He wasn’t concerned, he couldn’t stop bouncing his leg up and down in the car - he was restless. As the two drove past a park he saw a playground with a swing. “Can we stop?” He blurted out.

“Here?” Aaron asked, totally confused. “What’s wrong?”

David snapped back in focus. “Oh, uh nevermind. I want to run a bit.” He told him truthfully. He was anxious to have his mobility granted to him that he barely even cared that he looked like a middle schooler.

Aaron smiled a little, it had been a while since he had seen David actually ask him for something. “Maybe we should go to the store first.” He suggested. “I think you need some new clothes.”

David’s mood shifted quickly. “FINE!” He shouted. “WE’LL DO WHAT YOU WANT!”

Aaron was shocked and pulled the car into the park’s parking lot. “Okay we’ll stop.” He said concerned about his brother’s outburst.

David’s face was red and his cheeks burned. He had lost control of his temper, as if all the therapy he had gotten disappeared in an instance and the pained distaste for his brother resurfaced so easily. “No.” He said and took a deep breath, remembering all the techniques he had learned over the years. “You’re right we should go to the store first, sorry.”

“You, okay?” Aaron asked and placed a hand on David’s knee.

David shirked him off shifting away. “Let’s just go to the store.” He told him.

Aaron pulled his hand away quicker than he meant to and agreed.

The two eventually pulled into the local Target. David had to admit he was a little eager to get into some fitting clothes, he also wanted to get some new shoes.

Aaron on the other hand was a little apprehensive about the whole thing. The treatment had been a startling scientific marvel and David’s outbursts were causing him a lot of concern. Dr Bellamy just told him to monitor David and call if he was feeling sick. He followed his younger brother as he quickly led him towards the men’s department. Looking at his brother from behind he was sceptical he would fit into anything but the smallest outfits.

David looked around the shirts trying to find something he liked. He used the opportunity to dart quickly between the aisles.

“See anything you like?” Aaron asked him carefully.

David just shrugged and picked up a large black hoodie and tossed it into the cart Aaron was leaning against. Aaron looked down at it. “You should try on this stuff before we buy it. Do you even know your size?” He asked.

David let out a steamy breath from his nostrils. “That’ll take forever.” He said.

Aaron rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you got to show me, just pick what you like and try it on.” He told him.

David rolled his eyes and started putting more and more outfits into the cart, mostly black however some of them had logos and others had some colour.

Aaron waited on a bench outside the change room but only heard annoyed grunts from behind the door. “Everything okay?” He asked.

“It’s all too big.” David complained.

“Want me to find some other options?” Aaron offered.

“Whatever.” David lamented.

Aaron took the opportunity to head into the boys section of Target. Thinking there may be something closer to his current size there. He had noticed David’s taste for darker clothes and was able to find a couple things that might work with his style. A pair of dark sweatpants and a Batman t-shirt. It wasn’t perfect but atleast it’ll probably fit. He went back to the changing room and hung the new items over the door.

A loud groan from behind the door echoed into the Target. “What’s wrong now?” Aaron asked his younger brother.

“Batman, REALLY?” David yelled.

Aaron noticed some of the other patrons turning their heads to see the commotion. “Sorry, it’s just a black shirt.” Aaron told him. “I thought you liked Batman.”

“Maybe when I was seven!” David growled at him. But finally he emerged wearing the new outfit. “At least it fits.”

The shopping took longer than expected as David inspected outfits in the boys section. Ultimately he settled on a simple pack of plain t-shirts in black white and grey. A pair of jeans and some socks. When it came to underwear he picked a pack of boxer briefs at random.

Shoes were a whole ordeal. David needed to get measured by the store clerk who was amazed at the shoes he was wearing. He was nice enough to let David wear the new pair of red sneakers out of the store.

Aaron wasn’t bothered by the high cost at the checkout, he kind of expected a steep bill before they even entered the store. “Do you need anything else?” Aaron asked him.

“Can I have a snack?” David asked and pointed to the chocolate bars by the checkout.

Aaron was caught off guard, it was extremely unlike David to ask for anything. “Oh sure.” Aaron agreed immediately.

A smile appeared on David’s lips as he grabbed a caramel filled chocolate. “Thanks Dad.” He said quickly, then froze.

Aaron also froze. But quickly brushed it off. Maybe the medicine was still having him be confused. “Dad?” He asked David.

“Shut up.” David said, his face getting redder by the second. “SHUT UP! I DIDN’T MEAN THAT!” He threw the chocolate back onto the shelf and turned around.

“Okay, okay.” Aaron agreed, but grabbed the treat to purchase anyway.

“YOU AREN’T MY DAD!” David yelled.

“Okay.” Aaron agreed again. He was quick to check out the clothes and was hoping to make a swift exit. “Just calm down okay.”

David was still flustered and finally calmed himself down enough for them to get back to the car. Once inside Aaron hands him the chocolate he abandoned earlier. “I’m not trying to be your Dad.” Aaron told him once they had both sat down.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” David said. “You just… Kinda… Look like him… It’s… Confusing…”

“Oh.” Aaron said. He hadn’t really thought about looking like his Dad. Other than David he didn’t really know anyone who even knew his Dad. This was the first time he was hearing it. He looked in the mirror and he could see a resemblance, maybe if he grew a beard or something.

***

Aaron let David be on his own for a little bit while he made them something to eat. He wasn’t a great cook but after college he was pretty confident in his cooking abilities. Today he was making a simple roasted chicken with vegetables.

David on the other hand was quick to head to his room with his new clothes. When he got inside the whole place felt ‘off’, it didn’t smell right. The walls were the wrong color and he quickly raced to his bedroom. The room was a replica of his original childhood bedroom, except for the fact that all the posters, furniture and really anything he held dear when he was ten was missing. Today however everything felt uneasy, misplaced, wrong. He took a deep breath.

David went to his window and looked into the backyard. One thing that didn’t feel off was his view from his window. It was the same backyard he grew up with. Eventually he couldn’t really stand being inside the house any longer. He was getting anxious, it didn’t feel like home.

He went back downstairs, into the kitchen where his brother was putting things in the oven and opened the sliding glass door.

“Where are you going?” Aaron asked him. “Dinner will only be like twenty minutes.”

David looked at him and rolled his eyes. “Just outside. I need some air.” He told him.

“Okay, I’ll let you know then.” Aaron told him.

David went outside and Aaron watched him from the window over the sink. He went straight for the garden shed in the backyard. It was the only structure left after the fire. Everything else was knocked down and rebuilt.

David went inside, the smell inside was much more familiar. The smell of old garden equipment. He wasn’t here to do some gardening though. He went to a shelf and dug through some old balls stored in a box. They were mostly toys from when David was a kid but also had some relics from when Aaron was a kid. He grabbed the first tennis ball he could find. David went to the wall of the house and threw the ball against it just to catch it again. He was shocked at how quick he was on his feet.

David was so preoccupied playing his game he didn’t even notice Aaron come up behind him. “Dinner is almost ready.” Aaron said.

“Catch!” David announced and tossed the ball at him. Aaron fumbled but managed to catch it. He flashed him a grin and tossed it back.

David smiled back and caught it with one hand. He then threw it a little harder and stepped backward to make space. He hadn’t walked backward with such abandon since his fall.

“I can’t believe it worked.” Aaron remarked seeing his brother’s agility returned to him. He threw the ball back to him.

“I know!” He said excitedly. “It wasn’t without some side effects though.” Again he tossed the ball.

The two of them laughed and tested the limits of David’s regained speed. Aaron threw the ball harder and higher while David ran circles around him. The both of them got lost in their game, they hadn’t played together like this for a long time, since way before the fire. It was cut to a halt when the two of them heard a loud alarm. ‘BEEP BEEP BEEP!’ a piercing noise blasted from inside the house.

“Shit.” Aaron growled and turned around. Not before catching sight of David.

David’s face was pale as if his heart stopped pumping blood to his face. His hands were dramatically pressed against his ears and he had collapsed onto his knees. His eyes were wide and he was panting. David was terrified.

“DAVID!” Aaron exclaimed and was about to rush to help but the consistent alarm pulled his attention back to the kitchen. He needed to fix that first. “I’LL BE RIGHT BACK.”

Aaron rushed inside and he could already smell what was wrong, dinner was burnt. He had spent way too long outside playing with his little brother and lost track of time. He quickly turned off the oven and hesitated before opening it. Instead he grabbed a tea towel and fanned the smoke away from the smoke detector in the kitchen. After what felt like a small eternity the high pitched alarm finally shut off.

He abandoned the dinner and headed back outside. David was gone. It didn’t take long for Aaron to hear the snivelling coming from the garden shed. He opened it to see David wiping tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. “David?” Aaron said carefully.

David tried to respond but all that came out was a sob, which just made him cry some more. He knew what this was, his various doctors agreed, he had mild PTSD. This didn’t feel mild though. It felt like the world was ending. The worst part is that he never even told his brother about it. By the time he became his guardian it hadn’t bothered him in over a year. He thought it was behind him.

He held up his hand with a finger to tell Aaron he needed a minute, it was all he could do. Speaking was a little beyond him at the moment. He gasped, then gasped again. Why was breathing so hard right now? He gave up on wiping the tears away and focused on the breathing techniques Dr Bellamy had taught him. He knew there was no fire, Aaron came back after all. He knew smoke detectors went off on the mildest things. He couldn’t convince himself though. He could feel the heat of the fire. He could feel the smoke in his lungs. He wasn’t calming down, it was getting worse. He groaned.

Aaron went into the shed and placed an arm around his little brother. “Dave!” He said a little panicked.

David threw up, like the feeling in his stomach was too terrible to keep in. His brand new clothes were ruined. Yet somehow he started to feel a little bit better. He leaned into his brother and took a deep breath, he smelt his Dad. The scent of irish spring soap and lawn clippings, the second scent might have been because they were literally in the garden shed, but it reminded him of his Dad and the Saturday morning he would spend maintaining his garden. He was starting to calm down.

The two sat there for a few more minutes while David tried to compose himself. Aaron, not sure what to do, tried to make a little conversation. “We still have some of our old stuff in here.” He told him and reached into a box and pulled out an old water gun.

“I… I guess…” David agreed and lifted up his head to see the green and yellow plastic water pistol. “That thing is old.”

“Well it’s all old.” Aaron agreed and dropped it back into the box. “Ready to go inside?”

David nodded and stood up. He could now clearly see how big a mess he had made of himself. He was embarrassed and still felt nauseous. Although now he wasn’t sure if it was the anxiety or the fact he just threw up. His mouth tasted awful and he had a lingering headache.

“You should take a shower.” Aaron told him and pressed on his back to lead him out of the shed. “Do you want me to call Dr Bellamy?”

David shook his head. “Um. No.” He told him. “This is something else.” He deflected although he had been struggling keeping his emotions in check all afternoon and he was pretty certain that was a side effect of the treatment.

“Okay.” Aaron said and led him into the house.

The stench of the burnt dinner left a horrible disgusted look on David’s face. He ran out of the kitchen and booked it into the bathroom. Aaron was still very concerned but left him to clean himself up.