074. Lost


Seamus McFly felt chilled.

But this wasn't the chill of illness, or of cold weather.

It was a chill of horror, a chill of loss.

He knelt on the dusty floor of the tavern, a floor on which a river of blood also ran.

The tavern was full, but most of the patrons had moved to the side, talking among each other, gawking at the sight.

The blood was flowing from the body of his brother, Martin, whose head Seamus had laid on his lap, trying to...he wasn't sure what...but hoping somehow it would help.

He knew it wouldn't though.

Martin's blue eyes were becoming unfocused, his face pale. His hands which he had, at first, brought to his stomach in an attempt to stem the bleeding had fallen to his sides.

"Martin, ye fool, what were ye doin'?" Seamus finally managed to speak, his voice cracking.

Martin blinked slowly. "He was...Maggie..."

Seamus looked quickly over his shoulder, his wife, a few months pregnant was near the bar, hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide and shocked.

He turned back to his brother. "It woulda been all right, Martin," he shook his head. "He would left if ye hadn't pushed it."

Martin shook his head. "Ye...can't...let scum like that...get the better o' ye, Seamus..."

"He didn't get the better o' me, but he did o' you," he shook his head again. His brother was dying and he couldn’t do anything about it...he had always been able to help his brother before. When Martin had tried to swim across the river back at Ballybowhill on a dare (the fact he couldn't swim hadn't deterred him), when he had been thrown from a horse, even when he had influenza - as their parents had had.

But after all that, it had come to this...there could be no helping Martin now.

"Martin," he began then stopped, not knowing what to say to his brother, this was the last time on Earth he would ever speak to him. In the afterlife they would meet (Seamus hoped), but that seemed cold comfort now. "Th-thank ye fer tryin' to protect Maggie, but...ye shouldn't have...not by yerself."

Martin gave a small shrug and managed a smile. "What are brothers for?"

Tears escaped from Seamus’s eyes, trust Martin to say something like that...they were so different, but had always being there for each other.

But not anymore...

"Yer a good brother, Seamus," Martin whispered, his breathing laboured now. "An' a good husband an' yer gonna be a good father, take care o' that baby."

All Seamus could do was nod, he certainly would take care of he and Maggie's child...and make sure the child knew not to be as reckless as the uncle it would never know.

A shudder ran through Martin's body and then...

All was still and a pall of silence seemed cast over everything.

His brother was gone...lost to him.


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