Chapter 2 - Crashing Down

Jay Katz POV

After crying like a baby for several minutes, I was finally able to start the engine and drive to the hospital, where my brother and his wife were taken.

I still can't believe he had a wife… It saddens me that I could not be part of that moment. Was I invited? I am almost sure I saw something in my mailbox, but I was too angry, upset, and proud to be there for him.

Every time he reached out, I dismissed him. My pain and pride prevent me from seeing the bigger picture. For f***s sake, he was my blood, my only blood relative alive, and I wasted every chance I had to mend things over. Now, that chance is long gone. It will never be, and now, how will I live with it?

I parked and exited my car. It was a haunting moment, one I should live alone. No more running like a scared kid. Tonight, I was utterly alone in this world. I was a tumbleweed most of my life. A man with no commitments other than my game, which I love; nothing was permanent. A series of no-strings-attached relationships with women similar to Lana, a trail of destruction behind me, of broken promises… The last time I spoke to Jack, he wanted me to settle up, live a happy life, build a family, commit to something other than basketball, come and have my say in the family business, and become family with me… But I was too selfish, too much of a rebel to try to hear him.

So I fought back, to the point that I snapped and yelled at him that I regretted being his brother, that it didn't matter if we came into this world together, I would be leaving it alone because, from that day forward, I had no family.

Boy, I was so f*****g wrong.

He tried to reach out many times, on many occasions, trying to build bridges while I burned every attempt… “I am sorry, Jack…” I muttered again as I entered the hospital.

The nurse stationed at the reception looked at me and gasped. I am a very famous basketball player, and I am sure she was surprised to see me there and in this condition.

“Sir, are you ill?” She asked, and I shook my head.

“I was called; my brother and his wife were brought in earlier. A car crash…” I managed to say the words without breaking down.

“Mr. Katz and family…” She mumbled, and I squinted my eyebrows.

“I was informed his wife was being treated, grave but stable…” I said, and she nodded.

“Sure. Would you like me to bring someone to walk you over to your brother?” She said with sympathy while I managed to nod my head up and down.

Another nurse walked towards me and led the way to the morgue. We took an elevator, and then she pressed a button with the letter M. We descended to a basement, and when the door opened, the place was well-lit, frigid, and quiet. I was amazed by the stillness and quietness of the place; it was nerve-wracking and haunting. I am sure I will never forget this moment.

This moment and this feeling will be engraved into my memory until the day I die. “Mr. Katz is here to identify the body of the man that arrived from the car wreck.” The nurse informed the person in charge of that dismal place.

“This way.” The man instructed, and I followed him. He stopped in front of a steel body door and opened it. He rolled out a covered body, and I froze. This has been the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I have no idea how Jackson did this when our parents died, being just a teenager.

My throat choked, and tears welled in my eyes. I hadn't seen the man under the zipper, but I could feel it. Under that dark bag was my brother's body. My twin brother. The man looked at me and said, “Identical Twins…” He asked, and I nodded slowly in shock.

He opened the body bag and revealed the bruised, ashy-gray face of my brother. I quickly nodded and knelt there crying. My cries of despair were the only sounds filling the room. “I am sorry for your loss…” The man held my shoulder, and I nodded.

“I will need you to sign some paperwork, and I am sure the police will want to have a DNA corroboration, just to be sure…” He said, and I nodded. I kept nodding automatically to his every request. A moment later, I was being swabbed to make a match with my dead identical twin, then a nurse took all the information she could gather for the paperwork, and I sighed everything blindly.

“Now, do you have a funeral home of your preference?” She asked me, and I blinked twice.

A funeral home? We were barely 27 years old. How could I have a funeral home of my preference? Dead was not in my plans nor on my radar. My brother should have been alive, enjoying his life, working on his passions, and loving his family, not inside a f*****g body bag, cold and lifeless.

“No idea… May I make a call?” I said in a broken voice.

“Sure…” She said, and I quickly dialed the number of the person I trusted the most, my best friend, Harrison Jones. He is my do-or-die; I am the team's Point Guard and my Second Guard.

“Jay? It is 2 in the f*****g morning…” Harrison barked, and I sighed,

“Sorry, man… but I need you to come to Regional Memorial Hospital…”

“What the f**k happened? Don't tell me you had a drunk-driving accident!” He said, and I sighed. Yes, I have had a bit of a bumpy ride. Alcohol and I were good friends not long ago, and it almost ruined my career; thankfully, Harrison intervened, and I have been clean for months.

“No, I have been clean for months. Jackson my brother… he is dead…” I said, and the line went completely mute.

“I'm sorry, man, I'm on my way…” Harrison said, and I sighed. I felt better knowing he would be here soon.

Harrison arrived a moment later, and as soon as he stepped into the hospital, I crashed down crying in his arms. I was a little baby, broken and in despair.

“Let it all out…” Harrison held me and allowed me to have my moment of weakness.

After a brief moment, I looked up at him. “Man, I need to know if you have ever thought about your preferred funeral home…” I blurted, and he chuckled.

“Of course not, but let me do some research for you. Do you want an open casket funeral or incineration?” He asked, and I shrugged my shoulders.

“Just help me deal with this…” I sighed, and he nodded.

“I've got you…” He patted my shoulder and walked away with the nurse. He would finish up all the paperwork for me.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. I was exhausted. “Mr. Katz?” A female voice called me over. I opened my eyes, and she gave me an understanding nod.

“Doctor Johnson would like a word with you…” She said, and I squinted my eyebrows. My brother was dead; why in the world would a doctor like to have a word with me? Is he or she going to bring Jack back? I don't think so… so why in the f*****g world do they need me?

“This way…” She said, and I stood up in auto-mode for this entire journey and followed her to a private office.

A female doctor greeted me. “Mr. Katz… I am Dr. Johnson. I am the treating doctor of Mrs. Allison Fox-Katz…” She paused, and then I realized she must be my brother's wife.

“How is she?” I asked her,

“She had broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a heavy concussion. She also had internal bleeding that we managed to control. She will be kept in the ICU. We need to be cautious. She was lucky to be in the early stages of her pregnancy, allowing the baby to survive.” She informed me, and I was floored, my mind trying to gather the information I was receiving from the doctor.

My brother's widow is pregnant!

“Does she have another relative of hers listed in her contacts?” I asked, wondering if maybe her parents or someone else close to her would like to know about this s**t show.

The doctor shook her head. “You were the primary contact of both… weren't you close?” she asked, and I took a deep breath. How would I explain to this doctor that I didn't even know what she looked like?

“Can I see her?” I asked, and she nodded.

“She will be under sedation for at least three days. Are you going to wait for her to wake up to hold your brother's funeral?” She asked, and I shook my head.

“I don't think she needs that pain and distress while recovering,” I said, and she nodded,

“Yeah, we still don't know how much she will recall from the accident, the trauma, or their past… it is better that way.” She paused, “I am sure the baby endured, but the pregnancy won't be an easy one. She had a partial placenta displacement; it is a miracle the product survived, but automatically, she needs to be treated as a high-risk pregnancy… bedridden, or with minimal stress.” She said, and I nodded.

“I will handle it. Please keep them safe. They are my only family left,” I said pitifully, and she nodded.

“Alright, let me lead the way…” She stood up from the chair, and I followed. I had no idea what to expect. Who might this be? What did the woman who captivated my brother look like?