Ohhh Brother, it was only funny the first time

I wasn't fully awake yet when I stepped into the hospital. After leaving my brother at the emergency ward, my mother was so furious she just dropped the both of us at the hospital and took off, I proceeded to the registration counter to register as told by the nurses at the ward.

"Excuse me, my brother is in the emergency ward, do I register here?" I asked the man behind the counter.

"Yes, fill in the form here... First time?" he asked, behind his mask.

"No, second time." I winced at the word.

*********

Half asleep, I heard my father talking to my brother outside of my room.

"Why are you up so early?" my father asked my brother.

"I'm going to school for futsal," my brother replied. It has been four months since he played football due to breaking his arm four months ago while playing. He was officially recovered last sunday and his orthopedist had given him the green light to continue all sport activities. And I bought him a new football to celebrate that.

I went back to sleep as it wasn't my routine to wake up at eight in the morning. I usually sleep way past that.

I was awaken again, still half asleep, and I heard the main door downstairs, swung open and then hit the armchair that was placed behind the door. My brother had came home and he announced something at the door.

My mother replied, "What?" in mandarin, loud enough to get me to open my eyes.

My brother repeated his sentence, and I could hear it clearly this time "I broke my arm, again."

Mother went into a hysterical fit, she started screaming and shouting at my brother. I jumped out of bed and rushed down the stairs to see my brother, standing at door, his left arm cradling his right arm.

I stared at it, it looked deformed, bent, like how it did four months ago when he broke it. My mother screamed and shouted all her frustrations at him. He was apologizing, "sorry... sorry..." he was saying, almost breaking into tears.

"Are you serious?" I asked him.

He nodded and I examined his face. Searching for a hint that it was all a big prank, I waited for a punchline... Nothing.

The first thing I felt, deep inside my stomach, my tangled gut, telling me how messed up it was to break your arm, heal it after four months, then break it again in a five days, barely making a week. Second, anger. How could he do this to himself?! How could he! Third, fear and pain, by the look on his face and how he was craddling his arm.

My mother continued her explosions, cursing, yelling, crying, screaming all the way to the hospital. I couldn't even think. Brother just accepted them all, sitting quietly in the car. Then we arrived at the hospital where mother just left us at the entrance. She then sped off. She was lost and was still in the progress of accepting this unbelievable news. I still hoped that this was a nightmare and I should wake up very soon, laughing at my ridiculous dream.

I guided him with my left arm while I scan the area for help. All the patients at the waiting area gave us their attention. They stared us and after a few seconds, realized that we were lost. One by one they lifted their arms and pointed in the direction of the emergency ward. I smiled gratefully at them.

Entering the ward, a nurse signalled us to the empty ward on the left. He sat down on the bed, carefully positioning his arm. I could feel everything on the tip of bursting out now. My own vents, my screamings and my cursings. And then I looked at my brother and realized the pain and the messed up emotions that he was already feeling. It made me realized, that he was scared and frustrated himself, that all he needed was comfort. I placed my arms around him and hugged him as we broke into tears.

********

So here I am now, in the hospital accompanying him. The fact has started to sink in. He broke his arm, again, after five days of recovering from the previous fracture. And yes, it will take another 3 months to recover, we both sigh at the thought of it.... Football? Don't even think about it.

Debbay