Dusk fell. Audra was resting alongside Heath, holding his right hand. Victoria sat between her two sons. She was miles away, lost in her thoughts. She began to question her faith in God, doubting that her family would ever recover from this ordeal. She glanced at Heath one last time and told Nick she was going to check on Maria for a few minutes. Nick nodded as she gave him a kiss on the lips before leaving.

Nick squeezed Heath’s hand hoping to elicit a response. « Heath? Heath, talk to me, Brother. I need to hear your voice. » Nick tugged at his hand prompting Heath to release a moan.

« Don’t quit on me now. We’re almost there. »

« I…I…ca…can’t, « Heath breathed out in a whisper.

« Can’t what? » Nick asked worriedly.

« Ca…can’t ho..ho…hold on. »

« Yes you can and you will! I told you we were leaving this hell together, hand in hand, » Nick chided. He felt Heath’s grip lessen in his hand. He groped his wrist to search for a pulse. His heart began to race. « Mother! » he cried out.

Audra awoke with a start, elbowing herself up on her left arm which made her yelp in pain.

Victoria hurried back to Nick. « Nick, what’s wrong? » she asked in utter panic.

« Heath, » Nick started to whimper, « is he? «

Victoria reached for Heath’s neck.. Her face fell and her eyes glistened with tears. « Mother? » Audra asked, concerned by the dreadful expression on her mother’s face.

« He’s dead. »

Nick’s breathing grew heavier as he struggled to sit despite his cracked ribs. « Pound on his chest! » he urged Victoria.

« What? »

« Thrust your fist into Heath’s chest to get his heart going again. Go on! Do it! » he yelled, snapping Victoria out of her daze.

She slowly clenched her fingers into a fist. She stared at it saucer-eyed with terror, afraid to do the impossible.

« Do it! » Nick shouted angrily. He was soon stricken by a bout of coughing.

Victoria slammed her fist into her son’s chest. His body jerked. Nick felt the jolt underneath his head.

« Again! » he shouted between two painful coughs.

She thrusted a second punch into Heath’s chest. This time, she heard his ribs cracked. The sound hit her like a ton of bricks. Heath was still silent.

« Harder, Mother! »

Victoria was an emotional wreck. She pounded her fist one last time into her son’s chest and shrieked at the sound of his ribs snapping. She felt like she was killing him all over again. Heath’s body bucked and his lips gasped open as he caught a long deep breath. All three heaved sighs of relief.

For the first time in hours, Victoria dissolved into tears, burying her head in her hands. Audra slid over to her mother and flung her right arm around her neck to clench her into a tight embrace.

Dawn barely mantled in the sky that the rescue team finally arrived on the scene. They released the victims from the wreckage and carried the grievously wounded to the nearest hospital while the casualties were hauled into the back of a wagon. The road was long and bumpy, many rendered their souls on the way, including Maria whose injuries were far more severe than they had originally been diagnosed. Nick and Heath were unconscious, bundled up in blankets to make their journey more comfortable. Victoria had taken care of placing Heath’s hand in Nick’s so that both brothers could feel each other’s presence. Travers didn’t expect Heath to survive the trip but refrained from voicing his fear to spare the grieving family more anguish. He stayed behind to bury his wife. Heath was at low ebb but Audra, Victoria and Jarrod remained optimistic that his strong constitution would carry him through.

At the hospital, the Barkleys were tended to by the medical staff. Nick and Heath were both rushed to the emergency room while Audra’s arm was examined and put in a fresh sling. Victoria’s lacerations and Jarrod’s deep gash were desinfected and bandaged up. All three were released shortly after with instructions to get plenty of rest in the next few days. That was going to prove rather difficult given the situation with Nick and Heath.

All three were resting their eyes in the waiting room when Dr. Stanton walked up to them.

« Mrs. Barkley » he asked of the matriarch.

Victoria jumped to her feet. « Doctor, how’s Nicholas? »

« His legs were badly crushed. Several compound fractures, mostly below the knees. It will be awhile before he can regain full use of them. »

« But he’ll be able to walk again, right? » Jarrod asked, fearing the doctor’s answer.

« He should. With a strict routine of daily exercices and plenty of encouragements he should be as good as new. »

« What about my other son? »

« He’s still in surgery. Dr. Evans is performing the operation. He’ll see you when it’s all over. »

« Can we see Nick? « Audra asked.

« Your brother’s heavily sedated and will sleep for the next few hours. »

« Can we stay in his room while we wait for news on my other brother’s condition? » Jarrod added before the doctor could finish his thought.

« Normally it’s against regulations but since those are unusual circumstances, I’ll allow it. »

« Thank you, doctor. »

« Sure. I’ll advise the desk nurse to tell Dr. Evans where to find you. »

Victoria nodded in gratitude.

« Try not to disturb Nicholas. He needs his rest. »

« We’ll be careful, Doctor, » Victoria assured.

« Remember you three, get plenty of sleep. Those boys will rely on your strength to pull through. »

In the early evening, an exhausted Victoria had dozed off in an armchair by Nick’s bed while Audra and Jarrod decided to take a stroll down the hall to stretch their legs.

Nick feverishly opened his glazed eyes. His bemused expression made a quick sweep of the room before resting upon Victoria, sleeping peacefully in the chair. He didn’t want to disturb her, knowing she must be at the end of her emotional tether. He started to wiggle the fingers in his hands and gingerly raised his arms. His ribcage felt a bit tender but found he could breathe a little easier. He tried to move his legs as Jarrod and Audra entered.

« Hey, you two, » Nick greeted in a hushed voice.

« Nick, you’re awake! » Audra exclaimed gleefully as she sat on the edge of the bed and took Nick’s hand.

« Shut! not so loud. You’ll wake Mother. »

« So, how are you feeling? » Jarrod asked, gently rubbing his hand on Nick’s shoulder.

« Like a train fell on me, » Nick joked huskily.

« That’s about right. »

« How’s Heath? »

« Last we checked he was still in surgery. We haven’t heard anything yet. »

« How long has he been in there?» Nick asked on a dismal tone.

« Close to six hours. »

Nick closed his eyes and shook his head despondently. « That can’t be good news. «

« He’ll make it, Nick. I know he will, » Audra said in a feeble attempt to boost his brother’s drooping spirits.

« What did the doctor say about my legs? »

« That it’s just a matter a few weeks before they are as good as new. »

« Jarrod, I can’t feel my legs. »

« They were badly broken, Nick. The doctor said it might take awhile before you can walk. »

« Jarrod you don’t understand. I said, I CAN’T FEEL THEM, » Nick said, grinding out the words.

Jarrod wrinkled his forehead worriedly. At that moment, Dr. Evans walked into the room.

« Mr. Barkley? »

« Yes, I’m Jarrod Barkey. » Jarrod walked up to the doctor to shake his hand.

« I’m Doctor Evans. »

« You operated on my brother? »

« That’s right. »

« How come it took so long? »

« Your brother was in a critical condition, having suffered life-threatening injuries and a tremendous amount of blood lost that required two transfusions. It’s a miracle he survived thus far. We managed to get the internal bleeding under control but we had to remove the spleen. He has a severe head concussion, three fractured ribs, one nearly punctured his left lung and some tissue damage. We’re concerned about the swelling within the skull and at this point we are unable to determine the extend of the trauma and if whether there’s any brain damage. We’ll know more when he regains consciousness, if at all. Dr. Travers did a splendid job of suturing the wound on his side with the rude instruments he had available at the time. There’s no sign of infection so far.

« What about his eyes? » Audra asked.

« The eyes themselves are intact. No scratch marks, no cuts, they were clear of any glass splinter. The cause of his blindness is a result of the severe head trauma he sustained at the back of the brain, the occipital lobes where the visual cortex is located. His pupils are reacting to light but not as much as they should. »

Jarrod, Audra and Nick all looked at each other. Neither one dared be the one to ask the inevitable question. Nick cleared his throat and took a deep breath. « Is it permanent? »

« Given the intensity of the blow, » the doctor paused to sigh ruefully, « it’s most likely. »

Jarrod and Nick were flabbergasted while tears welled up in Audra’s eyes.

« When can we see him? » Jarrod asked.

« Not at the moment. We are attempting to stabilize his condition. Nurses will be monitoring his vital signs and visitors are strickly forbidden in order to keep from under foot. »

« We understand, » Jarrod nodded.

« Do you folks have somewhere to stay? »

« Yes. We took a room at the Hotel Emperor. »

« Fine. I suggest you all get some rest. You’ve suffered a terrible shock. I’ll send someone over if there’s any significant change in your brother’s condition. » He galnced toward Victoria. « Do you want me to tell you mother? »

« No. It’s okay. We’ll tell her later when she awakes, » Jarrod said

« I’ll be checking on both your brothers’ progress throughout the night. Rest assured, they’re in good hands. »

« Thank you Doctor Evans. »

« Doc, what about my legs? » Nick asked, his bottom lip twitching in fear of the doctor’s answer.

« They’ll remain in a cast for about six weeks. »

« I don’t have any sensation. »

« The paralysis is caused by a pinched nerve at the back of your spine. The feeling will eventually come back. Give it time. Take care folks. »

As days crept by, Heath’s condition remained touch and go. After a week, he finally showed signs of responsiveness.

« Doctor, he’s waking up, » informed the nurse.

« Finally! Get his family. They’re in room two twenty. »

As soon as the nurse left the room, Dr. Evans leaned over Heath and gently tapped him on the cheek to fully wake him. « Mr. Barkley, can you hear me? »

Heath’s eyes fluttered. He started to panic, his eyelids batting frantically at the ever-present darkness engulfing him, suffocating him. He reached for the doctor’s hand and wrung it nervously. His breathing grew erratic and his heartbeat increased.

« Take it easy, » Dr. Evans pacified.

« I can’t see! » Heath panted.

« Heath! » Victoria exclaimed as she entered the room with Audra.

« Mother! » he cried out, his hand desperately questing hers.

She hurried to the bed and grasped his hand.

« It’s so dark, » he whimpered.

Audra stood bolted to the floor with a pained expression on her face while Victoria perched herself on the rim of the bed and tried to appease Heath’s shivers by stroking his cheeks. « Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s only temporary. » She flashed a look of concern to the doctor standing behind her.

« Mother, don’t go, » Heath begged sobbingly, wringing her hand of all blood.

« I won’t. Audra and I will stay right here. »

« Audra? »

« I’m right here, Heath » she replied, stepping up to the bed to take her brother’s hand.

Heath’s breathing slowly stabilized in the company of the two women. « Nick? Jarrod? »

« They’re both fine, » reassured Victoria, running a soothing hand through his hair.

« Maria? How’s Maria? »

Victoria and Audra looked at each other, dithering over whether or not to tell Heath of her death. The doctor nodded his approval. « She’s dead. » Victoria informed grimly.

Heath’s face crumpled and he began to sob uncontrollably. Victoria reached out to her grieving son by resting her head against his.

Six weeks passed. Jarrod spent time at his law office in Sacramento while Victoria and Audra occupied themselves in town. Victoria kept in touch with the foreman back at the ranch who was now running the property. Audra spent time buying gifts for her brothers to cheer them up.

Nick was making progress, but Heath withdrew within himself, alienating his family and turning a deaf ear to their words of reassurance and encouragement. He had lost his true love, the woman he wanted to eventually marry, and the ability to see. A hollow feeling formed in the innermost recesses of his soul and willingly let himself sink into a slough of despond.

Days later, Nick and Heath were released from the hospital. Nick’s casts were removed but his legs remained numbed. He was still paralysed from the waist down His doctor was confident his condition was only temporary but Nick remained pessimistic.

They all boarded the Stockton-bound train. It was an especially ennerving ride. Every bump made their heart quailed, hurling them back to the day of the wreck. Nick and Heath were seated together but appeared miles apart. Nick was blankly staring out the window while Heath’s eyes were fixed and staring down at the floor. Throughout the long journey, neither one spoke. Although taciturn, Nick was a bit more receptive, agreeing to eat and drink when offered, but his brother was stolid. .

« Nick, see if you can get Heath to eat something? » Victoria asked, handing Nick a slice of sandwich.

« I’ll try, Mother. »

She returned to her seat across from her sons and watched Nick coaxing Heath into taking a bite.

« Come on Heath. You have to keep your strength. »

Without batting an eyelid, Heath waved the sandwich away from his mouth. Nick made a second attempt. « Come on, Brother. Just a tiny bite. For me. » Nick took a thumb-size dab off the sandwich and stuffed it into Heath’s mouth. Heath spit it out. Angry, Nick raised a hand and cuffed him in the face, startling Jarrod, Victoria and Audra sitting across from them. « Damn it Heath! Snap out of it! » Nick blustered.

Heath remained stoic. Nick hurled the sandwich on the floor and shut himself out, turning his attention back to the window.

At the ranch, both were carried up to their rooms. Nick was highly ill-at-ease having to rely on someone to carry him and consequently took rather quickly to moving around the house in his wheelchair. Nick hated being helpless. Whenever he wanted to climb up or down the stairs, he needed assistance. Usually Jarrod carried him but when he was away, Victoria asked one of the ranch hands. He couldn’t wander outside without someone always watching him. He felt trapped. He was insufferable, quick-tempered, always in a crabby mood, snapping at everybody, and consistently complaining. He had become a royal pain in the neck.

Nick’s obnoxious behavior was the opposite of Heath’s who was completely subdued. For the past week, he was secluded in a world of his own, vegetating in his bed all day, his eyes wide open, looking blankly at the ceiling, biding his time. He hadn’t spoken a word not made any effort to get out of bed. His family often came to sit with him and tried to coax him to speak. He refused to eat or drink. Dr. Merar was successful at forcing some sugared water and occasional broth down his throat to keep his strength.

One afternoon, Nick was moping around in his room when he decided to take the bull by the horn and give his brother the rough edge of his tongue. He wheeled himself down to Heath’s room . The door was ajar. Nick peeked in and seeing that Heath’s eyes were wide open, he wheeled himself closer to the bed. Heath felt a presence and closed his eyes, playing possum.

« Heath, you’re not fooling me. I know you’re awake, » Nick chastised.

Heath slowly reopened his eyes.

« How long do you expect to keep this up? »

Heath remained undisturbed by Nick’s irascible comment.

« You selfish bastard! » Nick blustered, his temper flaring up. He felt a rage boiling inside that was about to erupt and give his brother an earful. « You think you’re the only poor soul who suffered a lost in that train wreck? »

Heath turned his head away.

« Don’t you dare fence me in, Heath Barkley! Okay, sure, you lost your sight. Big deal! Women and men lost their spouses, parents lost their children, family lost their loved ones! » Nick paused as tears welled up in his eyes. He finished with a catch in his voice. « I lost my legs. »

Heath reacted in shock. He slowly turned his head towards Nick. « What? »

« That’s right. Oh, they’re still there but I don’t have much use for them anymore since they’re paralysed. »

Heath frowned in shame, realizing for the first time that he’d been wallowing in self-pity while others were suffering a similar plight. « I didn’t know, » Heath answered apologically.

« Sure you didn’t know, how could you know? » Nick scolded.

« Why didn’t anyone tell me? »

« Did you bother to ask them? You were too busy bewailing and looking at the world with a jaundiced eye, not stopping for one second to think that there were others passengers on that train who were dealt a worse hand. »

An silence fell between the two brothers.

« Churn that thought over in that thick skull of yours while I go tell Mother to ask one of the men to carry me downstairs. » Nick spun his chair around and started for the door.

« Nick, wait! »

Nick stopped and rolled his eyes testily. « What? » He swirled his chair round to see that Heath was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands fumbling at the night stand. At his heart’s content, he witnessed his little brother hauling himself out of bed with all the strength he could summon.

« Nick, are you still there? »

« Yes I am, Brother. Follow my voice, Heath. »

Heath turned towards Nick’s voice with one arm extended in front of him and the other feeling the rim of the bed as he shuffled over to Nick.

« Come on, Little Brother, I’m right here, » Nick continued to guide Heath towards him. « That’s it, you’re doing fine. You’re almost there. »

Heath reached the end of the bed and held out both hands, nervously groping the empty space in front of him, feeling his way toward Nick until big brother clutched both his hands.

« You made it! » Nick commended, his heart brimming with pride.

Heath let out a small chuckle, also proud at the giant step he had taken.

« You want to do something for me? « Nick asked.

« What? » Heath answered as he tried to angle his eyes in line with Nick’s face.

« Go downstairs and tell Mother I’m ready to go down. »

« Nick, that’s too far, « Heath protested worriedly. « I can’t. »

« Of course you can. You’ve been living in this house for nearly two years. You know every inch of it. »

« I’m afraid. »

« Don’t be. I’ll guide you. You’ll be my legs and I’ll be your eyes, deal? » Nick asked his brother, tugging at his hands.

Heath cracked a lopsided smile. « Deal. »

Nick held Heath’s hand while he wheeled himself out of the room, taking heed not to pick up too much speed for Heath who was still shaky on his legs. Heath shuffled alongside Nick, taking a firm hold of his hand, almost crushing it in fear of letting go, sticking to his big brother like a burr. His other hand groped the wall as they exited the room. Nick led Heath to the top of the stairs. He clenched Heath’s hands and placed them against the railing. Heath took a firm grip and slowly climbed down the stairs with faltering steps, carefully sliding his heels against the back of each steps.

Victoria and Audra walked out of the living room just as Heath was halfway down.

« You’re almost there, Heath. Only eight more steps, » Nick instructed from the top of the stairs. « You have two great looking ladies staring at you so make it good, » he added teasingly.

Heath tittered. « Mother, Audra? »

« Right here, Heath, » Audra replied cheerfully, reaching for her brother’s hands. She hugged him with all of her might. All the pain, worries and fears of the past weeks came gushing out in a torrent of tears. She wept as she held her brother tightly in her arms, refusing to disengage the embrace. Heath buried his face in her neck, trying to bridle his emotions but in vain. He began sobbing. Victoria’s heart ached for her two children and yet, she felt so proud. She stroked both their hair and finally wrapped her arms around them.

Upstairs, Nick witnessed the display of emotions and couldn’t help shedding a few tears of joy. « Ahem! » he hawked. « Hey! » he shouted. « This is all very touching, but what about me? » he whined.

All three disengaged and started laughing.

With Heath’s renewed confidence, Dr. Merar suggested to send him to a blind school or hired one of their best teachers to help Heath regain his dependence. Nick didn’t see a need for one since he felt he could teach Heath everything he needed to know.

Merar strongly insisted that Heath be taught by a professional but Nick adamantly refused. Victoria suspected her son had become overprotective of his young brother, almost possessive, since he had been the one who snapped Heath out of his torpor and spurred him to take his first steps. He was also confident that Heath would regain his sight soon and didn’t want any stranger roaming around. She took Merar aside and explained the situation to him. She promised to keep her eyes peeled and send for him at first sign of trouble.

As days glided into weeks, Nick and Heath became inseparable, dropping into the habits of spending all day in each other’s company. Their ordeal had knitted them and straightened their bonds. They had never felt closer in the last few weeks that they had ever been in the past two years. Together they bridged over the difficulties that faced them and mutually revived each other’s sagging spirit. Their handicap brought them a whole new respect for one another. It cimented their friendship and provided them with a new lease on life.They constantly relied on each other, exchanging views and ideas, sharing their concerns, confessing their worse fears. Nick had done an incredible job at teaching Heath how to fend for himself but one thing didn’t incurr to him and where he was to little avail, was to teach Heath how to read braille.

One night, Nick wheeled himself by the study and noticed Heath standing by the book shelves, brushing his hand against the many books. Nick stopped and observed him. He winced at the sight of his blinded brother aching to quench his thirst for knowledge. A self-educated man, Heath loved to read. Having been denied decent schooling in his childhood, he wanted to make up for his lack of education by poreing over as many books as he could. He was striving for better understanding. His brain needed food for thoughts and now, it was starving.

Nick wheeled himself in the study « Hey! Want me to read to you? » He asked Heath.

« Thanks for asking Nick, but I’m kind of tired right now. I think I’ll turn in early. »

« You sure? »

« Yeah. » Heath walked past Nick and gave his shoulder a friendly dab. « Good night. »

« Good night. »

Heath walked out of the room as easily as he would had he not been blind. He had made great progress in his mobility. Nick followed him in case he needed assistance.

Nick wasn’t fooled. For the past weeks, Heath had consistently asked him to read to him. Although he never really cared for the choice of topics, Nick would ungrudgingly comply to his brother’s wishes. Now he feared Heath might have picked up on his uneasiness, hence the reason why he didn’t bother asking him anymore.

Nick had to resign to the fact that he didn’t hold all of the answers, that he lacked in some fields. For his brother’s sake, he cast aside his selfishness and reluctantly acquiesced to Merar’s suggestion to hire a teacher.

On the night the decision was made, Nick experienced a nightmare. He tossed and turned in his sleep, sweat poured out of him as he clawed at the sheets, ripping them with his finger nails. He relived the train wreck, slight difference being that Heath was standing near the rails on top of the hill, looking down on the crash site. Nick was trapped and was calling out to him but he couldn’t hear. He stood there, motionless. Suddenly a woman surged up behind Heath and pushed him down the hill. He tumbled down, boucing off the wall of rocks before his bloody body came crashing at Nick’s feet. Nick painfully elbowed himself up into a sitting position to look at his brother. The blood drained from his face as he saw Heath’s eyes had been gouged out.

« Oh, my God…NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! » Nick cried in his fitful sleep. « Heath, I’m sorry, » he wailed.

In his room, Heath woke. Although Nick’s cries were barely audible, he could sense something amiss with his brother. He got up and carefully counted the steps in his mind out of his room. He walked slowly alongside the wall, brushing his hand slightly against it up to Nick’s room. He fumbled with the knob and opened the door. He groped his way to Nick’s bed and sat on the rim. He put his hands to Nick’s shoulders and gently shook him out of his nightmare.

« I’m sorry, Heath. She should never have come here. It’s all my fault, » Nick continued to ululate.

« Nick, come on! Wake up! » Heath commanded.

Nick started out of sleep, panting and sweating profusely. He tried to focus on the foggy silhouette hovering over him. « Heath? » Nick asked, confused.

« Yeah. Are you alright? »

Nick ran his hand through his tousled wet hair as he tried to catch his breath. « No, » he exhaled.

« You want to tell me about it? »

Nick nodded. « Yeah. I think I’d better. » With much difficulty, Nick elbowed himself up into a sitting position and propped his back against the pillows. He took a deep breath to summon his courage. He began telling Heath all about Miss. Simpson, the woman they hired from the blind school to teach him how to read braille.

« But Nick I have you. I don’t need anyone else, » Heath said, disturbed by the news.

« I can’t teach you how to read. »

« I don’t need to read. »

« Yes you do. You know you do. »

Heath hung his head. « I’ll read when I get my sight back. »

« Don’t be a stubborn mule, Heath, » Nick signed in exasperation with a tilt of the head.

« I’m not! » Heath hissed. « You all assured me that it was only a matter of days now before I got my sight back, or were you lying to me? »

Nick took a firm hold of Heath’s shouders. « Heath, we both need to be realistic and face a few facts. It’s been six months and neither one of us has made any significant progress. » Nick gripped the back of Heath’s neck. « Please, if not for you, than do it for me? »

« You? »

« Yeah. » Nick leaned back against the pillows. « You must realize by now that I’m not the world’s best reader. I’ve seen your forehead wrinkle when I attempted to skip words I had trouble pronouncing. »

« Oh, so that explains why some sentences didn’t make any sense, » Heath teased.

« Will you do it? » Nick asked pleadingly.

Heath fashioned a lopsided smile barely noticeable in the moonlit room. « Okay. If you promise me to help me store the bales of hay in the barn tomorrow. »

Nick grinned and playfully tousled his brother’s hair. « You’re doing fine on your own, Little Brother, « Nick bantered.

« Why you… » Heath took Nick’s pillow and hit him over the head with it.

They both ended up laughing.

Heath spent considerable hours studying in the charming company of the lovely and sophisticated Miss. Simpson. She was amazed at his incredible ability to learn quickly and upgraded his lessons until Heath was able to read and write on his own. His studies took most of his time, hours he normally spent with Nick.

Nick was happy for his young brother. He would often observe him with Amanda Simpson, smiling and laughing. It warmed the cockles of his heart to see Heath so cheerful but at the same time, he felt a bit jealous of all the attention Heath gave his teacher. He was seeing less and less of him. He missed the days when they would be together from morning till night, talking and teaching Heath how to fetch for himself. Nick berated himself for entertaining such selfish thoughts but he couldn’t help it. He felt like he was losing his brother to a socialite.

One afternoon as Heath was busy doing his homework, Nick wheeled himself to the stables. He went to Coco’s stall and began engaging a conversation with his esteemed animal companion.

« I have a hunch John is going to be the one to shine your coat again today, Coco. »

Coco stamped his rear hoof in protest. He was used to Heath’s gentle touch in the last weeks while Nick was disabled . « I know, I know, » Nick tried to calm him down, « you prefer it when Heath does your grooming, don’t you boy? He does have a way with horses. « Melancholia invaded Nick and he wheeled himself closer to his horse. « He’s just busy with his studies. I hadn’t seem him so happy. » Nick smiled as he pictured his brother’s beaming face in his mind. « I know it’s selfish of me but I liked it when we both worked side by side and talked about things we never really opened up about in the past. We were never so close, » Nick lamented as he patted Coco’s rear leg. « I miss that. » A chuckle escaped his lips. « Listen to me ramble. I’m not ususally that sentimental. »

Coco continued his stomping. « Don’t worry, Coco. I’ll take care of you myself. »

Nick tried to reach for the wooden box with all the currycombs and brushes. He stretched out his arms and fingers to the fullest. He touched the box lightly enough to make it drop onto the ground. As he bent over to pick up the scattered implements he slipped and fell.

Trying to crawl back into his wheelchair, he felt the numbness in his legs gradually dissipating. He groped at them and sure enough, he was beginning to get some sensation back. He laughed nervously as he managed to haul himself back into the chair. He sped out of the barn, hard pressed to share the news with his family.

Then he stopped, recalling the pack he and Heath had made, the one that prevented his brother from going over the edge. « You’ll be my legs and I’ll be your eyes. » How would Heath react to his recovery knowing he was still blinded? No matter how happy he was for himself, he couldn’t risk having Heath slip back into a depression. He decided then to keep the news a secret until Heath showed signs of recovering his sight.

About a week later, Nick had regained full use of his legs. He was able to stand and walk easily without his family being none the wiser, including Dr. Merar who would frequently drop by to check on the boys’ progress. He found it strange that Nick was still crippled but assured Victoria that the paralysis would eventually wear off.

Early one morning, Nick stood by his bedroom window , gazing at Heath and Audra down in the barn yard. Heath was grooming Charger while Audra kept an eye on him, handing him over the brushes he needed while she teased him about his glaring infatuation with Amanda Simpson.

Nick’s heart would leap out of his chest at each of Heath’s infectious laugh. His brother was in high spirits and appeared to walking on air, that’s all that mattered. He was prepared to sit in tight-lipped silence indefinitely or until Heath showed signs of regaining his eyesight.

The door to his bedroom was ajar. Victoria knocked and pushed her way in before Nick could had a chance to plop down in his wheelchair. She was shocked to see him standing. Nick closed his eyes and sighed in despair.

« Nick, you can stand? » she remarked gleefully as she walked over to him. « Since when? »

Nick remained silent.

« Nick? » she insisted, a tad concerned.

« About a week, » he answered resignedly.

« Why didn’t you tell us? »

« Come here, Mother. » Nick took his mother by the shoulder and led her to the window. « See Heath? Look at him smile. Listen to him laugh. He’s alive and enjoying life. You want to know why? It’s because he knows he’s not alone. That his brother shares an handicap. It actually brought us closer together. » He paused. « How do you think he’s going to react when he finds out I can walk but he still can’t see? Right now he feels needed. He’s big brother’s legs. I’m relying on him to do my chores. I can’t take that away from him. I’d be a poor excuse for a brother if I did. That’s why I didn’t tell anybody. Because if you knew and promised to keep it under wraps, he would have eventually sensed it. »

« You can’t keep this wonderful news a secret forever! »

« I’ll tell him when he starts showing signs of improvement, not before. Promise me, Mother…promise me that you won’t tell a soul. Please, for Heath’s sake. » Nick pleaded.

She nodded reluctantly. She hugged Nick and walked back out. Nick turned towards the window once again and admired the two siblings at play.

The next morning, Nick was getting ready when Heath walked up to his room. He knocked on the door. Nervous, Nick reached for his wheelchair. « Who is it? »

« It’s Heath. May I come in? »

Nick heaved a small sigh of relief. « Sure, » he answered as he tucked the edge of his shirt in his trousers.

« All set for my shooting lesson? »

« Just about. You got the rifles ready? » When Nick failed to get an asnwer to his question, he turned to Heath who stood with spasms of irritation crossing his face.

« Heath, what is it? What’s wrong? »

« Why didn’t you tell me? »

« Tell you what? » Nick asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

« That you could walk. »

Nick’s shoulders slumped. « Mother told you? »

« No one told me anything. I can tell by the angle of your voice. It’s higher. You’re not sitting down. »

Nick gnarled his teeth and whacked himself on the head at his blunder. Heath’s other four senses had been honed to a razor-sharp edge and he couldn’t be duped. Nick hung his head in shame and gulped.

« Why didn’t you tell me? » Heath entreated, hurt that his brother would hide something like this from him.

« I couldn’t. »

« I don’t understand, why not? » Heath paused as he stepped up closer to Nick. » You feel sorry for me, is that it? » he asked angrily.

« No. »

« Don’t lie to me, Nick! »

« Okay, YES!!!!!! » Nick bellowed, spurred by Heath’s accusation and his own guilty conscience. « I didn’t want you to feel you were alone. »

« What are you talking about? I’m not alone. I have you and the family. » Then it dawned on Heath what Nick might have been refering to. « Oh, I think I know what you meant. You’re my eyes and I’m your legs. »

« Tell me Heath, honestly now, if roles had been reversed, if you have regained your sight before I the use of my legs…would you have told me? »

Heath buried his chin in his chest and signed, « No. »

Nick smiled and placed his hand on Heath’s shoulder. « We’re more alike than we want to admit, Little Brother. »

« That’s why I wasn’t going to tell you about the flashes of light. »

« What flashes? »

« The ones I’ve been seeing since yesterday morning. »

Nick laughed euphorically and pulled Heath into a bear hug, slapping him heartily in the back.

« Easy Nick. You’re choking me » Heath coughed.

Nick pulled back « I’m sorry. I’m just so darn relieved. » he said, squeezing the back of Heath’s neck.

« It’s nothing definite. »

« No, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. »

« Nick, can I ask you something? »

« Anything. »

« What do you think of Amanda? »

Nick grinned. « Oh, she’s alright for a dopey broad with a crinkled nose, crooked mouth and bucked teeth, » he teased.

Heath laughed at Nick’s description. « You forget Nick, I can see with my hands. »

He playfully ruffled Heath’s hair. « She’s beautiful, Heath. »

« I like her. »

« I’m sure you do. Come one, let’s go get some breakfast Don Juan! »