It was the worst phone call he had ever gotten. Cooper quickly grabbed his car keys and sprinted outside, stumbling into his moccasins on his way out the door. He had never been very religious, but Cooper prayed during his entire journey to St. Rita's that everything would be okay.

It was a miracle he didn't get pulled over, making it from Cleveland to the Lima medical center in two hours instead of the usual three; it was 4 o'clock in the morning. Cooper parked his car and ran to the front desk, scaring the receptionist half to death after shouting his brother's name at her and taking off for the elevator.

His parents had told him not to come. They said they didn't want such a "minor issue" to tear Cooper away from his clients at work. They had only decided to call him at such a late hour because Blaine kept screaming his older brother's name while he was in the emergency room. But ever since he had grown up and moved out, Cooper had stopped listening to what his parents told him to do, especially when it came to his baby brother. Cooper knew Blaine better than anyone; they texted each other every day and spent hours talking on the phone during the weekend. In fact, Cooper had just been talking to Blaine hours before while he was anxiously getting ready for the dance. Obviously, something had gone terribly wrong while he was there and the fact that his parents would describe Blaine being in the hospital as a "minor issue" enraged Cooper.

The elevator finally stopped on the fourth floor and Cooper tried to compose himself as he found his way over to the ICU. People were yelling at him, asking who he was and where he was going, but he had no time to stop for them. He searched frantically until he saw through one of the glass windows a small, curly haired head resting on a pillow. He rushed inside the room and had to catch his breath.

Lying there, beneath the mess of wires, tubes, and machines was his tiny, baby brother. His right arm was heavily bandaged and there were bandages around his ribs, covered in dried blood that Cooper could see even under his hospital gown. His face had been beaten to make him almost unrecognizable, covered in cuts and bruises. He was hooked up to a machine that was breathing for him. He was so small, so fragile.

Mrs. Anderson had been sitting in a chair near Blaine's bed but was now standing next to Cooper, begging him with her eyes to say something.

"What happened?" was all Cooper managed to get out of his throat, desperately trying not to choke on his words as he spoke.

"Some boys didn't particularly… care for your brother's choice in dates. Things got a little out of hand and they roughed him up a little bit," her voice small and quiet as if she was unsure of what to say.

"Roughed him up a little bit? Mom, he's lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines and monitors! I think that's more than 'a little out of hand' don't you?"

"Don't scream at your mother," Cooper's father spat at him. He was standing in the doorway, holding two cups of coffee and a tired expression on his face. "We're trying to handle this as best we can, there's no need to get angry or exasperated over minor issues like these."

"Have I gone completely crazy? This isn't something minor!" Cooper yelled at his father, choosing that he was the best person at whom any kind of anger could be aimed. "We have both been telling you how much crap he gets at school! What the hell was so important that you couldn't just look out for the well being of your son?"

"I do look out for him," his father replied, cold and bitter. "I told him that going to this dance with a boy would be a terrible idea. I knew it could only lead to trouble. No one likes having people like him crammed down their throats. It's disgusting and it's embarrassing. But you know how he is, stubborn. He does whatever he thinks is best. It's no concern of mine if this is how he wants to live his life."

Cooper could not believe his father, the man who had raised him to be who he is now, was speaking about another human being like this let alone his own son. After so many years of admiring and looking up to his father, he was now revolted by him.

"If it bothers you that much, why don't you go home? Honestly, I don't want Blaine to wake up to some resentful 'I told you so' game."

Mr. Anderson sighed and handed one of the cups to his wife. She looked terrified, standing between her husband and beloved, oldest son whom she so loved.

"Fine, Cooper. You want to stay with him? Alright. Your mother and I are going home, we've been here far too long and I'd rather not be entirely exhausted for work tomorrow morning. Who knows, maybe your drive out here wasn't as useless as I thought it would be," and with that he stormed out of the room.

"Please call me when he wakes up," Cooper's mother whispered as she kissed him on the cheek and followed her husband down the hallway.

During the argument with his father, Cooper had failed to notice that Blaine's heart monitor had gone up, beeping frantically as if calling out to Cooper for attention.

Cooper grabbed the chair his mother had been sitting on and pulled it as close to Blaine's bed as possible. He then carefully reached out for his hand, trying to avoid any wires, and held it in his own. Even Blaine's hands looked damaged, scratches all over the backs and blood dried under his fingernails. Cooper let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his little brother's hand.

He started to hum, hoping to calm down Blaine's heart rate. When Blaine was much younger, Cooper would always sing to him when he was upset or crying. Music had a certain effect on Blaine that some would consider to be therapeutic. After a few minutes, Blaine's heart went back to normal and Cooper began singing.

"The road is long
With many a winding turn
That lead us to who knows where,
Who knows where
But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother."

The older man looked at Blaine. Even though he was fifteen years old, he looked so much younger. Maybe it was because of his small size, maybe it was because Cooper would always just see him as his baby brother. Either way, it killed him to see Blaine in such a dejected state.

Cooper thought back to all the times he had protected Blaine; things that seemed so big at the time but were now minute compared to seeing his little brother lying in that hospital bed. A part of him felt guilty that he couldn't have been there to protect Blaine from this terrible incident. He shouldn't have been so blind from the obvious problems of Blaine going to the Sadie Hawkins dance with another guy. Of course, he wouldn't have told Blaine not to go, but he could have at least advised him of the dangers. Maybe he would have been better prepared. Maybe he could have fought back sooner if he had expected it.

These thoughts began to eat away at Cooper and he felt worse and worse. Letting out another sigh, he continued singing.

"So on we go; his welfare is my concern
No burden is he to bear; we'll get there
For I know he would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother."