After rehearsal that after noon, Logan and Caleb offered their assistance to David for that Saturday. David graciously accepted, stating that he’d take all of the help he could get.
As the days passed, Reckless Disregard mastered what Jordan was simply calling “Matt’s Song”. She told the guys that she wanted to sing it for him that Saturday. They were all for it. Malachai even went so far as to say that if she hadn’t he was going to make her. That, of course, made her laugh. “You and what army, bitch?”
“I think the guys would help me.” He looked at the other guys. “Logan, Caleb, wouldn’t you help me make Jordan sing Uncle Matt’s song?”
Logan and Caleb laughed. “You’re in your own with that endeavor, brother”, Caleb laughed.
“Fuck yeah. Jordan’s a little mean ass. She’s the last bitch I want to cross next to Dani”, Logan said as he laughed.
“You guys are bitches!” Malachai laughed. He looked to his sister. “I would have found a way to make you even if I had to get Dad involved.”
“And I can hear what Dad would say now. ‘If she doesn’t feel like singing, I’m not going to make her and neither should you”, she said.
“And I’d counter with, ‘But it’s Uncle Matt’s song’.”
“He still wouldn’t make me. ‘If she doesn’t feel like it then there’s really nothing I can do about it’.”
“Then I’d get Mom.”
“And she’d kill you for interrupting Aunt Jenn’s spa day. Face it, bro, if I didn’t want to do it then there’s really nothing you can do to make me.”
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Logan and Dani stayed with Malachai and Mandy that night. After they ate dinner they said their goodnights after Dani got a quick lesson in doing the cupping on Matt’s back during one of his coughing fits. As they all sat and relaxed in front of the 72” TV that Malachai’s parents had bought, they talked about Matt’s impact on Logan and Malachai’s lives. “If it weren’t for matt Cartwright there might not be a Disturbed or a Reckless Disregard”, Logan told Dani and Mandy.
“What do you mean, baby?” Dani asked.
“During the 2nd Civil War there were a lot of people that wanted out dad’s dead. Now, Malachai caught the worst of it because they wanted to publically execute Uncle David. Of course, our fathers- and I’m including Uncle Danny and Uncle Mike in this- remained defiant until the end. Uncle David was constantly quoting ‘I’m Alive’ saying that they’ll never take him alive. But, every time we needed something, we all knew that we could have Uncle David call Matt and if it was in his power, it would happen.”
“Wow, Matt must have really been you guys’ saving grace”, Mandy said.
“You have no idea”, Malachai said. “After the rally tour, I expressed interest in learning how to handle a firearm. I wanted to be able to protect my siblings should something happen to my Mom and Dad. After they tried to talk me out of it, they called Uncle Matt and had me convince him to train me. After he said he’d do it he opened the invitation to all of the older boys; Logan included. As long as we were age twelve or older, he’d train us in fire arms. My Uncle used to be the best sniper in the world.”
“Wow”, Dani said. “Ok, is it true that he’s the one that killed the Utopian President about half way through the war?”
“Yes”, Malachai said.
“Did he seriously pose as a spy to the US government?”
“That eventually became encompassed in what was then known as the Agency, yes”, Logan said. “Our dad’s served as spies and recruiters for them for the longest time. They recruited the Resistance Army.”
“Holy shit!” Dani said. “My boo is the son of one of the recruiters of the Resistance!” she joked.
“You think you’ve got something”, Mandy joked with her. “MY man is the son of the VOICE of the Resistance; the most outspoken force the Utopian Army encountered.”
“Ladies, ladies”, Malachai said, “just because our fathers are rock stars don’t mean WE are… yet.”
Logan laughed. “Please hold off on the requests for autographs. We aren’t quite THAT famous… yet.”
“But you will be”, Dani said.
“And it will be soon, too”, Mandy added.
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As they all lay dreaming, Malachai was bothered. He kept seeing the rotting body of his Uncle in his dreams, though he knew that his Uncle was sleeping inside. As he lay in his bed with the woman who would be his wife, he was troubled. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could take watching his Uncle Matt deteriorate in front of his eyes. He knew the man wasn’t getting any better. He could tell by the growing number of white handkerchiefs that were being thrown away every day because they were bloody and ruined. He knew that his Dad was going to have to step out at some point during the day to buy more because his Uncle would use all of them that were in the house when he coughed or got a nosebleed.
Those were the latest development in the deterioration of Matthew Cartwright; nosebleeds. They usually came on when he blew his nose or sneezed. It was a simple, meaningless task that everyone did every day and it could spell thirty minutes of bleeding because his blood wasn’t clotting the way it should.
Malachai hated watching his Uncle suffer. There were times when he’d hear the coughing or a sneezing, or whatever that he considered taking a pistol to his uncle and saying, “Why don’t you just end it, Uncle Matt? Just kill yourself so that you don’t have to suffer anymore.”
But he knew the response he’d get. “You think I haven’t already thought of that, Malachai? Do you really think that I haven’t been tempted to take one of your dad’s rifles, put the barrel in my mouth and pull the trigger with me toe? But, what would be the point? It would end my suffering, that’s true, but there would be a gigantic mess that your parent’s would have to clean up. I won’t do that to your Mom and Dad. When God wants me, he’ll let me come home. Until then, I’ll continue on the road I’m on.”
And even thinking his Uncle Matt would say that broke his heart. He slid quietly out of the bed he shared with his fiancée and went outside into the brisk winter night to clear his head. He took a deep breath of the cold air, a cotton hoodie on his upper body and his bare feet on the cold stones that led to the main house. In and out with the cold air, and he could tell that there was snow on the way. He had an idea as to how to get his brothers and sisters out of his Dad’s hair if it should snow. Dad’s hair, he laughed to himself. That’s a riot. Dad’s bald. I should know better shit than that. But, everyone will know what I mean. I just want to get them out of Dad’s way should they have him wanting to rip their heads off. Hopefully it will snow and Logan, Caleb and I can bring them all out here for a snowball fight. I think Dad will appreciate that. It would get them out of the way and give him the opportunity to get some work done around the house. He took another deep breath. He knew what he would do and it gave him something to focus on so that he didn’t have to think about the fact that the man he respected the second most in his life was dying in front of his eyes.
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The next morning, David and Brie were up early so that Brie could set up Jenn’s spa day. She’d discussed with Jenn what would be happening that day and got the kinds of treatments she’d want. Brie’d had to make a few phone calls to make it a true spa day, but the women and man she called had no problem helping. She’s called a couple of nail techs she knew and her personal hair dresser. The man that did her hair worked miracles with her mop every award season when she’d accompany David to the Grammy’s. After the war ended, Disturbed was finally recognized for everything that they’d accomplished before and during the war with three consecutive years of Grammy’s and Javier was the sculptor of the masterpieces she and the other wives wore when they went. He was more than happy to come out to the Draiman home to help give another American hero’s wife, who was an American hero herself, a day a luxury and relaxation. Lisa and Patty were just as happy. They were the geniuses that made Brie’s hands and feet look good every year come award season.
When Jenn and Matt awoke that morning they argued a little bit over the fact that Matt still refused to use the wheelchair that the doctor had given them. “I’m not using the stupid chair, Jenn.”
“Matt, you need to take it easy like your doctor said. Walking around the house is too much for you and you know it.”
“I’m dying, Jennifer, but I’m not dead yet. I’m going to walk until I’m too weak to use my legs. We can use that stupid waste of metal and leather when you take me to the doctor but I won’t use it here at home.”
“Sit in the chair, Matthew.”
“How the hell are you going to get it down the stairs, Jennifer? I’m certainly not going to sit in it while you drag it down there backward or while you push it down forward with it tipped back.”
Jenn laughed. “Fine, Matt. We’ll leave the chair up here. Now, why don’t we go downstairs and enjoy a little breakfast before you sister and her friends spoil me for the day.”
“Sounds good, and you deserve it. Even though I give you a hard time, I know you’re doing your best. You need a day where you’re out from under me and you can just relax. Let Brie and her friends take care of you today and let David and the kids take care of me.”
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