Chapter 2

Ace Carter

You know how they say just before you die, your life flashes before your eyes, well I think this is exactly what's happening to me right now.

I see my parents, my brothers, my brothers from another mother, my sister from another mother, oh sweet little Mia.

I see all our memories growing up, partying, the family vacations, the family dinners, the nights getting wasted with my best friend, my brother, Liam Garcia.

And then nothing, everything goes black and all that I can hear is the painful zinging sound that's pounding in my ears.

That's all I hear for the next few hours on my way to hell I assume.

When I finally wake up from my slumber of nothingness, I feel sharp pains in my chest and I start panicking because my eyes doesn't want to open, my lids feel extra heavy.

I know I'm suppose to suffer in hell but not being able to see shit, I mean come on at least let me see what I'm getting into.

"Mr Carter, Mr Carter! MR CARTER!" the devil definitely won't call me that, neither would God so where the hell am I? No pun intended.

"Can you hear me Mr Carter? Mr Carter if you can hear me, please calm down, you need to calm down" this bitch needs to shut it, her voice sounds like nails on a chalk board.

"Sgjuhfyuoj" Shut the fuck up was what I was initially going for but I can't seem to even say that.

"Okay, okay Mr Carter, you just calm down" is the last thing I hear before everything goes dark again.

When I come to again, I hear what sounds like a helicopter and distinct chattering in the background before nothingness comes back.

When I finally come back to consciousness, my eyes are blinded by stinging bring lights "shut the fucking lights" I growl out

"You will do well to watch your tone, you little shit" was immediately said in a sickly sweet tone.

I know that voice anywhere, mother dearest.

But it can't be, I'm damn sure I was on tour in Afghanistan when a damn explosion sent me rolling into the ICU, so how the hell am I back home?

Or did she fly over to me? Aghh this overthinking is making my head explode.

Finally opening my eyes, adjusting to the light, she immediately comes to me fussing and smothering me with kisses, her tears dripping all on me.

I would push her off me and go ape shit but there's one thing you don't fuck with, and that's my mother when she's smothering her children and believe me you don't want to get in between that.

"Oh my baby you finally back home, I missed you so much my baby, I told you it was fucking stupid, now look at you, you could've died" she says chastising me.

"Ella" I say groaning, shit, bad idea. "You know I mean mom" I say giving a drop dead smile putting my pearly whites on full display.

"Mom come on you know this is what I signed up for, dying being one of the negatives of the job" I sigh.

"Dying shouldn't be part of a job description you little shit, couldn't you just be like your brothers and work at one of our many companies?" she's now full on screaming.

"Calm down mom, I'm fine, I'm alive, I'm here aren't I? And you know I needed adventure, I needed to put myself out there, I didn't want to be cooped up in a office all day." I say pointedly.

She just looks at me and sighs, giving up knowing she won't be winning this argument, we've been having it for the last few years and I've been winning.

"Oooh Mia's coming back, actually she's probably on her plane back right now!" She says excitedly and immediately, a bright smile takes over my face.

"I can't wait to see her, I still can't believe she ran away from home and she hasn't written me not one letter" I say annoyed.

"She's like my little sister mom, I can't believe she just ran away and that Sharon and Ryan just let her, I mean they are her parents why didn't they just haul her ass back home?" I enquire curiously

"Well I've been trying to get a answer to that question myself for the last two years and nothing, I got absolutely nothing, also none of us were allowed to visit, not even her brothers the only two that were allowed to visit were her parents.

Only every second Sunday were we allowed to give her a call, you know how crazy we are about her, she's our only little girl.

I don't know how she got her parents to make any of us not go get her" my mom says sighing.

Well that's weird, I need to find out what happened, she was always so sweet and I know for a fact she adored her family and mine, how could she go from that to not wanting to see us at all.

I'm positive that when I left a week before she ran away she was still my sweet little sister, so cute and round with her rosy cheeks.

"Well I guess we are going to get to ask her ourselves when she gets home. Though I don't want her seeing me like this mom, let me heal and get out of this place and then I'll go visit" I say firmly and my mom nods in agreement.

Just then our family doctor walks in "Good morning Mrs Carter, Ace" he nods before going back to reading my file.

"Well Ace I'm glad you finally awake, now I must tell you the explosion done quite a number on you, knocking you out for a few days too, we flew you back home to get you better medical attention, you on bed rest for a few weeks or so" he says sternly and I roll my eyes.

"Also the explosion caused injuries to your lungs and head, some internal bleeding here and there but nothing that won't heal, though for the chest, you going to have to depend on the nebulizers for the next few weeks because breathing on your own would be extremely hard but also nothing that won't heal with time.

We are glad you back and we thank you for your service" he says nodding then walking out.

"Everyone is eager to see you, but I told them to give you time to heal and that you okay, and when you come home only then are they all allowed to come and smother you, good?" I nod my head, thankful I won't be bothered, I can relax.

As if, my supervisor walks in "Lieutenant Carter" he salutes me the same time I salute him. "We thank you for your services and hereby relieve you of your duty, you may return when you are recovered but it's completely your choice" he says formally.

"Im glad you okay Carter, and we all wish you well, come in to sign your forms as soon as you out of here, take care, Mrs Carter" he nods at my mom then leaves.

I turn to my mother and slyly say.

"Looks like God answered your prayers mother, I'm home to stay"