February 9th, it was a normal day,  just like every other boring day; nothing special and unusual. My dad went to work and later my brother followed. Because my mom didn’t work, we cleaned the house. Like usual, my sisters had a winter guard competition the next day and couldn’t stop talking about it.

      The day flew by next thing I know it was already 10 o’clock. As I was laying down on my bed I began to watch funny videos. I then noticed my brother rushing towards my room, thinking that was very odd. I glanced up from my phone and saw he was taking one of my towels I didn’t think much about it at the moment. My brother has always been independent. He’s always been the type of person to not ask for help, he tends to keep everything to himself. Moments later I saw him walking towards the bathroom and I just thought he was hitting the shower after a long day at work. Three minutes passed. “Megen!! Come here!” my mother shouted. I slowly walked towards the living room thinking what could she want now. As I entered the living room I saw a towel wrapped around my brother’s arm with another towel covering his face. I then proceeded to ask my mother with shock, “What happened?!” 

My Mother’s voice began to crack as she responded, “Megen, no te preocupes no mas dile a tu papá que venga a la casa.” Don’t worry about it just tell your dad to come home. I didn’t know how to respond so I stood there paralyzed for a second thinking what could be wrong? All I wanted to know was what had happened to my brother. I then heard my mother’s faded voice, “Just do as I say Megen, please!” her voice sounded so distance. I quickly shook my head and mumbled, “okay.”

    I quickly ran to my sisters’ room telling them that something had happened to my brother they ask me questions I responded with “I don’t know” as they keep asking me questions about what had happened I text my dad telling him what my mom told me to say “My mom wants you to come home early from work she says it’s an emergency” 10 minutes of silence between my siblings and me I feel like crying like my happiness had been taken away all of a sudden a feeling I haven’t felt all of a sudden I hear my dad call out my name I run towards the room he asks me what happened I keep getting asked this question but I still don’t know how to respond or how to react to this question but all I tell my dad was “I don't know..” my father calls my mom they talk and talk about what had been happening but I couldn’t process any words I was too scared to say or think anything.

   My dad tells my sisters and me “I’m going to go with your mom to make sure everything is okay.” my sisters and me nod my dad walks out and I text my mom asking if we could go see my brother my mom says in 30 minutes we can go but at this moment it was 12:05 am I was scared and terrified something bad was going to happen to my brother, my siblings try to pass the time by watching television to calm us down next thing I know it’s 12:35 my younger and older sisters were getting ready to leave we go to the hospital my mom said “Dell Seton Medical center”  we rush inside the hospital my sisters ask to see my brother the nurse with brown hair and brown eyes even though she looks tired she answered nicely “He is in room 104, but only one visitor at a time.” me and my siblings look at each other I knew I wasn’t ready to know what happened Luz my older sister went first she looked tired like all of us her brown eyes were small and her brown curly hair looked messy like all she wanted to do was sleep, Halie and me stay with my younger sister Yamilet who was only 3 at the time not knowing what was happening. In the hospital waiting room felt like time stopped every minute felt like hours and every hour felt like days the room smelled like every other hospital room smelled like alcohol and the blue chairs I sat in waiting for my sister were comfortable almost made me want to sleep but, I let my mind go anywhere in space but it goes straight to my brother and all the memories we had how we would play “Call of duty” and battle each other every laugh and every moment felt like it was all coming to an end, my brother and me were never close we weren’t like the movies where our friendship is so perfect we had ups, down’s and arguments, but I always knew he cared about me, he was always there to tell him dumb jokes that would make him laugh, his laugh was quiet but contagious. At this moment I felt lost I didn't want to lose my brother. When I think about losing my brother it haunts my mind he might not be the most affectionate person but you can always tell he had a great heart even though he didn’t show much affection but he is a kind person.  

    After about 30 minutes Luz comes back and she tells me I can go I get terrified as I start walking towards his hospital room my heart starts beating fast, my hands start to shake I think about the movies and when someone is at the hospital they lay in bed unconscious with their eyes closed not knowing if everything will be okay. I walk in his room I see my brother laying down he has some tubes coming out of his eyes, I didn’t know what it was the liquid was clear I assumed it was water but I didn’t know what was happening I see his arm wrapped up. My hands start to shake I ask my mom with fear “What happened?” my mom just says calmly “It’s better if we tell you at home when everything has passed and when we have gotten a good sleep” I just nod and the doctor walks back in and tells my brother “We will run some more tests to make sure no damage was done to your eyes.” ‍”I start to wonder what had happened that was that bad” I start to wonder what had happened I later get a text that says “Megen it’s getting late we need to go home and sleep” -from Luz I leave and tell my parents goodbye and I go back to the waiting room me and my siblings leave, my little sister Yamilet is already asleep we carry her to the car at that moment I felt scared and confused about what had happened to him. 

     The next day passes early in the morning my brother and both of my parents come home, my brother immediately walks to his room without saying a word to anyone. Moments later I go to his room to check up on him he was just laying down on his bed sleeping the whole day was just my brother sleeping and getting up once in a while to walk to the restroom. Nobody really talked about what happened to my brother nobody really mentioned it. 

      The next day my brother came to my room and asked me if I could help him and put a trash bag over his arm that was wrapped with a band I couldn’t see what happened, I just knew it was bad, as I get a trash bag to prevent any water getting in contact with his arm I ask him what happened he tells me “When I was at work I was working with this chemical that we use to clean the pots and pans the chemical came to close to contact with heat and it blew up I covered my face with my hand to make sure nothing got in my eyes and nothing got into my mouth but it my hand got mostly hurt it got all burned with the chemical I was working with and it burned my arm. The doctors wanted to make sure no chemical got in my eyes so they had to clean them.” I stay there not knowing what to say in that situation but I manage to say “Well I’m done wrapping your arm you can shower now.” 

    When my brother finishes showering my mom called my sister Luz asking her is she could help my brother with the eye drops the doctor prescribed my brother, my sister agreed and she helped my brother put the eye drops in his eyes. My brother needed help wrapping his arm every week he has to re-wrap his arm, my brother who has always been independent and has never needed anybody's help, now needed our help, I realized that everyone no matter how independent they are, they will need everyone’s help one day I realized that everyone depends on each other we all need to help each other in good times and in bad ones not depending on the situation.