The Other Brother Read Online Free PDF

feeling passed.
    What had that been all about? A blood circulation problem? Maybe. Or maybe nothing.
    Light footsteps approached the doorway.
    "Oh, thank God, you're awake," Dana said.
    Gabriel couldn't remember ever being so glad to see her. Although Dana was simply dressed in jeans and a pink sweater, she had never looked more lovely to him.
    Dana rushed to the bed and wrapped her arms around him. He held her close, buried his nose in her hair, inhaling so deeply of her clean, sweet scent that he got slightly dizzy.
    Stepping back, Dana gave him a once-over. Her large brown eyes were tinged with red.
    "How-'re you feeling?" she asked.
    "I've had better days" His voice was raspy. Dana picked up a bottle of water from the bedside table and brought it to his lips. He sipped eagerly.
    "Your parents and sister left barely ten minutes ago," she said. "They'd been here for a couple of hours, waiting for you to wake up. I was planning to stay for the rest of the night."
    "How long have I been knocked out?"
    She checked her watch. "Almost twelve hours" She gave a small smile. "It's still your birthday."
    "Where's my gift?"
    Her smile faltered. "Well ..
    He grinned. "I'm kidding. Seeing you again is the best birthday gift I could ever have"
    Dana sat on the bed with Gabriel, holding his hand, and filled him in on what had happened.
    "Your truck went over the guardrail," she said. "You rolled over five or six times on the way down the hill. Needless to say, the car's been totaled."
    "Damn, I loved that ride."
    "But you, Gabe ... all you sustained were a few minor scratches, bruised ribs, and a concussion. No broken bones, no internal bleeding, no damaged organs. It's a miracle." She dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex.
    He decided to avoid mention of his tingling fingers. She'd been worried about him; telling her something that might worry her further would serve no useful purpose, especially since he was almost certain that it was just a temporary, blood circulation problem. His hands had fallen asleep or something.
    But it hadn't really felt like that, had it?
    He touched her cheek. She held his hand against her face, kissed his fingers.
    "You have no idea how scared I was," she said softly. "I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn't handle that"
    When Dana Stevens was eleven years old, riding to a family reunion in Memphis with her dad, mom, and little brother, a drunk driver had struck their minivan. Her family had died on the way to the hospital; Dana had survived the accident with only a scar on her neck. Her more profound injuries were of the spirit.
    Like many individuals who used tragedy to motivate themselves to achieve ambitious goals, Dana channeled her energy into academics. She graduated valedictorian from high school. Summa cum laude from Spelman. Top of her class at Morehouse School of Medicine. When she graduated from medical school, she chose to stay home and pursue her residency in pediatrics at Emory University, which would enable her to work in medically underserved communities throughout metro Atlanta. Places where she could help children in need-other young Danas in the world.
    In spite of the fulfillment she found through her work, Gabriel knew she resisted forming close emotional attachments. She had a couple of friends from college, and a hand ful of relatives she spoke to regularly, but that was all. Her grandparents, who had raised her after the accident, had died, too, soon after she completed med school.
    She and Gabriel had met at a Fourth of July cookout, hosted by a friend of his father's who'd been one of Dana's professors at Morehouse. Always looking out for his son, Pops had slyly hooked them up. Dana had been slow to open up to Gabriel, but he had persisted, initially because-truth be told-she was gorgeous. She was five-six, with soft cocoa skin, the toned body of a dancer, short and curly dark hair, dreamy cinnamon eyes, and a gentle smile, as if you and she shared an intimate secret. He was