They Took My Artificial Heart Battery To Secure My Brother’s Future

1 At eight, my brother Kyle unplugged my mechanical heart to charge his phone. Found blue and suffocating, I survived but suffered permanent nerve damage from oxygen deprivation. After that, Kyle became a ghost in our home. Our parents stopped smiling at him, stopped speaking to him, pouring every ounce of themselves into keeping me alive. Father took a grueling offshore job to pay my heart’s maintenance fees. Mother quit hers to watch over me, vowing lifelong penance to beg God for my years. I believed I had parents who loved me fiercely, despite my broken body. Until the national college placement deadline. The house lost power. As the countdown ticked, Mother didn’t hesitate. She ripped the backup battery from my heart to power the laptop. My chest erupted in a shrill alarm. I reached for her. “Mom, no… my heart needs…” She spun, slapping me hard. “Because of this battery, your brother has been punished for ten years! Other backups exist! Why are you so selfish? You ruined his childhood, now you’ll destroy his future?” She snatched the battery and shoved me into my bedroom, locking the door. Minutes later, the portal closed. Through the wood, I heard their ecstatic cheers. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor. … The piercing alarm of my heart gradually slowed, fading into a flat, hollow hum. I whispered into the darkness, "Mom, I won't be a burden to you anymore." As I fell, the back of my head slammed against the sharp edge of the desk. Warm, sticky blood began to pool beneath me. The room spun, darkness encroaching from the edges of my vision. My body grew ice-cold. I tried to scream, to drag myself toward the door. "Mom... help... please, save me..." But the nerve damage from my childhood medical crisis chose this exact moment to paralyze me. I lay on the floor, my muscles spasming, a violent wave of nausea making me dry-heave. My throat felt as though it had been filled with wet cement. I could not even make a sound. Outside, my mother was wrapping her arms around Kyle, pressing a proud kiss to his forehead. "My boy, I knew you could do it! You're going to change your life!" "Not like your brother, always sick, dragging this entire family down into the dirt. Well, today is a happy day. Let's not talk about him." A crushing ache bloomed in my chest. Tears slipped silently down my temples. My mother did not know that the other backup batteries in the closet had died months ago. I had noticed, but because I knew how hard my father worked overseas to send money home, I kept quiet. I figured one working backup battery was enough. I never imagined it would end like this. With the last ounce of strength in my fingers, I clawed at the heavy wooden bookshelf beside me, hoping to make enough noise to alert her. The shelf groaned, then came crashing down in a deafening roar. A faint wave of relief washed over me. Surely, with a noise that loud, she would come running. But the crash only startled her, and she immediately assumed I was throwing a tantrum. "Toby! What is wrong with you?" she screamed through the door. "Just because we borrowed your power source for a few minutes, you throw a fit like a toddler?" The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her voice cracking with resentment. "What did I ever do to deserve this? The entire family has run ourselves ragged to pay for your treatments! We ignored Kyle for ten years, putting every single scrap of our attention on you! Is that still not enough?" I heard her keys jangling as she rushed to the door. "If you have a problem, say it to my face! What is this silent treatment supposed to mean?" But the heavy bookshelf had wedged itself perfectly against the doorframe. No matter how hard she rattled the knob, the door would not budge. "I brought your battery back, Toby! Open the door!" But my lungs were empty. My face was turning blue, my lips dark, and vomit was catching in my throat. I tapped my fingers weakly against the floorboards, trying to make any sound. But it was too faint. She could not hear it over her own anger. Assuming I was just ignoring her, she let out a furious scream and threw the battery hard against the wood. "Fine! Keep acting like a spoiled brat! See if I care!" "You won't be happy until you've driven me to my grave! I sacrificed my life for you, and you turned into this selfish monster!" "You are just jealous because Kyle scored better than you! Toby, you utterly disgust me!" My heart was barely twitching now, yet the phantom pain was agonizing. In my mind, I screamed, Mom, I'm not! I placed first in the entire state! I wanted to surprise you and Dad! I'm not jealous of Kyle! But there would be no surprise. Only horror. Kyle tugged at my mother's arm, his voice dripping with sweet consolation. "Mom, don't be angry. You still have me. Toby is just having a hard time accepting things. I'll talk to him later." The anger melted from her face instantly. She pulled him into a warm embrace. "Oh, Kyle. At least you are sensible. If only your brother had half your maturity, I could die happy." I slipped into a cold, crushing dark. My eyelids felt like lead. The blood from the back of my head had pooled so deep it was beginning to seep under the crack of the door. Just as my conscious mind began to fade, the front door burst open. "Toby! Dad's home!" A tiny spark of hope flared in my chest. My father loved me. He would check on me first. His footsteps drew closer. I curled my body, fighting the agony to blink my eyes open. I thought I felt a ghost of warmth return to my limbs. But before he could reach my door, Kyle dashed across the foyer and threw himself into my father's arms. "Dad! You're finally back! I missed you so much!" My father frowned, instinctively reaching to pat him and move past. But my mother chimed in with a beaming smile. "Kyle did amazing on his placement exams, Thomas! He might get into a top-tier state university!" The exhaustion vanished from my father's face, replaced by pure joy. "Really? That's incredible! What do you want as a reward, Kyle? Dad will get you whatever you want." Kyle smiled shyly. "Having you and Mom healthy is the only reward I need." My father's eyes filled with tears. My mother turned away to wipe her own. While I lay dying behind the door, choking on my own blood. I wanted to scream, but a thick, metallic taste flooded my mouth, choking out my words. My father finally looked around. "Where is Toby? How is he doing?" My mother curled her lip. "Toby? He's throwing a tantrum in his room because Kyle outscored him. He thinks he's too good for us now. I've been calling him for hours and he won't say a word." My father fell silent, letting out a heavy sigh. He walked over and knocked gently on my door. "Toby? It's Dad. Can you open the door, please? I bought that strawberry cake you love. It doesn't matter how you did on the exams, Toby. Dad loves you no matter what." Behind the locked door, I was covered in blood, my face a terrible shade of blue. Tears and blood mingled, soaking into my collar. I'm sorry, Dad, I whispered in my mind. I'm so sorry I was such a burden. I'm sorry... The silence in my room remained absolute. My mother's patience snapped. She marched over and kicked the door hard. "Toby! Are you dead in there? Where are your manners? Your father is talking to you, and you can't even offer a single word? He worked his fingers to the bone for you, and this is how you treat him?" Mom, just open the door, I begged silently. Open it and you'll see me. My father quickly pulled her back. "Lower your voice. He's just upset right now." My mother yanked her arm away and stormed toward the master bedroom. "Fine! Let's ignore him! Let him play his little game. Let's see if he can go the rest of his life without speaking to us!" The footsteps faded. I had used up my last breath of life. The cybernetic pump in my chest gave one final, violent shudder, and then stopped forever. When I opened my eyes again, I was standing up. I felt weightless, and the chronic, suffocating pain that had haunted me for years was entirely gone. Overjoyed, I ran toward my parents. "Dad! Mom! I'm cured! I'm not going to be a burden anymore!" But my hand passed right through my mother's shoulder. I stared at my translucent fingers, and the horrifying truth settled in. I was dead. My mother was sitting on the couch, her face buried in her hands as she wept. "Is he trying to kill me? If anything happens to him, how am I supposed to go on?" I bit my lip, reaching out to brush away her tears. "I'm sorry, Mom. Don't cry. It's my fault. I always make you worry." But my fingers slipped right through her cheek. She suddenly gasped, looking up. "Thomas, do you think... do you think something actually happened to him? No, I have to check on him!" My father stood up to follow her. "Of course not. Don't scare yourself." Just then, in the hallway, Kyle quietly slipped over to the breaker box and flipped the switch back up. He hung his head, murmuring softly, "Don't hate me, Toby. I just wanted Mom and Dad to look at me for once. I'm sorry." I watched him, paralyzed with shock. A bitter smile crept onto my face. The power outage was a lie. It was a play orchestrated entirely by my little brother. The next second, Kyle raised his own hand and slapped himself across the face with stunning force. He stumbled backward, tears flowing instantly, and ran wailing toward our parents. "Dad! Mom! Toby beat me!" He threw himself into their arms, sobbing hysterically. "I just wanted to go in and apologize to him, but he lunged at me and hit me! He called me a worthless parasite and said I was trying to steal your love! He said... he said you are the most useless parents in the world and he wishes he were adopted! He deliberately shut off the power so I couldn't submit my college application! He wanted to ruin my life!" Kyle pulled back his collar, showing the red mark on his cheek. "Dad, Mom, I'm so scared!" I rushed in front of my parents, screaming at the top of my lungs. "Dad! Mom! I didn't do it! He's lying! I'm dead, how could I have hit him?" But no one heard a thing. My mother trembled, her face twisted in rage. "To think I was actually worried about him! I spent ten years of my life sacrificing everything for him, and I raised a venomous snake!" My father rubbed his face wearily. "We spoiled Toby too much." I stood frozen, tears streaming down my ghostly face. "I didn't... I'm not a bad kid. I'm not a snake." My father gently wiped Kyle's tears away. "Don't cry, Kyle. Dad bought cake. Let's eat it together and ignore him." Kyle offered a sweet, obedient nod. He cut a slice of cake for each of them. "Dad, Mom, I'm the luckiest kid in the world." I sat on the empty chair beside them, staring longingly. It was strawberry cake, my favorite. I could almost smell the sweet vanilla frosting. But my mother gently pushed her plate away. "You eat it, Kyle. Mom can't touch this. It has eggs in it." She lowered her gaze. "I made a vow before God. I will live on water and simple vegetables for the rest of my life to keep your brother safe." My throat tightened. I leaned in to wrap my arms around her, but my embrace was nothing but air. The new silver threads in her hair cut through my soul like a knife. My father sighed, picking up a slice of cake and walking over to my door. He knocked, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Toby, stop this nonsense. Just apologize to your brother, and we'll forget all about it. Come out and eat something, okay?" But dead boys don't talk. He waited, then set the plate on the floor. The fire of resentment flared in my mother's eyes again. She shoved a large forkful of cake into her mouth, chewing aggressively. "If he doesn't want to eat, let him starve! We aren't going to pamper him forever. I have more than one son." I bit my lip. Yes, at least they still had Kyle. They wouldn't be too lonely when they found out. Suddenly, the phone rang. My mother wiped her mouth and answered with a bright smile. "Hello, Mrs. Gable? Yes, Kyle's application went through perfectly. Don't worry." The counselor on the other end pressed on. "That's wonderful. And what about Toby? Did he choose Harvard or MIT as his first choice?" The moment she heard my name, the warmth drained from my mother's face. She did not even care to hear the rest of the sentence. "Toby? He'll be lucky if he gets into a community college. It doesn't matter what he chooses." Without waiting for a reply, she hung up. I stood frozen, my soul splintering into a million pieces. "Mom, I got the highest score in the state. I didn't embarrass you. Why didn't you even bother to ask? Do you really hate me that much..." My father shook his head in disappointment. "I never cared about his grades. I only wanted him to be healthy, for us to be a happy family. I don't understand how he became so bitter." The injustice of it all felt like a rusty blade twisting slowly in my chest. The dining room fell into a suffocating silence. But before going to bed, they still left a small plate of food outside my door. A pity I would never taste it. The next morning, my mother came to check on me early. She saw the plate of food and the slice of cake sitting untouched. The frosting had melted, and the strawberry was shriveled and dark. Her face fell, her anger returning with a vengeance. She pounded on the door. "Toby! Get out here right now!" Silence. Her eyes brimmed with angry tears. "What do you want from me? You won't eat, you won't talk, are you trying to starve yourself to punish me? Do I need to get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?" My father rushed over, pulling her back. "Toby, enough is enough! Open this door and talk to us! Your mother's health is fragile, stop tormenting her!" Just then, the doorbell rang. My mother wiped her face quickly and went to open it. On our doorstep stood a news crew carrying heavy cameras. "Hello, we are from the State Broadcast Network. We're here to interview your son." My mother's eyes lit up, her anger evaporating in an instant. "Kyle! Come out here! The TV station is here to interview you!" Kyle ran out of his room, his chest puffed out with pride. But the reporters exchanged puzzled glances. The lead journalist smiled politely. "Is Toby not home? He scored the highest in the entire state on the national placement exams. We're here for him." Kyle's smile froze. My father gasped, an uncontrollable wave of joy washing over his face. "I knew it! I knew my boy had it in him!" My mother quickly ushered them inside, her hands trembling with excitement. "That silly boy, why didn't he tell me? Please, come in! He's in his room. I'll go get him." I began to shake with terror. I threw my spectral arms wide, trying to block her path. "Mom, no! Make them leave! Dad, stop her! Don't let her see me like this, please!" But they could not hear me. The reporters followed closely, their cameras rolling, transmitting the live broadcast directly to thousands of screens across the state. The heavy bookshelf wedged behind my door had already been loosened by my mother's violent kicks. With one firm push, the entire unit gave way and crashed to the floor inside. My mother stepped into the threshold. "Toby, Mom is coming in! The news crew is here, it's a live broadcast! Everyone is watching, hurry up and get—" The words died in her throat. Through the camera lens, my pale, lifeless body lay slumped on the floor, surrounded by a massive pool of dark, congealed blood. The reporters froze, but the camera remained fixed on my face. My mother's face drained of all color. She let out a piercing, soul-shattering shriek. "Toby! Toby!"