My Cop Brother Stole My Car, Hit A Child, And Ran Away. Then My Parents Tried To Frame Me For It, Sa
“I don’t want to sit down. I want to know why my car looks like it hit a wall.”
Mom started crying, actually crying.
“This is so terrible. That poor child.”
My blood went cold. I asked.
“What child?”
Ryan’s jaw was tight.
“There was an accident this afternoon.”
I asked.
“What kind of accident?”
Ryan said.
“A kid ran into the street. I didn’t see them in time.”
The room started spinning. I said.
“You hit a child with my car?”
Ryan said.
“It was an accident.”
I asked.
“How bad?”
Ryan replied.
“Broken leg, some bruising. They’ll be okay.”
I asked.
“Where’s the kid now?”
Ryan said.
“Hospital.”
I asked.
“Did you call the cops?”
Then I realized how stupid that question was. I said.
“You are a cop. Did you file a report?”
There was silence. I repeated.
“Ryan, did you file a report?”
More silence. Dad stood up.
“Now hold on.”
I asked.
“Did you file a report or not?”
Ryan finally spoke.
“No.”
I said.
“You hit a child with my car and didn’t file a report?”
Ryan said.
“It’s complicated.”
I said.
“How is this complicated? You hit a kid, you call it in. That’s literally your job.”
Danielle spoke up, her voice shaking.
“He couldn’t.”
I asked.
“Why not?”
Ryan’s face went red.
“Because I shouldn’t have been in that neighborhood.”
I asked.
“What does that mean?”
Ryan said.
“It means I was handling personal business in my uniform during my shift, and if my supervisor finds out, I’m done.”
The pieces started clicking together. I asked.
“What kind of personal business?”
Ryan said.
“That’s not important.”
I said.
“It’s pretty important considering you hit a kid doing whatever it was.”
Dad stepped between us.
“The point is we need to figure out how to handle this situation.”
I said.
“The situation is already handled. He reports what happened, accepts the consequences, and makes sure that kid’s family is taken care of. Done.”
Mom shook her head.
“We can’t do that.”
I asked.
“Why not?”
Jessica jumped in.
“Because Ryan has a career. He has a family. Aiden needs his father.”
I asked.
“And the kid he hit doesn’t matter?”
Dad said.
“That’s not what she’s saying.”
Dad said.
“We’re trying to protect this family by lying.”
Ryan looked me dead in the eye.
“I need you to say you were driving.”
I laughed, actually laughed.
“You’re joking.”
Ryan said.
“I’m not.”
I said.
“You want me to take the fall for you hitting a kid?”
Ryan said.
“Just for now, until things calm down.”
I said.
“No.”
Mom grabbed my arm.
“Please, he’s your brother.”
I said.
“He’s also a cop who committed a hit and run.”
Ryan said.
“It wasn’t a hit and run. I went to the hospital, made sure the kid was okay.”
I asked.
“Did you tell them you were the driver?”
Ryan said.
“No.”
I said.
“Then it’s a hit and run.”
Dad’s voice got hard.
“Watch your tone.”
I said.
“My tone? Are you serious right now? Your golden boy stole my car without permission, hit a child while doing something he won’t even tell us about, left the scene, and now wants me to lie to the police about it, and you’re worried about my tone?”
Ryan stepped closer.
“You don’t understand the situation.”
I said.
“Then explain it to me. What were you doing that was so important you couldn’t be seen?”
He didn’t answer. I said.
“That’s what I thought.”
Dad tried again.
“Son, listen. If Ryan gets blamed for this, he loses his badge. He loses his pension. He loses everything. His whole career is over. Think about Danielle and Aiden.”
I said.
“Think about the kid he hit.”
Jessica said.
