So Long, and Goodnight

8. The Simple Truth

Chapter 8
The Simple Truth

POV - Virgil

    The journey to the hospital was a tense one. Grandma driving, her knuckles white on the wheel. The Terrible Two being very subdued, obviously knowing that something must be really wrong to have me still in tears.

    It was a little weird to have them sitting so quietly. I don't actually think I've ever seen Gordon this still and not cracking some of his awful jokes. And Alan is always bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, waiting for the next "Adventure" as Gordon likes to call them.

    I'd only received a short text from Scoot, but I didn't mind. If he thought he couldn't talk to me without breaking down, it was fine by me to get a text.

    And even though I don't think she'd admit it, I think Grandma's favorite grandson is John. Always so quiet, well behaved, and happier with a book or on the roof stargazing.

    We always joke that I'm Switzerland when it comes to fights and arguments, but John is the peacemaker. The observer from the sidelines. The one to tell us to sort it out like adults, and not disturb him again.

    But all that had stopped after the accident.

    He started distancing himself from the rest of us, retreating into the safety of books and astronomy. We thought nothing of it at the time. Thought it was just a way of coping with what happened.

    It was only after a few weeks that we realized that something was wrong. When he woke up screaming in the middle of the night, trying to escape the nightmares that plagued him.

    After that, he started trying to keep himself awake, watching documentaries on anything and everything.

    If fights broke out now, he'd jump out of fright or run away and hide - wait out the storm and only come out when he was sure it was safe to do so.

    This wasn't out John, not really. It was like a parasite had hijacked him and changed his personality. Like someone else was in his skin.

~oOo~

    As soon as we reached the hospital, we parked in the nearest parking space to the entrance as we could and - as soon as everybody was out of the car - ran through the doors and into the waiting room.

    Scott was sat on of the chairs, his head in his hands. He looked like he'd aged about ten years since I'd last seen him.

    Grandma moved quicker than I thought possible, and had Scott on his feet and into a hug before we could even get our legs to move.

    "They won't tell me anything." He sobbed into her shoulder, "They said I wasn't a legal guardian."

    "It's alright. I'm sure they just don't have any news to tell you yet."

    "I met a girl though."

    Gordon, probably trying to make light of this, started to chuckle.

    "Now is not the time to be trying to charm women, Scotty."

    If looks could kill, our part fish brother would've been dead where he stood. The look Grandma was giving him was enough to make a grown man cower in fear.

    "Continue, Scott."

    He took a deep breath.