Returning Home

chapter 29

it was the next morning I woke up to a striking pain across my face and my ribs. I slowly sat up using my usable hand. I looked around me and saw Jay asleep on his back with his hands above his head, I laughed a bit and I got out of bed and walked into the kitchen.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and grabbed my meds and took them. I heard a load grown coming from Jay's room and a door opening. I looked up and saw Jay in his boxers walking towards me rubbing his ear and eye.

"morning bud," I said

"morning how long have you been up," he said.

"like a minute before you came out," I said.

"m'kay, how you feeling," he said walking over to me and hugging me.

"I'm good I mean all considering but you know," I said "you got work today"

"Nope," he said.

"well then since we have nothing to do until my dad probably comes and storms the apartment so shall go for a walk along the harbour or something get out," I said.

"good idea but before I want you to eat a proper meal so you go shower get changed whilst I cook," he said.  I nodded and walked over to the shower and get cleaned up.

after twenty minutes I had showered and got changed I walked out of my room and I smelt waffles I walked over to the kitchen and saw Jay standing over the counter putting food on two plates.

"looks good Halstead you've been practising your cooking for when I came back," I said sitting on the stool.

"I have I wanted to make sure that you had some good food because that overseas food can be traumatising at how shit it is," he said taking a bite out of his waffles.

"took the words right out of my mouth," I said.

once we finished our food we both got ready to leave the house, I was sat on the kitchen counter as Jay tried to find his jumper.

"come on Jay" I shouted.

"found it I'm coming," he said running into the kitchen.

"let's go," he said walking out the door. it took us about twenty minutes to get to the park and we started to walk along the trail.

"So how does it feel to be home," he asked me.

"I don't know I was expecting it to be harder to adjust to everything you know that I have missed and have painful nightmares it sort of feels like I'm in some kind of honeymoon phase if you get me," I said not fully knowing how to explain it.

"yeah I understand where you are coming from but let just hope you don't fall face first when the honeymoon [hase collapses," he said.

"but what if it doesn't collapse you know what if I a not as damaged as both I and everyone else thinks I am because of what happened what if this is it for me no nightmares no flashbacks no meds to keep me from drowning, "I said.

"now that would be a miracle," he said stopping in the middle of the path.

"do you think that I am damaged after you know what happened," I asked genuinely?

"no no not at all I mean look at you you are the most resilient person I know I mean you came home from touring in some of the most dangerous and traumatising places known to mankind and you had little bumps but looking back it was not expected I thought you were going to go don a deep dark whole since I went through the same thing but for a shorter time but you didn't you went through it like nothing and I am so proud of you," he said.