Let me live | Hardzello♡

Chapter 34

"Do you want us to wait here? We could walk you home?" Rami asks when the three of them are in front of the hospital.
Ben shakes his head. "Thanks, but I think I'll walk home by myself. I could use some time to think." He admits, forcing a small smile.
His two friends nod to say they understand
"Say hi to Joe from us, okay?" Gwil says with a smile.
Ben nods. "Will do. Thanks for breakfast guys." He waves at his friends one last time before walking towards the entrance of the hospital.
He takes a deep breath. The email about his medication said they were vital and very important. Which means he should probably pick up his medicines first before visiting Joe.
He really wants to see Joe as soon as possible though.
Ben walks to the counter, giving the lady behind it a small yet friendly smile. Before he can ask her about his medicines, she speaks up.
"I'm sorry, but wearing a mask is mandatory inside the hospital now. To limit the number of covid patients." She says to him in a friendly voice. She points at a box with blue masks standing on the counter.
A bit confused, Ben takes one of the masks. "S-sorry, I just got discharged. Haven't really caught up on the news yet." He mumbles. After struggling for a second, he manages to put on the mask.
Even though her face is hidden, the eyes of the woman behind the counter give away that she's smiling at him. "Don't worry about it. How can I help you?"
Ben shows her the email he got from the hospital. "I'm here to pick up my medicines." He says. After telling her his name, she gets up.
"I'll go get them." She says before disappearing. It doesn't take her long to come back with Ben's medicines. "Here they are. You have to take them every morning, afternoon and evening. They do have quite some side effects, unfortunately." She explains.
With a frown, Ben looks at the box in her hands. "What kind of side effects?" He asks.
The woman opens the box of pills and pulls out a folded piece of paper. "There's a list of them inside the box. You might wanna read this leaflet. The side effects can be different every time you take them." She says as she hands him the pills and leaflet.
Ben's eyes skim over the paper. "So I'll have to live with these side effects all my life?" He asks her, looking at the list of side effects with a raised eyebrow.

Nausea
Vomiting
Extreme tiredness
Headaches
Dizziness
Fainting
Heightened emotions

That's quite a list, he thinks to himself.
Luckily, the woman shakes her head. "No, don't worry. With most patients the side effects go away in about two or three months." She reassures him. "These are pills for two months. After those months you have to pick up new ones at the pharmacy. Start taking them this afternoon." She adds.
Ben nods. "Okay. Thank you." He says before walking away, towards the intensive care.

***

The moment Ben walks through the white curtains and sees his boyfriend, he smiles widely. "Hi sweetheart." He says, his voice melodious at the sight of his beautiful boyfriend.
Joe smiles, waving at his boyfriend as a way to say hi back.
Ben sits down on the edge of Joe's bed, and gently strokes Joe's messy hair.
Joe reaches up, tugging on Ben's mask as a sign he wants it off.
But Ben hesitates. He wouldn't want to get Joe sick. Sicker than he already is.
"It's okay, you can take it off for now."
Ben turns around, a bit startled to suddenly see a doctor standing there.
"I was just coming here to check on you, Joe. But I see that you're already doing well." The doctor winks at the two teens before she decides to leave them alone.

Joe eagerly takes off Ben's mask, impatient as ever to see his radiant smile.
Once it's off, Ben leans in to place a kiss on the boy's forehead. "Hi you." He whispers. "I wish I could do the same for you." He adds, referring to Joe's oxygen mask.
Joe takes the blond's hand, and gently pulls him towards him as a sign he wants Ben to lie with him.
"How did your night go?" Ben whispers as soon as he has laid down next to Joe. He looks at the ginger in confusion when he reaches out to grab something from the bedside table. He smiles when he sees it's a pen and a notebook.
Joe starts scribbling down something. When he's done he hands the notebook to Ben.
The blond frowns when he sees what the boy wrote down.