static [joshler]

homebound

The sick seventeen year old was brushing his teeth for the first time in awhile. He disliked morning breath, don't get him wrong, he just chose to skip the chore recently due to the fact that it always caused so much energy to do and it was extremely painful. Not only did the action make his gums bleed, it was nearly impossible to keep his arm up in the air long enough. He rested his arm down on the counter for the fifth time in one minute and spit red and white in the sink. The minty fresh toothpaste and metal tasting blood didn't mix very well.

It turns out Dr. Keller actually did want to help him. He was given new oxygen tank free of charge. After that it was practically a death sentence. Now of course, if anything goes wrong he is allowed in the emergency room but can't stay there forever.

Tyler sighed as he walked out of the hospital bathroom, pole-less, for the last time. Jenna was waiting from him and he was immediately pulled in for a side hug. Tyler felt her rest her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head on her's.

"Thank you for coming."

"No problem, Ty. I'm always here for you." She pulled away carefully. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready to leave since I got here."

"Debby's cleaning the place up a bit for you."

"I better be able to see my reflection in the floor boards when I get there."

Jenna chuckled and patted his back. "Don't set your expectations too high, buddy." She let her arm fall to her side. She picked up two bags off the bed and handed them to Tyler then grabbed the rest for herself. "Can't believe we are finally roommates."

"Been waiting since highschool."

The two carried the bags of stuff they collected out. Tyler was discharged from the hospital and he was set free from the medical prison. The teen found a bench by the entrance of the building and waited for Jenna to pull up with her car. A few minutes later she parked in the pickup lane and ran to Tyler to help him. She took the bags and set them in the backseat. When he struggled to put the oxygen tank in the passenger seat, she was there to help him.

It felt surreal to Tyler as he watched the hospital disappear out of sight. He was really leaving. He would finally be happy.

Tyler pulled out his phone. Still no sign of Josh. He had texted him over ten times and not a single one was read.

"He's still ghosting you?"

Tyler turned his head at the voice. "Yeah."

"Fuck him then."

He bit his lip and glanced at his phone again before clicking the power button. He said quietly, just barely louder than the music coming out of the radio, "I just hope he's alright."

Jenna sighed, never taking her eyes off the road. "I'm sure he's fine. You guys need a little break. You've been arm to arm with each other all week while going through some shit. I would get crabby as hell too. Now, Josh was a little harsh towards you and it might take a bit for me to forgive him but, if you care about him that much... I'm here to support you. Personally I would cut him off for a bit. He's giving you the silent treatment? Do it back." She glanced at Tyler. There was a permanent frown on his face and he was staring out the window. "Tyler?" He turned his head. "You really like him, don't you?"

He was silent for a bit. He wrapped his arms around himself. "I... I miss him." He set his head against the cold window and the conversation fell short.

Jenna's car breaks squeeled as they pulled into the driveway of a cookie cutter home. It was small but the light blue plastered siding and evenly trimed grass made it inviting. It matched all the other houses on the block perfectly. The only difference was that each house had its own differently colored painted siding.