Waiting Tables

Chapter 22 -Welcome Home

"It's just up here, mate, thanks." Ashton told the cab driver.

He was finally fucking free from that hell of a hosptial. After a month being stuck there (two weeks of harcore therapy where he actually "participated"), they let him go home. He was meant to go to outpatient therapy three times a week, and they'd given him 4 different numbers he could call any time of the day if he had any thoughts he wanted to share. He'd dumped them immediately, and he figured he'd go to therapy for maybe one or two weeks before he slowly stopped going. He didn't need that shit anymore; he'd had enough to last a lifetime, and now that he was free, he didn't have to do what they said.

The cab pulled up outside his flat, and he handed him the voucher they'd given him at the hospital. He'd told Andrea that he could just take the subway, but she insisted he let them get the cab. Riding in a car was much nicer than the packed subway, so when they persisted, he relented.

He took his backpack from the seat beside him, shutting the door and walking towards the lobby. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a black car that seemed awfully familiar. Trust Luke, he told the man he didn't need anything when he got out.

Shaking his head, he walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor where his apartment was, getting the key from his bag and opening it.

"Surprise!" A few voices shouted once he walked inside.

He blinked a few times, seeing Luke, Harry, Louis, Calum, and a few more work people standing in his living room.

"Welcome back, Ashy, we missed you!"

Ashton stayed silent. He told Luke and Calum not to make this a big deal. He wanted to just sit in his apartment and relax without being bombarded.

"We're so glad you're okay," Louis smiled kindly. Had Calum told him everything that happened? Would everyone treat him differently now?

"Thanks guys," he smiled tiredly. "I'm going to put my stuff down."

"Can I help?" Calum asked kindly, stepping forward, but Ashton shook his head.

"It's just one bag, I got it."

He made his way through the small crowd, sighing deeply when he got to his room. He shut the door, leaning back against it as he took deep breaths.

Andrea had told him when he felt overwhelmed to go someplace by himself and focus on relaxing. It would help with his recent anxiety and center him.

A quiet knock was heard on the door, Ashton flinched and stepped back.

"You okay? You've been gone a few minutes," Luke's familiar voice asked, slightly muffled between the closed door.

"Fine, give me a few more," he muttered, stepping into the bathroom. He wanted to unpack his bag and forget everything that had happened. He put his toothbrush and toothpaste back in the cup on the counter, along with all of the toiletries Calum had brought for him. When he opened the medicine cabinet, all of the contents had been emptied out. His allergy meds, extra cold medicine tablets he'd saved for when he was sick, the advil...everything was gone, including his razors, though he didn't know why they'd done that. He hadn't gone down that road in a long while. And he wasn't planning to.

Once he'd put his clothes in the laundry hamper, he sat down on the bed. Now all that was left was to go back outside to all the people who were acting like he was fragile and broken. He'd seen Louis's look when he walked in, heard how Calum had spoken so softly, like speaking to a scared child. It made him sick.

"Ash, I'm coming in, okay?" Luke hadn't walked away.

Why hadn't Luke left? Any normal man would have by now. What made Luke stick around?