How To Stay Afloat (BxB)

Chapter 73: a life long subscription

My cat clicked on the publish button while I was editing the chapter. So there's a double update, I guess.

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We're sitting next to Austin who's been asleep for half an hour now. His dad tells me about the time Austin always wanted to go hiking.

"And he made me carry all the tools so he could search for fossils in the rocks." He tells me.

I chuckle slightly.

"On the way down I had to carry a backpack full of rocks that he would then put on a shelf and never look at again." He tells me amused.

"I did look at them." Austin says annoyed.

I gasp as I hear his voice and we both turn to him instantly. He looks at his dad with an angry expression. He still looks very tired, but far less confused, his eyes focused and clouded with anger.

"You're awake." His dad says surprised.

"And alive apparently." Austin says, sounding almost disappointed.

"You remember what happened?" I ask him shocked.

He looks at me with the same angry expression. "Yeah. Obviously."

"Fuck. Thank god." I say relieved.

Austin glares at me for a moment and then looks around. He's still connected to two IV's and the machine that monitors his heart and of course he also has a catheter. The ventilator and feeding tube are gone.

Austin moves his arms and legs a little as he tries to sit up.

"Wait. Stay on your back. I'm getting the nurse again." His dad says, holding him down by his shoulder.

"You got this?" He asks me as he walks to the door, just like the last time Austin woke up. I nod my head and turn back to Austin.

He looks at his hands, still wearing this angry expression.

"Are you okay? Does something hurt?" I ask him hesitantly.

He's back. He's angry, but he's back. I can't hold back the tears once more.

"Why are you here?" He asks me angrily and sits up.

"Uh, well, I actually wanted to wait outside, but then I stayed in here." I explain. "I can- I can leave. If you don't wanna see me I can leave." I tell him, sniffling in between the words.

He closes his eyes and groans angrily. "Why am I here? Matt called an ambulance, right?" He asks me.

I nod my head slowly. "Yeah, he did."

Austin runs his hand through his hair. "I'm so fucking stupid."

He looks at me and then scoffs. "Why are you crying now?" He asks me annoyed.

I wipe my tears with the palms of my hands. "Sorry." I say and can't hold back a sob.

He rolls his eyes. "I'm alright, stop crying." He says. But then he looks at me and softens his expression the tiniest bit. "Did I break your nose?" He asks me.

I nod my head. "Yeah."

"Your eyes look really swollen and bruised. Does it hurt a lot?" He asks me, speaking a lot softer than before.

"Oh uhm. Nah. It's fine. The first two days I couldn't breathe through my nose, but it's fine now." I explain. "It barely hurts." I only feel pressure when I lean forward and touching my nose hurts.

Austin looks at me wide eyed. "What do you mean the first two days?" He asks me.

"Uhm. Friday and saturday." I explain, frowning.