The Rink

chapter nine: falling

George woke up before Dream that next morning and watched for a few moments how Dream's quiet humming breaths filled the silence in the hotel room. It was Sunday morning and early, George figured, by looking out the partially open blinds and seeing the sun hadn't risen yet. George sat up in the hotel bed, his ears bathing in the luxury of quietness before he heard voices coming from down the hall.

It sounded like two men talking to each other and while it wasn't too loud at first, the noise suddenly got louder as the men stopped very close to Dream's hotel room door. George then heard scattered beeping noises and what sounded like a walkie-talkie.

George looked over at Dream, who was still peacefully asleep on the other bed, then got up from his own bed and tiptoed over to the front door. He put his eye up to the tiny one-way peephole, which showed two cops waiting outside the hotel room directly across from the room Dream and George were in.

George took his eye away from the door, instead now pressing one of his ears up against the door to get a better listen.

"Open up. It's the Parkview Police." One officer said, one hand gripped onto his walkie talkie and the other pressed against the gun strapped onto his belt.

There was no talking that George could hear of coming from the other hotel room, so the other officer spoke up.

"Ma'am you are making this a lot harder than it has to be. Please open the door or we will force it in." The second officer said, this time more loudly and aggressively.

There was no doubt that this commotion was waking up other hotel guests on that floor. George took his ear off the door now, as both officers were talking loudly enough that he could hear them clearly. This is when he noticed Dream slipping behind him and going into the bathroom quickly, trying to not be seen.

The incident with the person across the hall lasted about ten full minutes, with George eavesdropping the entire time. From what George could gather, the woman sleeping in that hotel room was overstaying her welcome by a few days. The first day, the hotel staff just let it happen, but still charged her credit card for the night. On the second day they weren't as accommodating, sending police up to her room to basically kick her out. She eventually complied, spending a few minutes packing up her bags and willingly walking out of the hotel with the two officers following right behind her.

George walked away from the front door after he saw two housekeepers enter the woman's room, sensing the dilemma was over. George noticed Dream was still in the bathroom, but he couldn't hear the shower running or any other noise coming from inside.

George went up to the bathroom, lightly tapping his knuckles a few times against the door.

He heard Dream clear his throat, then heard shuffling going on. Dream opened the door with wide eyes, glancing behind George's shoulder.

"You okay? You were in there for awhile." George commented, switching his view between both of Dream's sleepy eyes.

"Yeah, I...I heard police officers. I don't really have a good history with them and plus I...nah, it's stupid. I don't wanna say that." Dream stopped himself, shaking his head.

"You're fine. What were you gonna say?" George asked in a soft tone.

"I...I had this crazy thought that my mom followed me to this hotel and was, like...waiting outside this room for me to leave." Dream said under his breath.

George was so upset that Dream seemed to always have his mom in the back of his mind when he really didn't want to.

"That's not a crazy thought- that's valid. But it wasn't her, it was...I dunno, this lady who rented the room across from us for a night but she's been there for three days, I guess." George explained to Dream.