To Be Tall...

Chapter 9

"So you're finally out of the joint, huh? How does it feel to be a free man?" Nicholas asked standing just outside the hospital by the Howl's car waiting for them.

"I wasn't in jail, dork," Keith said with a chuckle, giving Nicholas a fist pump before climbing into the back of his dad's SUV. It was a special made car with bench seats against the sides of the car like a limo so Keith could stretch out his legs in the back. His parents climbed up front while Nicholas joined him in the back, propping his feet on the seat next to Keith so he legs were over Keith's. "What's with you and your fear of hospitals?" Keith asked as the car started up, his dad pulling away from the curb heading towards the highway.

"I'm not afraid of hospitals," Nicholas said with a scoff like that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. Keith counted up to three with a knowing smirk just before Nicholas went on a little tangent. "I just don't like strangers with knives and pointy needles going anywhere near me. Who knows their qualifications!" Nicholas began and started going on and on about how hospitals were just human chop-shops in disguise. Keith couldn't help but smile as he listened to Nicholas rant on and on, letting his friend distract him as his parents drove them back to the college campus. The closer they got, the more nervous Keith became but Nicholas knew just how to distract him from his own thoughts. "Seriously! Why do they constantly ask us if it's okay if an intern works on them? You think I'm trusting some noob with my delicate body?" Nicholas said which had Keith laughing so hard he had to take a moment to catch his breath. "It wasn't that funny," Nicholas grumbled, pouting.

"I'm sorry. I'll be sure to protect your 'delicate body' from the scary interns," Keith said sweetly just as his parents pulled up to the gate leading to the dorms. Unlike a week ago, there were little to no cars insight so they were able to pull up right in front of the gate where Keith could see down the walkway towards the crossroads. Keith actually slumped down in his seat, slipping off the edge so his butt was resting on the ground, so he couldn't see the crossroads anymore. Nicholas slid off his own seat, crouching over Keith with a knowing smile on his face. "Is it too late to stay home?" Keith asked, hugging himself loving the feel of his favorite sweater.

"Nope!" Joana said with a smile, Christopher chuckling to himself with a shake of his head as Joana eagerly gushed about how Keith could stay home with them forever. Despite her words though, she turned in her seat and started playing with Keith's hair as she said, "but I do think it's important that you make some new friends and try to show who you really are. You have nothing to be ashamed about," Joana said as she curled a lock of his hair around her finger.

"We've talked to the dorm supervisor and straightened everything out," Christopher piped up, Keith looking up at his father resting his head on the middle counsel between the two front seats. "It wasn't easy but we managed to convince her," Christopher said with a chuckle before getting out of the car.

"Did you yell at her? Go full Karen on the dorm supervisor!" Nicholas asked eagerly, clearly wanting there to be some kind of revenge on the woman. He clearly blamed her for what happened to Keith and admitted as such when he came to visit Keith in the hospital. "If you'd been allowed to go into the Omega dorms, you wouldn't have been so stressed out, and none of this would have happened," Nicholas ranted, peeling oranges for Keith as he grumbled to himself.

"No, we had a very civilized conversation like adults," Joana said as she got out of the car. Christopher opened the back door with a knowing smile, leaning into the car so only they could hear.

"There was a bit of yelling and maybe some threatening," Christopher said causing Nicholas to grin from ear to ear. Keith looked a little upset, feeling bad for Ms. Patricia. He couldn't exactly blame her for not believing him, or for the worse, believing badly of him thinking he was an Alpha after the Omegas. Could he really fault her for being over protective? "Come on, kiddo. We had staff bring your stuff to your room but we left one box for you to bring in yourself," Christopher said while Keith was getting out of the car, Nicholas bouncing out after him as Christopher came around the car to open the trunk. "Ready to move into your home away from home?"