In Our Heads

Chapter 45

*****

Theodore swung the little keychain around his finger, mindlessly watching the ball rotate.

He did not know when he started doing it and had not looked at the time at all, so wasn't certain how long he had been seated at the table watching the little ball spin.

He was out of bed because he had to be, he couldn't be sloppy living in someone else's house. Well, boarding at someone else's house. He would have preferred not to move at all or even wake up because it just came with the realisation that what was currently happening was not a dream.

Maybe it was his fault for constantly waking up hoping it was... but the only thing he could do other than wish it never happened or hope that Zion would wake up was feel sickly worried and guilty.

He sighed as he caught the ball in a fist and stretched his arms out on the desk in front of him until he was hunched over, knuckles grazing the wall, and realised the desk was quite wide. Brushing by that realisation, he leaned his head onto the cold, hardwood.

It was 7 AM. Zion had been out for just over a week and Theodore had slept at Cassian's house for most of that time because the Carmichaels had basically forced him to. Well, not forced, but he did not exactly have a choice. It was stay at their house and cooperate or go to some other random foster home. At least there he was near the hospital, and they let him visit his brother every day without a problem – just wouldn't let him stay there all day and night like he had done in the beginning.

Zion was never alone though, because Cassian's parents had been surprisingly involved. They kept switching between the hospital and wherever their schedules took them to check on him. They told Theodore it was best if he left the hospital to 'get some air', get cleaned up and sleep.

Being away from the hospital didn't make a difference. He had trouble falling asleep and usually only did when he was so exhausted, his body forced it. He really, really did not like waking up, which made him dread falling asleep.

Cassian's parents were strange.

Theodore had thought they were not too fond of him, but they were doing everything they could to make him feel at home and take care of both him and Zion.

He figured they felt sorry for them, the same went for the doctors and the police. He felt sorry that he was in their house...

He felt like he was being a burden and did not want to bother them for too long. He was already trying to figure out how to leave, where he would go and how he would keep checking up on his brother until he was old and secure enough to be allowed custody of Zion.

For now, he knew that if Zion woke up, he would be taken in by Cassian's parents for the time being, but he was not sure how long.

Being able to check on Zion was dependent on him either staying in the coma or staying at the Carmichael's house.

Theodore groaned drawing his arms back to wrap them around his head and block out all the dim light flooding in through the white curtain across the room. Staying seemed to be the best option, but he hated feeling like he was being a load depending on these practical strangers.

His own parents had left town. Theodore had blocked several numbers from his phone as the police visited William's associates to ask about their whereabouts, but he still kept getting calls from unknown numbers and after the first three clearly being threats, he just put his phone on silent and never looked at it because the reasons he really used it before were to contact work and waste time online.

Now he had not been to work in a week and did not want to see anything. His boss seemed fine with him taking the week off but had mentioned him having to return soon. Theodore was not ready for that, he did not want to do anything. He just wanted to stay at the hospital until Zion woke up, and since that was not possible, he just wanted to sit in that room until someone walked in to tell him Zion had woken up.