Aiden [Book Two]

22

Waking up on the bathroom floor felt far worse than expected. Of all the places Nathan slept and woke, this was the worst.

Hospital mattresses were always flat and squished together. Jago's worn-out old sofa had more grooves and lumps in it than a canyon. And the bed he slept in at Matt's house felt like concrete.

But the tiles... Agonising.

The brunette couldn't fight the groan escaping from deep inside his soul. He ached much like he did during his last hospital stint, when an internal infection ravaged his body, and started a fire inside every joint.

The abuse that Nathan's sensitive shoulder endured over the last few days came to a head as he pushed himself upright.

Electricity and ice shredded down his arm, bursting into the fingertips as if he had been directly wired to the current itself. Those weakened muscles became thin, damp tissue paper, ready to tear at any second.

Fuck. It had been some time since this intense pain presented itself.

Nathan hissed through his teeth and shoved against the offending limb, berating himself for removing the brace before going to sleep last night. He wasn't supposed to remove it overnight yet, but sometimes, the medical device became itchy and uncomfortable. A break was needed, but it backfired massively.

Taking a moment to push through the pain, Nathan looked around the bathroom, searching for evidence of his boyfriend.

Aiden tried to make the elder more comfortable when he woke that morning. He'd pushed the pillows under the older boy's left shoulder, trying to keep it away from the damaging floor and prevent further harm.

He folded over the duvet so it doubled up and covered the sleeping boy, keeping him warm and cosy. And then he left.

The silence emanating from the bedroom made it obvious that Aiden wasn't in there, which was an immense surprise. He hadn't left his room since coming to the hospital and was bed bound most of the time.

Aiden found it impossible to get out of bed without help, so he stayed put unless using the bathroom. Most of the time, he just stared at the television or clung to his boyfriend as if he were the only life raft in the sea; it must have taken all the courage and strength he had to leave the bedroom.

Pushing himself off the floor, Nathan stood, grunting and grumbling more as he dragged the duvet back to the bed, throwing it on like an angry toddler.

Irritation passed over him in waves as he tried to correct the bedding, but only ended up pulling and stretching his arm too far, causing a searing streak of pain.

The brunette sighed and left the bedding in a messy clump, turning his attention to changing out of the t-shirt he wore to bed, into an easy access zip up hoodie.

It had been a long time since he needed it, but the teenager stuffed his old medication into the pocket, pushed his notebook under his arm, and then picked up the restrictive sling that pinned his arm to his chest.

For the last week, Nathan had been using the less intrusive shoulder brace again, as advised in his physiotherapy sessions, but that morning, his strength waned significantly.

Letting out a discontented breath, the young male left the bedroom in search of his lover. His heart swelling the moment he hit the stairs and looked over the low wall.

Sitting opposite his father at the wooden table was a timid orange-haired boy. He clenched his rigid body together like he was trying to make himself smaller; less of a target.

Even in his own kitchen, Aiden worried over who surrounded him and what they may do. But regardless of the internal debate, he was trying to do something that took weeks to achieve last time.