Fixing the Broken

Chapter Eight

With tears still streaming down my face I hit the button for level '2' knowing that only Carlson can calm me down right now. He may be young and not know what a teenager's life consists of but spending so much time on his own or with me he's learned to just listen then give his input on whatever he thinks is what I should do. He's my own little physiatrist.

I burst through his door knowing I won't be interrupting anything, not even with family. "What happened?" he asks immediately looking up from his Nintendo DS his hazel eyes boring into my face observing every inch.

"You know that friend that I told you when he could walk we would come visit you?" his head nods "Well I just walked into his room to find him making out with his girlfriend" Instead of getting angry or throwing a fit threatening this guy like he usually does when someone makes me cry he starts laughing. Not little giggles either hysterically, like it's the best thing he's ever hear.

"You are telling me that you're crying because you caught him making out with his girlfriend" he starts laughing again. At ten years old (he's not as young as I make him seem, but too me he's just a baby) he understands a lot of what I say, but never ever had him laugh at me when something or someone made me cry. Now that I think about it I do sound pretty sad, I mean they are boyfriend and girlfriend it's not even that big of a deal. "Unless they did something to you?" Carlson says his face clear of all humor.

I proceed to tell him the whole story excluding some of the nasty parts wanting to keep his young mind pure. He scoffs in disgust punching the pillow. Carlson hugs me for a minute before there is a tiny knock at the door. I get up not knowing who it could be and I open it to Martha she looks a little freaked out so I kiss Carlson's blond covered head and pull her out of the room. "What's wrong?" I ask starting to worry. Very seldom does she run out of words.

"Stephen is in his room screaming 'BRAD' and has been for the last fifteen minutes. We tried to get him to stop but he's not doing anything but screaming louder. His girlfriend left after you stormed by grumbling to herself about finding someone 'competent' or whatever." Martha says fast but I get what she's saying a chuckle a little at what Madeline said but feel really bad for all the people in Stephen's ward.

I don't waist anytime by taking the elevator and simply run up the steps dodging around nurses and patients to get to room 146 following the screaming voice coming from within. Stephen is screaming alright and it's not even just yelping it's full on screaming, ear bleeding, head aching screams.

"OH MY FUCK SHUT UP!" some teenage guy yells from a few rooms down peeking out of his door I remember him from a bar fight, he got alcohol poisoning and got his stomach pumped along with a few stiches in his head from where some guy smashed a bottle over his head. If I didn't know what happened I would flirt with him, he's attractive, but I like sweet guys’ not bad boys.

I fling open the door and his screams come to a halt earning a pleased groan from other people in the ward. "What the hell are you doing!? I was visiting some people when I hear you're in here hooting and hollering driving everyone insane! Last time I checked you were in here with your girlfriend." I snap trying not to keep my voice down careful not to bother any of the other patients more than he already has.

"After you left Maddie got pissed because I couldn't uhh, react to her and left. I tried to get her to say and just talk to me but she just walked out" Stephen whines looking at me with tear filled eyes. When he sees I notice the tears he puts his head down finding his blanket suddenly interesting. She probably just went to find someone who could reciprocate her actions, it's not like he hasn't cheated on him before. "Maddie has never cheated on me." He snaps.

Oh shit I said that out loud. Try and fix it Paisley damn. "Yeah whatever" nice save really I'm genius. But I'm still a little pissed about the whole screaming thing; he sounded like a giraffe falling off a cliff.