Keep Love Around

Seven

"You can go see him now." A nurse said. The sun was coming up above a half-dark sky, now. It must've been about six in the morning. While Julian was asleep, I couldn't even bring myself to shut my eyes. I'd drunk about five cups of coffee just to make sure I wouldn't drift, but all that had done was string me out and give me a gnarly stomach ache.

"Jules, Jules, wake up. We can go see him."

He answered with a grunt and groggy "Fine, fine, I'm up!", and I rose from the chair, now growing uncomfortable from the amount of time I'd been sitting in it, and grabbed my coat, going back with the nurse to where Micheal was stationed.

When we got to his room, the nurse knocked on the door, to which we heard a very off-pitch "Come in!", and the nurse opened the door.

"I just have to check his vitals, and I'll leave you guys alone." The nurse looked at me, and I shook my head, crossing the threshold first, with her in toe, and Jules behind her.

"Oh, hey." Mikey said to the nurse, making sure he avoided eye contact with me.

"Hi, Micheal. I'm just here to check readings. I'll leave so you can talk to your friends in a minute."

"Okay, sure." He smiled. After last night, I was grateful to see his smile, even if the rest of him looked like crap.

And he did look like crap. His eyes were sunken in, his lips were chapped, his skin a pale, ghostly shade of white, though that may have been because of the lamp above his bed. You can never tell in hospitals. Everyone looked like the worst version of themselves. It always made me sad.

"Okay, all set." The nurse smiled at us all, adding in an extra smirk for me in a bid to look reassuring, I'm sure. But it wasn't really needed, because I saw him alive. That's all that mattered.

Once the nurse had made her exit, Jules and I plopped down on the chairs beside the bed, and I looked over at Mikey with my best attempt at a comforting smile, much akin to the one that the nurse had just shot my way. But Mikey still wouldn't look at me.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

Jules stood up above his bed, looking down on him. "You're damn right, you better say sorry. You had him up all night, he was terrified for you. What the hell is your deal?"

"I don't know, Jules. I don't! I don't know why I decided to do that, I regretted it as soon as I did!" Mikey's heartbeat was rising, you could see it on the monitor, but Jules kept going.

"Why the hell do you have to be such a coward, man? Why?! You're the one who cheated on him, and now you played the martyr? How the hell could you? Dammit, I have half a mind to wring your neck right now, asshole. You broke his heart, and then you were gonna go and do that."

"Jules!" I jumped up myself, putting my hands on his shoulders, trying my best to talk in a calming manner.

"Hey, dude, save it for later. I know it's hard, and I know you're hurting because of the way I was. But save it. That's not what he needs right now. I mean, look at him. He looks like shit, man. Don't add insult to injury."

"You're damn right I will."

"No, Jules, listen. He's at a very delicate place right now. This isn't gonna help him."

"Him? I'm tryna help you." He looked me in the face, anger in his eyes.

"Well, it isn't gonna help me, either. Or you. It's just gonna end in something you regret. Don't do this. Go out in the hallway. I'll be fine. I promise."

"Whatever, man." He shook his head, headed toward the door as he gave one last look in Mikey's direction, and that look was nothing like comfort.

"Listen, Charlie...I'm really sorry..." Mikey said, tears starting to well in his eyes.