Bliss

Chapter 2: House of the Rising Sun

Matt's POV:

The nurses and Doctor Man have me on what I've decided to call 'lock down' for the next two days. I tried to get out a few times, but the door is always locked. I've written four songs and I'm pretty sure that all of them are shit. I just wish that I had my guitar with me. It makes song writing so much easier. But no. That's apparently not allowed. Which I think is bullshit because I'm dying of boredom.

And I'm dying to see Dom again. I barely know anything about him and it's killing me because there's just something about him that is drawing me to him. And I want to what it is.

I have my mind focused on a song I'm writing which I think I'll call 'Uno' when Doctor Man walks in. Fucking Doctor Man.

"Good evening Matt!" he chimes. "I'm here so we can get you measured for crutches."

I let out an annoyed groan. "Why can't I just walk on my own?" I whine. I sound so insanely childish, but I don't give a damn.

"Because you still need surgery on your knee. We've gotten you moved up for tomorrow morning at 7:30," he says cheerfully. At least he's not all pissy like he was before, but I think that his good mood is actually worse. It's kinda creepy. He checks my height and the length of my legs which makes me feel uncomfortable. He leaves the room and comes back a few minutes later with a pair of crutches. I give an annoyed sigh when I see them.

"Why don't you try moving around some?" he says, holding the crutches out to me. I roll my eyes and take them. At least it's better than being in a wheelchair. I get up and they're insanely uncomfortable. There's no way in hell that I'm going to get used to this.

"Why don't you go and visit Mr. Howard for awhile?" Doctor Man asks. I look at him in confusion. "You know. Dominic. He was wondering when you could visit again. He doesn't get too many visitors."

"Of course!" I exclaim. I get to see Dom again. There's just so much that I want to know about that boy. Doctor Man leaves so I can get dressed. At least they're letting me wear my own clothes now. Chris and Tom left me a bag full of clothes, books, a notebook, and some pencils for song writing which I'm extremely grateful for. I put on a pair of grey sweat pants and my white Queen shirt. I'm slowly regaining my freedom, one piece of clothing at a time. I leave my room and head down the hall to where I remember Dom's room is. I knock on the door and a voice from inside tells me to come in. I slowly open the door and make my way inside, closing the door behind me. I see Dominic and my heart begins to pound.

Dom's POV:

Matt walks into my room and all I can manage to do is smile. He's just so cute. His dark hair, electric blue eyes, even his eccentric nose. He's just so damn cute.

"You're doing better," I say, my voice rough and barely audible.

"Yeah they moved my surgery up to tomorrow!" he says, absolutely beaming. He sits down in the chair next to me.

"Oh my god I love your shirt," I gasp. Queen is most definitely one of my favourite bands.

"Really?" he exclaims. He seems genuinely happy about my remark. "They're one of my all time favourite bands. Their songs are so fun to sing, too."

"You sing?" I ask, giving Matt another smile.

"Kinda," he mutters, looking down. Is he blushing?

"I bet that you have an amazing voice," I say. "Do you have any other secret talents that I should know about?"

He looks at me for a moment the turns back to the floor. "I can kind of play guitar and piano," he mumbles. He's definitely blushing.

"That's so cool! I used to play drums..." I start to trail off. "You know, before I got sick. Now I don't have the strength."

Matt looks up to me, his blush faded. "I guess that you'll have to play for me when you get better!" he says, his voice full of confidence.

"If I get better," I mumble. I can feel tears forming in my eyes. I know that the odds aren't the best for me. I know what could happen.

Matt gets up and sits down on the edge of my bed. "You'll be fine," he says, giving what seems to be a forced smile. "Hey, don't cry," he whispers, shifting so he's sitting next to me. He puts an arm around my shoulder and I can't resist myself. I move closer to him and place my head on his shoulder.

"I'm just so scared, Matthew," I mumble, my voice shaking and tears start to run down my cheeks. I really don't want to cry in front of him, but thinking about my health just does this to me. And it's hard to not think about it.

"You'll be better before you know it," he says in a quiet voice. "I'm sure of it."

"Thank you," I mumble, my voice so quiet that I'm not even sure if he can hear me. No one has ever told me that they think I'll get better. They discovered my illness once it started getting serious. If only my parents had listened to me and taken me to a doctor when I first said that I was feeling like living hell. It had been going on for months before they finally listened. They never listen to me. They hate me. They think that I'm a failure just because I'm gay. I bet that they're glad that I'm in here. They don't have to see me anymore. I never really had any visitors at all. I didn't have any real friends in school, but it never really bothered me until now. Because now is the time I need support and the only person who has given it to me is a boy that I barely even know.

Matt rests his head against mine and starts humming softly. I close my eyes and listen. I don't recognize the song. I let him finish before asking.

"What song is that?" I whisper to him. "It sounds wonderful."

"Um," Matt says quietly. I can even feel his face heating up. "It's actually a song that I wrote. You genuinely like it?"

"Yeah I do. It's amazing," I sigh. "And I bet that it sounds better when you're singing it. You'll have to sing for me sometime."

"Maybe," he says. I yawn and look at the time. It's 8:36 and I already feel like I'm going to pass out. Well, I always feel like I'm going to pass out. Just sometimes more than others. I start to lie down and Matt takes his arms off from around me and starts to get up. I grab his wrist.

"Please," I whisper. "Don't leave my side. At least until I fall asleep." I can feel the tears well up in my eyes again. I always have this fear that when I fall asleep, I won't wake up.

"Of course I'll stay," he says, giving me a smile with his one insanely crooked tooth sticking out. He sits back down on my bed runs his hand through my hair. He starts singing quietly and I immediately recognize the song. It's House of the Rising Sun. I smile, close my eyes, and just listen. His voice is beautiful.

Matt's POV:

I'm singing the last few notes in the song as Dom's breathing becomes soft and faint. I take my hand off of his head and stand up. I turn around and look at him. In his sleep, he looks like he couldn't be older than 14. He's still just a kid and he's so damn sick. I turn to grab my crutches but I stop before I do. I lean over and place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"You'll get better," I whisper. "I promise." I grabs my crutches and leave the room as quietly as possible. I make my way back to my room and lie down on my bed. I know that he'll get better. He has to.