Hushed (Book 2 of the Silent Series)

I Promise

"What do you mean?" Scott asks for the second time. He hears Kirstie sigh through the phone. He shakes his head. "Kirstie, if you don't fucking explain-"

"Scott! He will kill me if I tell you! It's his place to explain, not mine." Kirstie snaps.

"You can't fucking tell me that he is in the hospital, then not say why! I've gone through too much shit with hospitals these last few months and this will fucking kill me again!"

"Call him! Text him! Quit yelling at me!" Scott hung up. He was stressed already, getting this call during his lunch break. He had been working all day and all week and was tired. And he was doing this all so he could go back to Kirstie and Mitch, but Mitch was in the hospital.

He didn't even know if Mitch was awake or not, because Kirstie had failed to tell him anything. All he knows is that Mitch said he felt worse than usual that day, and now he is in the hospital. He had five minutes left of break, so he decided to text Mitch and ask what happened.

Scott: Are you okay??? Kirstie told me you were in the hospital but wouldn't tell me why. Please tell me you're okay.

Love: I'm okay. Leaving today. Don't worry.

Scott felt a wave of relief being washed from him, he was awake and was leaving.

Scott: What happened?

Love: I was dizzy and got sick and Kirstie took me.

Scott: They wouldn't keep you overnight because you felt sick.

Love: They did. I threw up too.

Scott: Mitch...what else happened?

Love: I blacked out.
Love: Twice.

Scott: Something has to be wrong with you, honey. You've felt dizzy for far too long. Did you tell the doctor that?

Love: no I didn't.

Scott: Can you?

Love: I just want to go home and if I do that, they will keep me longer.

Scott understood that, but he was concerned for Mitch safety.

Love: It's been about four months since I've seen you.

Scott: I know :(

Love: Please come to LA now

Scott: As soon as I get my goal of 1000 buckeroos

Love: How much longer?

Scott was working all day and everyday, so what he would get a week multiplied by 7, plus the extra amount he gets for working more in the day. He usually got $100, a week, but now he was getting $300 a week. If you did the math, it was still less than he should be getting, but it would do. It had only been a week since he started working again, so in two weeks, he should have met his goal.

Scott: About three weeks longer.

He was lying, but only to be able to surprise him a week earlier than supposedly planned.

Love: Three weeks too long.

Scott: I know.

Love: I gotta go. Bout to check out.

Scott sets his phone down and hurries back out to work, he had forgotten all about it while texting Mitch.

He hopes that Sam didn't notice, although this would have been no reason to fire him.

---------------------

"How are you feeling?" Kirstie asks him. Mitch looks at her and groans, because he wasn't really feeling better. He was the same, but now more tired and stressed. "So not better?" He shrugs.

Kirstie silently grabs something from the refrigerator before handing it to Mitch. He shakes his head, pushing it away with a hand.

"Mitch..." She starts.

"Don't." Mitch says sharply, not wanting to start this again after the night in the hospital. They never really talked about their small argument, both simply disregarded it and pretended it never happened.

Kirstie knew it was a touchy subject for him, but she couldn't help but worry. Mitch didn't eat enough, she just didn't know why. He was confident with his body, they both knew it. Their was no reason for him not to eat.

"I found this place, Mitch. Did you want to start speech therapy again?" Kirstie suggests. Mitch wasn't in the best place right now. He had eating problems, he didn't get out much, and he hadn't done anything really to help himself. He needed to start doing things to better himself.

"No." He says.

"Come on, Mitch." He groans again before taking off to his room. This wasn't the Mitch that Kirstie knew. He seemed so uninterested in everything, like he had given up.

Kirstie grabs her phone and dials someone's number, even if she knew that he'd probably be angry with her.

"Hello?"

"Scott?" Kirstie starts. "I need help."

"With?"

"I'm going to tell you why Mitch was really in the hospital, okay? And I really need help."

"Okay, please tell."

"You know how he has been nauseous and dizzy?"

"Yeah..."

"He isn't eating."

"What?"

"And now I think food makes him throw up, so when he does eat, it immediately leaves his body. He fainted the other morning from it, so I took him to the hospital and tried to talk to him about him, but he got really defensive and made me leave."

"Are you sure? Why wouldn't he be eating?"

"That's what I can't figure out. He also has been late to work a lot, and he won't go see a new speech therapist. He was doing so well with talking and now he won't improve anymore. He needs you here, Scott. You better him."

"I don't better him. He betters himself."

"Do you know how much he can talk now? He used to be able to say like ten words, now he speaks so much! He knows my name, for Petes sake. He can reply to almost anything. He couldn't do that before you were here, and now you're gone and he isn't improving anymore."

"Kirstie, people can't better other people. They can encourage them to better themselves."

"Then encourage him to help himself, Scott! My encouragement means nothing to him! He needs someone like you in his life again."

"I haven't left his life, Kirstie."

"Scott, how long has it been since you've seen him."

"A long time."

"I wouldn't be shocked if you had sex with someone or went out with someone or anything. You get lonely."

"I haven't...has Mitch." Kirstie tenses a moment.

"Not that I know of." She says.

"Look, I have to go Kirstie. I'm at work. I love you and I'll see you soon. I'll call Mitch later. I promise."

"You promise that you won't break that promise?"

"I promise."