Just Call Me MatPat {Natepat}

1

Fuck.

FuckFuckFuckFuckFuck.

He hadn't texted me, called me, gave me any indication that he was alright or not. I paced my room, running my fingers along the wall and the faded decal the wrapped around the room, shaking sleep goth as I tried to focus on anything but the negatives, unfortunately, my brain doesn't work like that.

Five minutes passed, then ten, twenty, half an hour and I couldn't take it. He could be dying and I wouldn't have been there. So I left, grabbing a jacket and my phone, I ran out the door, the cries from my parents, asking me what was wrong, just echoes in the distance as I hurried to find him, wherever he was, home or running away, like me.

I knew I was thinking the worst possibilities but I couldn't help but fear he needed help. Maybe he was just happy with how his parents reacted and they were having fun, and it'd just slipped his mind to call me. Or maybe they were unaccepting, and he'd been slapped or punched, knocked out and bleeding on the floor.

I wanted to cry at the very idea of that, the thought was horrible, graphic, to the point it hurt to think about, it made my stomach churn and twist into knots. But I kept running, toward his house, because that was the only place I could think to go.

I saw a body in the distance and as I drew closer it was him. "NATE!" I shouted out, running towards him even faster than before. Choking back a scream, I skidded to a halt, before me, his body lay, black hair strewn across the asphalt of the sidewalk.

No blood. He passed out.

I could see him moving, breathing, but barely and I checked his pulse just to be sure, it was there, faint, but there, it was steady. I knew I needed to call for somebody, anybody but the words wouldn't come for me to cry out.

My hands trembled as I reached for my phone, calling the emergency number and practically sobbing to the man on the end of the line.

They'd done this to him. My Nate. They'd hurt him. His own parents had shunned him, made him pass out on the street trying to get away. They didn't even care.

I could barely move, paralysed, in pain, in fear, in worry, I'm not sure which, but it was present, and all I could do was cry as I knelt by him, pleading for him to wake up, as tears slowly streamed down my face.

People be gain to notice, and crowd round, I wished I could scream at them to leave, they didn't help him before, nobody did anything, they had no right to stare at him.

"Nate! Nate please! Just... Just hold on, they'll be here soon, you're gonna be okay. I promise." I gripped his hand, it was cold.

The ambulance arrived not too long after I called. They lifted him up, taking off the backpack over his shoulders and handing to me, to which I hugged it to my chest. They put him on a stretcher. Lifting him into the back of the ambulance.

"Sir please go home." One of the medics said to me, as I watched in abject horror as they were about to take him away.

"Please, let me go with him, I can't leave him I promised I wouldn't!"

"Are you family?" A medic asked, her brown, glossy hair, tied back in a ponytail. All I could do was shake my head. "Are you a significant other." She asked, and I nodded. Sighing she gestured to the back of the ambulance and I climbed in taking a seat, clutching his hand in mine, trying to force the tears to stop, but they kept coming.

His eyes were closed, an oxygen mask strapped over his face his chest moving up and down, slowly. Even at a time like this he was still beautiful, and I stared down at my feet thinking that this could be the last time I see him at all.

"Sir, please try and remain calm. Your distress will not help you." One of the male medics told me, and I looked up at him.

"How do you expect me to be calm, this is my boyfriend, this is my best friend, he means more to me than anything. How am I supposed to remain calm when he could be dying..." I said, my voice cracking from tears, barely a whisper in certain places but I knew he heard every word I spoke.

The ride was silent after that, my quiet sobs and the breathing of the others, the only sound present other than traffic.

They rushed him into hospital, me tailing behind. It felt surreal, like a dream or a movie, a story. This didn't happen. But it was happening.

They made me wait outside, and people stared at me for the crying mess I was. An old lady placed her hand on my shoulder. "Smile dear, you know the person in there wouldn't want you to be sad."

I could hear the pain in her voice. And I felt the pain in my chest. This had all escalated so quickly. I didn't expect this to happen. I didn't want it to be like this.

After a while of sniffling they allowed me inside the room he was in. They gave me an estimate of what happened.

"Your friend here, was running with an ace bandage around her chest, she has some broken ribs and possibly damage to her lungs." The doctor said.

"Use female pronouns one more time, I dare you." I said, my voice deadly serious, riddled with anger. "Will he be okay?" I asked.

"As of our knowledge there is no internal bleeding, and he- his ribs should heal just fine." She replied, before leaving.

I squeezed his hand. "Oh Nathan what have you gotten yourself into?" I muttered, leaning back in the chair, and pulling my phone out from my pocket, calling my mom, to explain to her what happened, why I'd left so suddenly, where I was and how Nate was doing.

Her reaction wasn't great, she cried, and I winced knowing that she had every right to be sad.

I could only guess why he'd been running, but I'd have to wait until he woke up to tell me why, rather than assume the wrong thing.

Time passed by, the clock ticks getting louder, and louder with each one, irritating me. And then there was a groan, and a shuffle, as he tried to turn in is sleep and triggered the pain in his chest.

"Matt? What happened?" He asked and never had I been so happy to see him awake and staring at me.

"You tell me. You have a few broken ribs and bruised lungs. What happened?" I asked, but it came off a lot more violent.

Suddenly he broke down crying, shaking violently as the tears spilled down his face. He stammered out something and I was just able to make it out.

"It wasn't a dream."