The Boy Who Just Wanted to Get it Right

Another hospital chapter

"Joe?" Alex whispered. Joe opened his eyes slowly. He'd found himself in the hospital much too often.
"Alex," Joe said, kissing Alex's cheek.
"How are you feeling? You had a fractured rib, and they had to get glass out of your foot and stitch it."
"I thought you pulled it out?"
"I pulled out some of it, but it broke inside your foot."
"Fuck, my side hurts really bad."
"Adrenaline wear off?" he said, grabbing an ice pack and pressing it to Joe's side.
"I'm just glad you're okay," Alex whispered before the two kissed.
"Joe, you're awake," a woman said before she walked in. "We're gonna have you take this for your rib," she said, referring to a bottle of pills in her hand. "We can't give it to you until we figure out your parental situation, so hang in there. Also try to stay off of that foot. Would you like to call your parents, miss?" Alex turned red.
"N-no."
"Okay, let me know if you need anything, Joe."
"Oh, uh actually," Alex said, "it's, m-mister."
"My apologies, sir," the nurse said before she walked out. Alex smiled. He did it. Correcting people was hard, especially when he didn't even have a binder on. He had felt good for a moment, but now it was hard to breathe. He started to search for something.
"Alex, Alex, what's wrong?"
"I-I-I need bandages," Alex said quickly.
"What, why?"
"My fucking chest!"
"Alex, Alex, look at me." Alex stopped and turned to Joe, breathing heavily and quickly, hand shaking."
"Breathe in until you count to four. Hold your breath for seven, and breathe out slowly until eight." Alex did this a few times before he was calm.
"You don't need the bandages, they're dangerous. We could both have fractured ribs. Just wait until you can wear your binder. It's safer." Alex said nothing. He climbed into the small bed on the side opposite of Joe's injured rib. Anxiety attacks always made Alex exhausted. He slept with Joe until they were interrupted.
"Hi, Joe. Can we talk to you about the events that occurred last night?"!
"Well, uh, it was late at night and my dad came home from a business trip. He was really mad and s-started hitting me. A-"
"Why was he hurting you?"
"B-because I had someone sleep over the night before."
"And how often did your father usually hurt you?"
"Not that often, he wasn't usually home. Usually when he was I would stay at a friend's house or stay in my room. He was almost never home more than a weekend."
"Okay. Continue."
"A-and my mom, she tried to tell him that was enough, b-but he pushed her by the head and her head hit our coffee table."
"Did he show any signs of remorse? Like maybe he didn't intend to push her, or he didn't mean to do so so hard?"
"Um, no, I don't think so, but I didn't see much, I left right after."
"You didn't want to help your mother?"
"She'd never been very kind to me either, but she usually didn't hurt me very hard. Even if I did care enough to help her, I wouldn't have been able to."
"Where did you go after that?"
"I ran to the park. I just wanted to be far enough away to where if he were to try and find me I would be a difficult find. I called my boyfriend once I was there and he came and picked me up."
"Is that how you got the glass in your foot?"
"Yes. Do you know anything about my mom and dad? Is my dad in jail, is my mom dead?"
"Your dad was found, he is in jail until they can prove him guilty. You mother is in the hospital, she's... in a coma. She is not expected to come out of it any time soon. Do you have any other family that can take care of you until this whole thing is figured out?"
"None that I know of."
"Alright, then. You will be going into foster care until your mother comes out of her coma or your father is proven not guilty."
"No, no, no, that can't happen!"
"I'm not saying it will, but I'm making you aware that it could."
"W-will I be fostered somewhere close?"
"That's not known right now. If there's someone here, then yes. But if there are no foster parents available we'll have to send you somewhere else."
"How soon am I going somewhere?"
"We're not sure. We'll have to talk with your doctor to see how soon you can leave." Joe nodded and the man left.
"Alex?"
"Yes?"
"Aren't your parents going to worry? I mean you took their car in the middle of the night and you haven't come back..."
"I-uh, I know... I just, I don't know what to do, I don't want to leave you here."
"I'll be okay. Go home," Joe said. Alex kissed him and left.
As Alex closed the car door and his parents ran out the front door.
"Alex!" His mom yelled.
"Oh my god are you okay? Where did you go? What happened?" his father said.
"I-I'm fine."
"Where did you go?"
"I-my friend, he-he... His dad, he hurt him and he ran out and I had to help him, he hurt his foot and his rib, and he's in the hospital, I had to stay with him, I couldn't leave him like that-"
"We're glad you're okay, or you didn't run away, or you weren't kidnapped-"
"Mom, I'm fine."
"You should have told us, or left a note or-"
"I was worried you wouldn't have let me, and I didn't have time."
"Well come inside, we took the day off of work." Alex walked into his room to find it was a complete mess.
"What happened?"
"We were looking to see if you left some sort of note, or if there was anything we could find that would let us know where you were, or-" Alex's father said.
"Alex," his mother began, "what is this? We found it under your bed." She lifted up his binder. Alex had trouble breathing again. His hands shook as he tried to force words out.
"I..."
"Alex?" His dad said.
"Alex, what's wrong?" His mother asked.
"M-mom, d-dad," Alex counted his breaths, "I'm, I'm... I'm, I-I'm transgender. I'm a b-b-boy."
"Alex, don't be ridiculous. I gave birth to you, you're a girl."
"No, mom, you need to listen. I can't help what I feel, I-I'm a boy."
"Alex, listen to your mother," his dad said.
"Dad? You too?" Alex said with tears in his eyes.
"Your mother and I need to talk about this. Stay in your room." They walked downstairs to leave Alex alone in his room. He shut the door and cried. Then he put on his shoes and climbed out the window. He couldn't get in the car without them hearing, so he ran. He didn't think they'd find him. He still had the keys to the car. He wiped tears as he ran to the hospital.