When Love is Wrong

49. Road Trip

I didn't know what I looked like, I assumed bad. But Scott didn't look great either. He had an ugly black eye, his right hand's knuckles were wrapped in bandages and it looked like he hadn't slept in weeks rather than a day.

"Mitch! Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm fine. We need to get you to a hospital and get you looked at."

"We took an x-ray. We have an x-ray machine here and a technician," said Jason who was standing against the wall. He handed an envelope to Scott.

"Why do you have an x-ray machine?"

"We tend to have a fair amount of injuries in our group. It is better than trying to get help at a hospital."

"Did you save Mitch?"

"Yeah, he did," I interrupted. "I don't talk a lot about my experience at the camp, but this is Jason. He was at the camp and he saved my life back then and he saved my life again yesterday. I've invited him and his friend to our house in LA and I'm getting them jobs with us."

Scott looked at me for half a second and said, "Okay." He got up and gave a surprised Jason a hug and a Scott smile that is impossible not to return.

He turned to me, "Can you get up and go back with me? We are checked out of the hotel and staying with an ally in town."

"I don't know. Let me try." I started to sit up and Scott rushed over to help me. I seemed okay. "Yeah, I think I can."

"Okay, wait. Jason? Right? If you give me your information and your friend's, I can get you plane tickets. Will you be coming right away or do you need time?"

"Um, we can leave now but my friend is 17. He's alone. Thrown out by his family. He doesn't have ID."

"Okay, give me his name, date of birth, place of birth and I'll get some friends get him his ID and his other paper work."

Scott then turned to me. "Do you think your ribs are broken?"

"No, just bruised. My cell phone got in the way of the bat luckily. I'll need a new one by the way," I said while I had an arm around my waist and sitting on the bed.

"Do you think you can stand being in a car for a long time? You can lay down in the back. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to rent a car and drive it back. I don't want to risk paparazzi photos of your head or my face they might get at an airport.

"Yeah, we have the time. Okay."

"Can we go with you on the car trip? I'm sure you have friends in LA, you seem to have a lot of friends, who can help us if Henry and I go on ahead. But I think I would rather get there with you two and we can help you guys on the way there. You can keep your faces better hidden if we are there to get gas, food, motel keys, etc."

Scott studied him a bit and cracked a smile, "Road trip! Sounds great!"