The Silent Boy [Boy/Boy] (Some characters from I Ran Away to Vegas...) - 2012

Chapter 19: Asher's Apology

The Silent Boy [Boy/Boy]: Chapter 19: Asher's Apology

AJ's POV

               I was frozen. The doctor's face had chilled me. "H-How is he?" I stuttered as Alyssa took my hand. She smiled and for a split second, I thought everything would be okay. 

"He went into cardiac arrest but we were able to restart his heart." Nate. My knees weakened and I was leaning on Lyss. 

"AJ, he's okay. Nate made it through the surgery." She tried to comfort me while the doctor continued to talk to Dad in a hushed voice. I wanted to be happy that he made it but it was such a close call and it was my fault. I hadn't tried to find him sooner and because of that - he could be gone. 

"AJ." Dada edged me into a seat and knelt in front of me. "Nate's nose had been broken and the force exerted caused a bleed in his frontal lobe. They were able to stop it but he's in a Coma." A Coma? My mind was blank, just that one word repeating over and over again. "AJ?" 

"Well, he isn't dead, right?" I was gasping to the remnants of my sanity - guilt eating away at me. 

My dads shared a look that I didn't much care to decipher. "Let's go see him." Lyss took my hand again and led me through the doors. Dad and Daddy stayed behind, the doctor still informing them of unknown news. 

"Alyssa," I stopped and leaned against the wall, "I can't see him like this." 

She forced a smile. "AJ, you're the only one he's really close to - he needs you if he's going to make it through this." I hated it when she made sense... "Are you seriously going to make him wait?" 

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe I just want to make you beg..." She stuck her tongue out stubbornly. I continued to follow her down the hall, our feet lightly tapping against the tile. 

"He's in here." She stopped right outside of the door, not even daring to peek in. 

I swallowed hard and walked in. Nate was lying on the bed, his eyes closed as if he was sleeping. A bulky bandage layered his nose and his mouth slightly open so he could breathe. "Hey Nate." I whispered, my voice cascading loudly off the walls. His chest rose and slowly fell. I swallowed hard and sat down next to him. "You're a fighter Nate - you can heal from this." I took his hand and for the first time I noticed the translucent tendrils of scars that ran down his arms and onto his palm. Certain marks were burns while others were cuts - but only one was a word. 'Pathetic' had been carved from his skin in jagged, vengeful strokes. I kissed it as if it would take the pain away. "I love you Nate." I hesitantly pushed my lips to his and his heart monitor slightly increased. 

"AJ?" I turned to see my parents standing in the door way. "Can I talk to you?" 

I sat his hand back down gently and joined Dad outside while Daddy and Alyssa went in. "What is it?" 

"The doctors found something that Nate never reported to the police - did you know that Nate was sexually abused?" I didn't know that. In all honesty, I didn't really know anything about him - he always kept that information so guarded. 

"No, Nate never told me anything that personal." It hurt to admit that but I probably wouldn't have told anyone either. 

He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight, "I'm going to talk to Nate's parents tomorrow about his custody - obviously, it's not a good idea for him to be living at home." 

I shook my head and walked back into the room. Alyssa had placed a notebook on Nate's lap with a pencil clipped to one end. "You know how Nate never went anywhere without it." It wasn't the same notebook but the thought of it was warming. 

               I lay on my bed, staring at the picture I took at the party. Nate was actually smiling. I made him happy and he felt safe with me. Another pang of guilt ran through my stomach - it was my fault he was in the hospital - my fault he had been hurt so badly...and for that I regretted not killing Jesse when I had the chance. 

"AJ, Asher's here!" Seconds later he was standing in my door way. 

"What do you want you fucken bastard?" I spat, glaring at the guy that used to be my best friend. 

"I guess I deserved that but I wanted to say I'm sorry. I heard about Nate...how is he?" 

"He's in a Coma Ash - how the fuck do you think he's doing?" I didn't want to be so nasty to him but his words kept playing through my head. I asked him for help and he said Nate should have died - well, he was getting his wish. 

"I just wanted to say sorry and I missed my best friend..." 

I smirked, "Run out of girls to suck your dick for you?" 

"Please. I'm Asher-fucken-Ayon...no girl could resist me." He popped his collar and we both erupted in laughter. This was the Asher I had been missing as well - the funny one I met in elementary school. "What happened anyway?" 

I couldn't tell Asher, especially when Nate hadn't even told me. "Nate got hurt." He knew me well enough that he didn't bother to push for more information - I wouldn't give it. 

He sat down on the bed next to me, "How long has he been in the hospital?" 

"A little over a week and there's been no change in brain function." I knew he didn't understand what that meant and I wasn't in the mood to explain. 

He laid back and cupped his hands behind his head, "So, what are you doing here instead of the hospital?" 

"The doctor kicked me out last night - said I needed to take better care of myself." This was the first time I've been out of the hospital since he was admitted. I grabbed my cup off the nightstand and stared at the mixture before drinking. 

He grabbed it and looked at the pale, milky substance. "You're still drinking that crap?" 

I shrugged, "I have to - my dad will kill me if I don't." I also didn't mind drinking it; it was the main reason why I never bothered to fight against it. 

He handed the cup back before forcing himself to cough. "Poison!" He coughed again as he fell off the bed. 

"Fuck you!" I laughed. 

Dad stuck his head into my room and my laughter ceased. "Watch your mouth AJ - I don't care if Asher is here, I'll still spank you." He gave me a warning look before leaving. 

Asher looked at me for a full minute before laughing again. "Your dad spanks you?!" 

"Shut-up!" I grabbed my pillow and threw it at his head, knocking him back down to the ground. 

"Okay, okay - I just didn't know they bothered to discipline you..." I could feel my cheeks going red. 

"Leave it, Ash." I hissed. 

He held his hands up in defeat. "I didn't hear anything." 

"- and it better stay like that\/" I downed the rest of the supplement before pulling Asher back to his feet. "Visiting hours start in ten minutes, I have to get back to Nate." He followed me back down the stairs and into the living room. 

"Did you finish AJ?" Daddy asked as he walked out of the kitchen. 

I handed him the empty cup. "Has Dad had any luck with Nate's parents?" 

"No, they still haven't returned any of his calls." He shrugged and walked off to continue the dishes. 

"I'll see you." Asher let himself out and I followed. 

I caught up with him at the corner. "Do you still remember how to pick a lock?" We had gotten into a lot of trouble as kids, thankfully we grew out of being cat-burglers -.  

He pulled on his key ring to expose the small, metal tool. "Show me where." - Or maybe not.

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

A/N

I'm sorry guys! D: This is the second to last chapter. :D