Gay/ Joshler

22.

photo creds to @boyaishere on insta

Tyler's pov:
"Joshie, no-no..." I splutter out inbetween sobs. I lean over his lifeless body, crying onto his bloody chest. "Stop" Brendon whispers to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. "No! He's fine! He's just tired, right?" I need assurance. "There's blood every where: on his clothes, on my clothes, on the ground. Everywhere. "Tyler, let him go, the paramedics are here". I look beyond my watery eyes to Brendon with a disgusted look, "He's NOT dead!" I shout causing a commotion. "He can't be..."

Two paramedics carry him into the ambulance, me steps behind. One presses a mask to his cut face, the other pushes a needle into his arm. "Torch" they confer with one another and they pull his eye lids open. "Head mask" the other wraps the cushioned head mask around his frail head and I can't help but wince, "Please, be careful with him" I choke out. "We know what we're doing kid" he bites at me. My response is cowering back into the seat still watching the paramedics fix him.

We arrive at the hospital and we haven't even got out the ambulance; it's a rush already. They pull Josh out on the blood stained gurney and wheel him through the manic hospital. Two young nurses are awaiting at the entry ready to pull him through the narrow corridors. "Name?"
"Uh, Josh" I respond quickly.
"How old is Josh?"
"...Nineteen".
That number echoes in my head. Only 19? "Wait back here" a nurse demands. "B-but I need to be with him!" but 2 heavy double doors slam shut in my face. I watch them race down the corridor through the door window, towing him away.

I rest into a metal chair in the waiting room. My head finds it's wait into my red hands then I abruptly wail out loudly. Out of everyone on that highway, Josh? I mean, I'd never want any one to have a car crash, but not Josh.

My cheeks become sticky and sore with tears alongside constantly rubbing my face. What about his parents? Who's gonna tell Laura? I spot an abandoned pay phone by those double doors and I head over to there. I hold the phone to my ear and I push the numbers for her home phone, impatiently waiting for her terrified response.

"Hello?" a female voice picks up the phone,

"Hey Laura, it's Tyler",

"Oh sweetie, I haven't heard about you in a long time! What's up?" I swallow regretfully,

"It's Josh, he's uh-",

"Huh? Cat's got your tongue?" She jokes,

"He's been in a real bad car crash. I'm at the hospital now"

A moment of silence fills the thick air. "We're coming".

I drop the phone as my stomach twists and churns and jumps.

Half an hour later, two worried faces peer through the hospital in a hurry. I stand weakly, almost falling back down. Laura runs over to me and pulls me into a hug, "I was coming home and we saw a tipped car and Josh was inside and he looked a mess and his face was cut up and there was blood on him and I tried to help, I really did! I'm so sorry!" I exclaim into her shoulder and she rubs my back soothingly, "Shh". Then steps back with widened eyes. "Is that?-" "Yeah" noticing the darkened blood on my shirt and hands that belongs to Josh. "Where is he?" his father interrupts and I shrug. "They took him down there" I shudder, pointing to the double doors. We grab the nearest nurse that passes us to ask of his whereabouts. She tells us to wait patiently as she calls someone through. She scatters off through the doors and runs up the corridor.  We sit in complete suspense, not saying a word to each other.

A lady in a long white coat enters through the double doors. Her hair is dark and is thrown in a high pony tail. Her name tag reads, "Amanda".

"You must be Josh's parents, correct?" she asks Laura and Bill. They nod solemnly. Amanda shakes hands with the both of them, then me. "As you know, and can tell,"  her eyes look at my bloody shirt, "Josh has been in an accident. He is in a very very critical state. He has multiple internal organ damage, including the intestine and ribcage. Fractured in four places. He's also lost a lot of blood" Laura scoffs in shock. "The worse injury is the head. His skull is fractured and he's suffered from a brain hemorrhage." Laura burys her head into Bills chest pouring her heart and eyes out. I lean over and I rub her shoulder. I'm taking in every last word she says but I think I've cried myself out. "Because of his severe injuries, we've induced him into a coma"

My jaw drops.

Amanda sighs before sitting herself on the floor in front of us. "I am a nurse. I encounter things like this everyday so I will be perfectly honest with you guys" Laura takes a moment to wipe her eyes and Bill leans in. "Josh, what we think, died on his way here" she takes a moment to examine our reactions. "We shocked him a few times and we managed to get him to come back around, but there was too many injuries for him to be conscious. Hence why we put him in a coma". "My-little boy" Laura screams terribly. Bill is emotionless, but I can see in his eyes, deep inside, he wants to bawl just as much. He cradles her and rocks her gently.

Josh used to do that with me when I was sick. He'd stroke my hair and trace the side of my face until I fell sound asleep. My heart aches for them, I can't imagine the pain they're in.

"Will he survive?" I spit out. Amanda stands and brushes down her gown, "Chances are,  I'm afraid to say, very slim". My already shattered heart misses a beat. I regret so much, I knew I should've got with him while I got the chance. I may never get the chance to be his again.

"When can we see him?" Bill asks in a pleading tone. She takes a deep breath, "You can see him now" instantly they stand up yet she stops them. "You need to understand that he is in a critical condition,  he doesn't look his best" they simply nod slowly in agreement. "I need to call my mom" I make up. They nod understandingly at me and they sheepishly follow the nurse. 

"Mom? It's Tyler. I know I'm home late. I'm at the hospital...calm down calm down. I'm fine. Let me talk...It's Josh. Car accident. I'll tell you when I get home. Could you? Thanks momma. Wait, can you bring me a spare top? I love you. Bye". I send her into a panic, but other wise, she's on her way.

Amanda comes out the double doors with a straight face, some how. I wonder how they're coping. "Hey, sorry, uh, please could I have a plaster or two?" I ask quietly, showing her my dirty, cut hands with glass sticking out of my palms and finger tips. "Ouch, another brave soldier. You sit right there poppet, I'll sort you out" she hurries off and returns with a green box with a white cross on it. She kneels in front of me and starts to pick out the jigsaws of glass, placing them on a piece of cloth. "What relation are you to Josh? Brother?" she looks up from her tweezers. "Ex-boyfriend". She frowns, "Sorry to hear that. You was very brave to do what you did today" I smile softly. "How did they react? Those two?" I question. "Not so good. The hard as nails father was reduced to tears" I sigh. She pulls a soft bandage around my right hand, tightly. "Take it off in a couple days" she stands up just as my mother appears in the door way.

"Oh my god, Tyler" her voice fades as she pulls me into a hug, kissing my head and face repeatedly. "Mom, stop, please," I beg her before Laura and Bill come through the doors. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" "Just a cut up hand". She places a bag onto my lap, inside I see a clean outfit. "I only asked for a shirt" I giggle falsely.

Our conversation is derailed when we hear loud scream like crying. Laura crashes open the door in a state, heading for the exit. "L-Laura?" I raise from my seat but she ignores me. Bill steps forward, with red eyes. "You might want to come back tomorrow, Tyler".