BoyFriend

«61»

"I see..."

Jack nodded when his mother glanced to the ground, having taken in Jack's explanation to why Mark had gotten into the accident and why he has to stay at least until Tuesday by the doctor's orders himself. Tuesday was still three days away.

Jack turned his attention to Mark's loose hold on his hand, still sitting between his spread legs even if Mark was out cold in a dead sleep.

"How you suppose he'll be able to pay for all of this?"

His mother looked up. "He doesn't have insurance?"

Jack shook his head. The boy hardly had anything. Jack would probably have to use the spare key he had to Mark's house to care for Chica. Maybe his mom would let him bring her to his own home though.

"I've still to fill his papers. I'll put him under as my son in law. That would work wouldn't it?"

Jack replied with a dull shrug. He wasn't sure. He didn't know how that stuff worked. He was eighteen. He wanted to avoid that as long as possible.

"Think he'll be alright?" Mrs. McLoughlin breathily laughed, "Of course, Sean. Why wouldn't he?"

"Because he's gonna be alone, in a hospital room, by himself, for the rest of the weekend plus two more days..."

His mother sighed. "That I don't know."

"Think he'll get lonely? Maybe bored? What if he gets worse?"

"Jack, Mark is fine. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but he's lived alone for years. He had no life without his parents, or his brother. He would stay home alone all of the time when he came here. He didn't do anything then, he wouldn't feel any different in a hospital room."

Jack nodded eventually. He hoped those nightmares he often had wouldn't return. He might try something without Jack there. And, almost technically, Mark hasn't been alone for two days. He would only stay the night tonight, with a little pestering and pleading to the doctor or something, he could stay inside the room.

He hoped that occurrence with Amy still doesn't make him feel guilty and make him wanna do anything either.

"Yea... He'll be fine. He always is..."