Fake You Out - Joshler

Chapter Three

Tyler looks up and sees that Patrick is staring at him with his eyes wide open and his mouth "O" shaped. He looks at Tyler for a moment and then towards the TV where Josh's image is placed in the corner of the screen, and then towards Tyler again. He shifts his gaze every few seconds and everytime he does his mouth twitches in a different way like he's trying to form a sentence that just won't come. The longer that Patrick continues these actions the more Tyler feels like his heart is going to beat right out of his chest.

It feels like an hour before Patrick cocks his head to the side and looks at Tyler and says, "What?"

Tyler laughs lightly and awkwardly, because for such a build up he would have thought Patrick would have come up with a better response but he stops laughing when he sees Patrick's serious expression. "I-um," Tyler coughs and clears his throat as he adjusts in his chair. "I know who that is."

"The man in the hospital. You know who that is?"

"Yeah," Tyler replies.

Patrick grabs the remote on his desk and mutes the television that creates an unsettling silence in the room. Tyler can still hear the sounds of the other employees talking, the machines going, delivery trucks coming and going but without the sound of the news reporter begging him to identify Josh, the room becomes eerie and the look on Patrick's face isn't helping matters.

"How long have you known who he is?" Patrick asks as he sits back in his chair.

"Well technically," Tyler starts, "I've known who he is since we were about six or seven years old, but in regards to the news reports only, like, two days."

"You've known who he is this entire time? Tyler, what the fuck? You have to go into that hospital and tell them everything that you know about him. You have to go in there and say that you know who he is. They're desperate."

"I know, I know," Tyler winces. "I know."

"If you know then why are you here talking to me? Get up and go to the hospital right now, and tell them that man's name. It's important that they find that shit out."

"Can't I do it after work?" Tyler whines.

"No," Patrick says as he stands up and slaps Tyler on the shoulder as he walks past him towards the door to his office, and swings it open. He holds it open and motions to Tyler to get out. "I will take off early and pick up your children for you so you don't need to worry about them, but what you do need to worry about is what you're going to tell the hospital."

Tyler stands up and grabs his coat from the hook on the wall and gathers up all of personal belongings before making his way out of the office.

He's halfway down the hall when he hears Patrick shout, "And don't bother coming back into work until you've gone down there. I'll know if you have or not since all anyone can talk about is that guy," followed by the sound of Patrick's door slamming shut.

~~~~

Tyler is sitting in his car, staring up at the brown brick building in front of him as he tries to think up every irrational reason on why he shouldn't be here. He could always go home and call the police or the hospital and give them an anonymous tip that he believes the man's name is Josh.

He could always text Patrick Josh's name and then force him into telling them what Tyler knows. He knows that won't work though because Patrick has his kids and if he wants to go back to work or see his children again then he needs to get out of the car and march into that hospital and tell them everything he knows.

He curses Patrick and his obsessive need to have the television on at work, he steps out of the car. He slams the door behind, harder than necessary, and makes his way towards the double entry automatic doors that separate the interior of the hospital from the exterior.