Baby steps ∽『boy ✮ boy -EDITED

Thirty-second 👣-edited

     Once he saw us, Jason’s eyes widened and he hurried to leave. Good thing my fists reacted faster than my brain because with one swing of my arm, Jason was launched at the ground and rendered unconscious.

      “SIMON!” Ivy’s terrified scream pierced through the thin atmosphere and I spun around to see him backing away from the edge of the roof, his palms pressed over his mouth. Aubrey was standing next to the door, his entire body trembling as he grabbed Simon’s phone and ended the live.

     Carefully, I made my way towards my brother, pulling him into my embrace and cradling him at my chest as he shook and sobbed. Looking at the ground, I winced at the sight, quickly looking away as bile rose to my throat.

     “Aubrey, don’t come over. Call an ambulance and the police.”

     Aubrey nodded, his hands fumbling with his phone and voice breaking as he talked with the dispatcher.

     I turned my attention back to my brother.

     “Shh, love, shh. Everything is going to be alright. Simon is going to be fi-“

     I couldn’t finish my sentence.

     The building had only three floors but the sight was bad. There was blood everywhere, Simon’s hand was bent weirdly and a bone was protruding through the skin, his body staying completely unmoved. Luckily, after a few minutes sirens could be heard in the distance.

     Making sure Jason was not going to wake up, we locked the door to the rooftop from the outside and hurried down the stairs. Once outside we handed the live recording to the police and told them about Jason, then walked to the side of the building where the ambulance was parked. The paramedics were lifting Simon into the ambulance, barking orders at each other. Simon’s life was hanging on a thin thread and it seemed like his body was already giving up the fight.

     “Simon!” Ivy wailed and before I was able to react, he ran pass me and towards the ambulance. He was stopped by a paramedic and I rushed to pull him away before he caused any troubles.

     “Ivy, you have to let the paramedics do their job. Simon is still alive. They are doing their best to save him.”

     “No, no, no, Ryder! He wrote me a letter. He knew it will come to this. He- he knew he was going to die.”

     Ivy’s voice was raising so I put him to my chest, making sure I squished him tightly so he wouldn’t be able to talk.  Then I bent over and whispered in his ear, “People shouldn’t find out about that letter or they’ll think Simon committed suicide. Don’t tell anyone about it, Ivy, and make sure Simon hasn’t written one for Eric. If he did, tell him to hide it away.”

     “I- I will call Er- Eric.” Aubrey, who was close enough to hear me, spoke up and I smiled gratefully at him before looking down at my brother who squirmed in my embrace.

     “How could people think Simon jumped? In the video you can see clearly Jason pushed him.”

     “If this goes to court, which I am sure it will, Jason’s lawyers could use anything to lessen his sentence. Let’s just be cautious, okay?”

     Ivy nodded. His sobs also ceased, turning into sniffs. However, he refused to look at the ambulance. He hid his face in my chest as the paramedics climbed into the car, as the engine roared to life and even long after the ambulance speed away and became unseen, the sounds of its sirens dying out.

     Seeing that Aubrey was also fretting in worry, I extended my free arm and pulled him to my chest next to Ivy. His body tensed, but then slowly relaxed. I sighed, looking at the red stain on the pavement and the herd of students being held back by the police. My hold tightened on the two boys, my hands moving to their heads which I started petting soothingly.

     “Are you the ones who were on the roof when this happened?” A deep masculine voice inquired from behind me and I twisted my neck to look at the man dressed in police clothes.

    “Yes. We went to help Simon when we saw the live.” I responded, letting the two boys go and turn towards the policeman.

    “Is Simon the boy who fell?”

    “Who was pushed.” Ivy corrected and the man looked down at my brother curiously. He seemed a bit amused by Ivy’s defensive tone.

     The policeman nodded and turned his attention to his hands in which he held a small notebook and a pen.

     “Can I put you a few questions?”

     Dread sneaked into my senses. I didn’t have time for this. I had to go to hospital to Carter. I didn’t think I could get there before he entered the surgery, but I could at least be present when he woke up.

      However, I couldn’t leave Ivy and Aubrey here in this state. They were both in shock. I had to call my aunt to pick them up, then text Carter’s dads to tell them I would be late and ask them for the room details.

     With this in mind I backed away and took my phone out, pressing the power button to turn it on.

      The device did turn on, however, its screen was glitched all over. The display must have been broken.

     “Fuck.” I cursed.

      I could still call my aunt from Aubrey’s phone, but I didn’t know Carter parents’ number from memory. I couldn’t put my sim card in Aubrey’s phone either because I needed the eject pin to unlock the card tray.

     I sighed, walking behind Aubrey and patting his shoulder softly. He flinched.

“Sorry.” I started, rubbing the back of my neck.” Could I use your phone for a moment? I know I’ve already asked you to call-“

“You c-can. Th-there’s no trouble. You c-can use it as much as you like.”

I smiled, offering Aubrey one of my warmest thanks. The boy had a heart of golden. He was kind and patient and would feel bad only for stepping on an ant. Actually, he had a furmicarium at home because he was upset people were cruel to small animals, stepping on them as if they were insignificant. I think he somehow saw himself in them... little and unseen.

I took Aubrey’s phone and called my aunt. I hated to see her worried, but I promised Carter I would be there for him. Ivy had Aubrey and my aunt and even Eric to be there with him. The later could even understand him better than anyone else due to being the closest to Simon. They will go to see Simon at hospital together, but Carter had only his dads and me. I wanted to support my brother, but I wouldn’t be good at mourning with him because no matter what, Simon was the reason Carter had to have this surgery in the first place.

Twenty minutes later, my aunt’s car was parking in front of the college and I was finally able to drive to the hospital. Once arrived there, I had a hella hard time finding Carter’s parents. There were a few buildings into the hospital yard and by the time I found the reception, the clock on the wall was already beating one o’clock. The lady from the front desk told me the floor of the operation room and I hurried to the elevator, but it seemed like luck was not on my side today because the elevators were either full or not working or simply moving too fucking slow. This is how I climbed ten floors and almost knocked a granny out when we both turned the corner at the same time, me towards the waiting room and she towards the stairs. 

The halls had their usual hospital smell and the waiting room was almost empty, with a few nervous looking people sitting here and there. Nothing looked out of its place... except one crying crossdresser and his equally shaken looking husband.

“Danny? Frank? What happened?” I asked as I approached the two men, my heart drumming against my ribcage and my chest feeling squished under claws of pain.  Please God, let Carter to be fine. Give me all his pain and get him out of that room safe.

“Carter... he-he...” Danny sobbed and his husband embraced him tightly, kissing the top of his head. Then the more composed parent looked at me and sighed.

“Carter’s surgery had complications.”