Help Me (sequel to Save Me)

Chapter 14

Remington is happy to see Abigail again, and hugs her when she opens the front door to let him in. He's touch starved after so long in that place. "You look great," she says sincerely, loving how bright and cheerful he seems.

The singer smiles, following her into the familiar room and sitting down on the sofa. "I feel so much better," he responds, handing her the bag with his medication in.

"I heard you had some trouble with your roommate," she queries, putting the little bag down on the table. She had been in contact with the hospital the whole time Remington was there, making sure he was getting the help he needed.

Nodding, Remington kicks his shoes off and curls his legs up underneath him like he normally does here. "I tried to be friends with him but he kept shouting at me," he explains, recalling their fights. "It got quite bad and he made me hallucinate." He's glad to be able to talk to Abigail again, and is so thankful that she's still willing to be his therapist. He knows he isn't exactly easy to talk to.

"You told someone though, didn't you?" The woman wants to make sure that he didn't try to deal with it on his own. That never ends well.

"Yeah, my therapist there, he helped me. And I told Andy, too." Remington always smiles when he says the man's name.

Abigail smiles at his smile. "Your boyfriend, yeah?" She asks, "that's great that you trust him. Have you seen him since you came home?"

The boy tells her all about how they played scrabble that night, how he fell asleep on Andy, how he didn't have a nightmare like he used to, how he felt so fucking loved, and Abigail listens, smiles, says she's proud of him. Remington is given a little container with a few pills in and a piece of paper telling him when to take what, and he leaves happy. He never used to leave happy.

When he returns home, he is greeted by Sebastian, who's strumming on his guitar, which hasn't been touched since Remington went into hospital. "How was therapy?" The man asks, watching his brother sit down.

"It was good," the boy answers simply, "oh, I was going to show you yesterday, but I have so many fucking lyrics if you want to have a look." He puts the little paper bag down on the coffee table.

Sebastian can't get over the fact that his brother, his sweet little brother, is happy. He really did think he'd never get to see Remington like this again. "Go get them," he says keenly, laughing at the singer as he practically runs out of the room and up the stairs. Life doesn't feel as hard anymore. Losing Larisa doesn't hurt so much now. And he didn't drink himself into oblivion last night, because him and Remington were watching shitty television and having pillow fights. Right now, life is good. Wow, thinks Sebastian, this feeling is rare. I'm so happy. We're all so happy.

Remington return with his book and hands it to his brother, not minding about the older man reading what he's written in it. He remembers the horror he felt when he found Johnathon reading it. He remembers how betrayed he felt, how terrified it made him. "Most of them are shit," he says as the guitarist looks through the book.

With a firm shake of the head, Sebastian actually laughs at the boy's words. "Are you kidding? Remington, these are the best lyrics I've ever seen-like-ever!" The man is amazed at what he's reading, There is so much emotion, so much honesty. He knew Remington was talented when it came to writing songs, but he never realised how clever he is, how fantastically poetic his lyrics can be. "Bloody hell," he mumbles to himself. "We gotta get Em over here now because this needs to be a song."

It's a weird thing for Remington to be praised like this. Sure; his brothers have always told him how talented he is, but he just never believed them, not really. "Your songs are trash," Holly would say, "I don't know why you still write them." Remington only ever believed her. He was given so much praise by so many people, but the only person he ever listened to was Holly. And that was deadly.

The three brothers spend the whole day working on the song, and by the end of the day, they've pretty much laid down the basis for it. When Emerson first heard the lyrics, he cried. He hugged his best friend and cried. Remington tells them both that he's decided he wants to stay with Sebastian, and in the evening, calls Andy.

"Hello there," the man answers, "this is most unexpected. You never call."

Remington giggles. "I wanted to talk to you, and also to ask what you're doing tomorrow." He flops down on his bed with the little bag of medications.

The man on the other end of the phone is cheerful. "I'm doing whatever you want to do, sweetheart," he answers, sensing that the boy wants to spend the day together.

Putting his phone on speaker, Remington puts it on the bed and finds the little piece of paper in the bag which tells him how much to take of what. "I really wanna go climbing again," he says, and mumbles, "two white ones," to which Andy chuckles.

"What?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to say it out loud. I'm trying to work out which fucking pills to take." He tips two of the white tablets into his hand. "Anyway, climbing?"

Andy hums. "Sure, I'll take you climbing," he agrees, "you wanna do anything after?"

It's the first time Remington has been asked that and not wanted to say no. Because he isn't scared like he used to be. "Give me some options," he says, and swallows the pills down with some water he has by his bed.

"Well, we could go out for a meal, or come back to mine. I really don't mind, pretty, whatever you want to do."

Remington lies on his back. "Can we go out for dinner?" He asks, looking at the lights on the ceiling.

"Absolutely, we can. I'll book a table somewhere, yeah?"

The young man hums. "Andy, if I-if I wanted to-um-to live with you, would you-would you be okay with that?" It's been on his mind for a while. He would absolutely love to live with Andy, but he's so worried that Andy won't want him.

Andy is smiling at the cuteness of his lover's shy question. He can virtually see the face he's making as he waits for an answer. "I would jump with joy if that happened, sweetheart. You are welcome here anytime, you know that, right?" The words make Remington's heart flutter. He's never had anyone apart form his brothers talk to him like this. Is this what it is to be loved, really loved?

Remington sends his older brother a smile as he comes into the room. "I love you, see you tomorrow," the boy says.

"I love you more," Andy responds, "I'll come get you at two, alright, bye!"

Sebastian waits for Remington to put the phone down before talking. "You're in a good mood," he observes. It's foreign to see the young man so cheerful.

"I am. I feel so happy at the moment, Sebby. I don't think I've ever felt like this. I need to thank Abigail for sending me to the hospital because it changed my life." He stands up off the bed. "And also I need to thank you for not giving up on me or shouting at me. So thankyou." Remington means it. He means every word. He is eternally grateful for his big brother.

The guitarist ruffles his hair. "No worries, pumpkin. It's so unbelievably great to see you happy like this."