We're Not Sleeping, We're Just Dreaming (Waterparks fanfic)

Twenty Three - Awsten

The ticking of the clock in the waiting room, the persistent and never-ending ticking, was driving me insane. Others sat on the identical, unflattering plastic chairs in various shades of orange and brown, though nobody said a word, instead staring at the phones seemingly glued in their hands. I fiddled with my fingernails, waiting. God, how long do these 'clinical decisions' take? I sighed.

"Maybe Jawn forgot to come and get us?" I whispered to Geoff.

"Huh?" - He looked up from his Nintendo Switch.

I shrugged and got up, ready to make my way down the corridor. Who was going to stop me?

"Awsten!" Geoff hissed. Otto looked up from his phone, and gave me the look. The 'don't you dare' look, as I slowly walked backwards and started to speedwalk down the corridor. Though identical, I knew roughly where I was going - it wasn't hard, I only had to look for the right name on the door. My eyes scanned past doors with various names on them. Keon, Keon, Keon...

KEON PARKER, 17

The shutters on the window were completely closed - unsurprising. I looked at the door, and noticed it was slightly ajar where the doorknob had become stuck and didn't quite fit in the latch. I grabbed the opportunity with two hands, kneeling in front of the door and placing my head to the crack in the door, able to hear the conversation within and make out some voices.

"Improvement has been made, the boy is largely stable. Head CT showed little damage, I doubt it is anything that would prevent him from making a good recovery." - The voice started to trail off before being interrupted.

"I have concerns about the mental state of the boy," a second voice commented. "I want a better picture of his emotional health before we make any rash decisions."

"How is keeping him unconscious going to help his mental wellbeing? The boy has no life like this. You can't just keep him in a comatose state and will the problems away!"

I heard a flurry of papers and I moved to peek through the crack in the door, now able to see several doctors, and the foot of Keon's bed. I watched carefully as one of the doctors, who I assumed must have been the person in charge of the decision, flicked through pages and pages of papers.

"It's clear that this young man tried to commit suicide."

My heart stopped.

Suicide? He tried to kill himself? But-

I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me away from the door as I made every effort to contain my surprise and not get caught - Otto.

"Awsten, what were you thinking!?" Geoff hissed at me, bending down to help Otto pick me up. "It isn't our choice to make!"

The words became stuck in my throat. "But-"

"No 'buts', Awsten, none at all! Keon is very ill and you need to let them do their work and find out the problem-"

I snapped.

"They know the fucking problem, Geoff, he's not right in the head. He wanted this."

Geoff stopped.

"Awsten, you're being ridiculous," Otto began. "We don't know why-"

"He tried to fucking kill himself, Otto, that's why he's lying there. He wanted to die. You saw the marks on his arms, don't fucking deny it."

Silence. Tears welled in my eyes.

"What if they take him away..."

Geoff sighed, bending down to kneel on the floor as he took my hands from my pockets and held them in his.

"We are living in the right now. And right now, they are making the best decision for Keon. And if they choose to bring him out of it, we're gonna be there for him, and there for each other. Okay?"

I nodded, the tears beginning to stream down my cheeks, already rubbed red with my sleeves brushing away too many tears to count. 

"Deep breath."

I inhaled slowly.

"And now we wait."