I ended up laying down with his head resting at my chest, I hold him with one arm and my textbook with the other, honestly it is quite a funny sight most likely. Probably around 1am I end up falling asleep, and for once.. it isn’t that bad, minus my usual dream.
“Alex?” I hear a voice whisper in the dark.
“Hmm?” I slur, waking up from a nice nap.
“It is Micheal, I’m not supposed to be in here, but Aidan is downstairs, they are about to bring him up. I have a medical kit here, he doesn’t look to well.”
I nod and rub my eyes while turning on the dim light in the room. I hear footsteps, so I make a quiet mad dash to the medical kit, put it in the bathroom before grabbing him clothes. He is walking, sort of.. Why do they keep sending him to these jobs? Oh wait.. it pays more.. higher rate for more.. and he is young.. now it makes sense. He slumps onto the floor and stays there. I move as soon as they leave. I look at him, his face isn’t too bad, it is just the rest of him. His shirt is up a bit revealing a forming bruise, and a couple gashes. I sigh, pulling him into my arms and carrying him to the bathroom. I turn on the water, letting it warm up, and carefully strip him to put him in the bathtub.
I see him start to come around, so I wash out the gashes, and he winces. A weight drops onto my chest, as he starts to sniffle.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m just going to clean you and everything, then you’ll be fine and can go to sleep, but I gotta get you cleaned up.”
He nods lazily, and I see the water start to turn a pinkish color, so I finish quicker. I pull him out of the tub, and help him get dried off.
“Put on underwear and then I gotta bandage everything.”
After he does that, I let him lay on my lap and bandage his stomach, he does not enjoy the rubbing alcohol. Although, honestly.. who would? As I do this, I start humming a song that I heard so many years ago.
“Alex.” He mumbles.
“Yea?”
“I’m cold.”
I laugh softly, “Hold on, alright.”
He smiles weakly as I let him get up. He staggers and wobbles as he stands up, but he manages for a couple seconds to get his clothes on and I help him walk to the bed. I changed my soaked shirt, and lay on the opposite side.
“Come here, please.”
I wake up the next morning at around 7am, and see Aidan still fast asleep. I look down and to his head resting at my chest, his body curled up next to me. I smile gently, realizing for the first time in years, I feel more at ease then I have before.
“Aidan.” I mumble.
“Yea?” He gets up and stretches.
“What do you want for breakfast?”
“Lucky charms.”
I nod as he gets off of me, cheeks red, “I’m sorry, I was panicking last night, I’m sorry I’m sorry I-“
“It is okay, I swear, besides it was nice to have company.”
“But what if you are seeing someone oh my god.”
“I haven’t been in a relationship in 5 years, a couple dates yes, but never an actual relationship, I’m not seeing anyone.”
That seems to calm him down but then he looks confused, “What about the guy you went to the diner with that one time?”
I stare at him and then realize, it was him that day.
“You were sitting in that booth, all alone, it was around noon. I thought it was you, but you looked so different. Why didn’t you come up to me?” I question.
“You looked so happy and I didn’t want to burden you with the thought of me being there. I wanted to, I really did, but I was scared.”
“Oh my, I wasn’t happy at all, if you want me to be honest, and seriously I missed you. Even though our relationship was very unhealthy at the end… I still missed you, I missed us.”
“I got sober.. after you got hurt. I figured that I was on my own, and after you left, I realized that fully. So I got myself together and attempted to put my life back the best I could.”
He looks at me, and then looks away timidly.
“You still can, get your GED and get into college.”
“I know, but I literally have only been up to grade 7.”
“Then I’ll help.” I shrug.
“You would do that?”
“Yes.”
ns 15.158.61.20da2
