Chapter 16

Nick POV

Adien keeps sleeping on and off during the day. He's only been here for a few hours. The doctor said I had to stay in hospital for at least two more days, I hit my head pretty bad when I went down.

Adien has to stay 3 more days just in case it happens again. The doctors said there has to be a minimum of 48 hours before they can discharge a patient who had experienced a seizure quite as bad as Aiden's. It's boring in the hospital without Adien. I prow the hall trying to find decent food. The only real decent food is in the vending machine.

"Nick! Hey, are you feeling better?" I turn to see Angel rushing down the hall, her bag flapping alongside her, only to be glared at by one of the elderly patients.

"She literally tried killing me with her eyes, she partly succeeded," She laughed hugging me in the process. I hug her back not feeling the same affection I used to.

I've always loved her but she's never seen me in that way. She wants to get with Jared. But he's got eyes on another girl, who he won't tell me about, its funny isn't it. You always want what you can't have.

"I'm feeling better, just a bit bored," I answer rubbing my face with my hand.

"He's sleeping I think, you can go check up on him" We walk to his room passing the waiting room, where Adien's mum is sleeping probably breaking her neck in the procedure. I slip into the room giving Angel the directions to Adien.

"Hi Mrs. Lester, you go home I'll take care of Adien" I shake her gently her eyes bursting open almost immediately. Fear evident in her eyes, as she looked at me she visibly relaxed. Making me suspicious, maybe she has nightmares like Adien.

"Are you sure, sweetheart? I don't mind staying the whole night," She replied shaking her head as she spoke, finally sitting up.

"Yeah, you need to go get a good rest," I say helping her stand up. We agree and go to Adien who seems to have perked up. He's talking to Angel even laughing and joking casually.

His mum kisses us all including Angel, who she just met. Before leaving we all talking about the upcoming dance that seemed to have slipped out of everyone's mind.

"So, what lucky girl are you taking?" Angle asked turning her full body to face him.

"I'm not going" He replies looking directly at me, causing something to fly between us but I can't put my finger on it. "What about you" He blushed looking away and facing Angle who was looking back and forth at us as if she knows something we don't. A petty secret.

"No ones asked me yet!" she smiled, though it wasn't her trademark grin that captured everyone's attention. It didn't reach her eyes, they remained dark and glooming which was most unlike her.

"You're lying, I bet a dozen boys have asked you"

"Half the bloody school has probably asked her to the dance, but shes only got her eyes on one guy," I say teasingly, receiving a glare and a death promise.

"I will kill you, Nicholas Andrew Newman!" She sneered almost laughing at my middle name which I hate with a passion. I give her a flat look.

"Don't you think you should be going?" I question nodding at the door "Say hi to Jared for me on the way out"

"You're right, I'm going to be late for the Dance organisation committee. Bye Adien love you" She spoke going over to Adien and kissing him on the forehead, adding the 'love you' platonically. Before turning to me and giving me a distasteful look and sticking her tongue out at me "Bye Nick, see you at home...I mean school sorry"

She runs out after that, obviously embarrassed. My heart starts pounding, I'm willing Adien not to have noticed or to at least classify that as a silly mistake.

"Have you moved in together now? Are you two madly in love?" Adien mocks, smiling obnoxiously.

"We're not really together. It was just a stupid rumor that hasn't died yet. We're great friends, that's how it has always been and that's how it'll stay." I answer shrugging my shoulders and refusing to let my brain wander...

"How did you two meet?" He quizzed after the long silence. A longing look plastered onto his face.

"Well, we've actually known each other from school, since we were 7 years old." I lie, giving him a small smile to encourage him to open up to me.

"I wish I had a best friend," he finally said absentmindedly, suddenly extremely interested in his hands.

"You do have a best friend. Me!" I say looking directly at him as our eyes meet for one amazing moment.

********************

"Lights out boys its 9 pm, "A nurse came in to remind us, breaking our moment. Making us feel awkward.

"Where's my bed?" I ask looking around to small room that lacked a homeliness. The nurse looks at me sympathetically I already know it's not good news.

"I'm afraid that Adien needs a private room, whereas you don't." She spoke telling us what we already know "I can't do anything about it, so I'm going to have to suggest you go to your bed and come back in the morning."

"I can't leave him, especially not today" I argue almost pleading.

"I'm really sorry but there's not much I can do about that," She said before leaving.

"It doesn't matter Nick, I'll be fine," Adien reassured me, reaching out to hold my hand I presume but then retreating just as he brushed my fingers.

I nod before deciding to leave it at that and go to bed. I trudge to my room unable to quench the feeling of unfulfilled purpose.

My room has two other patients that I haven't noticed before. There is one old man that smiles at me as I come in I smiled back trying to be polite, knowing with just one look he's the talkative kind. I look at the other man he's obese and can barely fit in the bed. He smiles but it's self-conscious and anxious, again I return the gesture knowing how it feels to be scared of how people look at you.

I lay in the foreign mattress and cover myself in the strange blanket that hardly warm me. If it weren't for the multiple heaters that were scattered everywhere I would be half frozen to death. I close my eyes willing the sleep to overtake, yet it never comes.

It takes me ages to finally give up on the idea, it's probably around 10 pm by now. Instead, I get up and follow my conscience. I evacuate the bed and tiptoe slyly down the hall. Finding myself at the door of Adien's room. I knock quietly and hear no reply, so I enter nevertheless.

"Adien?" I whisper bumping into the bed in the pitch dark room and trying not to swear aloud.

"Nick! What are you doing here?" He asked whispering sleepily. I see his silhouette sit up and turn to me. My eyes are getting used to the dark and I can make out the figure of his bed.

"I came to ask you something" I spoke shuffling from foot to foot at the side of this bed. Like an impatient child, waiting to get permission.

"Could it not wait until morning?" He whined indicating that I woke him.

"No! I came to ask if I could sleep... in here... with you..." I asked shyly. Slightly anxious about his answer. He might not want me in here after Friday at the party. I don't know if he's still mad, even though he said he had forgiven me.

"Of course you can!" He chuckled lightening my mood. "Come on, get in" He spoke shuffling to the right end of the bed to make space for me. He's so skinny that he only takes up like 40% of the space on the bed whereas I take up the other 60%.

I glance at him, he was the most mysterious person I'd ever met in my life. I need to know about his past, it's obviously dragging him down. I overheard his mum telling the doctor about how his seizure was caused by his dad's death but I know she's lying. Both of them get a twitch in the noses when they lie and I noticed her nose twitch in the same way his does. And he told me his father left.

"Goodnight." We both exchange our goodnight wishes and fall silent. I wrap my arms around him not wanting any of his nightmares to get to him again. I never want something like that to happen to him for the rest of his life.

Whatever I do I'll find out about his past even if its the last thing I do, it causes him so much pain. I have to know.