Split Persona
Josh listened to the mumbling for a few seconds before cracking his eyes open, the morning light filtering in through his long, dark eyelashes. He listened for a moment longer before opening his eyes the rest of the way, knowing all too well the source of the sound. He couldn't make out any words but the lump on his floor wearing his t-shit and boxers had begun to be a familiar sight in the mornings.
Nate mumbled some more before stretching and curling back into a fetal position, his head resting on a pillow he had somehow usurped in the middle of the night off of his bed. His eyes darted to the window and was relieved to find that he had at least had the decency to close the window after having crawled through it. For the past two years this had become frequent where Nate would walk to his house in the middle of the night and crawl through his window, falling asleep on his floor. Ever since his mother's funeral things at home had gotten far worse with his dad. Now that his mother was gone he was focusing all his anger on him and most of the time he ended up in the hospital with broken bones, bruises and even a black eye. Josh winced at the thought that his best friend, the one person he loved more then anyone like a brother, was suffering. His heart sank every time his parents text him telling him to pick Nate up at the hospital and bring him home. He always thought of his own home as Nate's as well, a place where he knew his friend would be safe and welcomed. He shuddered at the memory of the last time he had gone to Nate's house.
Josh flipped his covers off and got out of bed. He dragged his blanket off his bed and pulled it over Nate's body, wondering why the boy just didn't crawl into bed with him. Hell, they've known each other since they were five and the bed was big enough for the two of them. He never asked Nate why he didn't shower with the other boys after basketball practice, but he figured he didn't really have to. Sighing he walked to his bedroom door and swung it open only to startle when he nearly walked into his mom.
"Oh hey, you're up."
"Yeah, but my hobo is still sleeping." His mom poked her head into his bedroom and stared at the sleeping boy on the floor before returning his gaze to him. "Seriously, we should just give him a key and his own room. He practically lives here anyway. The bottom two drawers of my dresser are of his clothes, half my closet is made up of his clothes, he eats, sleeps, showers here and you do his laundry."
"Sounds like I should be charging him rent," she said, smiling warmly at her son. "I'll talk to your dad about it."
"Really?" Josh looked at her slightly surprised she had accepted his suggestion so easily.
"Don't get your hopes up, I said I'd discuss it. Your sister has been in college for a year now and we've been thinking you should get her room." She straightened and quietly walked into his room, bending over to pick up the basket of dirty laundry off his floor. Nate's clothes from the previous day were bundled together on top. She ruffled through it and pried the garments apart, finding his t-shirt scrunched up inside his jeans. With a free hand she pulled it out halfway only to find his boxers scrunched up in there as well, both garments stained with red spots. She tried to hide her frown and shoved the garments deeper into the basket before walking past her son again out of his room. She turned her head and quietly called out to him over her shoulder. "Breakfast will be ready in an hour and wake Nate up, tell him to come to my room."
Josh looked like he had just been slapped, knowing very well what that meant. He sighed and thanked whatever gods were looking down on him that his mother was a nurse and his father a doctor. Even though they both worked at two different hospitals they still found the time to raise two kids…scratch that, make that three, and work those long shifts. He turned around and walked toward Nate only to find him already awake, staring up at him from underneath the blanket.
"Mom wants to see you." Josh tried to act as casual as possible, pulling out a change of clothes for Nate and threw them at him before pulling out some for himself.
"It's fine, I don't need-"
"Nate…please!" Josh found it hard to contain his emotions on days like these. He knew that if his mother asked to see him it had to be bad enough, which meant he must have had a pretty shitty night. His father probably came home drunk again and took his bad day out on Nate. Swallowing, he cleared his throat and turned around to look at Nate, doing his best to put on a smile and act normal. "Please?"
Nate stared at him for a few seconds before pulling the blanket over his face. "Fine." His muffled voice was barely audible.
Grabbing his clothes, Josh left his room and walked toward the bathroom, listening as Nate groaned and shuffled his feat toward his mom's room where she'd be waiting with the first aid kit. He closed the bathroom door behind him and immediately turned the shower on, undressed himself and stepped beneath the torrent of hot water. He hated how angry it made him and the thoughts it incited from him, of thoughts of wanting him to die in his sleep or crash his car in a drunken stupor. Either weren't impossible, it was only a matter of time. He clenched his right fist and punched the shower wall in front of him, the shower water running down his face and back in rivulets absorbing the tears he could no longer hold back.
(~)
Josh descended the stairs two at a time while drying his hair with a fluffy towel. Walking into the kitchen he found Nate already sitting at the table eating breakfast and helping himself to Josh's portion of bacon off his plate.
"Hey, leave me some! Pig…" He plopped down on a chair and made a face at Nate chomping down half his piece of bacon.
"My bacon!" Nate retorted, grinning like a fool.
"Off MY plate!" Josh frowned and pulled his plate closer to him, letting the towel drop behind him as he stabbed an egg with a piece of toast.
"What do you want to do today?" Nate asked, lifting his plate to slide his portion of fruit onto Josh's plate.
"Nate, eat your fruit," Josh's mom said, her back turned to the two of them as she shat at the counter staring down at some text on her laptop.
Nate stopped cold in mid motion, his plate hovering above Josh's with a fork halfway into the cut oranges on his plate. Without moving he stared at the back of her head. "You know, some day you'll have to tell me how you do that."
"Grow a vagina and some boobs, and you'll find out," she replied, chuckling at her own joke.
"Oh gross!" Nate's face contorted in disgust at her comment.
"Mom, please! We're eating…"
She turned around on her stool and grinned at them. "It's women's intuition, you can't have it unless you have the parts that come with the package."
"Right…" Josh rolled his eyes and shoved bacon into his mouth, deciding his mother was most definitely the weirdest mom of all time.
Defeated, Nate returned his plate back in front of him and shoved the half of banana into his mouth, one of the few fruits he was able to stomach. Josh snickered at his friend's obvious displeasure but then glared when Nate opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, the partially chewed banana resting atop it.
"You're almost as gross as my mom is." Nate closed his mouth and continued chewing, giggling as Josh shook his head at him. "Anyway, I thought we could go to the mall today. They got that new game out on display I want to try out," said Josh.
"Kay."
(~)
They had been walking around all morning before deciding on hanging out at the food court a while longer before going home. Nate had wanted pizza while Josh ordered a sandwich from a Subway kiosk. Eating, they both talked about the games they wanted to buy in the future, girls they thought were hot, and the latest horror movie they planned on sneaking into to see. Finally Josh summed up the courage and asked his friend.
"So, what was it this time?" Josh averted his gaze and stared at his drink cup, peeling off the contest sticker with his right hand while his left arm was slumped over the back of the chair next to him. Nate didn't look up either and continued eating his pizza slice before answering.
"He was fired from his job." He lifted his own drink and chugged the rest back.
"What? Why?" Josh looked across the table at his friend this time, surprised and yet not surprised at what his friend had just said.
"He found a night shift worker drinking booze in the back of the store and started yelling at him. The guy started yelling back and I don't know, somehow it ended up in a fight. He hit him pretty hard, hard enough to knock him out. Finally some people walking by heard the noise and went inside to tell the boss. Boss came out to see what was going on and found my dad with the bottle of booze in one hand and a bloody fist, the other guy knocked out on the ground. So then, I guess the boss fired him on the spot. Or so at least that's what I pieced together in between his…well…" Nate pushed his paper plate away from him and sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"Why?" Surprised he could only stare at his friend.
"Because, I just wish…" Josh began.
"Wish what?"
"Never mind." Kicking himself mentally he stood up and stretched. "Come on, let's walk around a bit more before we leave. Mom wants us home in time for dinner."
What he had wanted to say was that he wished his father would die and that his parents could adopt him. He had wished it for the past seven years every time he blew out his birthday candles, at every Christmas and New Years, and every time someone asked him if he could have one wish what would it be, he wished for that. He didn't suppose his father would just sign over his rights to his parents.
"What's for dinner?" Nate asked shamelessly.
"Food."
(~)
They made their way out toward the bus stop across the street from the mall, the air crisp and cool as their breaths puffed out white. They talked about the game they wanted to buy and Nate went on to say he could beat Josh with his hands tied behind his back. Josh retorted and rolled his eyes at his friend, averting his gaze as they both crossed the street. He caught a glimpse of police lights from the corner of his eye before they flickered off and turned his gaze in that direction down the street. A police car sat parked outside a pub and a man stood leaning against the hood with his arms crossed, watching him. He looked up at the sign behind the police car.
Burrowing Owl…isn't that where he said his dad worked?
Suddenly a headache began forming and he looked away as he rubbed at his right temple with a hand, stepping over the curb and onto the sidewalk. He turned to look at Nate who was still going on about how much better he was at this game then Josh.
(~)
They made it home a half hour before dinner and let themselves in, kicking off their shoes and hanging up their jackets. It had been getting progressively colder this month as they neared the end of Autumn, and Josh had to lend Nate a jacket. Well, it was more like Nate just grabbed any jacket in the closet and wore it as though it were his. Josh didn't mind, this was how it's always been. They both walked past the living room on their way up to Josh's bedroom when his mom called out to him. Both boys walked back toward the living room and walked in to find Josh's mom standing, his father sitting beside her and a man he didn't recognize sitting on the arm chair across from them.
"You had both better come inside and sit down," his mom said quietly.
"Mom? What's going on?" Josh asked as he sat down on the sofa, Nate sitting beside him.
Josh looked at the man and then back at him mom, wondering what he did and how much trouble he was in. When his mom didn't say anything right away he began to worry that this was more serious then one of his stupid stunts. His mom looked up at Nate, her eyes full of worry and concern, and he could swear he saw a hint of relief in her eyes.
"What happened?" Nate asked.
The man slid forward on his seat and directed his gaze at Nate. "Son, I'm Detective-"
"I'm not your son!" Nate flashed him an angry glare.
"Forgive me. Nathan is it?" Nate barely nodded in response. "My name is Cyrus Al Hakam and I'm a detective for the local department here downtown. In fact it's not far from here."
"What does that have to do with Nate?" Josh asked, his brow furrowed.
"You're not in any trouble, I assure you," the man said, gesturing with his hands for emphasis. "I'll get to the point. Earlier this morning we received a 911 call from a person stating they found a car on the side of the freeway outside of the city limits. When we arrived there was nothing we could do, he was already dead. I'm sorry, Nathan, but your father passed away."
All the color drained from Josh's face and he could hardly find the energy to move but turned to look at his friend beside him. Nate simply sat there with a blank look on his face, the only thing betraying his state of mind were his glossy eyes that only Josh seemed to notice.
"How?" Nate asked, his voice cracking slightly. "I-I don't understand…On the highway?"
"Where were you between two and four a.m. this morning?" the detective asked Nate.
"I-I was here, sleeping. Why?"
The detective looked to Josh's parents for confirmation but got nothing, then took out what looked like an iPhone and pressed several buttons before looking back at Nate. "Your father worked the nightshift at the-"
"The Burrowing Owl Pub," Nate replied, clearing his throat.
"And his nightshift usually ended sometime in the middle of the night, say…one to two a.m.?"
"Yeah, sometimes, but I don't know what that has to do-"
"Son…Sorry, Nathan, I don't know many parents who would let their child's friends in in the middle of the night."
"We didn't let him in, he let's himself in," Josh's mom spoke up.
"What do you mean?" The man's eyes darted between the parents and the two boys.
"I, uh, I sometimes-" Nate began saying but began to feel extremely uncomfortable with so much attention put on him.
"For the past two years Nate has been coming through my window in the middle of the night to sleep on my floor," Josh explained, his tone harsh. "Better here then there…"
"Is there something that happened at home that made you not want to be there?" the man asked Nate.
"Well, sometimes my dad gets angry at me and-"
"And you run away from home."
"What? No! I-" Nate's face looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"Because his asshole father beat the shit out of him whenever he felt like it or when he was too drunk to know what he was doing. I hope he rots in-" Josh let out in one breath.
"JOSH!" Both his parents shouted in unison, his father finally speaking up since they had come home from the mall. "You watch your mouth."
"I don't care!" Josh shouted, his voice betraying his emotions. "I'm so sick of this bullshit and I'm glad he's dead. In fact I'm happy! You've no idea how long I've been wishing he'd die…" he spoke the last words through gritted teeth as tears streaked down his face and falling onto his knees as he sat on the edge of the sofa. "For seven years I've wished it." Josh buried his face into his hands more so out of relief then out of sadness or anger.
"So that's what you meant when you said…" Nate buried his face into his hands and wept openly, no longer able to contain his own emotions he'd been holding back for so long. All the years of frustration, anger and hate poured out and it was all Josh could do to not cry himself. He reached over and wrapped his arms around his best friend's frail body, holding him as his body shook.
"Finally, he can't hurt you anymore," Josh said as he let go of Nate, wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Nate wiped his own face with the back of his hand, his breathing shaky.
"How did it happen exactly?" His father asked.
"Well, we're not sure yet but from what we can tell it looks as though he lost consciousness at some point and crashed into a light post. The inside of the vehicle smelled strongly of alcohol but we didn't find anything of that sort inside when we initially inspected the car. We'll know more after the autopsy is finished."
"So, what happens now?" Josh's mother asked.
"When we inspected his body and belongings we found an envelope addressed to you, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels. We've already confirmed with a lawyer the legitimacy of these documents and the proper procedures."
"To us? What is it?" his father asked, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees.
"It's a legal document that transfers all legal rights of guardianship of Nathan Coulter to the both of you."
"What?" Both his parents said in shock.
"I don't understand. What do you mean exactly by transfers all rights?" His father ran a hand through his short, brown hair as he turned to look at his wife who could only shake her head at him.
"It means if you sign it he becomes your son and my brother," Josh explained, staring at the detective as he slid an envelope from a pocket inside his jacket.
The man's brow rose and he looked across the room at Josh. "That's correct, should you choose to sign the documents. Because the deceased, Mr. Daniels, has already signed the document cannot be contested unless a family member of Nathan's comes forward with an appeal. Then it would be taken to court and a judge would give a ruling."
"What happens if we don't sign?"
"Dad!" Josh shouted at his father, his expression pleading with him.
"I just want to know." His father flashed him a look that told him he'd better be quiet.
"Josh, it's okay. I want to know too," Nate replied.
"It doesn't matter because you're not going anywhere." Josh stared back at his best friend with a look that said he would accept nothing else.
"Josh, please." His father's voice rose in irritation at his son's behavior. Josh looked away indignantly, not understanding his parent's hesitation to do something he knew was the right thing to do. His father retuned his gaze back at the detective and gestured an apology. "I'm sorry, please continue." His mother reached forward and grasped Josh's hand, giving it a squeeze. She smiled at him warmly when their eyes met. His father sighed and looked at his son. "Why don't you both get some dinner mom made from the oven and take it up to your room."
"But dad!" Josh began to protest.
"Hey, I said go to-"
"Fine!"
Josh stood up and walked toward the kitchen, stopping at the entrance waiting for the other boy to follow him. Nate stood to follow him but was stopped by Mrs. Daniels who pulled him toward her and wrapped her arms around him, placing a hand on his head.
"Thank you, Mrs. Daniels," Nate replied, unsure how to react. "I-I know Josh says a lot of things but I'll go with whatever you decide. I don't want to cause anymore trouble for you."
"Then you have to trust us to make the right decision," his father said as Nate pulled away and nodded, turning around to follow Josh into the kitchen.
Grabbing some bowls from the cupboard he placed them on the counter near the stove. Reaching into the cupboard above the sink something from outside caught his eye. He lowered his gaze to look out the window above kitchen sink that looked out into their driveway. A police car sat in front of their house parked on the side of the street and a man stood leaning against it with his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants. The man looked straight at Josh, his gaze steady and firm. The man was bald and wore a black leather jacket over what seemed like a black sweater with a white blouse beneath it, and black trousers that ended in boots Josh couldn't see behind their fence. Looking at the man's face he could however make out a black tattoo that began above the man's right brow, going over his right eye and ending further beneath it.
"Josh?"
Suddenly out of nowhere some strange creature that looked like a yellow fox wearing chest armor appeared beside the map who turned to look at it, smiling lightly. Josh froze as he watched it stand on the hood of the car beside the man, stroking what seemed a long, yellow mustache as its thick tail swished from side to side. It turned to look at Josh and closed its eyes.
"Josh!" Nate shouted beside him.
Josh startled and turned to look at Nate, a deep frown on his face. "Sorry, I, uh, spaced out I guess." He rubbed at his temples again, a headache forming for the second time that day.
"Okay…" Nate replied.
Josh turned to look back out the window toward the police car and only found the man still leaning against it, arms crossed across his chest. He was alone this time and had a wider smile as he stared back at Josh. Furrowing his brow Josh reached up for the window blind and pulled it down, blocking his view of the outside world. He reached up in the cupboard above the sink again and grabbed a fresh box of cookies he knew his mom kept up there from him. He had the feeling it was going to be a long night and they could use some comfort food.
Helping Nate spoon stew into bowls he added the dishes to a tray and carried it upstairs while Nate carried drinks, and whatever junk food Josh could get his hands on. He didn't feel very hungry and he assumed Nate wouldn't be either but the distraction would be good for them. Leaving the adults behind in the living room they made their way upstairs to his room and what Josh hoped would become Nate's room.
(~)
A month had passed since they had all attended Nate's father's funeral. The morning after the detective had visited them they had come down for a late breakfast after having slept in late. It had been decided they would take a few days off from school and spend some time at home. Josh's dad had explained at the table that he hadn't mean to make it sound like they didn't want Nathan to stay, but that these things were complicated and had to be handled carefully. His mother went on to say that they had decided to sign the papers after all and that it wasn't the first time the subject of adopting Nathan had come up in the past two years. Since he had already been pretty much living here and as far as they were concerned he was as much a part of their home as their own son was. They had both welcomed Nathan and helped the two boys make plans to move Josh into his sister's old room, and Nate into his new room.
Even though the month has passed relatively well enough Josh couldn't help but feel unsettled about the whole affair. For some reason the case was settled quickly and closed without even as much as a hint of an investigation. They said they had found a registration under his name for the documents dated a week prior to when he died. Apparently he had signed the papers at the court before leaving and made a scene about his mother not being around to sign, but no one could confirm if it was true or not since the security cameras that day were taken down for maintenance. So all they had to go on were witnesses and the clerks that worked there that day. The details didn't sit well with Josh and the more he thought about what he had seen outside his window that day the less it made sense.
Nate had settled into his new room quickly enough, having moved the remainder of his belongings from his old house into his new room in a single duffle bag large enough to hold gym clothes and not much more. He told him that pretty much everything he owned he had left in Josh's room because he was afraid his dad would destroy them. Now they both laughed and giggled whenever Josh would say 'my parents' or Nate said 'your parents'. They were both glad to find things begin to settle back into a normal routine.
Now they were on a Greyhound on their way to a resort as part of their class field trip. Their parents had signed the permission slips and gave them their allowance early to spend. Nate's face had lit up when he received his fifty dollars, being the first time he had ever received an allowance in his life. They sat in the front row seats so they could have a better view through the windshield window. Josh groaned when the teacher grabbed a microphone and stood at the front of the bus.
"Now we'll be arriving at our destination in a few hours. I'd like to remind everybody that you're expected to behave appropriately during our stay there as you won't be the only people using the hotel."
Josh rolled his eyes and pulled out the ear buds to his iPod, offering one to Nate who took it and raised it to his ear before being stopped by the teacher waving a rolled up magazine at the two of them, giving the two of them a dirty look.
"When we arrive you will be directed to the luggage area where you can pick up your bags. Then we will be moved to our reserved floors where you will be separated into your rooms. The girls will have one floor while the boys will be on another. You'll also be sharing rooms in twos and threes so please try to get along. And furthermore-"
At this point people began groaning their displeasure only to be hushed by the teacher who went on for another twenty minutes. Josh looked at Nate and they both rolled their eyes. They chuckled and something caught in the corner of Josh's eye as something yellow ran in front of the bus. His heart nearly stopped when suddenly the bus swerved to the side and caused him to slam into Nate, both of them pressed hard against the side of the bus. The teacher lost his footing and fell backward into the stair well, crashing into the doors. People screamed as the bus lurched forward and rolled over onto its side, sliding for what seemed like forever toward the edge of the road. They both slid off their seats as other people were lurched sideways, crashing into one another and into the side of the bus. Josh could smell burning rubber and smoke as the bus finally stopped moving. Everything was silent save for a few groans from the back. Josh tried to move but found he couldn't. Instead he tried to turn his head to see Nate but stopped when he felt the bus move again, this time the sensation of falling struck him hard, the front end of the bus slowly bobbing up and down. He felt something warm trickle down the side of his head and a groan escaped his lips before everything went black.
(~)
His eyes opened slowly and his vision blurred, the sounds seeming familiar and yet so far away from him.
"HURRY! Everyone get to the back-The windows-up."
"N-Na-Nate…"
The pain caused him to shudder and lose consciousness again as his vision clouded black, the sounds seeming further and further away.
(~)
His eyes opened again and he tried to call out, the only sound escaping his lips groans of pain.
"Mr. Cald-Mr. Caldwell, get up sir."
"Come on, help me!"
He felt himself suddenly lifted up and dropped back down. He didn't understand why that person was dragging him out of bed in the middle of the night. Why couldn't they just let him sleep?
"I can't get him up-sir!-help me!"
"Leave…me…" Josh managed to moan. "Just…me sleep…"
"No, Josh! NO!-Damn-on-bit-further-"
(~)
The teacher looked behind him and saw Nathan lifting an unconscious Joshua, an arm wrapped around his waist while the other held onto his arm across his shoulders. He tried to move forward but each motion he made caused the bus to shudder and groan menacingly.
"COME ON!" Mr. Caldwell screamed, his arms outstretched toward the two boys as Nate slowly moved forward. He knew if he took one step in their direction the bus would topple the rest of the way forward and off the cliff side. He wiped away at the blood that trickled down his face from a head wound, the blood smearing in his eyes. "DAMN IT! COME ON!"
"I CAN'T!" Nate screamed back, tears streaking down over the dirt and blood on his face.
The bus shuddered dangerously again as it shook, more of its weight sliding forward. The teacher looked behind him to see if the other students had managed to get themselves out from the emergency windows in the back of the bus. The bus had slid half way off the highway, putting the front end of the bus off the edge with nothing but emptiness and mountain side below. Seeing no one else he turned back toward the last two remaining students on the bus.
The teacher grabbed onto the side of a seat and slowly stepped forward with a free hand outstretched, his fingers wriggling as he tried to force his body into closing the gap. He could hear the others screaming outside and prayed they'd be joining them soon. Suddenly something behind the two boys caught his attention and all the blood in his face washed away. The bus driver had regained consciousness and began to move.
"STOP MOVING!" he screamed at the man still attached to the driver's seat. "STOP MOVING YOU FUCKING ASS-" His voice caught in his throat as his fingers touched fabric and grabbed onto it, pulling the source toward him as the bus shook and groaned violently. It lurched forward, the front end falling downward as the ground beneath the bus finally gave way. They fell backward toward the font end of the bus, everything seeming to happen in slow motion and the bus driver screaming behind them.
(~)
Nathan tried to scream as he held onto his brother, his breath catching as everything happened in slow motion. The front of the bus fell downward and he lost his footing, the floor giving way beneath them as they were thrown backward. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Mr. Caldwell mouthing the words 'I'm sorry'.
(~)
Josh cracked his eye open and a warm light filtered in through his long, dark eyelashes. He listened to the sounds of birds singing and the warm breeze fluttering his curtains. He opened his eyes more and found himself staring into Nate's face.
He have a nightmare or something?
He tried to move but found his muscles screamed in protest, the pain shooting through his body in waves. He furrowed his brow in confusion wondering why he couldn't move. He shifted his head on his pillow so he could see more of his room but frowned when he saw how white and bare his walls were.
What did they do to my posters?
He looked back at Nate beside him, his expression calm and soft as he slept. He heard the sound of footsteps shuffle toward him and he turned his head enough to see, wincing against the protests of his muscles.
"Ah, so you're awake?"
He groaned in response, not recognizing the voice.
"Don't try to move too much, you're still recovering."
"Wh-" He coughed and swallowed hard, finding his mouth dry and hot.
"Here, want some juice?"
A face suddenly came into view of a woman wearing a nurse's cap. Her face was slender and kind as she smiled down at him. Her pink hair was in two loops behind her head. She held a juice box with a straw poking through it above him.
Josh blinked and stared at her pink hair wondering why in the world there was a strange woman with pink hair wearing a nurse's outfit in his room offering him a juice box. He had to admit it wasn't exactly what he'd imagine his fantasy to be but hey, who was he to complain?
"So, what's your name?"
If this is my fantasy shouldn't she know my name?
"The strong silent type, are we?" she smiled warmly at him as she straightened. He shifted a bit more to watch her adjust his IV bag and some buttons on machines he realized he was hooked up to. His mind was foggy still but slowly began to clear up.
Ok, either this is real or I have some seriously weird fetishes. And why the hell is Nate in MY bed…wait…
"Hey…"
"Hmm? Thirsty now?"
"No. Where am I?"
"Oh, you're in a hospital. You don't remember?"
He heard Nate groan and stir beside him. "Hospital?" Josh asked.
"Don't worry, you'll both be just fine." Josh furrowed his brow again as he stared at her. She tilted her head slightly and her smile widened. "By the way, you can call me Nurse Joy."