As the days passed, James did not open his eyes. Logan spoke with the doctors and realized they didn't have much hope. But Carlos had enough hope for all of them. Day after day he sat by James' side, smile never faltering.
"In the great green room there was a telephone. And a red balloon, And a picture of- the cow jumping over the moon. And there were three little bears, sitting on chairs. And two little kittens and a pair of mittens. And a little toy house and a young mouse. And a comb and a brush and bowl full of mush. And a quiet old lady who was whispering "Hush"." Carlos' voice was quiet and soft as he read, holding tightly to James' hand as if it were a lifeline, only letting go occasionally to turn the pages.
"Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light and the red balloon. Goodnight bears, goodnight chairs. Goodnight kittens and goodnight mittens. Goodnight clocks and goodnight socks. Goodnight little house. And goodnight mouse." Every night since the accident he'd read the book to James, knowing that it had been his favorite bedtime story as a child. He might be scared in there, he thought. It must be terrifying to not be able to find your way back. Maybe hearing Carlos read the story that offered him comfort as a child might offer him that same comfort now.
"Goodnight comb and goodnight brush. Goodnight nobody, goodnight mush. And goodnight to the old lady whispering "Hush". Goodnight stars, goodnight air. Goodnight noises everywhere." Carlos closed the tattered copy of 'Goodnight Moon' and set it aside on the bedside table. James DID hear him; Carlos knew it like he knew his own name. He knew what Logan thought, knew what all of the doctors thought. But screw their research and their degrees. This wasn't just another statistic. This wasn't a page in a medical book. This was James. A living, breathing person who would never in a million years leave Carlos. He would fight like hell to come back. This, Carlos was sure of.
He eased himself up from the hard plastic chair he was sitting in, leaning down so he could whisper in James' ear. "Goodnight sweetheart. Sweet dreams." He kissed his boyfriend's cheek softly, rising to stand on his good leg and reaching for his crutches. He crossed the room carefully to the couch where Kendall and Logan sat talking quietly amongst themselves and sat down with them. They stayed with him every day for hours at the hospital, only leaving at night to get some sleep. Carlos almost never left.
All three boys were silent for a moment as they watched the peaceful rise and fall of James' chest. "I wonder if he's dreaming," Carlos wondered out loud.
"I think he is," Kendall spoke up before Logan could. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees so he could look over at Carlos, who sat opposite Logan. "I think he's dreaming about all his favorite things, all his favorite people. I think he's dreaming about all the cool things he's gonna get to do when he wakes up." Kendall paused briefly. "But you know what? Most of all I bet he's dreaming about you, Carlos."
Carlos had been listening intently, eyes bright and shining as he drank in every word. He hoped so too. He wanted to think James was in there somewhere dreaming about 'Cuda spray and his lucky white v-neck and the pool at the Palm Woods. But something else was nagging at him. "Do you…do you think he's in pain?" he asked after a minute, eyes darting to look at Logan.
"No, buddy." Logan said softly with a shake of his head, offering Carlos a small smile. The thought comforted Carlos. "Good," he whispered. "That's good." His usually bright brown eyes were tired, dark circles beneath them. He stifled a yawn, turning back to look at James as if reminding himself why he couldn't succumb to sleep.
Logan followed Carlos' gaze. "Why don't you sleep for awhile?" he suggested. "Kendall and I will go sit with James." He got to his feet, Kendall doing the same so Carlos could lay down.
Carlos looked dubiously at his friends as he began to stretch out across the worn blue couch, draping a blanket over himself. This was where he slept each night, though he couldn't bring himself to sleep more than a few hours at a time. The fear that James would wake up without Carlos there at his side was too strong. "You won't leave him, right?"
"We won't leave him." Kendall assured him, resting a hand briefly on his shoulder. "You just sleep."
Carlos' heavy eyelids were already closing. "And if he wakes up, come get me right away," he murmured sleepily.
"Of course." Kendall said quickly. Logan stuffed his hands in his pockets and settled into one of the chairs by the bed, Kendall following close by. Each boy glanced at Carlos, then looked at one another. They didn't know whether to hope Carlos dreamed about James or whether to hope he dreamed of nothing.
I don't own 'Goodnight Moon'. The author is Margaret Wise Brown. :)