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Troy was the first one to be allowed into Chad's room. He sat next to him in a hard chair and forced himself to look at his friend.
All his hair was cut off. His beautiful thatch of unruly hair was all gone only to be replaced by a large white bandage through which there was some blood seeping through, much too red against the white bandage and pale dark skin. "Chad?"
Troy's voice seemed to echo around the small room, sounding young and scared even to his own ears. Tears choked his voice again and his hand reached greedily for his friend's, as if by holding it he could take all the pain in his own body, because he could have, without a second thought. If only to see Chad smile again.
"Oh Chad."
His voice was much too young. He bit his lip to keep the tears back and felt a squeeze on his hand, so weak it was barely there. "Chad!" his voice was jubilant and it took all his self-control to keep himself from launching at his best friend.
Chad's face twisted into something might be a smile or a grimace. "Troy." His voice has soft, with a ragged edge to it, but his tone betrayed his compassion, his happiness, his guilt. ""Troy, I'm sorry."
"No, Chad, shh…be quiet." Troy's eyes had tears in them again, this time happy ones. "Don't talk, your throat's hurt. Here, I'll get a nurse." He started to get up, then saw the fear in Chad's eyes.
"Just a few minutes, Troy. Please."
Troy sat back down. He smiled at his friend, trying to lift his spirits.
"Troy, I have to tell you…everything." Chad said, biting his lip. Troy tried to help.
"I know, Chad. I was there. I found you, I know it was your father."
Chad's eyes widened. "That was you…you shouldn't have…I thought…Troy." He bit his lip again. "Listen, I need to tell someone. I've never told the whole story."
And Troy was quiet as Chad told him everything. "My mum died, you remember, in that fire. What nobody knows is that my dad was the one that pulled me out, that he was the one who started the fire in the first place. That he wanted me to die too."
Troy had a million questions, but saw his friend's weariness, even though he'd only been awake a few minutes. It was odd to see Chad, usually so full of energy, about to fall asleep after only a few minutes of conversation.
A hard squeeze on his hand made Troy look down, let him hear the last few words. "Are you going to leave me, Troy?"
"No, Chad. No, of course not. I'm going to take care of you."
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