I know this chapter is short, but I love the friendship between Kendall and Gustavo and wanted to show it a little more in-depth.
Kendall was still sleeping when he stretched out a little and then moaned when he felt a twinge of pain in his back.
"Are you alright?"
Kendall opened his eyes and looked up into Gustavo's worried eyes. He nodded and cleared his throat. He started to cough a little and Gustavo grabbed the water glass that was setting on the tray next to the bed. He held the straw to Kendall's lips and the teen took a sip, and then another.
"Go slow," Gustavo told him.
Kendall nodded and took another sip before lying back against his pillow, already exhausted. "Thank you."
Gustavo smiled and set the glass back down. "How are you feeling?"
"I d-don't know, why are you in my room?"
Gustavo was surprised by the question and realized Kendall may not be aware of his surroundings. "Do you know where you are?"
"H-Ho…" Kendall started, and then looked around. "I-I don't know."
Gustavo sat back down and took the teen's hand again. "You're in the hospital."
"Why?"
Gustavo said a silent prayer before answering. "Well, I guess you haven't been feeling very well, which means you should have called me since your mom was out of town. Then, on top of that, you were mugged on your way home the other night. Logan's girlfriend and her dad found you in the park and they brought you here."
Kendall blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision a bit. He thought back over the last few days, but everything was a blur. "I d-don't remember, why don't I remember? Do I have a concussion?"
"I'm not sure, it's possible. I do know the doctor said the pain medication can mess with your memory."
Kendall took a deep breath and groaned. "Do I have broken ribs, my back and sides hurt."
"Bruised, and your arm is broken. They also think you may have torn a couple of muscles in your leg," Gustavo said carefully.
"What about the album and Griffin? He's going to be mad again," Kendall said, as he tried to even out his breathing so it didn't hurt as much.
"What do mean he'll be mad again?" Gustavo asked softly.
"I w-was sick one day so Logan went in and Griffin wasn't happy with me," Kendall said, starting to feel lightheaded.
Gustavo heard the beeping heart monitor pick up and he squeezed Kendall's hand. "I don't want you to worry about any of that. The album still needs some tweaking and Griffin can just deal with it."
"He'll be mad," Kendall said.
"Well, he was supposed to clear any extra working hours through Kelly and he didn't, so he won't be making any trouble," Gustavo promised.
"But, he said I have to, or the band…"
"Look at me," Gustavo said.
Kendall looked at him and Gustavo looked him in the eyes. "Griffin is not in charge anymore. If he hadn't had you working illegally, you wouldn't be in the hospital right now. Logan said he knew you were suffering from exhaustion and didn't listen. Then you get hurt on your way home from working a long day. This is not your fault and NOT your responsibility. Do you understand?"
Kendall nodded, suddenly relieved and he didn't know why. "But, the album."
"Can wait a couple of weeks. Your job, your only job, is to get better. Then, I expect all of you to be working your butts off so you can perform at Rocktober Fest, because my contact thinks she can book us for three songs this year. Understood?"
"Rocktober Fest…isn't that months away?" Kendall asked, confused.
"Yes, so you have plenty of time to get better and I have plenty of time to drill how much you dogs need to focus, into your stubborn heads," Gustavo told him.
Kendall smiled a little. "I was worried."
"Why were you worried?"
"You were being too nice, now I feel better," he said, feeling sleepy again.
"Well, Kelly told me I have to be nice," Gustavo said, smirking.
"Where is everyone else?"
"It's late and Offi-Antonio, sent them all home to get some sleep. He'll be back soon, and your mom will be back later."
"Antonio?" Kendall asked, trying to focus. "Papa Garcia?"
"Yes, when we couldn't get a hold of your mom, we called him and he flew out," Gustavo told him.
"My mom's okay?"
"Yes, her phone was having trouble but she, your sister, and Mrs. Diamond flew back this morning."
"I'm tired," Kendall said.
"Then get some sleep," Gustavo said.
"Okay," Kendall said.
"Are you warm enough?" Gustavo asked, as he pulled the blanket up a little.
"Yeah."
"Do you need anything else?"
"No, but could you…" Kendall's voice trailed off.
"Could I what?"
"Could you sing again?"
"Are you sure?" Gustavo asked. Even though he was an incredible musician in his own right, he was rarely asked to actually sing.
Kendall nodded. "You should sing more."
"I don't know about that, but I can sing for you," Gustavo said with a small smile.
"You should, maybe you could sing with us some day, that would be cool," Kendall said, closing his eyes.
"Maybe, what do you want to hear?"
"Do you know who Journey is?"
"I'll ignore that question, but yes," Gustavo said.
"Could you sing Faithfully?" Kendall asked quietly.
"I think I know it, why that song?"
"M-My dad used to sing it. He said it was my mom's favourite song, and when I was little, I thought that meant he wrote it for her. When my mom had to work n-nights he'd sing us to sleep," Kendall told him.
Gustavo reached over and took the teen's hand again. "You've never told me anything about your dad, before."
"He's gone," Kendall whispered.
"What happened?"
Kendall took a ragged breath. "Did you ever hear about the Mississippi Bridge?"
"I don't think so, why?" Gustavo asked.
"My dad was on his way home one night and the bridge collapsed. His car went over the railing and into the river. They finally got the car out three days later, but he wasn't in it. They think he tried to get out but the current was too strong."
Gustavo squeezed Kendall's hand. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."
"It's okay, I don't like to talk about it. For a while, I kept hoping he was just lost and would come home, but he never did. He never got say goodbye."
"Is that why you were working?
Kendall nodded. "The insurance company said there was no proof of death, so they wouldn't pay the policy. My mom started working extra hours and I found a part-time job and took care of Katie. There was no one to sing anymore, so I would sing Katie to sleep when my mom worked. It's just...I knew when my dad was singing, everything was okay and I guess it's kind of childish, but it's just nice having someone sing, you know?"
Gustavo smiled sadly. "It's not childish and if it helps, I'm happy to sing for you.
Kendall yawned and shivered a little. "I won't tell anyone."
"You better not," Gustavo said.
"My dad would have liked you. You make me feel safe, like he did," Kendall said, sighing deeply as he drifted off to sleep.
"If he was anything like you, we would have been great friends," Gustavo said, blinking back tears.
Kendall smiled a little in his sleep as Gustavo started to sing.