Hey guys. This chapter's not as long as I was hoping it would be, but I like how it turned out, so hopefully you will, too. :)
"Maybe you boys should head home for a bit and take Katie with you, so that you can all get some proper rest. You all look exhausted," Mrs. Knight suggests as she stares at the three boys sitting to her right. Unlike Katie, who eventually cried herself to sleep, none of them had been able to. One of the reasons being that the chairs in the waiting room are way too uncomfortable, but the main reason being that the dread they're all feeling is self-consuming.
They all turn to her and shake their heads, immediately disagreeing with what she has said. "No way," Kendall says, "we're not leaving until we get to see Carlos."
"Honey, it could take a while until we actually get to see him, and you all need to get some rest."
"But mom... we can't."
"With all due respect, Mrs. Knight, I have to agree with Kendall," Logan says, sitting up from his chair and biting down on his bottom lip. "I know you're just looking out for us, but... we won't be able to get any sleep, knowing that Carlos is not okay."
"I know, sweetie, I'm just worried about you guys," she says softly, looking at each of the boys with concern in her eyes. She can't remember a time in which they all looked so exhausted and worn-out. It's evident how much Carlos' accident has affected them – she can see it clearly just by looking at them. She knows they're all hurting, and it breaks her heart into pieces. "At least go get something to eat, please?"
Kendall sighs and takes the ten dollar bill she's offering him. "Thanks mom, we will."
She gives him a small smile, which he barely manages to return. She watches as all three boys get up from their seats and walk out of the waiting room, in the direction of the cafeteria.
"You guys hungry?" Kendall asks, offering the two boys the ten dollar bill. "I'm not, so... if you want anything, you can get it."
James shakes his head and pushes Kendall's hand away. "I can't eat."
"James..." Logan says softly, a frown present on his face. "We've been here for almost five hours, we all need to eat something. You too, Kendall."
Kendall sighs and stuffs the money into his pants pocket as they continue walking, not saying anything in response. James and Logan follow closely behind, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
"I'm seriously not hungry, though," Kendall says quietly. He takes the money out of his pocket as they get in line and hands it to James. "Just get whatever you want for me. I'll go wait at a table." Before James can even reply, he has walked away from the two boys.
James turns to Logan, who's staring back at him. There's no need for words, to know what both of them are thinking. Their eyes hold more than enough emotion, and they know each other well enough, to be able to read each other without having to say a single word.
"Maybe we should just get something from the vending machine," Logan suggests, nodding towards a vending machine that is not too far away from them. Agreeing, James mutters an "okay" and begins walking in the direction of the vending machine.
Once they have gotten something for the three of them, they head towards the table where Kendall is waiting for them, and take a seat in front of him. The younger boy is sitting with his elbows resting against the table's surface, fingers tangled in between blond strands of hair.
"Here, we brought you something from the vending machine instead," Logan says and slides a bag of cookies in Kendall's direction.
"Thanks," he mutters but makes no move to grab it. He doesn't even turn to look at them. Logan turns to James, who has set his snack on the table as well, and is staring at Kendall solemnly. His eyes look so distant though, and Logan would be lying if he said that it doesn't scare him, because it does. He has never seen either of the two boys so broken and lost, though he's sure he's no better.
"Guys," he says softly, shifting his gaze from Kendall to James, "I know this whole situation sucks – in fact, the word 'sucks' doesn't even begin to cover it – but we must keep our heads up, for Los. He wouldn't want us to be beating ourselves up like this."
"It's hard not to." Kendall finally looks up, tears swimming in his green eyes. "How can we not beat ourselves up over this? How, Logan? Please tell me how, because... I don't know how to stop it."
Logan opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Kendall shakes his head and gets up. "I'm... I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
Beside him, James lets out a sob as he watches Kendall leave, no longer being able to hold back his tears. Logan turns to him and pulls him close as the taller brunet breaks down, tears falling down his face rapidly. They stay that way for a few minutes, until James has calmed down a bit. "It'll be okay. Come on, I wanna make sure he's okay, and I don't want to leave you here alone."
James nods and follows Logan, doing his best to brush away the tears that have managed to escape.
"Ken, are you in here?" Logan asks, pushing open the bathroom door, only to find that it's empty. "Kendall?"
"He's not in here." James shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "Where could he have gone?"
"I don't know," Logan practically whispers as they both walk out. "Maybe we should ask Mrs. Knight if she knows where he went."
Logan's about to make his way towards the waiting room, but James stops him before he can take a step in that direction. "I think we should try looking for him first, and then ask her, if we can't find him. I don't want to worry her if he's somewhere around here."
"Okay," Logan agrees, so they both go in one direction of the hallway, in search of their best friend.
Kendall isn't quite sure of what's taken over him, but all he wants in that moment is to see Carlos and to make sure he's okay. Despite telling James that things would be okay, the truth is, that that is something not even he believes. He's always been known for being the most optimistic of the four, but how can he be optimistic in a situation like this? It's pretty much impossible for him to remain optimistic, because every thought in his head is surrounded by fear and guilt.
So instead of heading in the direction of the bathroom, he starts wandering the hallways, not really sure of where he's headed, but he knows where he wants to be. It's just finding his destination that is the problem.
It's only after minutes of walking around, that he finds it.
He's not really sure how he ended up here, or how he even managed to find Carlos' room. But as a doctor walks out of the room, he quietly walks inside, making sure that no one is around to catch him, and then takes the few steps to the only bed in the room. He takes notice of the boy lying on the bed, skin pale, eyes closed, looking more dead than alive. All the tubes and machines around him only make him look even more lifeless and small than he already is.
Feeling his eyes well up with tears, he stands to one side of the bed and takes ahold of Carlos' hand. "Hey buddy... It's Kendall."
So, that happened. What did you guys think? Like it? Hate it? I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading. :)
~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)