Chapter 6
Joshua now lay in bed. He stared at the ceiling trying to force the images from his head. George was in the hospital because of him. What had he done?
He heard his parents go to bed and Joshua decided to leave. Quietly, he snuck out of his room and down the hall. Grabbing his bicycle, he opened the door and pulled it outside. Joshua closed the door and walked his bike out of the building.
Hopping on his 21-speed, Joshua biked as fast as he could toward the FunTown hospital. It would be a thirty-minute ride but he didn't care. The fifteen year old needed to see George and explain to him how sorry he was.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Joshua chained his bike up to the rack and walked in. A nurse behind the counter called to him.
"Do you need medical assistance?" She asked.
"No." Joshua said. The nurse wondered if he'd expand on that but when he didn't she asked him some more questions.
"What are you here for?" She asked.
"To see George." Joshua again said flatly.
"Visiting hours are over. You have to come back tomorrow." The nurse told him.
"But you don't understand. I shot him." Joshua said. The nurse automatically knew the patient he was talking about. It was the gunshot victim from LazyTown. She was about to call security when Dr. Rottenstein rounded the corner.
"Joshua! What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I need to see George." The boy answered.
"Ok. I'll take you to him." Dr. Rottenstein said. The two walked down the hall in silence. Dr. Rottenstein had been filled in as to what had happened at the school and knew that Joshua wanted to talk to him. Though he had broken the rules, the doctor knew that Joshua had to do this.
"He was in surgery for awhile and he is sleeping peacefully now. Try not to wake him." Dr. Rottenstein explained. Joshua only nodded and entered the room.
George was hooked up to a heart and breathing monitor. He looked much different than earlier. Now Joshua only picked up the serenity emanating from the troubled boy.
"George, I'm so sorry. Things shouldn't have happened this way. What have I done?" Joshua said. The other boy remained asleep and the monitors continued their steady beeping. He tried to connect mentally with the boy and what he learned scared him.
The massive paranoia that caused George to lose control was trying break out. The serenity was only a cover. While the half of his brain remained calm, the other half was fighting to remove the invaders. Joshua pulled away and knew the best thing for George was to get him help.
He left the room and bumped into Dr. Rottenstein in the hall. Joshua looked at him and said,
"George needs help; the mental kind. Please help him."
"Well I'm no psychiatrist but I'll make sure he gets it. Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" The doctor suggested. Joshua only nodded. Slowly, he made his way out of the hospital. Unchaining his bicycle, thoughts raced through his head. He was sure that his mother and father were upset with him. They had to be. He was a disgrace to the family and their prestigious name.
Joshua began the long trip back to LazyTown. Soon his thoughts reverted to what Samantha had said. What had she meant about sharing more than he thought? And how could she still even want to be around him? Samantha had said that she wanted to understand. Was it possible no one had told her what had happened?
To Be Continued...