Hi, everyone. So sorry for my lack of updates. Writing honestly hasn't been the easiest lately, and figuring this chapter out actually took me a while. I hope you all enjoy the angst, though, because there's a lot more coming after this.
It wasn't long after he had been reunited with the boys that Kendall was forced onto a gurney, despite his futile attempts to keep the doctors and nurses from pushing him down against it. He could feel his ribs aching in protest, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes in response to the pain. There were too many people and there was too little space. He felt suffocated by it – suffocated by them. He just wanted to be back with the boys. Back with his brothers.
"Son, you need to calm down," one of the doctors above him said, but Kendall couldn't even make out who was speaking to him. He could see a face hovering above his own, but he couldn't make out the person's features. Everything was just too blurry and unrecognizable. He fought against the hold the person had on him and cried out to his friends just as that same person said, "We're gonna have to sedate him."
At the mention of being sedated, Kendall shook his head and fought harder, but it was pointless. Only a few seconds later, he felt a pinch on his arm. It wasn't long after that that darkness clouded his vision, and then completely took over.
As fast as Kendall had appeared in front of them, he was taken away, screaming and thrashing as doctors and nurses surrounded him and pushed him onto a gurney. To Logan, it all felt like it had happened within the blink of an eye. One moment, they were reunited, all four of them clinging to each other with all their might. The next, Kendall was being taken away, and he was left feeling hollow as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.
"Where are they taking him?" It was Carlos' voice that broke the silence between the three of them.
Instead of answering him, Logan slowly sank into one of the cold, plastic chairs behind him. He felt like if he didn't sit down, his legs would give out from underneath him. He could feel eyes on him and looked up. Carlos was staring at him, his lower lip wedged in between his teeth.
"Logan?" he asked, taking the seat next to his. "Where are they taking him?"
By now, James was staring at him too, only he remained standing in the same place.
Logan sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. Sometimes he hated being the future doctor in the group. This was one of those times. "They need to look him over," he said, his voice sounding monotone and foreign, even to his ears.
"We just got him back," James choked out as he brought a hand to his face and wiped under his eyes.
"We have him back," Logan told him, trying to be as gentle as possible. He reached over and wrapped a hand around James' wrist, pulling him toward him. Sniffling, James let him. "Come on, sit down," he said and watched as James took a seat to his right.
For a moment after that, things were quiet between the three of them. While Carlos stared straight forward, unmoving, James rested his elbows on his lap and pressed the palms of his hands to his face. Logan watched them from his peripheral vision, while also keeping a close eye on the clock situated on the wall, about seven feet above the ground. It was now almost one in the afternoon.
"I should probably let my dad know," Carlos said suddenly as he rose from his seat, cell phone in hand. He waved it in the air, before walking a few feet away from the two of them.
"He's been really quiet," James noted. His head was no longer in his hands, and he was staring in Carlos' direction. "It's kind of… weird."
"It is," Logan said with a sigh. He brought a hand to rub at the back of his neck, his fingers tightening around his hair. "I think he's just scared."
"I know. It's just so unlike him, you know?"
Logan nodded. "Yeah, I know."
He looked away from James to stare at Carlos, who was now flipping his cell phone shut and stuffing it into his pants pocket. He plopped down next to Logan, keeping his gaze away from either of them as he spoke. "My dad's gonna let Katie and Mama Knight know," he said quietly, "about Kendall."
"Okay," Logan responded, while James nodded in acknowledgement.
Another silence fell upon the group of three as they all proceeded to get lost in their own thoughts. As they sat there, a woman approached them, looking hesitant.
"Hi," she said, giving them a small wave. "I'm sorry to bother you, but my name's Patricia. I'm the one who brought Kendall here. I just wanted to give you this." She reached out, a piece of paper in her hand. Logan stared at it for a second before taking it.
"It's my number," she told him. "Though I think Kendall called one of you from it earlier. I just thought I'd give it to you. I can't stay much longer, but I'd appreciate it if you kept me updated on his condition."
James gave her a small smile. "We will. Thank you so much for all your help."
Patricia smiled back at him. "It was my pleasure."
The three of them watched her go a few seconds later, silence draping over them once more.
Feeling antsy and impatient, Logan stood from his seat and started to pace in front of James and Carlos. He could feel their eyes on him but decided to ignore them for the time being and instead tried to focus on keeping himself calm. Although that wasn't an easy task. Not when Katie and Mrs. Knight were still recovering from their injuries. And certainly not when Kendall was injured and he didn't even know in what ways. He had seen the look of pain that had crossed Kendall's face when he had been forced onto the gurney. He knew something wasn't right, especially because Kendall was always good at hiding when he was in pain.
"Logan."
Logan stumbled backwards when Carlos suddenly appeared in front of him, arms stretched out to reach for him. "What—"
Carlos didn't say anything. He simply reached for him again, took a step forward, and wrapped his arms around him. Logan felt a lump form in the middle of his throat as he carefully hugged Carlos back. He buried his face against the other boy's shoulder, clinging to him as a shuddery breath left his lips.
For a moment, the two of them just stood there, holding on to each other, trying to find comfort in one another. Eventually, James joined them as well, whispering words of comfort for the two of them to hear. Logan only managed to catch small bits of what he was saying, his mind a flurry of emotions and thoughts. Having the two of them helped, though. They helped keep him grounded. They helped the nagging thoughts inside his head diminish, little by little. Maybe not completely, but he at least no longer felt like he was going to be sick.
When Kenneth awoke, his head was throbbing painfully. He stumbled out of bed, albeit a bit clumsily, and looked around, finding his surroundings to be completely foreign to him. It took him a moment to clear his mind and remember that he was no longer in a jail cell but rather in a cabin.
He rubbed at his temple, wishing it would somehow ease the ache there, and then moved to open the door. Outside the room, the hallway was drenched in shadows, but he could see sunlight streaming in through the windows in the living room area of the cabin. Instead of heading in that direction, though, he turned to face the door next to the room he had just walked out of, remembering Kendall was on the other side.
He fished for the keys from inside his pocket and was about to unlock the door when he realized the door wasn't locked to begin with. He felt his stomach drop, and then felt a surge of anger run though his body. He pushed the door open in one fluid motion, but he was too late. The room was completely vacant.
Clenching his hands into fists, he stormed his way back to the room he had previously been in, grabbed the car keys from where he had left them on the nightstand next to the bed, and made his way out into the living room. There, Trey was sitting on one of the couches, his head leaning back, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. At the sound of Kenneth's footsteps he awoke with a start, looking around the living room in a daze.
"What's going on?"
"He escaped," Kenneth gritted out as he yanked the cabin's door open and started to step outside.
"What? Where are you going?"
"Where does it look like I'm going? I have to find him."
He didn't wait for Trey to respond, before stepping out and closing the door behind him. It wasn't long before he was seated inside the car and rushing to get out of there, not knowing where he was going, but knowing he had to find Kendall before somebody else did.
The wait for news on Kendall felt everlasting. According to the clock on the wall, it had only been a little over an hour since the doctors and nurses had taken Kendall away, but to James, it felt like it had been much longer than that.
When a doctor finally pushed open the doors through which Kendall had disappeared through and made his way towards them, the three of them immediately stood from their seats.
"How is he?" James asked, his voice slightly shaking.
The doctor looked between the three of them and sighed. "Listen, boys, I'm sorry, but I can't disclose that information to you. You're not family, and—"
"Please," Logan begged, his eyes already filling with tears. "His mom and sister are recovering from their injuries. And, we may not be family by blood, but we are family. We just want to know if he's okay. We've been worried sick. We need to know."
The doctor was quiet for a moment, before he spoke again. "Alright, I suppose I can tell you," he said quietly. "His injuries aren't too severe. The worst that we found were two fractured ribs. We're not sure how that happened exactly, since we had to sedate him, but he should be okay as long as he takes it easy. He probably won't be awake for a bit, but I can take you to him, if you would like to see him."
"We do," James said immediately. "Please."
The doctor nodded. "Follow me."
The boys did as he said, following the doctor down several hallways and then into an elevator, which took them up to the fourth floor. It wasn't long before they were standing in front of Kendall's hospital room door, the three of them unsure of what they should do next.
James looked between both Logan and Carlos, and after receiving a slight nod from both of them, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
He walked into the room, with the other two boys close on his heels, and felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of his best friend. The younger boy was as still as a rock, body covered up to the waist in a crisp white blanket, eyes closed shut. The sight of him made something inside James break.
His feet came to a stop when he got to the foot of Kendall's hospital bed. He watched, with a lump in his throat, as Logan and Carlos moved to stand next to him. All three of them looked at the chair next to the bed, but none of them made a move to sit on it.
"His face looks so bruised," James whispered, his words barely audible.
"I know," Logan said as he wrapped his arms around himself, as if trying to bring himself comfort.
"Do, uh, either of you guys want to sit down?" Carlos asked, gesturing to the chair with his left hand. Logan shook his head, while James quietly said, "no, you can take it" in response.
Carlos nodded and slowly moved to take the chair. Once he was seated, he grabbed Kendall's right hand, gripping it in both of his, and pressed his forehead against Kendall's knuckles, sniffling softly.
"I want to kill him." The words left James' lips before he could stop himself. He clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging into his skin. "I want him to hurt the way he has hurt them."
Logan seemed to be processing what James had said for a moment, before he answered with, "They'll find him."
James shook his head. "I just don't understand. How could they let him go in the first place? He deserves to be in jail for a lot longer than he was."
"Some people have more privilege than others," Carlos said as he stared up at James. "They get to leave, suffering only a small fraction of what they deserve, while the people they hurt have to suffer the consequences that come with that."
James opened his mouth to respond, but decided against it and closed it right after. He knew Carlos was right. Of course he was right. He often was.
It was only a few seconds after that when a small groan was heard coming from Kendall, causing all three of their heads to snap in his direction.
"Kendall?" Carlos was the one to speak up, his fingers tightening against Kendall's hand. "Kendall, can you hear me, buddy?"
Slowly, Kendall's eyelids started to open. He squinted up at the ceiling lights, another groan slipping past his lips. It seemed to take him a moment to realize that he wasn't the only one in the room, but once he did, his eyes fell on James and Logan first, and then on Carlos.
"W-Where am I?" he asked as he attempted to sit up, pulling his hand out of Carlos' hold.
Logan moved to stop him before he injured himself further, but he was there a second too late. They all watched as Kendall's face scrunched up in pain, his free hand moving to brush against his side a second later.
"Ouch."
"Try not to move too much," Logan said gently, and attempted to push Kendall back against the bed, but he stopped when Kendall flinched away from his touch. He stepped back slowly, feeling tears prick at his eyes. He should have been expecting this, after what Kendall had just been through, but somehow, the realization still managed to burn.
"Are you okay?" he asked, now standing about a foot away from the bed.
Slowly, Kendall nodded but didn't say anything.
James watched Kendall closely from the foot of the bed. When neither Carlos nor Logan made a move to answer Kendall's question, James decided to speak up.
"You're at the hospital… remember?" he said slowly. He watched as Kendall's eyebrows scrunched up together, the way they did whenever he was trying to remember something. It took him a moment, but eventually, he nodded his head, his eyes looking sad.
"Yeah," he said, his voice barely a whisper, "I remember."
"The doctor said you have a couple of fractured ribs, so it's probably best you don't move too much," Logan told him.
"Where are my mom and Katie?" Kendall asked, as if he hadn't heard him. "Are they–Are they okay?"
"They're okay," Logan assured him right away. "I don't know if you can see them, but we could probably ask the doctor. He said he would be back in a while."
"Okay," Kendall said quietly, his eyes falling on the sheets covering his body.
Carlos, James and Logan shared a look with each other. None of them really knew what to say after that. The way Kendall was acting was so unlike him. He was distant, quiet, engulfed by his own thoughts. Seeing him like this hurt. It was too much like the Kendall from six years ago.
It had taken Kendall years to get better after what his father had put him through. And now, it was like he was back at square one again.
"Do you want some water or something?" Carlos asked after a moment, the atmosphere around them feeling too thick to even breathe properly.
Kendall didn't say anything.
"Kendall?" he asked, reaching for Kendall's hand again.
His fingers had barely grazed his skin when Kendall pulled his hand away, hugging it to his chest. "What?"
Carlos visibly swallowed. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Oh." Kendall looked away from him, as if looking at Carlos somehow hurt. "No."
"Are you sure?" Logan asked. "We can go get you something, or ask one of the nurses."
Kendall shook his head without looking at him. "No. I… I think I'd actually like to be alone for a bit."
Logan opened his mouth to respond, but James rested his hand on his shoulder before he could and shook his head at him. "We should go," he whispered, now tugging on Logan's arm.
Logan sighed but allowed James to tug him backwards. "Okay," he said to Kendall, who barely seemed to hear him.
The two of them watched as Carlos pulled his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the edge of the hospital bed, near Kendall's right hand. "I'll leave you my phone," he said to him quietly, "that way you can call or text us if you need anything."
Kendall tried to smile at him, but his lips barely turned up at the corners. His eyes were red. It looked like he was doing everything in his power not to break down in front of them, which was just like him. "Thanks, Los."
Carlos pressed his lips into a tight line. "Te quiero, hermanito," he whispered, and then he was out the door, his steps fast and heavy.
"If you need anything, we're here, okay?" James told him, desperately wanting to reach out and pull Kendall into a hug but knowing it was probably not a good idea. "Always."
"Thank you, James."
James started to walk towards the door, but turned back to look at Logan, who remained by Kendall's hospital bed, frozen in place.
"Logan, come on," he whispered, holding out his hand and wrapping it around Logan's wrist. Logan stared down at it and frowned. "We should go."
All Logan managed to do was give James a nod of his head, before following him out of the room and away from Kendall. It wasn't long after the door had closed behind them that he felt his legs buckle and he sank to the ground, a quiet sob clawing up his throat.
I just… love tearing everyone down, don't I?
Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed. :)
BigTimeRush-BTR :)