A/N: Alert, Alert! There is only about…two or three weeks of Hooked left!
So get all your reviews in, and please make me happy? I really want to break 500 reviews as a new milestone for me. It would be greatly appreciated!
I love all my readers and reviewers, and those who have been here from the beginning and are here now will be thanked at the end immensely ;D
And of course here is a snippet from the WONDERFUL Past The Sorrow by waterwicca. You MUST read and review! :D
"Wake up, Logan!"
James Diamond stood beneath Logan Mitchell's second-story bedroom window, yelling loudly up to his raven haired friend. It was nearly noon, and the smart boy was never a morning person when he didn't get much sleep. They had just gotten back from a three week hockey camp late the night before, and now they were overly excited to be reunited with their childhood friend, Kendall Knight. James sighed heavily when he received no response, brushing his perfectly groomed brown hair away from his hazel eyes as he turned to his other best friend for help.
"Guess what day it is?" Carlos Garcia screamed happily up at the window with a brilliant smile that contrasted brightly against his naturally olive toned skin. He didn't hesitate to grab a clump of dirt from the ground in front of him. The soil beneath the expertly planted flowers in front of the Mitchell's house was thick and dark in his hands. Some of the substance slipped sloppily between his fingers, landing all over the meticulously manicured lawn. Mrs. Mitchell hired numerous people to keep her house looking like it belonged on the cover of a home improvement magazine, and Carlos always managed to foil her efforts in a matter of seconds. Just as the dirt launched from the short boy's hand and smacked against the window with a dull thud, Logan appeared to open it wide with a halfhearted scowl and a raised brow as he leaned over the edge for a better view.
"Is it the day I finally get my normal best friend back and you two start to calm down?" his chocolate eyes shimmered with a light of hope, but a smirk remained on his face; letting his pseudo-brothers know he was joking. As usual, the bubbly Latino and pretty brunette played along without missing a beat.
"Yes," James started, answering the first part of Logan's question right before Carlos interjected to finish.
"…and no," he added simply like it was an easy answer. Carlos and James would always be rambunctious and crazy, especially when they were around each other; feeding off of one another's high energy. Logan glared down at his friends, resting his forearms against the windowsill as he cast his eyes upward to survey the damage.
"Ugh! I just washed this window…" he whined, shaking his head in disapproval down at the boys on his lawn. He was used to their antics, and took it upon himself to keep them in line. He sighed heavily, figuring dirt on his window was probably the least damage Carlos could have done, and counted himself lucky. "Why didn't you just ring the doorbell?" Logan wondered, already slumping his shoulders and knowing that he would regret asking. His friends were never predictable, but, sometimes, the logic in the smart boy's mind made him ask the obvious questions anyway.
"When have we ever been conventional?" James scoffed playfully at his dark haired friend, swaying his head from side to side in mock frustration while not even bothering to offer a real answer to Logan's valid inquiry. Really, Carlos and the pretty boy just tried the first fun thing that came to their minds. They never declined an opportunity for a good time.
"I'm disappointed in you, Logan…" Carlos shook his head in the same rhythm as James while the tall brunette patted his shoulder dramatically in comfort as they frowned up at their genius of a friend.
"Well, I guess I'll just eat breakfast by myself since you're so upset with me…" Logan yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head as he grinned down at his two best friends, knowing the pair would never deny food, especially Carlos, who's three main food groups were sugar, dinosaur shaped chicken, and corn dogs. He and James shared a look, having a silent conversation with their eyes.
"Do you have Pop-Tarts?" James asked for the both of them warily, fighting off his bright smile as the trio's banter was coming to an end. Logan nodded in affirmation, clasping his hands in front of his face as his upper body rested on the windowsill once again.
"We love you," Carlos shot him his adorable smile that could probably make a serial killer regret his ways and a monk break his vow of silence just to tell him how cute he was. Carlos could get anything he wanted with his childlike attitude and expressions; all displaying the high level of innocence he possessed even at the age of seventeen. Although he's seen the darker parts of life with his own eyes, he always kept his secure optimism and hope as weapons against even the most evil displays of mankind.
Logan predictably smirked down at his friend with a disbelieving chuckle, not able to understand how, after over twelve years of friendship, he could still fall for the charms of Carlos and the pretty boy, who was giving him the most brilliant smile he had ever seen. James was like Carlos in the fact that he could use his appearance to his advantage. However, while Carlos had a childlike appeal of uncontrollable excitement, the taller boy more often than not used his birthright of sex appeal and dazzling charm. His terribly handsome looks, along with the self-centered attitude that came with them, were inherited from his free spirited father. Luckily, while James often let this side of himself take center stage, he was also evened out with the drive and devotion passed down from his mother. She was a successful, powerful woman who paved her own way in life. James, like his father, was a dreamer; wanting to become a famous star in Hollywood. With his determination, neither Carlos nor Logan doubted it would happen. Even though he could be an arrogant pain at times, James' redeeming qualities were his fierce loyalty and love for his "brothers". They would always come first; before his dream and even before his parents. He had learned not to count on them after their divorce several years earlier. It tore their family apart and had his mother and father focusing on renewing their own lives while James' needs fell into the background. He loved his parents, but he would only let himself rely on his best friends. Logan and Carlos would always be there, and, hopefully, just as he was in childhood, Kendall would be too.
All three boys were counting on Kendall coming in and finishing the last part of their deconstructed square that was left broken when he moved away seven years ago. They all kept hope when he left, having been like brothers for years. They made it through all of the good and terrible times together; times that change who you are and shape who you'll become. These four were destined to stay together as a family even if circumstances out of their control divided them for awhile. Seven years seemed insignificant when compared to the rest of their lifetime.
You wanna read right? I know you do, so do it! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :/
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Being Thankful
When Kendall and Logan walked into apartment 2J, they didn't know what to expect.
They had dropped off Jo and Camille at their respective apartments silently, the two boys barely saying anything to their dates. Camille was able to see the tense, nervous but logical side of Logan, as she did her best to rest her hand on Logan's knee as he drove home idly. Kendall and Jo sat awkwardly in the back, the high bliss Kendall had felt dissipating by the second by the weight he carried on his shoulders.
Kendall didn't know why he thought of it, but it was if the second he had kissed Jo, and was actually happy without Stella in his life, something bad happened. He would never dare bring it up to Logan who would dismiss it without a second thought, but he felt that somehow these two events were connected. How else would it explain getting the news that Carlos' dad was shot at the exact second Kendall had kissed Jo? It was like the universe was trying to tell him something, seeing as the boy didn't listen. Kendall looked up from the back of the limo up to the window, seeing small stars beginning to peak out into the black sky, as if they were the brightest he had ever seen in his lifetime. At that moment, he closed his eyes and wished for Stella as the need washed over him.
Kendall and Logan walked into 2J, and saw James and Kim on the green laptop at the dining room table, with worried, upset faces on. They were both staring at the screen intently, going over something, both mouths mumbling words they read off the screen. Closing the door behind them, Logan rushedly threw his keys on the counter, James and Kim looking at the boys with a silent sigh as they frantically walked over with heavy steps. There was silent tension in the room, and the only thing that could be heard was the slight shuffling of Carlos in the back room.
"What happened?" Logan asked them confused, his heart beating out of his chest as he twisted his fingers nervously. The second he had heard the news of Carlos' father being shot, his mind instantly went to his own father…who he wasn't talking to. It was on the way home, that all Logan was thinking was that Carlos and his father would be okay, and that he wanted to call up his own dad, and tell him how much he loved him. It was a sense of guilt Logan felt since the moment he had found out the news. Here Carlos was, trying to repair the relationship he had with his father, and Logan was just ignoring his dad as if he didn't exist. If Carlos could forgive his father for his mistakes, why couldn't Logan?
Kendall followed Logan close behind, the gears in his head turning and twisting, thinking of what Carlos must've felt like, knowing it must've been bad. Carlos was definitely the most emotional in the group, and he couldn't even imagine what would happen if the Latino lost his father, especially with everything going on between them lately. At the age of 7, when he had lost his first pet, Sparky, the boy had been inconsolable for days. Mourning the death of a childhood dog was one thing, but mourning the death of father was something the boys had all bit a been too familiar with. Carlos was just starting to get back on the right foot with his father, and then he gets a phone call that he had been shot, and that it was bad with no other real details. It didn't seem logical at all to Kendall, seeing as that Peter had been on the force since before Carlos and his mother were even married, and now when their relationship was getting back to where it was previously, it fell apart again. Why now?
"How bad is it, mom?" Kendall asked his mother with sad eyes. Kim's blue eyes seemed distraught, and they reminded Kendall a bit of the eyes she had worn when she had told Kendall what happened to his father, the day he died. That truthful, upset face, where it seems as everything in the world is about to crash down on you, no matter how strong you think you are.
"It's bad, Kendall," Kim strangled out of her dry throat, the rims of her eyes red. "He's in critical condition, and they had to perform emergency surgery on him," she choked out. "That's all that Marta has told me," she barely got out, sucking on her bottom lip, her voice breaking. James offered Kim a tissue from the table, seeing her eyes glass over again, as they had many times since she heard the news. She graciously took it and smiled at him. "Thanks, sweetie," she said, dabbing at her eyes as James exchanged upset looks with his brothers. If anyone didn't deserve this, it was Carlos, and they all knew it. It was as if each one of them imagined the look on the boy's face when he heard the news, James being the only one to witness it, and it tore their hearts into pieces.
"Where is he?" Logan asked confused, arching his head into the hallway. Kendall looked down at the computer screen and squinted his eyes. He saw that James and his mother were booking Carlos a flight to Minnesota at 6 AM tomorrow morning, the first one they could possibly get due to Carlos and his mother's request. He sighed deep, and saw his silent Latino friend hurrying towards them from the back hallway to the dining room table in a tizzy, as if his sole concentration was somehow getting to Minnesota in the next five minutes. Carlos dropped the bag on the floor quickly, fistfuls of clothes in his hand as he shoved them into the hockey duffel with heavy breaths, his cheeks tear stained. He stuffed the scarf in the side pocket rushedly and tried his best to fit all his clothes into it.
"Carlos," Kendall said easily, walking over to him, not being able to see the boy's face. Kendall ducked his head down to Carlos' as the two best friends caught eyes in a solid, overbearing stare. The Latino's eyes were bloodshot and watery, the lids along the bottoms of his eyes swollen, eyelashes dropped with tears of dew. Kendall stared into the chocolate eyes of his best friend, and Carlos swallowed hard, locking eyes with Kendall as if the boy was bothering him by looking. It seemed as if every fear and fright Carlos had harbored in the last three years was effectively being brought back into his life all at one time, crashing onto him like gale wind. Kendall knew about the nights Carlos would stay up past midnight, waiting for his dad to come home from his job, tears in the small boys eyes whenever Peter was even just a few minutes late. He feared the worst for his father, and even though the town of Duluth was relatively low in crime, it didn't stop Carlos from worrying. As much as he didn't want to show it, Carlos feared for his father's life on the police force, and even though it got less and less as he got older, it was still a part of his heart.
Carlos looked like a scared little boy.
"I-I gotta pack," he said rushedly, biting his lower lip and sighing, his hands shaking. Logan and Kendall had gotten the call only fifteen minutes ago, and Kendall could tell that Carlos was still physically reacting to it. His entire body shook, his hands a dark brown and his face losing color, as if all of it were being sucked down into his fingertips. Carlos panted heavily, and shot Kim and James a look of concern. "Did you book my flight?" he asked them with a sore, strangled call. Kim stood up from her chair, locking eyes with Carlos and she nodded, coming over to him before the boy took back off into his room in a frenzy.
"Carlos, sweetie why don't you sit down, Kendall, Logan and James will pack your things," Kim said to him softly, coming over to the boy and putting a shaking hand on his back. Carlos shook his head no and recoiled from Kim's touch as if it was fire, the older woman looking surprised at his usually loving reaction.
"No...I-I need to pack. I have to get home," he said nervously, stumbling over his words as he shoved more clothes into his suitcase frantically. Kendall exchanged looks with his two heartbroken brothers, Logan looking like a deer in headlights at the sight before him. The pale boy was nearly hypnotized by Carlos' actions, somehow feeling his insides tear apart from the way Carlos had taken a radical 180 from his usual cheerful self, in this horrible mask of upset and frustration that didn't look well on him whatsoever. Carlos shoved his shirts into the already full duffle, trying to close it with no success. "Come on!" he grunted at the bag in despair, finally not being able to handle it anymore and kicking it harshly with a grunt. "Nothing fucking fits!" he screamed out loudly, his breaths heavily turning into cries. The dining room chair jerked a bit before falling to the ground loudly, everyone in the room jumping as Carlos closed his eyes and cursed loudly.
He was a mess.
Kendall, by instinct, immediately grabbed Carlos into a violent hug, the smaller boy immediately sobbing into his best friend's shoulder, clawing onto him for dear life. Kendall tightened his grasp around the boy, feeling the warmth of his body, and the trembling of it against his fingertips. He had never seen Carlos so petrified in all his life, and the truth was that he had never been more scared for their friendship as he was now. It was as the roles were reversed, and Kendall was standing beside his father's grave again, clutching to his best friends who gave him all the strength he had lost.
"I c-can't lose him," Carlos cried out in hysterics, his tears cascading down his face, creating small droplets on Kendall's black vest.
"It's gonna be okay, buddy. He'll pull through, he has to," Kendall spoke out softly, his voice relatively unsure. Kendall looked at his friends and mother over Carlos' shoulder, seeing the horror on their faces, and the strong, familiar expression of helplessness Kendall had seen continually throughout time. James had an arm around Kim, holding her tightly as she sobbed quietly, Logan still frozen at the scene he saw in front of him.
Kendall sighed deeply, still hugging Carlos tightly, a million and five things going through his head. Somehow the first two were his father, and Stella. As if it was planned from all of her to rush back to him, Kendall was overthrown by a giant gust of feelings for the blonde, more powerful than anything that had come over him before. The kiss he had with Jo was instantly blown from his mind, along with the girl completely, as the visions and sensations of having sex with Stella clouded his brain, causing his green eyes to sting painfully and unwillingly. He didn't know if it was the pure fact that Carlos' emotion had gotten to him, the thought of the boy going back to Minnesota for a few days, or simply the fact that Kendall's heart couldn't bear to forget Stella anymore. He felt like he needed to cry, and collapse on his brother's for support, but he couldn't right now. He needed to keep his feelings in and try to swallow them down as good as he good, because right now, Carlos was hurting and Kendall needed to make it better.
A huge, emotional tidal wave.
"I-I don't know how long I'll be there, I-I the band, and G-Gustavo," Carlos cried out softly, coiling away from Kendall's arms, shakily going to pick up his bag, and the clothes that hung out of it. It was if everything in Carlos' life was falling down around him, and he sighed, shrugging his shoulders angrily, as if he had just found the man responsible for the shot. "H-how is this going to work?" he asked the room silently.
"I already talked to Gustavo, sweetheart. It's fine, he understands," Kim said gently, her voice sore from emotion. Each boy looked at her like she was completely out of her mind and Kim smiled a bit, giving them each a slight chuckle. "Well I made him understand, alright? You guys will be off for a few days, he said you've been working hard anyway," Kim told them with a small smile, a small tear falling from her eye. Kendall looked at his heartfelt mother and then back at Carlos who sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, the last of the tears falling from his eyes.
"I'm coming with you," Kendall told them outrightly.
Carlos picked his head up and looked at the tall, natural stance that the blonde had taken. It was as if this newfound confidence, and surge of imperialism had run through Kendall, something the boys hadn't seen on display as it was since before he left. He said it in that Kendall Knight way, where it was as if nothing was going to stop him. Kendall Knight was slowly returning back to the brick wall he was before his father died, and it was as everyone in the room got that message at that moment, including Kendall himself. A certain atmosphere hung through the room, and it was as if all the boys' hearts and faces got a bit lighter at Kendall's dedication to his best friend. The boy took a deep gulp at his own words, his throat dry and heart pounding, fists balled up beside him. He looked at Carlos again and nodded, his face contorting as if he didn't have control of his own words, as if he didn't want to have control of his own words.
The past four months had been absolute chaos for Kendall Knight. He had fallen in love, beaten up his best friend, threatened his other best friend, made his sister scared of him, grown closer to his mother, broken a beautiful brunette girl's heart and gotten his own heart broken to the point of beyond depression. It was if Kendall's life was some sort of sick game since his father had died, but as he stood there with Carlos in the living room, surrounded by all his friends, he realized something.
He was Kendall Knight.
And the only reason he had been thrown this stuff by the universe, was to grow and to learn from it.
He was the only one that could handle all of it, no matter what he went through. It had happened for a reason.
"I'm coming with you."
Carlos looked up at Kendall and nodded silently, Kim not taking a breath. There was no talking Kendall out of this one, and they all knew it. He turned to his mother, and swallowed hard.
"Book me a seat on that flight."
There was not one clue to where Kendall was in California.
Stella had been living in the Knight house ever since that day she had snuck in through the hole in the garage, and now while more welcomed by the still warm water, the bare couch, and Kendall's soft plaid shirt, she still had nowhere to go. She couldn't live here forever. It would never work like that. And while she knew it all along, she knew that she couldn't leave just yet.
Stella had gone out and ventured in the busy streets of Duluth nearly every day, trying to find some way to get some information on Kendall. After the first few days she had been in the house, trying to get comfortable and telling herself she couldn't stay there, Stella went to investigating around town. She had found that the Knight's took most of their belongings with them to California, only leaving furniture, and televisions, and other bulky things back here to collect dust for the three or so months they were gone. In the linen closet downstairs however, Stella had found a collection of winter coats, a fitness suit, and a Duluth High hockey sweatshirt with Knight and the number 12 on the back. She figured it must've been from Kendall's school, and as she ran her hands over the soft material, she wondered how many times Kendall had worn this, and if his persona was still intact with it.
She slipped it on over her bare, white shoulders, and sighed at the warmth that enveloped her, taking in the musty smell of his cologne and his shampoo that she had always loved. It was as if the second she put on the sweatshirt she was at peace. All her problems seemed to float away, even if they did pertain to Kendall, because in that moment, he was right there with her. Stella always felt protected when she wore something of Kendall's, whether it was his plaid shirt, hockey sweatshirt, or the blue cardigan he had given her at Christmas.
However as soon as she took it off, whether to shower or change, the coldness came back. The bitterness came back. The fear that she would never find him came back to haunt her.
Stella had been travelling to Sherwood's market on weekdays to "borrow" groceries, and hopefully find out more about Kendall from anyone who could say anything. Being a master thief to her time on the road, Stella found it easy to slip a few things from Sherwood's shelves into her large sweatshirt of Kendall's, just to help her get by.
Today, Stella walked through the aisles of the grocery store, keeping her eye out for anything that might strike her as suspicious between people talking. Sherwood's was the place where all the women in the town would congregate and gossip as they bought their weight watchers meals and fat free yogurts. As she walked down the cereal aisle, biting her lower lip, she saw two women at the end of the aisle in deep conversation.
This was a jackpot. Anytime two women's carts were touching opposite ways, and their hands flailed about with their expressions, it was bound to be good gossip. Stella had learned this from her time here, and quickly took her position where she could be seen but not suspected. Anytime Stella saw two people engrossed in conversation at the market, she would instantly jump to them, and pretend to look at whatever item surrounded them. It was even better when it was women, because Stella knew how much they liked to gossip. Just the other day, the blonde thought she had a lead when she heard two older women talking about California in the frozen meats section. She had carefully and quietly made her way over to them, picking up a pork roast and examining it carefully as she listened to the blonde women's words. Unfortunately, the only thing the woman talked about was the drama going on in her life, and how her daughter's boyfriend wanted to move to California and take her away from Minnesota to live some kind of stupid acting dream.
It was small disappointments like these that made Stella think she should just get on with her life, and try her best to forget about Kendall like she had done before, even if it was nearly impossible no matter what she did.
She knew that they could never be together, that they were too different, and not right for each other.
But she could not go on without knowing that Kendall felt the exact same way.
"How is Marta doing?" one brunette woman asked the other one, her hands tight on the shopping cart. It seemed like there was a somber, upset atmosphere between the two of them, both of their expressions in a frown. In the blonde women's cart was French bread, some pasta, sauce, and a few other necessities, such as deodorant, hairspray and a box of condoms hidden at the bottom, which Stella was a bit surprised at.
"Not good. Carlos is flying in today though, so I hope that makes her feel a bit better," the other responded in a thick accent that Stella took as French. She looked at the woman who answered, and couldn't help but feel that she looked very familiar with her blonde hair and dark eyebrows. She was dressed in jeans, boots and a formfitting shirt with a light coat over it, with highly rouged cheeks and a layer of red lipstick on her lips. The woman spoke with some sort of disappointment in her response as Stella fingered a box of cookies on the foot of the aisle, just a few feet away from them.
"I hope he's alright," the brunette said sadly, as the blonde woman sighed.
"I know. I hope James is alright too, and Logan and Kendall too. None of them should have to deal with this," she said, as Stella's eyes got wide.
It was if just the sound of Kendall's name made Stella's heart stop, and her feet gravitate off the ground like she could do anything.
After weeks of searching for some sort of clue to where he was, she had found a lead. Stella thought back to the picture she had found of Kendall and his friends in the garage when she had first broken into the house, being familiar the names in conversation as Kendall's best friends since as long as he could remember. That's where she had recognized the woman from, seeing as with brown hair she could resemble her beautiful, gorgeous long-lashed son perfectly. Stella moved closer to the women with a smile, trying to look as if she was shopping and hiding her containment as much as possible. All she needed was a name of a place, even a town in California where they were.
"Have you talked to James since the news?" the brunette asked her.
"Yeah. They are all pretty shaken up about everything. James said Kendall is coming back with Carlos, seeing as Kim couldn't stop him," the blonde said. "You know that boy, he doesn't take no for an answer," the blonde said with a chuckle.
Jackpot.
Stella breathed heavily and quickly tucked herself into the next aisle, leaning against the cans of vegetables, holding the shelf with a shaking hand. Kendall was coming back here? Her breaths were heavy and she closed her eyes, a pure smile of joy spreading across her face as her heart raced in her ribcage, pounding against it like a bass drum.
It was meant to be.
Stella let out a small cry of joy, closing her eyes tight, a tear squeezing down her cheek, and falling to the floor. Kendall was coming home. She would be able to see him, to touch his hair and his arms, to hopefully kiss his lips. She wanted nothing more than to somehow jump into his body, so they could be one all the time. She wanted to be a part of Kendall so he could live his life the way he wanted to, but always carry Stella around with him. She wanted nothing more than to fully live in him, and never let him go.
But it just wasn't in the cards for them.
Kendall and Carlos walked from the plane with their carry-on's on their shoulders somberly, looking around the vast Minnesota airport they had left from so long ago. It seemed like months they had been in California, when it had only been nearly four weeks. Carlos hadn't said much the entire plane trip, to Kendall or to the flight attendant that was "flagging" them, much to Kim's discourse about her son and his best friend being a plane alone. Kendall was glad that Carlos hadn't said much to him, because quite frankly, Kendall was more than messed up in the head about all of this going on.
He had lost his father, and while he didn't know the fear of losing one, he knew what Carlos was feeling and worse. If anyone could understand what he was going through, it was Kendall. Just the thoughts going through Carlos' head were enough to scare the boy the point of muteness. He had seen Kendall lose his father, lose his idol and lose his mind. He had seen the attitude change, the psychological problems, the raw hurt and emotion he had gone through. Carlos didn't want to go through that, he didn't want to have to bury his father. There was no way he could possibly handle it. He wasn't Kendall Knight. He was Carlos Garcia.
"My mom should be right at the gate," Carlos mumbled lowly under his breath as Kendall sighed deeply and nodded. Carlos fastened his bag on his shoulder and Kendall immediately snapped it from the boy, sending Carlos to jerk back a bit as he looked at Kendall confused. The blonde instantly took the bag from his friend and fastened it on his opposite shoulder, the Latino giving him a strange, watery-eyed look.
"If I was you, the first thing I would want to do is hug my mom. I'm just making it easier for you," Kendall said with a small smile. Carlos smiled at Kendall, seeing the genuine good in his friend, and the care that Kendall had for him. It was at that moment the Latino felt a bit selfish, having not talked to Kendall the entire trip, or done anything to thank him for giving up his time to fly out here with Carlos so he wouldn't have to go alone.
The two boys walked out into the busy Minnesota airport and sighed, seeing Marta sitting right across from their gate, nervously tapping her fingers against the side of the chair. The second she saw Carlos and Kendall, she stood up from her seat, and Carlos' eyes started to water. The emotional pull of seeing his mom in this state just made everything worse in his head as he took a shaky breath in.
"Mami," he said softly, picking up his speed as he walked over to her. Marta stood there with her arms open as Carlos rushed into them, holding the small woman close to him in a tight embrace. Marta nuzzled her face into Carlos' neck, finally having something to hold on to, as she let out a small sigh.
"I've missed you so much, mijo," Marta said softly, her voice breaking. Kendall watched the exchange from a distance, letting Carlos and his mother have their time alone, resting the bags down on the airport floor due to their heaviness. Marta took her son's face in her hands and kissed his forehead tenderly, seeing the horror in his eyes.
"How is he?" Carlos asked her terrified. Marta sighed.
"Better. He hasn't woken up yet since the surgery, but he's better," Marta said, swallowing hard. Carlos nodded and sighed, hugging his mother tight again. Kendall looked around the busy airport as Marta and Carlos became reacquainted, sighing deeply. He couldn't believe he was back home again. It was a bit surreal that just four weeks ago he had been standing at this exact spot, with Marta and Peter, Kelley, and Lucie and Jason, all saying good-bye to their children as they embarked on an unsure journey of fame and superstardom.
"Kendall," Marta said softly, walking up the blonde with a smile. Kendall was shaken out of his trance, hypnotized by all the people walking, busy with their own lives as he stared down at Carlos' mother. Kendall smiled and hugged her tightly, Marta giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for coming with Carlos. It means a lot," she whispered to him as Kendall nodded, his hands around her small back. They parted and Marta smiled at the two boys. "I just wish we were together again on better terms," she told them with a sigh.
Both boys nodded in agreeance. It was true. They could be here on better terms.
"Why don't I take you boys to the house so you can drop your stuff off home, and then we can go to the hospital," Marta said, looking from green to brown eyes, making sure it was okay with the boys. Neither contested but just nodded as they descended on the extended part of their long journey from California.
"I don't know if I can do this," Carlos said softly to Kendall as the two stood outside of Peter Garcia's hospital room. Marta had led the boys here, and the entire time Carlos hadn't said a word, but had been perfectly fine. He surely wasn't smiling, but he wasn't near hyperventilating like he was now. Carlos leaned against the hospital wall, hanging his head and breathing heavily at the fact that he was going to have to see his father in this condition. It was times like these when the love Carlos had for Peter really was shown in the greatest light. As much as this whole situation sucked, Carlos and Marta's true admiration and dedication to the man who had sometimes made their lives a living hell really showed. They were in fear of losing him for good now, seeing as when he moved out, he was never really gone in the first place…just away.
"I know it's gonna be hard man, but you'll be fine, because your dad is going to be fine. He's already doing better," Kendall said, trying his best to calm down his best friend's nerves. Truthfully, Kendall didn't even know what he was saying to Carlos at this point. His mind had been all over the place, thinking of Jo, and Stella, and his father, and Carlos' father, and the band, and everything else that he could possibly think of. It was if the last four weeks of progression in every single issue had possible was slowly re-washing up on the shore a little more clear, but a little more colossal. Kendall's mind seemed to chaotically bounce from one thing to the next, not even giving his mind time to set down and think of something in a whole.
"But what if he doesn't Kendall? What if he dies, just like your dad died," Carlos spat out, not thinking about how the comment would affect his friend. The blonde put his head down and sighed, taking a moment to remember the life of his father. Luckily, he wasn't the one who had seen his father on a stretcher, mutilated from waist down, covered in blood. Kendall was thankful he had never seen that image, and only the clean body of his father at his mass and funeral. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Carlos said, in fear that Kendall may spite up with anger again. But the boy just shook his head and sighed.
"He won't, Carlos. He is going to be fine, I promise," Kendall told the boy. Carlos sighed and leaned his head against the wall, looking at the door to his right, his comatose father just a wall and a few feet from him. He looked at Kendall who smiled at him comfortingly, offering a hand to the boys shoulder. "Just go in there and be with him," Kendall said. Carlos nodded and sighed, looking up at his best friend.
"Count to one-fifty and then come in?" Carlos asked him with soft brown eyes, and a half smile. Kendall's lips curled up and he nodded, squeezing Carlos' shoulder tightly.
"You betcha."
Carlos took one more deep breath and turned to the oak hospital door, able to see his father's sleeping form from the tiny window in the door. He slowly gripped the knob and pushed the door open, getting a bit dizzy from the smell of cleaning products and flowers that wafted into his nose the second he opened the door. Kendall stood outside the door, counting to fifty as Carlos' eyes fixated on his sleeping father, with machines buzzing all around him. Peter's arm was in a cast, there was a thick bandage around his head and he wore a blue and green hospital gown.
However the boy's eyes were soon turned to a tall, beautiful, older woman who sat in the corner of the room, biting her nails nervously. Marta stood up from the chair she sat in beside her ex-husband, as Carlos looked from Marta, to the woman, to his father, and then back to his mother. The mysterious woman in the corner stood up with a warm smile. She had long black hair down to her back, a beautifully made up face, and wore tight jeans, and a long sleeved shirt with boots.
"Mijo, this is Gabriela. Your father's girlfriend," Marta said a bit awkwardly, trying to get the last word out the best she could. Even though not in love, it was still hard for her to imagine Peter with someone else especially since she had just found out about it. Carlos looked at the woman with almost a bit of shock, seeming to have forgotten him and his father's last conversation about her. Marta stood behind her son, her hand gently squeezing his shoulder with a smile, the only sound in the room the beeping of the machines.
Gabriela smiled easily, and looked from Marta to Carlos a bit nervously. Even though she was more than a foot taller than both Garcia's, she looked at Carlos and Marta like they held all authority. Carlos could see the bags under her eyes, and how her lashes collected small drops of tears that she had thought were totally gone. The three just stared for a few moments, Gabriela finally taking a deep breath.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Carlos," she said, extending a hand out to the boy. Carlos swallowed hard and shook it accordingly, not really giving her much of a tell tale expression to what he felt about her. Right now, she wasn't any problem to the boy. It was his father, laying in a hospital bed in a coma that was the problem. He didn't give two shits that his father had a girlfriend who was staying in the same room as his mother.
"You too," the boy said politely, dropping his hand from hers and taking a deep sigh at the situation. Gabriela backed off a bit, as Marta squeezed Carlos' shoulders and kiss his head gently with a small smile.
"Why don't you sit down in the chair for a little while, and me and Gabriela will give you some privacy," Marta said softly. Gabriela nodded, and instantly walked past Carlos, as she exited the room slowly. Marta kissed Carlos' hair once more and squeezed his shoulder. "It's going to be alright, Mijo. Don't worry," she said to him softly, before turning on her heel, and exiting out into the hallway. Carlos stayed still, looking around at the beeping machines that were hooked up to his father, and all the other disgusting things he hated about hospitals.
The last time Carlos was in the hospital had been the time that he had fallen out of the tree house Peter had made for him in the backyard. Him and the boys had used it all the time, whether it was going up there when they were seven to switch trading cards or going up there at thirteen to look at Logan's fathers Playboys that he hid in the bathroom. It had been just around the time his father had moved out and part of the reason that Carlos milked his barely fractured arm so badly, and screamed and cried at the simplest touch of it was because he thought it could bring his parents together. Carlos remembered having to up his game and acting, so that Peter would be concerned enough to come down the hospital to see his son. Now being nearly sixteen, Carlos knew that his father would've come down no matter what had happened, even if it was just a scrape or bruise, because he loved the boy. It was parent logic. Parents love their children no matter what the circumstances.
Carlos sighed and sat down next to his father, watching his lifeless body just lay flat, nothing moving in the room around him. It was as if he was frozen in time, not being able to escape the room in which he sat in. He didn't know what to say to his father, just laying there lifelessly.
"You're gonna be alright, Papi. That's what everyone is promising me," Carlos said softly, looking at his father's closed eyes. He sighed deeply and fiddled with his fingers, nervously trying to find the words to say next. "Kendall said you'll be fine, Mami said you'll be fine, even Logan is giving you good chances, and he's a doctor," Carlos said with a chuckle, only soon remembering that his father could probably hear him but wouldn't respond.
Logan had told Carlos once, reading from his medical book his father had gotten him, that people in comas can hear what you are saying but that they just can't respond. Logan had said that being a coma is sort of like having no voice, and trying to scream with no one hearing you. The thought scared Carlos a bit as he looked at his father sitting there with a expressionless face and heavy eyes.
"I miss you. And I-I have to admit, that I know we've been talking every day and trying to make up for lost time, but when you told me…that you had a girlfriend, I-I was a bit surprised," Carlos said sitting back in the char more comfortably. He sighed deeply and bit his lower lip, taking a few seconds to get his thoughts straight, knowing his father could hear him. "It's not like I'm not happy for you, because I know you deserve someone to love just like Mami does, but…I guess it was the fact that you didn't tell me?" he said, in more a of question towards himself. He took a few seconds of silence and breathed out softly, trying his best to keep his total composure. "Gabriela seems really nice and all, a-and I guess I was just a little upset by the whole thing. I mean you've never had a girlfriend before and I don't know, I guess I was just confused," Carlos rambled on with a soft laugh. "It sounds so stupid now," he mumbled out softly. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply, then reverting his gaze back to his father. "I just want you to be okay, Papi. I can't lose you. I can't handle it, I'm not strong enough," Carlos told his father. "I mean, look at Kendall. He lost his father, and look at all the shit he went through to get where he is," he paused with a small chuckle, "I don't know how he does it. It's just like…he can handle the things that I can't. He's lost a father, and then there is Stella, who broke his heart into pieces," Carlos said. "You know, I think he really did love her. I didn't believe it until I saw the way he acted after they last saw each other, and the raw emotion he felt, but I-I'm starting to think that maybe it wasn't all bullshit. I mean, look at how upset Mami is over you being in here, she is a mess, and you guys aren't even married. I just…he's so strong, Papi, and I could only dream to be like that," he whispered out softly.
Carlos suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jerked a bit, looking up at who was behind him. There he saw the beautiful green eyes of his best friend.
"I-I counted until one-fifty," Kendall said with a smile, Carlos nodding at him awkwardly. He hung his head a bit, and then looked back at Kendall.
"Did you happen to hear that last part?" Carlos asked him. Kendall shrugged and nodded modestly with a smile.
"Uh, you know, I-I didn't mean it like…like," Carlos said a bit embarrassed at his sentiment, but Kendall interrupted with a laugh and nod.
"I know, dude. You like girls," Kendall said with a laugh. Carlos chuckled for a moment and then looked at his father and sighed.
"It's true though, you know? About how strong you are," he told him, eyes still locked on his father. Kendall swallowed hard and looked down at his sneakers, as Carlos boosted him up on a pedestal to be this strong, amazing teenager he didn't feel he was. "And how genuine, and just…you can handle anything, Kendall. It may not come easy, but you can handle it," Carlos told him, "and if I-I ever lost my father," he said, his voice beginning to break at the seams. Carlos brought his hand up to his mouth and covered it pensively, trying his best to keep his composure. He took a deep breath and looked back at his blonde friend, who looked sheepishly embarrassed by all of these compliments. "You lost two people you loved, Kendall," he whispered. Kendall smiled at Carlos' recognition of Stella's love towards him, as wide as he could. It hurt that only now he was starting to believe it, where he didn't know if he would ever possibly see Stella again, but at least he knew he wasn't crazy anymore.
"Two people? What? You finally believe I wasn't kidding you all about Stella?" Kendall asked him in a lighthearted way, chuckling at the Latino. Carlos looked up at Kendall with a smile.
"I guess so," he said.
"Why now?" Kendall asked him confused.
"Look at my family, Kendall," Carlos said softly. My parents had the worst divorce this town has ever seen, my father was never home, I watched my mom cry herself to sleep for months," Carlos said, closing his eyes, trying to block out the pain. He turned to the blonde with heavy, innocent eyes and sighed deeply. "How am I supposed to believe in love after that?
Kendall went to speak, but inadvertently shut his mouth, looking at his best friend's father.
Carlos had a point.