Nat woke a little before Alex did the next morning, He didn't know how soon he and his dad would be going on the trip. The tickets had been dropped off last night after Alex went to sleep, and it told him they would fly out that Thursday.
Nat wasn't too concerned, he spent the day before talking with a specialist trying to get things of his chest. He did wonder how Alex would cope, never in his life had they ever been so far away from Alex and defiantly not since Vancouver has he not seen his dad or him in anything more than a week.
Nat climbed down from his bunk. Alex was sleeping still, Nat wasn't to careful about keeping quiet, someone would be in shortly to wake him up.
Nat grabbed his clothes and went for a shower but he heard his dad go into to wake up Alex.
Mr Wolff shook Alex awake.
"Hey buddy," He said quietly. He was holding one of Alex's pills and a glass of water.
"Hey dad," Alex groaned tiredly.
"Here Alex take this," Mr Wolff said giving Alex the pill and the water.
Alex swallowed them together, he didn't know how that doctor on TV managed to do it with out water.
Mr Wolff then put the glass on the shelf and sat on Alex's bed.
"How are you feeling today?"
"Good I guess." Alex said quietly.
"You guess?" Mr Wolff asked curiously.
"I don't know, I only just woke up," Alex said a little agitated
"It's ok, I'm just joking with you," Mr Wolff said smiling.
Alex smiled.
"Now Alex, I want to ask you a couple of things." Mr Wolff said softly.
"What?"
"You do know that Nat and I fly out on Thursday, right?" Mr Wolff asked.
Alex shook his head, he never bothered to check the dates.
"Ok. Are you really ok with this Alex, because if you just did this as a token gesture, we would both understand," Mr Wolff stated.
Alex began playing with his hands uncomfortably.
"I don't know. I just want Nat to get away and not feel guilty." Alex mumbled.
Mr Wolff could understand Alex's intentions, but he wasn't too sure whether Alex had actually thought it through.
"Nat and I will be gone for two weeks, that's a long time Alex."
"The UK has phones don't they?" Alex asked now looking at his hands, he was scared of them going, but he knew if he told anyone his brother and his dad wouldn't go, although Alex secretly wanted this.
"Of course they do buddy, and we'll call you every day." Mr Wolff said giving Alex a playful knock on the check.
"Thanks dad,"
When his dad wheeled him up to school, he wheeled him over to Juanita, and the kid he met yesterday.
"Hey Alex," Juanita said softly. "Hi Mr Wolff"
"Hi Juanita," Mr Wolff said smiling.
"I suppose I can leave you to take care of Alex." Mr Wolff said with a smile.
"I'll see you after school buddy," Mr Wolff giving Alex a hug.
"Bye dad," Alex said, still not entirely sure if he wanted his dad or brother to go away.
"So Alex, is it ok if Jeremy hangs out with us seeing as he is new and all," Juanita asked.
"Yeah," Alex said slowly, "Hey Jeremy"
Jeremy smiled.
"Thanks, I was hoping you would say yes, I hate starting at a new school." Jeremy said a little bit timidly.
"I know, it was they something when I started here, thankfully I knew Alex from the skate park." Juanita said.
"I know it's short notice, but do you want to come to my birthday party on Friday and Saturday," Jeremy asked "I've got one of my friends coming in from Colorado,"
"It should be cool with my parents," Juanita said, she had spent a lot of the day before hanging out with him.
Alex looked extremely reluctant.
"Do you not like me Alex?" Jeremy asked quietly.
Juanita looked at him then back at Jeremy.
"I don't think it's that. Alex doesn't know you too well, he doesn't know your parents or where you live. The last time he went to someone's house like that, he almost got beaten and starved to death."
Juanita explained, she knew Alex was scared to death of it happening again.
"Oh, well my mom will be here to pick me up, so maybe we can all talk then.' Jeremy said,
Alex didn't say a lot during the day, partly because of his pain killers and partly because he was distracted thinking about Nat and his dad going.
"Do you think they'll come back?" Alex asked Juanita shortly before lunch.
"Alex Columbus is dead," Juanita said thinking Alex was asking about a statement the teacher just made.
"No, Dad and Nat, if they go, do you think they will come back." Alex asked ignoring his tutor who was trying to get him to write something.
"Of course they are going to come back, they love you and to be honest, your not as much of a nuisance as you think you are." Juanita said, she knew Alex was scared of being deserted and it stemmed from once again Vancouver, when Nat told him they where at the airport From what Juanita could understand Alex thought they were running away from him.
"I wish you would talk to them about it, or at least not have sworn me to secrecy," Juanita said
"If they knew then they would leave me," Alex whined.
"Alex, you're my best friend in the whole world, but you need to get it through your head that your dad and brother would swim the Atlantic if it was the only way to get back to you." Juanita said.
"You think?" Alex asked.
"I know Alex." Juanita said with a reassuring smile.
"It's ok to feel a little insecure Alex," Jeremy said softly, "I was always scared my mom and dad would get divorced,"
"I'm not insecure…. I'm scared," Alex mumbled.
"You're a strange kid Alex, not many would admit their scared especially at school." Jeremy said admiring Alex's openness.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, most the time he is extremely guarded. He only told anyone yesterday, how badder a pain he was in since he broke his back.
"Huh... where am I?" Alex jumped looked confused.
Juanita looked at Alex strangely.
"Are you ok Alex?" Juanita asked concerned.
Alex stayed quiet for a couple of minutes.
"Yeah..." Alex said evasively.