warning: brief mention of vomit and description of being sick
Chapter 38: The cluster & Angelica
In which Angelica makes an offer
It's like 7 AM by the time they reach the hospital. They enter the lobby, soaking wet, and sit down in the vinyl chairs. The receptionist eyes them uneasily.
Wolfgang knows that look, the I-hate-homeless-people-on-principle look. And sure enough, they've only been sitting there for a few minutes before she comes over and asks them to leave.
"Why?" demands Wolfgang, glaring at her.
"You're getting the chairs wet," is what she says.
"The chairs'll dry," Wolfgang retorts.
"Well you're making people uncomfortable," she says, though there's only one other person in the lobby, and he seems to be asleep. "I'm going to have to call security if you don't go."
Wolfgang opens his mouth to argue, but Kala touches his arm. "It's okay," she says, standing up. "We're sorry," she tells the lady.
Riley stands up too. "Come on," she murmurs. "Let's go."
So they do. The lady watches with her arms crossed, and Felix flips her off as the door swings shut behind them.
They sit down right outside the lobby, under an awning that mostly manages to keep the rain off.
"What a bitch," says Felix sourly.
"She was just doing her job," Kala says.
"No, she was being a bitch."
"I think she was just scared," says Nomi. "I— I used to be kind of scared of homeless people too." She lowers her voice. "Before, I mean. I thought they were dangerous."
"Some of them are," Riley mutters darkly.
Which is true, they all know. For a few moments none of them speak.
Then Capheus changes the subject. "So. Visiting hours start at eight," he says.
"Great," Wolfgang sighs. It's cold outside. He shoves his hands in his pockets. "One hour to go."
o - o - o
Except fifteen minutes later, Angelica shows up.
It takes Wolfgang by surprise, though he really should have expected it, he thinks. Of course she wouldn't just let them leave; of course she'd feel the need to check up on them.
She looks like a fucking angel or something as she ducks under the awning, with her white raincoat and her white umbrella and her blonde hair streaming behind her.
"I thought I might find you here," she says. They stare up at her, and she frowns. "Why are you sitting outside?"
"Lady in there kicked us out," mutters Felix.
"She said we were making people uncomfortable," adds Capheus.
Angelica scoffs. "Give me one minute," she says brusquely. With that, she closes her umbrella, yanks open the door, and storms into the lobby.
They watch through the glass as she heads toward the desk and begins gesticulating at the receptionist. Before long the receptionist nods grudgingly, and Angelica comes marching back toward the door. She pushes it open. "Come on," she says, beckoning to them. "Come in."
"What did you tell her?" Lito asks wonderingly as they re-enter the lobby.
"To go fuck herself," whispers Angelica. She gives them a wink. "Though not in those exact words."
And Wolfgang can't help but smile a little.
o - o - o
They all sit down together in the back corner of the lobby. Felix gives the receptionist a jaunty wave, and she looks away stiffly.
Angelica laughs. "So," she says then, taking off her raincoat and setting it on the chair beside her. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well, thank you," says Riley politely.
Angelica smiles. "I'm glad," she says. "I barely slept at all."
"How come?" asks Capheus.
Angelica hesitates. "Um," she says finally, "well, to be honest, I kind of couldn't stop thinking about you guys. And— and Will, of course." She swallows.
They stare at her.
"I, um. I wanted to ask you something, actually," she goes on. "I had planned to talk to you about it at breakfast, but then you slipped out early, so I just…" She takes a deep breath. "I wanted to know if maybe… you might want to stay with me on a more… long-term basis?"
"Stay with you?" repeats Kala.
"How long?" asks Nomi.
"No," says Wolfgang decisively, setting his jaw.
Everyone looks over at him.
"What?" he mutters, not meeting anyone's eye. "We can take care of ourselves."
Angelica nods somberly. "Obviously," she says. "If you couldn't, I imagine you'd be dead." There's a ringing sort of silence. Then Angelica continues. "But what about Will?" she says softly. "Will deserves somewhere safe to detox, doesn't he? Somewhere comfortable and dry."
Somewhere with a bathroom to shit in, thinks Wolfgang, remembering the last time Will went through withdrawals. He bites his lip.
He can feel the others holding their breaths.
Angelica sighs. "What about just until the rain lets up?" she tries. "I hear it's supposed to stop sometime next week. How does that sound, hmm?"
"You'd like us… to stay in your house? Until next week?" asks Sun quietly, frowning.
"Yes," nods Angelica. She glances around at each them. "Yes, I would like that very much."
No one says anything.
No, Wolfgang thinks, automatically, we don't need any fucking help, but he can't quite get the words out, because of course they need some fucking help. Because they're teenagers living in a shitty abandoned church. Because they make money selling their bodies and begging for change and recycling cans. Because there's never quite enough food or blankets as it is, and autumn is coming, and then winter, and winter makes everything worse.
He closes his eyes, and suddenly he remembers being thirteen, and sick, and utterly alone. He remembers staggering into some store and trying to shoplift some food and a bottle of medicine, remembers getting caught and slapped across the face and shoved out the door. He remembers giving up then, giving up and crawling down an alley and curling into a ball, puking and coughing and wanting to die.
And then he remembers hearing a voice, someone talking to him, asking if he was okay. A boy. A boy holding the bottle of medicine he'd tried to steal.
Felix.
He remembers being terrified, trying to stand up, only to collapse back onto the ground.
Are you okay? Felix had repeated.
Wolfgang hadn't answered.
Just take the medicine, Felix had said, setting it down and lifting up his hands in a show of peace. I'm not gonna hurt you.
I don't need your help, Wolfgang had coughed out.
Felix had just given him a look. You got somewhere to stay?
Yes.
Let's go there, Felix had said. Come on, I'll help you get up. It's okay, c'mon.
And Wolfgang hadn't had it in him to argue.
They'd made their way to the church, Wolfgang clutching Felix's arm for support. You live here? Felix had asked, looking around in awe. By yourself?
Wolfgang had nodded, and allowed himself to be led toward the nest of dirty blankets in the corner.
Lay down, Felix had told him. I'll go find you some food.
No, Wolfgang had muttered. I'm fine.
But Felix had shaken his head. You're not, he'd asserted. Then: Everyone needs help sometimes, he'd said softly. It's alright.
And Wolfgang had said, Okay.
He opens his eyes, and he's back in the hospital lobby, and the others are staring at him, and Angelica is waiting for an answer.
"Okay," he says.
And that's that.