Walk With Me- Sturniolo Triplets Angst

Chapter 2

1:00 PM Sunday (Nick)

Nick felt prickly all over and cold. It was the feeling you got when you sat in one place too long, except it was over his entire body.

Looking around he noticed that he was in a hospital. "What am I doing here?" He asks himself and reached in his pocket for his phone to text the group chat with his brothers but he didn't have it.

"Did someone drug me or something? What is going on?"

He approached one of the desks.

"Hey. Can I use your phone? I don't remember why I'm here." He says to the person working there but there is no response.

"Hello?" He asked again. "What the fuck is this?" He looked at himself to check if he somehow became invisible.

"There's no way this is happening right now."

He started walking around and found that no one acknowledged him, he also couldn't really interact with anything. He could touch it but there was no movement.

"There's no way this is real. Such a bizarre dream I'm having right now."

He continued down the halls waiting to wake up. He went down the ICU hall at last, but stopped when he saw Chris standing against a wall on his phone. He looked awful, like he hadn't slept and barely ate.

"Why does dream Chris look so miserable? Is this how my mind really thinks of him?"

Nick stood beside him and started messing around. Of course it didn't matter. It was frustrating.

"I rarely sleep this long. I've gotta wake up soon." He says

But the time dragged on and every second felt more and more real. Chris started walking and Nick followed.

Chris went into a room there. Whatever Nick was expecting to see, it definitely wasn't this.

He saw himself there on a bed. Matt was asleep beside him in a chair with his head resting next to Nick's torso. Chris sat down opposite Matt and stared at them. Nick got closer and saw all of the machines connected to his body. If he wasn't in this weird state right now he would probably throw up.

"I could not have come up with this in my own head, this has to be real. But how??"

He stared at his still body in the bed, completely stunned. What was he supposed to do now? Just stand in silence until something happens?

He got up and walked around some more, he witnessed a lot of things he could have lived without seeing.

When he got back 40 minutes later, Matt was awake and sitting up in his chair. He didn't look rested though.

"Any word from the police?" Matt asked.

"Nothing. Just Madi nagging me and asking what time we want to be picked up. Chris responds.

"Well she already knows the answer to that."

"I know, but she's adamant we shower, rest, and eat real food."

"I don't know Chris. I feel like we should. It's been since yesterday morning that we really slept."

"No Matt. I can't leave him alone again and assume that he is gonna be fine, clearly that isn't a safe assumption." Chris says exasperated.

"Guys please go." Nick says even though he knows they can't hear him.

Chris sits in silence, looking at Nick in the bed while Matt takes his turn to watch the both of them for a minute.

"Alright, What if I go and rest since we've been here 20 hours already. You can stay with him. When I get back though, I will stay and you have to leave for a while."
Matt suggests.

"Matt, you can go but I can't..."

Chris, you need to. You are no use to him if you're basically dead on your feet." He pleads. "He won't be alone. One of us is going to be here at all times. Unless they decide it's time to kick us out."

Chris looks at Matt skeptically for a while then reluctantly agrees.

"Good. I'll text Madi the plan."

Nick watches Matt step out. They seem to not like being on their phones in the room. Nick moves to sit next to Chris.

I wonder how bad it is. He thinks.

Matt walks back in 4 minutes later to say bye to Chris and hug him. It's a tight hug different from their daily ones, there is no space between Matt and Chris and when they pull apart they are still touching in some way.

"Text me anytime for any reason. I will be gone for up to 7 hours. Call and I will be here immediately, you know I will."

Chris nods. Matt squeezes his arm and turns to walk out again.

"I love you Matt." Chris says and Matt stops briefly.

"I love you too." Matt responds sincerely and continues leaving.

Chris sighs and sits back down. The space is silent once more

A doctor and a nurse walk into the room.

"Hey Chris. We received a few more test results and some information from the police earlier, and I'd like to share it with you if you are up for it?"

"Yes of course."

-My lack medical knowledge lo siento-

"Alright. So at first we were confused as to why he was staying unconscious for so long. The police found traces of sedatives at the scene. Mixed with the pain he was feeling and the drugs he was likely knocked out quicker than usual so he didn't feel the pain for long. The blood loss kept him unconscious, as well as a concussion he sustained. It is unclear at this point how he got the concussion."

Chris looked at Nick while he heard all this information.

"So will he wake up soon?"

"That I also can not tell you. Situations like this are complicated. This is the ICU. I cannot assure you that nothing will go wrong. We are unable at this point to know how the blood loss affected his brain. If his vitals stay steady he has good chances."

Chris sighs and tears up. The doctor isn't done.

"I can tell you boys are close. Why do you think I let you stay here, and past visiting hours nonetheless? Have faith. We'd be nothing without the love we give and receive." He finishes with a warm smile at Chris.

"Thank you sir."

The doctor nods. "I don't just do it for the money you know." He winks and leaves while the nurse checks over all the machines to ensure they are working properly and then also exits the room.

"Damn it Nick. You really know how to be the star of the show." Chris says. Nick watches and studies Chris's face.
"Mom and Dad should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. So I'd suggest waking up before then, you know they don't like it when you sleep in too long."

Nicks laughs a little at this. All he feels is concern for Chris. He wants to live of course but above all else he needs to live to make sure Matt and Chris are okay.

Chris is struggling to keep his emotions in. "I love you Nick. I regret all that time we were so distant. All I wanted was for you to be there with me and Matt. I never told you how much I missed you in those days. You were like a ghost that passed through the house. I barely saw you at school and even when we were a few feet apart we were so distant. Being adults and living together was something I never would have expected at the time. You're a beautiful soul Nick and our time can't be over yet. There's still so much I want to argue with you about, there's this movie that came out the other day and I immediately thought of watching it with you. It's right up your alley, you're gonna love it."

Nick gets emotional witnessing the confession. He so badly wanted to hug Chris and tell him he was here and they would definitely be watching that movie.

"I've got to text Matt all the details that the doctor told me."

Chris pulls out his phone, types with his right hand and holds Nicks hand with his left. Nick can feel the pressure and sighs leaning on Chris's shoulder and falling asleep or whatever semblance of sleep there is in this state.