Coffee Shop Soundtrack (Marianas Trench)

Chapter Forty Three

"Matthew Webb?" the pharmacist called, Josh standing up at once to go and get Matt's prescription.

"No, ma'am, I'm not Matt. Matt's over there. I'm with him." Josh explained hastily.

"Alright." She said, peering at Josh over the gold rim of her glasses. She continued as soon as she saw Matt nod as consent. "There are three types of drugs here for Matt. This is just a simple antibiotic course, regular dosage, one spoonful in the morning." She handed Josh a bottleful of suspicious yellow liquid. "There are some painkillers here, to take as and when necessary. Read the instructions carefully, alright?"

Josh nodded. "And this last one for Matthew is a cream to help with his bruises. Helps them to heal quicker and hurt a little less, and it reduces the swelling. I can imagine Mr Webb has bruises all over, so you'll need to get perhaps his mother or someone he trusts well to help him with that."

"It's fine, I'm his boyfriend, I can do that." The pharmacist pursed her lips, giving a sneer and a sideways glance at Matt.

"Fine. I expect you'll take good care of him from here on out."

"Of course. Thank you." Josh took the paper bag from her and slipped it into his rucksack, helping his boyfriend to stand. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine." Matt said, holding onto Josh tightly. They'd parked in the little lay-by outside the chemists, and Josh carefully helped Matt back into the car.

"Oh god," Josh laughed as he got into the driver's seat. "I was so ready to tell her 'I'm his boyfriend, I can touch him all I want' just to see her face." Matt cracked a smile, before letting it drop when he thought Josh wasn't looking.

"Hey." Josh said, reaching over the centre console to rub at Matt's hand, catching his attention. "How are you? Really?"

"I'm terrified." Matt confessed, grabbing onto Josh's hand with his good hand, shaking slightly but hoping Josh couldn't feel the tremors.

"Do... do you still want to go? 'Cause we don't have to if you don't think you're ready, that's totally fine too, okay? Don't push yourself."

"No, Joshy, I'm fine. Let's just go, otherwise I'll chicken out. I know I need to do this."

Josh put the key into the ignition, taking one last look at his boyfriend warily. "Alright. If you feel uncomfortable, or anything like that, just tell me and we'll turn around and come home again."

Matt nodded in reply, not trusting his voice right now.

The drive to the station wasn't long, and there were parking spaces near the door, which Josh happily parked in, knowing it would be easier for Matt in his state if he didn't walk much. In Josh's opinion, he should be at home in bed resting, but he wanted to do this. Josh got out of the car and walked over to get Matt, opening the door and squatting outside next to his boyfriend. He reached out and rubbed at Matt's thigh, hoping to give him some comfort.

"Babe, d'you wanna go in?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah." Matt said, looking over at Josh with already glassy eyes and holding out his arms. Josh helped him up, locked the car, and they were on their way.

"We definitely need to get the glitter out on that cast. Way too ordinary." Josh joked in an attempt to lighten the mood, make his boyfriend more comfortable. His smile soon fell when he saw Matt's miserable face; portraying fear and nerves. "No one's forcing you to do this, sweetheart."

"I know. I want to." Matt sighed. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

The station was plain, ordinary. The blue pin boards were littered with signs about drinking under the influence and road safety and locking your doors and missing people. Matt shook as though he was a phone on vibrate as they made their way up to the main desk.