Cell Mates (boyxboy) (Book 1: Behind Bars)

Chapter 43: Remembering Kyle (Part 2)

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It was a good two hours before any of us were finally allowed to see him, and one by one the guys entered his room, said their piece and left. A couple times he'd fallen asleep again, and we'd had to wait, but soon the waiting room was clearing out.

Simon went in with Eddie, then finally it was John's turn, and after a few minutes had passed, I went to stand by the doorway to his room, watching their interaction. He didn't look like the Kyle I knew. He lay there looking pale and weak, with tubes attached to his wrists, and I was sure he'd lost some weight in the short time he'd been here.

My lips trembled at the sight of him, but the light I saw in his eyes was unmistakable. He may look sick, but he was the same Kyle I knew and loved.

"You know...when I was younger I was terrified of stuffed bears." He was telling John, who held up the bear for him to see. His voice was raspy and he didn't so much as lift a finger from the bed as he spoke.

John laughed though, and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. Kyle lifted a shaking hand to take it, and I watched as he slowly brought it up to eye level. He looked at John, then back at the paper and to my surprise his face crumpled, as tears flowed freely from his eyes. When John took the paper from his hand, whispering words I couldn't hope to hear, Kyle covered his eyes with his fingers, his body wracked with sobs.

"I knew it...I knew you loved me Johnny." He managed to get out, and I smiled softly at the sight, then John bent to place a kiss on his forehead and I turned to Nate, who still sat in his chair across the way, and gave him a thumbs up. He grinned.

I turned away when they started talking quietly, deciding it was time to allow them some privacy.

It was half an hour before Nate and I got our turn with him and when he brought me back to my cell I was still smiling.

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Three weeks.

Three weeks I was held in the small cell before I saw any progress as it related to my case, and in all that time I'd managed to make myself sick with worry at the thought that I wouldn't be allowed to go free after all. Nate came by every day around noon, staying with me for as long as he could, while giving assurances that I'd be out soon, but the longer I waited, the more convinced I'd become that freedom wasn't in the cards for me.

I wasn't allowed to leave the cell any more, except where it was designated by law that I was entitled to at least an hour of sunlight and fresh air every day. Otherwise I was left to pace the four corners of my room, only getting relief when someone visited.

Jerry came as often as he could manage, and once he'd even brought my baby brother along, after my mother reluctantly agreed to it. I'd played with him until he'd had to leave, then cried because it was the first time I'd seen him in months.

Eddie came by almost as much as Nate did, and I never saw Kyle again. I'd been told he'd been released from the hospital only a few days ago, and was now in a holding cell of his own. The only time we spoke was when we were able to relay messages to each other through John, Eddie or Nate, but I missed him terribly, and prayed for the day I'd be able to see him again.

I'd also found out that James had already been released on probation, and I'd felt so much anger and resentment that Kyle and I were still stuck, while he practically roamed free. I'd even stopped reading, unable to find pleasure in books anymore, and as a result Nate had stopped bringing them by.

It was on yet another uninteresting day, where I'd been pacing my cell that I'd been collected by a guard who looked like he could use a vacation. He led me down the hall, through a set of wide double doors, down a narrow passage way, and into a large office, where I was shocked to see Kyle, John and Nate all seated before the chief, whom I'd only met once before.