Broken

Chapter 1

Erik sat at his kitchen table in the evening. His fingers in his left hand were curled around a beer and the fingers in his right hand were rapping nervously on the table. Angrily, he eyed up his mobile phone that was lying next to his coffee, as thought staring at it would make it ring. It had been 4 weeks since Charles's accident and Erik hadn't heard a word from him since. A few days after Charles had been rushed to hospital Erik had suggested that he stay with him for a while after he was discharged, to look after him. Meekly, Charles had just shook his head and told Erik he needed time on his own to get used to things, never once looking being able to look him the eye. After that Erik had left and told him to call to tell him how he was and when he could come and visit. Charles hadn't. And after 4 weeks of staring at his phone and not getting anything, Erik was getting more and more worried. Rubbing his hands over his sandpaper textured chin and his now longer hair he pondered over the impossible situation. Erik thought "fuck it" ,4 weeks was long enough for Charles to be on his own and Erik missed him terribly. After picking up his car keys and putting on his coat, Erik kept telling himself "I'm doing this for you, Charles".

Pulling up outside Charles' house and seeing his car in brought both relief and fear to Erik. Relief that he would finally see Charles and get his fix of the drug that Charles had become to him. Fear that Charles would not feel the same.

Gulping down the butterflies that were rising in his stomach, Erik knocked three times on the large wooden door. No reply.

"Charles? Charles it's me, it's Erik, I've just come to see if you're okay, are you there?"

Still no reply.

Beginning to get impatient and even more apprehensive, Erik instinctively tried the door, shocked to find it was open. Just as he was about to push the door, he hesitated. Was he really close enough to Charles yet to let himself into his house? No, Erik convinced himself, it didn't matter, Charles might be in trouble. Opening the door with an anxious "hello? You left the door open Charles" Erik walked into the house and was completely shocked at the sight before him.

Lying in his wheelchair, sagging to the left, asleep and surrounded by empty bottles of beer, was Charles. It was clear that he had passed out cold from all the alcohol. Eric sighed as he took it in.

"Oh Charles, what have you done to yourself?"

Clearing away the mess, Erik gently tapped Charles on the shoulder to see if he would respond. Thankfully, he could hear his shallow breathing and so knew he was at least still alive, although the state he was in sent all sorts of painful thoughts around Erik's mind.

After getting no response from Charles, and checking his watch to find it was nearly midnight, Erik made he decision to carry Charles to his bed, he certainly looked like that was where he needed to be.

Effortlessly, Erik scooped him up an carried him delicately to the next room, where Charles now obviously slept as he hadn't been bothered to find a way to easily get upstairs. Carefully, He laid him down on the bed, covered him with his duvet and went to make himself a cup of coffee, having decided that it was important he stay with Charles incase he choked on his own vomit in his sleep. It was also of course because Erik had always found it hard to pull away from Charles, and once he was with him he tended to want it to stay that way. Leaving the door open to Charles' room, Erik drank the coffee as he sat on the sofa and turned the TV on quietly, although he didn't need it, knowing Charles was in the next room was better than any caffeine Erik could have had.