Lights (Scomiche)

Silence

“You know you don’t have to sleep here. You can go back to the hotel and come back in the morning. I’m just going to be sleeping… nothing interesting.” He laughed a bit at the frown on Scott’s face as he tried to get comfy in the sleeper next to his bed. 

“You can’t honestly think I’m leaving you right now?”

MItch smiled at him as he watched him shift around again. He was exhausted, but thankful. He’d been moved to a regular room earlier that day and the constant visitors, the uniforms and their questions… the constant rotation of doctors and nurses…   it was a lot to deal with. He stared at the beautiful man next to him, watching him every moment that he could.  He noticed that Scott didn’t smile very much, at least not really.

He’d also found out today that they’d lost Jeremy.  His parents hadn’t wanted to tell him yet, neither did Kirstie, but he could tell by the look on her face when he’d asked about him.  Scott had been the one to explain and it was a tough pill to swallow. He knew he shouldn’t, but he had enough guilt inside of him to fill the grand canyon.  If he hadn’t been so insistent about going to that stupid bank in the first place none of this would have happened.  If he hadn’t whined and bargained until Scott came with him then there was a good chance he’d have just been killed that day and Jeremy would still be alive. Scott wouldn’t be this broken down version of himself, always worried… always afraid. Kirstie would still be happy and things would have been better.  If he had put his phone on vibrate… would things have been different? If he’d been bigger, stronger… if he’d been smarter…     

He had to clench his fists to keep the memories at bay.

“You need to sleep. The doctor said you need rest to heal.”

How can I sleep when everytime I close my eyes I see his face?  “You too. Please try to sleep. I’m ok now." 

He nodded a bit. “Goodnight, Mitch.”

“Goodnight, Scott.”

_____

“He’s finally sleeping?”

Mitch was awake, but he kept his eyes closed even now when he heard Alex’s voice as he entered the room.

“Yeah. Today’s been hard on him. He really wanted to be there, not just for Jeremy but for Kirstie too." he heard Scott answer.

It was hard. He had been devastated when he found out he wouldn’t be allowed to leave the hospital in time to attend Jeremy’s funeral. It was tough having to come to terms with that, but he didn’t really have a choice. 

“How are you doing with everything?”

“Tired, but still a bit better I guess. Now that I know he’s safe, it’s a little easier to let him breathe.”

“Has he said what happened, yet? What … I  mean… what he…y’know”

 

Scott sighed in response and it broke his heart knowing he was putting that man through this. It hadn’t even been as bad as it could have been, but he just wasn’t quite ready to talk about it yet. When he’d been questioned by the feds he’d asked that Scott leave the room. He didn’t want him knowing any of it, didn’t want to add to his burdens anymore than he already had to. 

“No. The doctor didn’t think he’d been… raped… or anything, but I don’t… I mean …”

He could hear the breaks in Scott's voice and hated being the cause.