The man who first found him tried to keep him calm, tried to tell him that he was safe now and no one was going to hurt him. But even if this man did call him by his name, his words were still hard to believe.
He fought back at first, against the people trying to take him from his home. He shouldn't be leaving, wasn't allowed to. Leaving that room would get him in trouble and trouble meant he would get hurt. However he was not strong enough to fend off everybody, and when the paramedics arrived he found himself outnumbered. Even without the sedative they gave him, he probably would have passed out anyway, from sheer exhaustion from the stress of it all.
He was scared. He was confused. He didn't know if these new people were here to help him or just hurt him some more. His last thought before the darkness overcame him: "What's going to happen to me now?"
...
Mr Anderson. Josh's old geography teacher. Finally they had the man who had taken the boy over six years ago now. The man had actually been under suspicion for a while, due to the fact that he and the boy had been spending a lot of time together during school lunch breaks, but there had never been enough evidence and eventually the trail had gone cold.
Simon had completely forgotten about the man, who had apparently given up teaching a year after Josh's disappearance and become a driving instructor, allowing him to choose his own work hours. The man had lived alone with his younger brother his whole life and it had been his younger brother who the police had to thank for finally giving in the location of Josh.
It was most likely the same man who had left the anonymous tip off to Josh's previous location three years ago, who had given into guilt of what he knew was going on in the basement of the shared house and handed his brother in.
Simon's dad told him there had been an incident during the police raid, one which meant that the only other key witness, Mr Anderson's younger brother, had ended up leaving in a body bag. Unfortunately Mr Anderson himself had remained mostly unharmed, and was under police custody.
That was all shocking and revealing but at the moment Simon only cared about one thing.
"Where is he?" That was the first question that left Simon's lips. He needed to know that this wasn't another false hope, that Josh was actually in safe hands this time, for real.
"Chelsea and Westminster hospital..." his dad told him, calming that one fear. I can't believe it, Simon thought in wonder, running a hand over his face and leaning over, resting his elbows on his knees. After all this time, he's finally back. I knew he was still out there, I knew it!
His moment of pure joy and relief was cut short with his dad's next sentence. "Simon, he's been very badly hurt."
At that moment the young man's heart leapt to his throat, the muscles tightening as he struggled to breathe. He'd been expecting this, but hearing his dad actually say it made it all too real. "How much?" he managed to choke out.
"Maybe it's best–"
"No Dad," Simon interrupted. "Tell me how."
"Multiple bruises, burns, lacerations and his left hand is very messed up," his dad said all at once, as if saying it quickly would make it any easier. "Apparently he broke a lot of bones there that haven't healed properly." Simon's own free hand clenched painfully tight as he thought about the suffering his friend had faced on his own for so many years. "Not to mention the dehydration and malnutrition," his dad added after it all.
"Shit," Simon said. "Fucking shit."
There was a sigh down the line and then his dad's voice again, even quieter and shakier than before. "Plus Simon...they don't know for sure until they've done a proper examination, but from the evidence at the house, and from what we now know about Mr Anderson, he's likely been...s-sexually abused," he informed him. "Most likely that was the motivation behind the kidnapping in the first place."
No. Just...that wasn't a thing. That wasn't something that was meant to happen to Josh. Or to anyone. How can a person do that to another human being? For the first time in a while, Simon felt the tingling sensation in his fingers, and the old scars that were still visible on his arms seemed to twinge in pain. No, he mentally slapped himself. You've gotta stay with it. You can't go losing it now.
"When can I see him?" he asked, because that was the next most important question.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," his dad tried to dissuade him, only trying to protect his son, Simon knew that, but despite what his dad might think, he wasn't a little boy anymore. And now more than ever he needed to step up and show that he could be a man.
"Listen, he's got no one," Simon exasperated, a sudden stabbing pain in his heart as he realised someone was going to have to break it to Josh that his mum had committed suicide whilst he'd been imprisoned. "There's no family waiting for him," he whispered, blinking away the pools in his eyes. "He needs me."
There was another pause as Simon's dad clearly considered everything carefully. Then he spoke, pride filling every word. "I'll meet you there son. He's still under police protection so I'll be able to get you through." He hesitated, sensitively adding: "perhaps...perhaps bring one of the lads with you Simon. It might make it easier."
"Nothing's going to make this easier dad," Simon said quietly, before sighing. "But I'll give Tobi a call, I don't want to worry the younger lads until I've seen him and JJ..."
"Yeah, I think the doctors want to try and prevent him being shouted awake." It was a half hearted attempt to try and lighten the mood but Simon appreciated it all the same. "Okay...give me a ring when you're near kiddo," his dad told him as Simon stood to his feet, already moving around the room stuffing whatever he might need into a backpack.
"I will. Bye Dad."
Hurrying around, grabbing his car keys and charging down the stairs without a word to the other lads, Simon jumped into his car, fully prepared to face three points on his licence for breaking a speeding law. As the in-car phone dialled Tobi's number, the young man spoke in hushed tones to himself, trying to calm his own nerves more than anything.
"It's alright Josh," he said with determination. "I'm on my way."