For The Love Of A Bad Boy

XXXIX

-Jeremy's Point Of View-

No one ever called my cell phone. Whenever I wasn't near Sam, we'd call each other on the house phone. I only was away from Noah when one of us went to work.

When Sam's number showed up on the screen, I wondered if I should ignore it.

But I didn't.

"Sam?" I said as I picked up.

"It's not Sam. I found him outside the school."

"Anthony? What are you doing with Sam's phone? What do you mean you found him?"

"He was passed out. His boyfriend beat him up. I brought him to the hospital and he still hasn't woken up."

"God...okay, which hospital?"

"The one you brought him to the first time."

"You mean the one you put him in."

"I know you hate me, okay? I'll always regret what I did, but Sam is seriously hurt right now. Please, just get here."

The call disconnected.

I raced upstairs to grab Noah, who was in our room.

"Come on, we have to go to the hospital." I dragged Noah up.

"For what?"

"Sam."

I couldn't say any more. I wouldn't speak until we were at the hospital.

I didn't want to see Sam.

Not in the way he was. I couldn't bear to see him broken when I spent almost all of my life making sure Sam stayed safe and healthy.

I failed.

Noah drove. If I did, I'd crash.

Once we arrived at the hospital, a nurse told us where Sam was.

Anthony was sitting against the wall outside Sam's room, his knees drawn up to his chest.

"Do you know anything?" I asked him immediately.

"No. The doctor was waiting for you."

I found it extremely strange to be having a conversation with someone I arrested, but I found it stranger that Anthony was the one to bring Sam into the hospital. And I'd been telling Sam he didn't care.

"How did he look when you found him?" I almost didn't want to know.

"Awful. I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for? This isn't your fault."

"I knew. I knew Sam's boyfriend was beating on him and I didn't say a word."

I forgot to be angry about that. I was so worried about Sam, practically in a frenzy.
I failed as a brother and a guardian. I just sat back while Sam was being abused. I didn't do a single thing. I was the reason Sam was in the hospital.

"I knew too. Kind of." Noah said.

"How?" I asked.

"He tried to talk to me. I couldn't understand him."

"What'd he say?"

"Something about...he wanted someone to see his face."

"Mike gave him some pretty ugly bruises. I asked him about it and he avoided me."
Anthony said regretfully.

Dr. Greene walked out of Sam room then, taking notice of the three of us.

"Hello, Jeremy." She said solemnly.