Forgive Us Our Sins (Moral Orel Fanfic)

Chapter 5 (CW: Blood and druguse Mention)

The phone rang, and all that could be heard was a voice groaning to pick it up.
"Ballpoint dispensery, this is Lou speaking.."

The smell of insence and the sound of rock could be heard throughout the small building, setting the scene for any new card holder with anxiety through the roof. Lou had tried to make it as calming an environment as she could, but people are going to be nervous.

"Lou, oh thank god. I need to talk to someone who isn't Christina right now." The voice of a nervous man could be heard. All Lou did was laugh "Hey, Orel. What's up, trouble in paradise?" She asked, twirling a pen in her hand as she sat on a bean bag.

Lou, short for Louisiana, had helped Orel ever since he started school at the age of 19. Her knowledge with the specialty item she held eased him through finals week.
"I'm not too ignorant to drugs, I've smoked crack you know." A teenage Orel shrugged, holding the joint in his hand. Lou choked on her drink and laughed, her voice hearty and full, looking at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, you did what? Fuck, you're crazy." Lou replied as they eventually laughed that night away.

But that was so far away in the past now. They both had responsibilities and people in their lives to take care of. Orel explained everything to her, the situation with his dad the most prevalent on his mind. He didn't know what to do, but he had also didn't want to bother Christina with it.

"Orel.. shit that's a lot." The strawberry blonde replied, sighing and shaking her head. "Yeah, I don't know what to do. Do I break my years of no contact just for a hospital visit?" Orel bit his lip, he had a tendency to draw a bit of blood when he got a flashback.

"I mean, do you really wanna risk a whole PTSD flashback because of it?" Lou asked him. Orel sighed "It's C-PTSD, And no. I really really don't."

"Buuut?" Lou could always tell when there was a but coming.

"I've been thinking about going back anyway. I miss my old friends, I miss my church.. I wanna show my kids where their parents grew up, and not just through pictures or Googie maps." Orel explained to Lou, who could hear his enthusiasm. "First of all, it's Google. I keep telling you this, and Second.. I say go." Lou chuckled, knowing how stressed he was to hear such a simple answer.

"But.. But my dad!" Orel cried out, worried sick about.. everything really. "Look, you were there for me after my parents kicked me to the curb when I came out. I'll be there for you through this. And I'm serious, call whenever. Plus, he's stuck to a hospital bed getting prayed over all while having tubes stuck up his ass. I doubt you'll ever think about him there."

Orel knew Lou was right, as she often was. But whatever his answer came to, he needed to tell his family eventually. "Say Hi to Cherry for me." Orel told her, Lou nodded "I'll tell them you called. Bye, Jesus Christ Smokerstar." Ugh, that nickname haunted his memory. But now isn't the time to think about it. Orel hung his phone up and sighed. He could barely think about work.

What a horrible start to the week.