Dawn Hollow

VII

PJ sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair, approaching the second hour as the big hand jolted forwards to hit the area between the six and seven, holding his own hands right above his lips. His elbows were against his knees, making them go numb. Not to mention his better leg had been bouncing like a rubber ball for the past hour. It became the main reason for many, already grumpy, people to give him and his friend the stink eye and why the stranger next to him was just getting ready to switch seats.

Joseph and Noah took him to the closest healthcare place despite his many declines. Well, the nearest location that didn't have a wait time until sunrise. This was the best they could do, and from the first moment they walked in, they all knew why it wasn't nearly as busy. The place smelled like asbestos, which, by everything PJ knew about advanced scientific minerals, it should've been impossible. The beige, flowery wallpaper was peeling off the walls like Christmas paper, the floors were made of mold, and the staff looked like they hadn't had a day off since 1975. The place was running off nothing but as little government funding as possible, and it showed.

But PJ hated hospitals or any type of healthcare clinic. They bothered him. It made him think of Faye. The late sister. A hospital was one of the last places he ever saw her, the last place that reminded him of her. And what was worse is he remembered every detail with crystal clear descriptors.

They were put in room 673 and told to wait while his sister was to go through some tests. They were told to remain there. And they did. They waited forever. It didn't bother his 10-year-old self so much, but that didn't stop his mother's nervous aura from making him worry by comparison.

The twins had given him back his backpack at the very least, which was nice. He tried to use whatever the hell was in it as entertainment, but that didn't go too well. His phone died within the first 15 minutes after trying to beat his Doodle Jump record, but he quickly found himself failing with how shaky he was. Then there was his homework folder. Considering PJ could barely even focus on the wall in front of him, a concussion was more than likely evident, so homework would be nearly impossible. He also had his notebook. Pages and pages lined with ideas from every realm of his mind; written sheet music, stories, lyrics, mental notes to himself, doodles, astray math problems. His entire journey of high school so far was in this journal. It brought a slight grin to his bruised face. But he stuck it back into his backpack because, again, his unfocused mind would not let him read.

The injured teen glanced over at Joseph and Noah. The baseball player was dead asleep next to him, leaning his head on his brother, who was deeply entwined in the book on his lap. Even though PJ had yet to see an actual doctor, the nurses quickly patched up the twins, which was super friendly. Noah had a cotton pad taped to the cut under his eye and a few band-aids across the rest of his face and neck. Joseph also received a cotton pad on his temple, as well as getting his chest wrapped in tight bandages to realign his ribs, a brace for his knee, and some medicine for his headache. They were both doing much better but still refused to talk about it.

PJ leaned closer to the awake twin, hoping to not wake up the other, "H-Hey, Joseph?" He whispered over Noah's subtle snore.

"Mhm?" Joseph responded with no eyes leaving his book.

"What are you reading?"

"City of Glass, PJ. The same book I was reading an hour and a half ago," He answered with a tired, irritated undertone.

"R-Right...how much longer do you think the wait will be?"

"I don't know, PJ. When Noah asked last, it was a 30-minute wait but, that was also when we first got here, so, het zit well snor." He didn't know what that meant, but Joseph didn't seem concerned, which barely calmed him down.