SKY BOY ; JOSHLER

two

the two ambulances fly down the street, lights flashing bright enough to be seen from miles away and sirens loud enough to wake the dead.
tyler's eyes begin to peel open, his vision blurry from the way they were clamped closed only minutes ago. the oxygen mask on his face rests uncomfortably on his nose and he attempts to reach a bloody hand to fix it.
he's stopped, however, by a female paramedic who gently placed his arm back down.
"hey, hey you've gotta keep that on okay?"
tyler simply blinks at her slowly, his eyelids too heavy to lift them at his normal pace.
"can you tell me your name?" she asks, temporary lifting the mask so his voice can be heard.
"ty'lr" he mumbles out, the letters sounding jumbled and confused, as if their not sure if they're in the right order.
"is-is j'sh okay?" the words tumble from his lips, worry evident in each syllable.
the paramedic gently places the mask back on, "we have a very good staff,"

tyler can feel his eyes droop and his vision goes blurry.
"hey tyler? i need you to try to stay awake," she says but her voice is muffled and everything begins to sound as if his head is under water.
"try to stay awake," comes the distorted and faded voice. it's so different from the female's he's not even sure if she's the one who said it.
his eyelashes flutter and then rest on his once pink cheeks, leading him into a sleep deeper than he had ever known.

-------

tyler wakes to the sound of a heart monitor and a throbbing behind his eyes. his eyelashes flutter in an attempt to evade the blurriness that clouds his vision.
slowly he turns his head to the side, hoping to recognize his surroundings.

the small room is all white except for a flower setting in a vase across the room, the color of it reminding him of josh. it's just like his bright hair in the dull hallways at school, the way the pink distances itself from the white walls.
tyler finds himself smiling at the thought of him. his eyes quickly wander around the room again, rubbing his bruised leg as he reads the iv drip. he's not sure what any of it means, and it worries him slightly.

tyler attempts to sit up and a nurse walks in, the heavy wooden door creaking slightly. she jumps when she notices tyler awake, he's been asleep for quite a while.
"oh mr.joseph, you're awake! i'll call for the doctor."
she turns on her heal and hurries out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.
the click of the door falling in place reminds tyler that he's alone again.
he falls back onto the bead with a huff, his eyes wandering back to the flower.
something about it is different than when he saw it before, but he can't quite put his finger on it.

shortly after, the nurse walks back in, accompanied by who he assumes is a doctor.
"hello mr.joseph, i'm dr.anderson, how are you feeling?"
"m'fine, where's josh?"
dr.anderson glances to the nurse before letting out a long breath and lowering his clip board.
"mr.joseph i'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but-mr.dun-we were unable to save him."
tyler's eyes turn to the flower across the room, but there's more brown than pink resting on the petals.
it's wilted.

slowly, tyler sits up in bed, and pushes his legs off of the side.
as he begins to slide his feet onto the cold tiles of the hospital floor, dr.anderson steps forward.
"mr.joseph you need to stay in-"
"i'm fine."
"mr.joseph!"
but he ignores him. tyler shuffles slowly along the floor, his bare feet feel every crack and seam in the cold tiles. dr.anderson looks to the nurse as a silent call for help and she nods.
she steps forward but stops once she sees tyler.
he stands, in front of the once pink flower, a single finger touching a brown wilted petal.
"josh?" tyler asks in a small voice. he can feel his resolve cracking. all the work he's done to keep himself sane has gone out the window. his other hand comes to touch the flower as well and he inspects it closely.
"no it can't be you." tyler states.
he frowns and drops his hands away from the flower.

as tyler turns he sees the sky through the window and his mind is flooded with memories of him and josh at the sunset what seems to him like minutes ago.
"oh josh it must be you, my sky boy," tyler's eyes are watering with his realization. the bright pinks reciprocate onto his cheeks as he smiles to his boyfriend. tyler walks to the window sill, resting his elbows on the white wood as wet droplets gather in his eyelashes and clumping them together. tyler hums, a smile on his lips as he watches the clouds.

dr.anderson, who tyler had forgotten about in his happiness, approaches tyler and gently lays his hand on his shoulder.
"mr.joseph, i'm very sorry for your loss but-"
"loss? josh isn't lost silly! he's right there," tyler says, pointing out the window to the sky. tyler smiles as he looks back to the clouds.
"yes well, let's get you back into bed, so you can heal for josh."
"okay," tyler nods and walks back to the bed, climbing in and snuggling under the covers.
dr.anderson checks tyler's vitals and turns to the nurse.
"i'll notify his parents and get them up to speed, will you please locate dr.greyson's number?"
she nods and leaves the room, dr.anderson smiles at tyler, who smiles back, before looking to the window again. tyler continues to smile at the pinks and purples filling the sky as dr.anderson leaves, tyler only noticing he's gone once he hears the familiar sound of the wooden door clicking into place.