SKY BOY ; JOSHLER

three

mr and mrs.joseph come into the small hospital room with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.
"tyler! oh thank god you're okay!" mrs.joseph yelled as she runs to his side. her grip on his hand is enough for him to wince and she loosens it with a sorry smile.
tyler smiles up at her before his eyes quickly return to the window.
the clouds have settled more now that its later in the day, and the pinks have long since faded. even so, there's no doubt in tyler's mind that josh is the prettiest boy to ever exist.
tyler's mom sighs. dr.anderson had told her of his "discovery" before they came in.
"tyler honey, i know you're upset about josh but he's in heaven now. he's not the sky."

tyler pulls his hand away from her and scoots back slightly in the sheets.
his eyebrows furrow and he looks to his mother with a hard glare.
"how dare you," tyler starts, his voice gravely and defensive, "insult him like that. josh is the sky."

his mother sighs again, taking a small step away from his bed and bringing her hand up to her mouth in thought. her mind wanders as she looks at the messy sheets and his creased face.
slowly, she drops her arm and turns to face the window. the clouds have moved since she glanced at it when she first walked in.
her eyes flicker to tyler, who is once again looking out the window, the sour expression that had been resting on his face now faded into one of love as he scans the clouds. he looks through the glass intently as if he never wants to miss a second of the constantly moving atmosphere.

"i love him mom," he whispers, "and nothing is going to change that." and with a final glance at josh he looks back to her.
his father stands from the hospital chair in the corner and slowly walks closer to the bed, as if a single wrong step could cause the entire floor to collapse underneath him.

"dr.anderson gave us a business card for a therapist named dr.greyson. you'll be seeing him once a week until he says otherwise." his father states, the tone of his voice filling the room quickly and leaving no room for argument.
tyler inhales deeply, "i don't need a therapist."
a stern look settles on to his father's face and tyler can feel himself become smaller in the hospital bed, the once normal sized sheets now pooling around him and he breaks eye contact with the man to the right of his bed.
his eyes flicker to the window before they connect with his father's again.
tyler nods.