Coming Home // Sidemen AU (Minizerk)

Still In There

Yes, he was finally leaving! He was finally leaving his tiny room in the massive hospital where everything was too clinical and clean. There would be no more regular physical examinations or interrupted sleeps from nurses doing the rounds. There would still be appointments with a psychiatrist but that was only once every two weeks, and maybe the new doctor wouldn't ask him so many stupid questions.

No...that was being harsh to Karen; whatever he thought of the sessions with the woman, the actual doctor as a person was thoroughly nice and welcoming, and one of the only other people he could say he could trust, apart from his friends. After all, she was the one who'd made it possible for today to happen the way he wanted it to, rather than him being sent to some facility, away from his friends once more.

Much to his surprise, he found the stuff he was to be leaving with consisted of not only the few clothes provided to him by the hospital and some charity but also bags of gifts bought for him by the nurses and doctors who'd been assigned to care for him, even the guy he'd bitten on his first day who settled his embarrassment by saying it was nowhere near as bad as the one delirious patient who'd projectile vomited all over him.

Clothes and snack favourites were the main gifts, although some people had given him books and one elderly nurse had even got him an iPod. He didn't quite understand all the fuss. Was this the norm for every patient? If it wasn't he had no idea what earned him the special treatment.

"Someone's going to be missed," his doctor commented with a smirk as he watched him stuff the last of his things into the bag.

"Has he gone yet?" Another nurse called out on cue, the one who usually poked him with the evil needles. "Oh thank goodness, I thought I'd missed you!" she exclaimed, rushing over to him and only stopping herself from touching him at the last second, knowing how much he disliked it. Instead she just gave him a beaming smile. "It's not going to be the same without you mister," she commented, eyeing up his bags. "Make sure you continue to eat plenty, you need to put on at least another stone," she pestered, just like she was his mum or something. It was kind of nice. He almost smiled.

After fussing over him a bit longer, she let him be. "Hey Josh," Karen appeared a few minutes later. "I've got a bit of a break so I'll take you to your friends," she told him when he looked up in surprise. Taking the heavier of the two bags for him, she held open the door. He went to move forward but paused at the last second, turning his head to observe the tiny white room one last time. Nope, he thought, not gonna miss this place one little bit.

Walking side by side down the hospital hallway, Karen attempted to make conversation. "I'm sure you're excited to be leaving," she said. He didn't give her any form of answer, keeping his eyes glued to the floor; not that it phased her, as she continued: "It's a bit scary though, isn't it?" Still he had no reply except for in his head, and that reply was hesitantly agreeing with her. The biggest and most daunting question that kept creeping up was: what next? He fucking hated that question.

Another corner turned and then he heard the voices of his friends echoing down the corridor, loud and excited, JJ's voice above all of them yelling at nothing in particular. Before they were spotted, Karen added: "You ever need anything you know how to contact me."

He still had no reply, but he appreciated it, he really did. Then there was no time for any more talking when he was spotted by a wild Ethan, who practically started jumping up and down in excitement. "There he is!"

"Hey Josh, bet you're glad to be finally getting out of here," Tobi said quietly with a small smile. It was nice, how calm he was. It almost made him feel calm too and he answered with the slightest of nods, but by the way Tobi's eyes lit up he might as well have spoken a full sentence.